Coronavirus - 7 February 2022

Summary for Monday, 7th January 2022

Good morning

Here’s a quick rundown of coronavirus news and events over the past 24 hours:

• The mayor of Canada’s capital has declared a state of emergency as protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyse central Ottawa. Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government.
  
  
• More than 17 million Vietnamese students are due to return to school for the first time in about a year, the health ministry has said, as authorities announced plans to start vaccinating children from as young as five against Covid-19.
  
  
• Indonesia will tighten social restrictions in the capital Jakarta and the holiday island of Bali as coronavirus cases rise sharply while foreign tourists have temporarily been banned from entering the country through Jakarta’s airport.
  
  
• The Chinese city of Baise in Guangxi, population 3.57 million, has been locked down because of a Covid outbreak. The outbreak is tiny by global standards, but the curbs, including a ban on non-essential trips in and out, follow a national guideline to quickly contain any flare-ups.
  
  
• That news comes as China’s chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou, says that as long as there’s no other way to contain the spread of the virus, the country won’t adjust its “dynamic Zero Covid” pandemic control policy.
  
  
• Australia’s borders will open to all remaining visa holders on 21 February – if they’re double vaccinated. Prime minister Scott Morrison said “events earlier in the year”, assumed to be a reference to tennis star Novak Djokovic, would have made Australia’s position on vaccination clear.
  
  
• Xiomara Castro, the president of Central American country Honduras, has tested positive for Covid-19. In a tweet, she said she had mild symptoms.
  
  
• Authorities in India have approved Russia’s one-jab Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine. It will be the second Russian-developed jab to be approved by the country, after Sputnik V was allowed in April 2021.
  
  
• Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Beijing on Thursday for the opening of the Winter Games and will not be travelling to France next week for an Indo-Pacific summit, his office has said.
  
  
• UK travellers have been warned to check their half-term holiday plans to make sure they meet Covid vaccination rules when travelling to EU destinations as a growing number of countries impose new restrictions.
  
  
• Boris Johnson’s desperate efforts to save his premiership have been undermined with one of his most loyal backbench supporters saying it was now “inevitable” that Tory MPs would remove him from office over the “partygate” scandal.
  

Ottawa declares state of emergency over trucker protest

The mayor of Canada’s capital has declared a state of emergency, AP reports, as protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyse Ottawa’s downtown.
Jim Watson said the declaration highlighted the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.

A few counter protesters hold signs on Parliament Hill as truckers and their supporters continue to protest Covid-19 restrictions in Ottawa. Photograph: Lars Hagberg/Reuters

Thousands of protesters descended on Ottawa again on the weekend, joining a hundred who had remained since last weekend. Residents of Ottawa are furious at the nonstop blaring of horns, traffic disruption and harassment and fear no end is in sight after the police chief called it a “siege” that he could not manage.
The “freedom truck convoy” has attracted support from many US Republicans including former president Donald Trump, who called the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, a “far-left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates”.
Read more here.

Vietnamese students due to return to school after almost a year

More than 17 million Vietnamese students are due to return to school for the first time in about a year, the health ministry said, as authorities announced plans to start vaccinating children from as young as five against Covid-19.
The Southeast Asian country lifted many of its coronavirus curbs in October, but almost all students had been confined to taking online classes since early last year, Reuters reports.
Most schools in the country are due to reopen by the middle of February, the health ministry said in a statement.
In a separate statement at the weekend, the government said it intended to buy 21.9 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged between five and 12.
More than 75% of Vietnam’s 98 million people have received at least two vaccine shots and authorities aim to administer a booster shot to all of the adult population by the end of March.
Schools in the capital Hanoi will start reopening from Tuesday, with precautions such as temperature checks and protocols in place in case positive cases are detected, authorities said.
Vietnam managed to contain the coronavirus for most of 2020 before the Delta variant drove up infections last year.
The ministry of health said the country reported 14,112 new cases on Sunday. Overall, Vietnam has reported 2.34 million Covid-19 infections and more than 38,300 deaths.

