Covid live news: travel chaos as 3,500 more flights cancelled; fresh curbs in France | World news

Inventory markets have continued to achieve floor regardless of the surge of Omicron all over the world.

Asian markets lifted on Tuesday with the Nikkei in Japan up almost 1%, Shanghai up 0.2%, Seoul up 0.1% and Sydney’s ASX200 is up 0.44%.

Wall Avenue had one other record-breaking day on Monday with the S&P 500 index rising 1.38% to finish at an all-time excessive due to sturdy US retail gross sales. The narrower Dow Jones common climbed 0.98% and the Nasdaq Composite added 1.39%.

Apple has closed all of its 12 shops in New York Metropolis to indoor buying as circumstances of the Omicron variant surge throughout the US. Prospects will have the ability to choose up on-line orders on the shops, an Apple spokesperson stated.

“We often monitor circumstances and we’ll alter each our well being measures and retailer companies to assist the wellbeing of shoppers and workers,” the corporate stated in an announcement.

Germany has reported one other 21,080 circumstances bringing the nation’s complete to 7,026,369. The Robert Koch Institute additionally reported one other 372 deaths which implies that Germany has now seen 110,805 individuals die of Covid-19.

Extra from the US the place the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated on Monday it was shortening the really useful time for isolation for Individuals with Covid to 5 days from its earlier steerage of 10 days, given they’re asymptomatic.

It’s hoped the transfer will assist airways and different companies mitigate employees shortages from the illness.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky stated it was “very important individuals keep house and take a look at when sick and cling to really useful masking with the intention to mitigate the unfold of Covid, particularly as we proceed to see extra of the Omicron variant”.

France has diminished the ready time for a 3rd booster shot to a few months from 4 in response to the speedy unfold of Omicron.

Jean Castex, the French prime minister, additionally stated that from Monday and for the following three weeks all public gatherings could be restricted to 2,000 individuals for indoor occasions, and to five,000 individuals for out of doors occasions.

Masks might be obligatory in metropolis centres and other people should do business from home three days every week if attainable, Castex stated, because the nation’s an infection price hit a file degree of greater than 700 per 100,000 individuals.

Nevertheless, there might be no curfew on New Yr’s Eve celebrations and colleges will reopen after the festiv season as deliberate on 4 January.

China’s coronavirus circumstances rose for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, with Xi’an metropolis reporting extra infections in a flare up that has put 13 million residents under lockdown.

Xi’an reported 175 circumstances, up from the day prior to this’s 150, official information confirmed on Tuesday. None of them are of the Omicron variant. China has reported solely a handful of Omicron infections amongst worldwide travellers and in its south.

Mainland China detected 182 native symptomatic circumstances for Monday, the well being fee stated, in contrast with 162 a day earlier.

Xi’an is experiencing China’s largest group outbreak since 2020. Learn our correspondent Rhoda Kwan’s report on how town is responding, together with a disinfection marketing campaign, with staffers spraying pathogen-killing options on surfaces of roads and buildings:

Dr Anthony Fauci has prompt that the federal authorities ought to contemplate a vaccine mandate for home air journey.

“That’s simply one other one of many necessities that I feel is affordable to contemplate,” America’s main infectious illness knowledgeable informed MSNBC in an interview.

The Biden administration has thought of this transfer earlier than , or one requiring both vaccination or proof of damaging take a look at. However given the resistance to vaccine mandates for well being staff and different classes within the US, such a requirement may face authorized challenges.

Right here’s how we reported the pushback towards mandates within the US earlier this 12 months:

An illustration of the airline downside comes within the journey saga of two brothers from the US Pacific North-west.

Harley Garner, a 27-year-old artistic strategist from Portland, and his brother, who lives in Seattle, have been staying with their mother and father in Pahrump, Nevada, over the vacations and had deliberate to fly house on Sunday night, Reuters stories.

