Covid news live: Omicron variant spreads to Europe; countries rush to impose travel bans on southern Africa | World news

Many passengers on the 2 flights that arrived from South Africa to the Netherlands final evening didn’t put on face coverings, New York Occasions reporter Stephanie Nolen says.

Nolen, who was on one airplane, mentioned many passengers didn’t observe the well being tips regardless of a masks mandate by Dutch airline KLM, which operated each flights.

We now now that dozens of these passengers examined constructive for Covid, though authorities have but to substantiate the presence of the Omicron variant.

Passengers have been caught on the airport tarmac for about 4 hours earlier than being despatched to be swabbed, tweeted Nolen, who later mentioned she examined destructive.

“… nonetheless most likely 30% of ppl are carrying no masks or solely over mouth. Dutch authorities not implementing. We’re simply all on this unventilated room at hour 12, respiration on one another,” she added.

“In any case that point with maskless yellers in an unventilated house – we will see what the following days convey.”

As Europe braces for a potential outbreak of the brand new Omicron coronavirus variant, here’s a fast visible refresh of the place the continent stands in its struggle in opposition to the coronavirus.

This up to date map signifies incidence charges throughout Europe.

Dutch well being authorities mentioned that 61 individuals who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday examined constructive for Covid-19, Reuters experiences.

Authorities are conducting additional testing to see if any of the infections are with the lately found Omicron coronavirus variant.

Round 600 passengers arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on the 2 KLM flights on Friday after which confronted hours of delays and testing on account of issues over the brand new virus variant.

The Dutch well being ministry mentioned early Saturday 61 checks had come again constructive.

“Travellers with a constructive take a look at consequence shall be positioned in isolation at a lodge at or close to Schiphol,” well being authorities mentioned in a press release. “Of the constructive take a look at outcomes, we’re researching as shortly as potential whether or not they’re the brand new variant of concern, now named ‘Omicron’.”

The Dutch authorities banned all air journey from southern Africa early on Friday. Well being Minister Hugo de Jonge decided that passengers already en path to the Netherlands must endure testing and quarantine upon arrival.

Thailand is now the newest nation to ban entry of individuals travelling from eight African nations it designated as high-risk for the brand new B 1.1.529 Covid-19 variant, a senior well being official mentioned.

Beginning in December, journey from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, shall be prohibited, the official informed a information convention, as reported by Reuters.

Hello everybody, it’s Samantha Lock right here, able to take you thru all the brand new Covid developments this weekend.

It’s been a busy previous 24 hours on the Covid entrance with nations racing to shut borders and reimpose restrictions after a brand new Covid variant was detected final week.

As we speak, the World Well being Group named the variant “omicron” and categorised it as a extremely transmissible virus of concern.

Belgium detected Europe’s first confirmed case of the brand new variant on Friday because the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and a number of European nations imposed journey bans on south African nations.

Let’s dive proper again in with a fast recap of all the important thing developments you will have missed from the previous few hours.

• The US and Canada launched new journey restrictions in response to the Omicron variant.
• EU members additionally agreed to limit journey from seven African nations.
• The primary European case of B.1.1.529 variant has been recognized in Belgium.
• The US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has mentioned no instances of the brand new Covid-19 Omicron variant detected in South Africa have to this point been recognized in the USA up to now.
• New York governor Kathy Hochul issued a Covid-19 “catastrophe emergency” declaration on Friday, citing growing charges of infections and hospitalisations. An order from the governor mentioned the state was experiencing Covid-19 transmission “not seen since April 2020” and that hospital admissions has been growing over the previous month to over 300 a day.
• The UK reported an extra 50,091 Covid instances and 160 deaths.
• India reported its lowest day by day Covid case rise in 541 days, in accordance with Union Well being Ministry knowledge up to date right now. The one-day rise of 8,318 new Covid infections and 465 deaths noticed energetic instances decline to 1,07,019 – the bottom seen since March 2020.
• South Korea’s Covid deaths hit document excessive with new curbs anticipated. The nation reported 4,068 new Covid-19 instances and 52 new deatgs. Critically sick sufferers hit an all-time excessive of 634, up 17 from the day gone by, in accordance with the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company (KDCA).
• India will resume scheduled worldwide flights from 15 December with a restricted service to 14 nations, the Civil Aviation Ministry mentioned.
• Australia confirmed it should shut its borders to anybody who has been in southern Africa, and isn’t an Australian citizen. Australian residents, residents and their dependents arriving from these nations might want to go into fast supervised quarantine for 14 days.
• Brazil will shut its borders to travellers arriving from six southern African nations, chief of workers to president Jair Bolsonaro mentioned.
• Germany experiences a further 67,125 Covid instances and 303 deaths, in accordance with knowledge from the Robert Koch Institute.
• Germany’s high well being officers have raised the prospect of a nationwide lockdown amid quickly rising coronavirus instances and a dramatic enhance within the variety of sufferers in intensive care.
• The Netherlands shall be “successfully closed from 5pm to 5am” in accordance with remarks by caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte, asserting new Covid restrictions from Sunday.
• Dozens of persons are prone to have examined constructive for the virus inside the 600 passengers who landed at Schiphol airport within the Netherlands from South Africa on Friday.
• The European Centres for Illness Prevention and Management (ECDC) has categorised Omicron, B.1.1.529, a “variant of concern”, warning the danger is “excessive to very excessive”.
• Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco have launched various bans on travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini in accordance with AFP. Egypt has suspended direct flights to and from South Africa. Iran mentioned it should ban international travellers from six nations, together with South Africa.
• Canada launched new border measures and ‘rigorous monitoring’, banning international travellers from seven African nations.
• Shares within the US adopted these in Asia and Europe by falling sharply on Friday within the wake of issues concerning the new Covid variant.