Tough restrictions imposed for the city of Baise in China

Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Baise have ordered residents to stay at home from Monday and avoid unnecessary travel as they enforced curbs that are among the toughest in the nation’s tool-box to fight rising local infections of Covid-19, AFP reports.
The outbreak in Baise, which has a population of about 3.6 million and borders Vietnam, is tiny by global standards, but the curbs, including a ban on non-essential trips in and out, follow a national guideline to quickly contain any flare-ups.
The effort takes on extra urgency during the staging of the Winter Olympics, which began on Friday and run until 20 February, as well as a busy travel season for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Dozens of athletes for the Games, hosted by the capital Beijing and the northern province of Hebei, have tested positive and moved into isolation, but events have not been seriously affected in the absence of cluster spread in the closed loop insulating them from the public.
Baise, in the region of Guangxi, reported 37 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Sunday, up from six the day before, data from the National Health Commission showed.
Residents should stay indoors except for trips to buy essentials or test for Covid-19, and should opt for delivery rather than in-store purchases whenever possible, state television said, citing a statement from the city government.
It has also suspended non-essential businesses, public transport and school sessions and delayed opening of ports of entry along the international border. Essential workers will need special passes for movement within Baise.
Including Baise, China reported 45 locally transmitted cases with symptoms for 6 February, up from 13 a day earlier, NHC data show.
The southern province of Guangdong and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin also reported sporadic local symptomatic cases for Sunday.
There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636.
By 6 February, mainland China had 106,419 cases with confirmed symptoms since the outbreak first emerged in late 2019, including both local infections and those from abroad.

Hong Kong grapples growing outbreak

Hong Kong is expected to report a record of around 610 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, broadcaster TVB reported, in the biggest test yet for the city’s zero-Covid strategy as it grapples to contain a growing outbreak.
Around 300 others were found positive in preliminary tests, TVB said, citing an unnamed source.
The global financial hub, which is following mainland China’s strategy of suppressing all coronavirus outbreaks as soon as possible, has seen cases soar since January with over 2,000 infections compared with just two in December, Reuters reports.
The city recorded 342 cases on Sunday, slightly below the previous day’s record of 351 cases. Dozens of bank branches including outlets of HSBC and Bank of China said they would suspend operations from Monday to help curb transmissions.

People queue at a mobile specimen collection station for Covid-19 testing at Edinburgh Place in Hong Kong. Photograph: Bertha Wang/AFP/Getty Images

Health secretary Sophia Chan said over the weekend that she expects cases to rise “exponentially”.
The former British colony has become one of the most isolated cities in the world, with flights down around 90% due to strict coronavirus regulations and schools, playgrounds, gyms as well as most other venues shut. Restaurants close at 6 pm (1000 GMT), while most people, including the majority of civil servants, are working from home.
The economic and psychological tolls from the hardline approach are rapidly rising, with measures becoming more draconian than those first implemented in 2020.
Government quarantine facilities are also nearing their maximum as authorities struggle to keep up with their rigid contact tracing scheme.
Authorities hold daily briefings providing details on each infected person including where they went and ate. As cases surge however, methods including scouring credit card statements and transport records to identify close contacts are far tougher. There are likely hundreds of transmission chains in the community, they said.
In total, Hong Kong has recorded 213 Covid deaths and around 15,000 cases since early 2020, far less than other similar major cities.

Indonesia tightening restrictions in the capital Jakarta as cases rise sharply

Indonesia will tighten social restrictions in the capital Jakarta and the holiday island of Bali as coronavirus cases rise sharply, a senior minister said on Monday.
Under new regulations, supermarkets, malls and restaurants will operate at 60% capacity and houses of worship will be reduced to 50% of capacity, said senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan according to Reuters. It was not immediately clear when the measures would take effect.
The move came hours after the transport ministry said it was temporarily banning foreign tourists entering the country through Jakarta’s airport, in a bid to slow a spike in coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant.
The south-east Asian country has seen a jump in cases, with more than 36,000 infections recorded on Sunday and the bed occupancy rate at hospitals in the capital reaching 63%.
The move to bar tourists flying to Jakarta comes days after Bali welcomed the first international flight in nearly two years carrying foreign visitors.

