The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus has gripped the world with panic as several countries imposed curbs ahead of Christmas and New Years celebrations.
The rapid spread of the newly detected Omicron variant of coronavirus has gripped the world with panic. To curtail the spread of infections during the Christmas and New Years celebrations, governments across the world have imposed curbs and lockdowns.ADVERTISING
LOCKDOWN IN NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands went into a lockdown on Saturday to curtail the spread of the Omicron variant during Christmas gatherings.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the shutdown on Saturday evening, ordering the closure of all but essential stores, as well as restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places from Sunday until at least Jan. 14.
Read: Sore throat, one common symptom that confirms Omicron
In Rotterdam, police used a water cannon to disperse a group of around 1,000 people who had gathered outside the city’s main soccer stadium, ahead of a clash between local team Feyenoord and bitter rivals Ajax Amsterdam.
Several people were held as fireworks and bottles were thrown at police and at the Ajax team bus, news agency ANP said
INDOOR MASK MANDATE IN WASHINGTON
While in the United States, Washington DC Mayor Mayor Muriel reimposed the indoor mask mandate and announced a stricter vaccination mandate for government workers. The mask mandate will be in place till January 31 as Omicron cases sweep several parts of the country.
This comes as Omicron accounts for 73 per cent of new infections in US last week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week.
In much of the country, it’s even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90 per cent or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 6,50,000 omicron infections occurred in the US last week.
CANCELLED EVENTS BETTER THAN CANCELLED LIFE
Taking into account the rapid spread of the new variant, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled,” adding that “difficult decisions” must be made and in some cases, “that will mean cancelling or delaying events”.
He pointed out that evidence suggested that Omicron was spreading at a faster pace than the Delta variant.
The WHO chief said, “The fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others. In some cases, that will mean cancelling or delaying events… It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”
NOT RULING OUT ANYTHING SAYS UK
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government needed to “reserve the possibility” of brining in new Covid ruled in the country in the wake of the surge in Omicron cases ahead of Christmas.
Even though he did not announce new measures, he said his ministers were reviewing the data hour by hour and there were some things that needed clarity before any decision is taken.
On Monday, 91,743 Covid cases were reported across the UK.
ISRAEL TO BAN TRAVEL TO US, CANADA
Israeli ministers decided to ban travel to the United States, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced the decision following a Cabinet vote.
The rare move to red-list the US comes amid rising coronavirus infections in Israel and marks a change to pandemic practices between the two nations with close diplomatic relations. The US will join a growing list of European countries and other destinations to which Israelis are barred from traveling, and from which returning travelers must remain in quarantine.
Omicron, a very contagious variant first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, has raced around the globe and been reported in 89 countries, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. It said the number of Omicron cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, but noted that much remains unknown about the variant, including the severity of the illness it causes.