Each brothers’ respective flights from Las Vegas – to Portland through Alaska Airways and to Seattle through Allegiant Airways – have been cancelled on Sunday afternoon. Each managed to e book seats on later flights.

When their second flights have been cancelled, they determined at 3am on Monday to start out driving. Their father took them to Bakersfield, California, the place they deliberate to lease a automobile after which drive as much as Portland and Seattle, totalling some 17 hours on the street.

Garner stated essentially the most irritating a part of the journey nightmare, which Alaska Airways stated was weather-related, though Portland was not experiencing extreme climate on Monday, was the last-minute notification of cancellations.

Greater than 3,500 flights have been cancelled on Monday and Tuesday inflicting widespread disruptions for travellers all around the world as airways crews succumb to the Omicron Covid pressure.

In line with flight tracker FlightAware, 2,700 flights have been cancelled on Monday and 860 extra on Tuesday.

In complete, 11,000 flights have been cancelled since Friday due to the influence on crews, though dangerous climate has additionally performed an element in cancellations within the US.

In additional journey distress, the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated on Monday it was investigating 68 cruise ships after stories of Covid-19 circumstances on board.

Good morning/afternoon/night to you wherever you is perhaps and welcome to our rolling protection of the coronavirus pandemic.

Right here’s a abstract of the primary developments:

• 1000’s extra flights have been cancelled by airways all over the world, inflicting chaotic scenes at airports at one of many busiest occasions of the 12 months for journey. Carriers scrapped 2,700 flights on Monday and an additional 800 have already been dropped from Tuesday’s schedules. Dr Anthony Fauci stated a vaccine mandate must be thought of for all passengers within the US.
• Boris Johnson is not going to introduce additional Covid restrictions in England earlier than 2022, giving mass events the go-ahead and leaving nightclubs open for New Yr’s Eve – in distinction with devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire. Scientists stated it was “the best divergence between scientific recommendation and laws” seen because the begin of the pandemic.
• The US Centre for Illness Management has diminished the really useful isolation time for individuals recording a optimistic take a look at from 10 days to 5. The CDC stated these adjustments replicate the most recent information on when the virus is most contagious.
• Joe Biden stated the dramatic surge in US Covid circumstances brought on by the Omicron variant “should be a source of concern but it should not be a source of panic”.
• France has narrowed the delay for a 3rd booster shot to a few months from 4 in response to the speedy unfold of Omicron however there might be no curfew for New Yr’s Eve. From Monday, all indoor gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people, and to five,000 individuals for out of doors occasions. Consumption of drinks and meals might be banned in long-distance transport and residential working will change into obligatory for at the very least three days per week the place attainable.
• Denmark and Iceland reported file day by day Covid circumstances on Monday. Denmark now has the world’s highest an infection price, with 1,612 circumstances per 100,000 individuals.
• The variety of sufferers in England admitted into hospital with Covid-19 has reached its highest degree since mid-February after a 74% rise in every week. In London, hospital admissions have elevated by 73%. A complete of 8,474 individuals have been in hospital in England with Covid-19 as of 8am at this time – the very best quantity since 5 March.
• Scotland has recorded a file variety of Covid circumstances over the Christmas weekend, hitting a excessive of 11,030 new circumstances on Boxing Day, the Scottish authorities has stated. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is because of replace a specially-reconvened sitting of the Scottish parliament on Wednesday concerning the unfold of the virus and the influence on hospitals.
• Paraguay has confirmed the nation’s first Omicron circumstances, well being officers stated. The circumstances have been detected in individuals who had travelled outdoors the nation this month however the authorities has not taken fast motion on journey. Argentina reported its highest day by day tally for six months with 20,263 circumstances.
• Greece has introduced additional restrictions efficient between 3 and 16 January to comprise an additional surge in Covid infections. Bars and eating places should shut at midnight and no standing clients at leisure venues might be allowed. There may even be a most restrict of six individuals per desk.