Passengers from Japan arrive in Bali last week on the first international flight to arrive on the island since it closed to international tourists in March 2020. Photograph: Dicky Bisinglasi/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

The new regulations apply to foreign tourists and Indonesians who have travelled abroad for holidays, the ministry said in a statement released late on Sunday.
The decision to “temporarily restrict tourist arrivals” was intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus, said Novie Riyanto, director general for civil aviation at the ministry.
Tourists flying from abroad will still be able to arrive at Bali airport, as well as at Batam and Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands near Singapore.
Police have also implemented a curfew in downtown Jakarta from midnight to 4am. as infections have kept climbing.
Indonesian officials have warned that the surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant may not peak until late February.
Despite these concerns, the resort island of Bali welcomed a flight from Tokyo last Thursday carrying six foreigners, mostly travel agents who were on board to monitor the island’s readiness to receive foreign tourists.

  Report from Metro US:   This report contradicts earlier statement re overseas tourists

Indonesia to tighten COVID-19 curbs as infections climb

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will tighten social restrictions in Jakarta and Bali, as well as in two other cities on Java island, in a bid to contain a spike in coronavirus infections, a senior cabinet minister said on Monday.

 Separately, the transport ministry clarified that overseas tourists would still be able to enter the country through the capital Jakarta, after the ministry indicated otherwise in a statement issued on Sunday.

It earlier said foreign tourists and Indonesians returning from holidays abroad would be temporarily banned from flying into Jakarta, as a further precaution against COVID-19.
The new statement said tourists with the right paperwork could arrive through Jakarta and Bali airports, as well as via Batam and Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands near Singapore.
The Southeast Asian country has seen a jump in cases driven by the Omicron variant, with more than 36,000 infections reported on Sunday and the bed occupancy rate at hospitals in the capital reaching 63%, up from 45% in January.
Senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who oversees the pandemic response in Java and Bali, announced tightened social restrictions in greater Jakarta, Bali, as well as in the city of Bandung in West Java and Yogyakarta in Central Java.
Under the new regulations supermarkets, malls and restaurants will operate at 60% capacity, while capacity at houses of worship will be reduced to 50%, he told a streamed news conference.
Three provinces, including Jakarta, Banten and Bali, had already exceeded infection rates seen during the wave driven by the Delta variant last July, but hospitalisations had remained relatively low, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told the same news conference.
“Don’t panic when you see an increase in cases,” Budi said.
Indonesian officials have warned the surge in cases may not peak until late February.
(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Kate Lamb; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed Davies)

US figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for Covid

US figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for Covid-19 in athletes’ daily screening at the Beijing Olympics, US Figure Skating has said.

As part of yesterday’s regular Covid-19 screening, Vincent Zhou tested positive,” it said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“Zhou is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status. If the results are negative, Zhou will be able to compete in the men’s short programme, which begins Tuesday,” it added.

UK health secretary says NHS waiting list to grow due to 8-9m who stayed away because of pandemic
Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, has said he believes the NHS waiting list is going to grow even more due to 8-9 million people who have stayed away during the pandemic.
Speaking on Sky News, he urged those who have stayed away to “please come forward”.
He said “it’s hard to know” how long it’s going to take for the NHS to recover following Covid.
“I want them all to come back because I want them to know the NHS is there, it’s open for them,” he said.
He said there was no issue with the Treasury and that delays were a result of Omicron.
Javid said patients will be able to check waiting times for their trust online through the “my planned care” service.



The UK health secretary, Sajid Javid, said the government has recognised that about 19,300 social care staff have left their jobs as a result of the government’s mandatory vaccination policy
The government has since said it would revoke the rules.
“That’s still a significant number, but that the whole purpose of mandatory jabs when we introduced that was about patient safety, and when we had the Delta variant … it was much more deadly, much more dangerous, and it was right that we did everything we could to protect people that are more vulnerable than the rest of society,” he said.
“So there’s no regrets about that, it was absolutely the right policy.”
Asked whether they would be able to reapply for their former jobs, Javid said they would be able to when the law has changed.

NHS continuing to face 'really high levels of staff absence' due to pandemic

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said Omicron has caused “really high levels of staff absence” - and that the problem is ongoing.
She said that most recently around 70,000 staff had been absent across the NHS - 40% of whom were absent as a result of either Omicron of coronavirus measures.
“That’s a very high level of staff away from their frontline jobs,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today. And said that the problem with absence “persists”.
She said it was important that NHS leaders see the full government plan to tackle the backlog “as quickly as possible” to tackle the “very long waiting lists which built up during the pandemic”.

Uganda lifts its boda boda curfew (motorcycle taxis)

Nearly two years after it was introduced, the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has lifted a coronavirus curfew on motorcycle taxis known as boda bodas.
They were banned from operating between 7pm and 5am in March 2020 amid rising Covid cases.
From 6pm today, the president has tweeted that operators can restart work:


Northern Ireland has seen a significant increase in young people in mental health crisis seeking hospital help during the pandemic.
Referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) from hospital emergency departments went up by 24% between 2019-20 and 2020-21, reports the BBC.
Northern Ireland’s commissioner for children and young people, Koulla Yiasouma, told the broadcaster:

The most significant public health issue caused by the pandemic, aside from the physical health risk from the Covid-19 virus, has been on population emotional wellbeing and mental health.
The evidence is now clear that children and young people have been disproportionately impacted.
The limited statistics that are available on service activity paint a concerning picture.

PM of Papua New Guinea tested positive for Covid arriving in Beijing for Winter Olympics

The prime minister of Papua New Guinea tested positive for Covid when he arrived in Beijing last week for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, reports the Associated Press.
James Marape was immediately given medical treatment, missed Friday’s ceremony and returned home on Sunday night, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
He held a meeting with Chinese premier Li Keqiang via video link while he was in Beijing, the spokesperson said. Marape’s current condition is unknown.
It comes as Papua New Guinea, where less than 4% of the population is vaccinated, is seeing a surge of Omicron cases.

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape meeting Chinese premier Li Keqiang via video link at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Saturday. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

UAE announces 1,704 new COVID-19 cases, 1,992 recoveries, 1 death in last 24 hours

ABU DHABI, 7th February, 2022 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 473,298 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
In a statement, the Ministry stressed its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment. As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced 1,704 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 859,361.
According to the Ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and receiving the necessary care.
MoHAP also announced 1 death due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 2,265.
The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and wished COVID-19 patients a speedy and full recovery. It called on all members of the society to cooperate with health authorities, adhere to the instructions and physical distance to ensure the health and safety of all.
MoHAP also noted that an additional 1,992 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 786,642.
(WAM/Lina ibrahim/MOHD AAMIR)

Covid-19 infections continue to decline in Pakistan

The News International
ISLAMABAD: The number of daily COVID-19 infections continued to decline in Pakistan as the country logged 3,338 new cases during the last 24 hours, data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed Monday morning.
As per the latest stats of the NCOC, the country’s COVID-19 positivity ratio dropped down to 7.45% in a single day. The official figures suggested that only 3,338 new infections were detected when 44,779 COVID-19 diagnostic tests were conducted nationwide during the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of active cases stands at 89,192 while the new cases pushed Pakistan's total coronavirus case count to 1,463,111.
After a slight decline for two days, the countrywide COVID-19 death rate saw an uptick as 38 more people lost their lives to the virus during the last 24 hours. This took the country's coronavirus death toll to 29,516.

Moreover, 4,905 people suffering from the disease recuperated overnight, marking a significant rise in the total number of recuperations reported so far.
Meanwhile, Pakistan registered a new coronavirus vaccination record as more people follow the advice of Pakistan's Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, who requested the Pakistanis to get vaccinated.
The NCOC chief Asad Umar on Sunday said that Pakistan has been setting the highest daily vaccination records for three consecutive days.
Umar, who also holds the portfolio for the planning ministry, shared that the nationwide mobile vaccination campaign, designed by the NCOC and being "implemented with the help of provinces is producing outstanding results”.
“Target is to reach all citizens to allow us to finally end all COVID-19 related restrictions,” explained Umar.“Highest daily vaccination records set three days in a row,” tweeted Umar.
Dr Faisal Sultan had asked the public to stop being lazy and get their booster shots if they haven't already. As Pakistan fights the fifth COVID-19 wave led by the Omicron, the health minister had urged people to get their shots.

Norway’s Development Aid Minister Tvinnereim tests positive for COVID-19

Robin-Ivan Capar - Norway Today
On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Norway’s Development Aid Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (SP) has tested positive for the coronavirus.
“The Minister for Development Aid has tested positive for the corona. There will therefore be changes in her schedule this week,” the message stated.
Several members of the government have been infected with COVID-19 in recent weeks, including Minister of Research and Higher Education Ola Borten Moe (SP), Minister of Agriculture Sandra Borch (SP), Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen (AP), Minister of Education Tonje Brenna (AP), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt (AP).

Russia has reported 171,905 new coronavirus cases in the pat 24 hours, and a further 609 deaths.
Since the start of the pandemic, the country has now seen over 12.6 million cases and 329,000 deaths.

Nepal sees 1,570 new coronavirus cases, 13 deaths in past 24 hours
Khabarhub
KATHMANDU: The country recorded a total of 1,570 new cases of coronavirus and 13 deaths in the past 24 hours as of Monday.
Of the confirmed cases today, 1,022 were detected through the RT-PCR method and 548 from the antigen method.
Likewise, there are 350 cases in Kathmandu, 28 in Bhaktapur and 59 cases in Lalitpur, taking the Valley’s total to 437 cases.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 13 coronavirus-related deaths have been added to the COVID-19 death tally in the past 24 hours. With this, the COVID-19 death toll in the country is 11,827 to date.
Currently, there are 40,111 active cases in the country as 6,146 infected patients recovered.

So far today...

• The mayor of Canada’s capital has declared a state of emergency, AP reports, as protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictions continued to paralyse Ottawa’s downtown. Jim Watson said the declaration highlighted the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.
  
• The prime minister of Papua New Guinea tested positive for Covid arriving in Beijing last week for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. James Marape was immediately given medical treatment, missed Friday’s ceremony and returned home on Sunday night, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
  
• An Oxford scientist who worked on the AstraZeneca vaccine has accused scientists and politicians of having “probably killed hundreds of thousands of people” by damaging its reputation. Prof John Bell told the BBC: “They have damaged the reputation of the vaccine in a way that echoes around the rest of the world.”Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said Omicron has caused “really high levels of staff absence” – and that the problem is ongoing. She said that most recently around 70,000 staff had been absent across the NHS – 40% of whom were absent as a result of either Omicron of coronavirus measures.
  
• Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, has said he believes the NHS waiting list is going to grow even more due to 8-9 million people who have stayed away during the pandemic. Speaking on Sky News, he urged those who have stayed away to “please come forward”. He said “it’s hard to know” how long it’s going to take for the NHS to recover following Covid.
  
• Nigeria has received 2m doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine from Finland, Greece and Slovenia, with more EU donations set to arrive in the coming weeks, government officials said on Monday.
  
• Russia has reported 171,905 new coronavirus cases in the pat 24 hours, and a further 609 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, the country has now seen over 12.6 million cases and 329,000 deaths.
  

Positive Covid cases in Premier League have doubled in a week

The number of positive Covid-19 cases in the English Premier League, the most watched sports league in the world, has doubled in a week, but with a far higher number of tests being carried out, PA Media reports.
The league announced on Monday there were 22 positive results returned from tests on 6,685 players and staff at the top-flight football clubs between 31 January and 6 February.
That was a 100 per cent increase on the previous week, however, only 1,947 players and staff were tested then, with some stars benefiting from a winter break while others were away on international duty outside Europe.

Italy has recorded a further 326 coronavirus deaths and 41,247 new cases.
This brings the total death toll to over 149,000.

UK reports 57,623 cases and 45 Covid-linked deaths

On Monday, the UK recorded a further 57,623 coronavirus cases and 45 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
These figures brings the total number of coronavirus deaths within 28 days of a positive test to be 158,363, while there as been a total of 17,866,632 total cases.

Sweden to ease travel restrictions

Sweden will lift its travel restrictions for foreign nationals travelling to Sweden from Nordic countries and the rest of the European Union and European Economic Area from Wednesday, the Swedish government has announced.
The travel bans, which were introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus, will be lifted on the same day that Sweden is due to lift pandemic restrictions that had been extended last month.

France reported on Monday that there are 3,622 patients in intensive care units with coronavirus, an increase by 45 as of yesterday.
The country has also reported a total of 105,520 coronavirus deaths in hospital.

In the US, the governors of New Jersey and Delaware have said their states would lift school mask mandates in the coming weeks.
The change signals a desire by at least some Democratic state governors, including New Jersey’s Phil Murphy and Delaware’s John Carney, to take their states off emergency footing and shift toward policies that treat the virus as part of normal life.
By no longer requiring students, teachers and administrators to wear masks in schools to wear masks, the governors are also seeking to blunt one of the most divisive issues of the pandemic, Reuters reported.
Republican leaders in some states, including Florida and Texas, have banned mask mandates in schools, while Democrats have generally encouraged the policy to help stall new infection.
In New Jersey, where the number of new cases have decreased over the past two weeks, Governor Murphy announced the state would lift its school mask mandate on 7 March.

Ottawa protesters defy deadline to end occupation of capital
Tracey Lindeman - The Guardian
Protesters against Covid vaccine mandates for truckers have defied government calls for them to end an 11-day occupation of Canada’s capital, a day after the city’s mayor declared a state of emergency and promised to “get the city back”.
Ottawa police have described the protest as a “siege” on the city, where hundreds of trucks and cars have blockaded the downtown areas. On Sunday, Mayor Jim Watson warned that officials were “losing this battle”, and a civil class-action lawsuit was filed against protesters over the incessant horn blasting and disruption to daily life.
But on Monday morning a 10am deadline – which asked protesters to leave of their own volition or face damages of nearly C$10m (US$7.9m) – came and went with no sign that an end to the protest was at hand.
Dozens of big-rig trucks, RVs and pickups remained parked in front of Parliament Hill and nearby streets, and protesters showed no signs of leaving.

US CDC advises against travel to Japan, Cuba, Armenia over Covid

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday advised against travel to six countries including Japan, Cuba, Libya, Armenia, Oman and the Democratic Republic of Congo over Covid cases.
The CDC now lists more than 130 countries and territories with Covid cases as “Level Four: Very High.”
It lists just over 50 countries as “Level Three: High,” discouraging non-essential travel by unvaccinated Americans.

The German government is working on plans to relax coronavirus restrictions after the peak in new cases has passed, most likely by the end of February.
Unlike some of its European neighbours, Germany still has many pandemic restrictions in place that exclude unvaccinated people from restaurants, public venues and some stores.
“Perspectives for opening are being developed,” government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters. She said the measures would be discussed at a meeting of federal and state officials on 16 February, but would only take effect when authorities can be sure that Germany’s health system won’t be overwhelmed.
“According to experts, that could be by mid-to-end February,” she said.
Germany has seen a sharp spike in newly confirmed cases in recent weeks due to the omicron variant.
Pharmacists in the country are scheduled to begin offering vaccinations Tuesday, after parliament changed the rules so that they, dentists and vets could also administer the shoots.