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by Joseph Schmid PARIS, France (AFP) — France will order companies to impose at least three work-from-home days a week for employees whenever possible to stem a fifth wave of Covid infections, Prime Minister Jean Castex said Monday. The new measure, which will be in place for at least three weeks, is one of several announced after a crisis cabinet meeting on the new Omicron variant, which is again threatening to overwhelm hospitals. The meeting […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Monday halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid-19 infections from 10 to five days, with a surge of cases causing travel chaos and threatening wider social disruption. “The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement announcing the change. “These updates […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The locked-down Chinese city of Xi’an on Monday tightened Covid-19 controls to the “strictest” level, banning residents from driving cars around town in an effort to control the country’s worst outbreak in 21 months. China has stuck to a “zero-Covid” strategy of tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns as Beijing prepares to welcome thousands of overseas visitors for February’s Winter Olympics. Xi’an — where 13 million residents are facing […]
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Monday said some US hospitals could be “overrun” by Covid cases, but the country is generally well prepared to meet the latest surge and Americans need not panic. Biden spoke as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 continued to punch holes in airlines’ busy Christmas holiday schedules, prompting lead White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci to suggest that a vaccine mandate for […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — With Omicron cases on the rise, New York health officials have reported an increase in hospitalized children, as the White House promised Sunday to quickly resolve the United States’ Covid-19 test shortage. The New York State Department of Health warned “of an upward trend in pediatric hospitalizations associated with Covid-19,” in a statement Friday. In New York City, it “identified four-fold increases in Covid-19 hospital admissions for children 18 and […]
SALVADOR, Brazil (AFP) — More than 11,000 people have been displaced in the Brazilian state of Bahia due to flooding, with authorities scrambling Saturday to provide relief to residents without alternate housing. The heavy rains have killed 17 people since November, including the latest death on Thursday, the state’s civil protection agency said. A total of 4,185 people were seeking shelter, according to data released by the agency on Friday, after the rains struck 19 […]
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — A bird flu outbreak has killed more than 2,000 wild cranes on a reserve in northern Israel, an unusually high toll for the seasonal flu, the parks authority said Sunday. In addition to the 2,000 dead, another 10,000 are believed to be infected, Ohad Hatsofe, a specialist at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, told AFP. The virus affects Israel annually, but this year’s outbreak is much larger than previous years, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The Chinese city of Xi’an, where 13 million residents are currently confined to their homes, announced tightened restrictions on Sunday as the country recorded its biggest Covid-19 infection numbers in 21 months. China has stuck to a “zero-Covid” strategy involving tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns. Authorities have been especially vigilant in recent months to avoid an outbreak before February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, but there have been sporadic flare-ups. […]
Covid infections in France hit six figures Saturday, health officials recording 104,611 cases over the previous 24 hours, the third consecutive day the numbers have been record highs. The latest figures, from France’s public health agency, come ahead of a video-conference meeting Monday in which President Emmanuel Macron and key members of his government will discuss new Covid safety measures. Officials are concerned about the effect of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Already […]
Three members of K-pop sensation BTS have tested positive for Covid-19 since returning from the US, where they held their first in-person concerts since the pandemic began, the group’s management said Saturday. Rapper RM and vocalist Jin tested positive for the virus Saturday evening, according to Big Hit Music. The announcement came a day after the agency confirmed that Suga, another member of the septet, was “administering self-care at home” following a positive test. […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s core consumer prices rose 0.5 percent year-on-year in November, the third monthly increase after two modest hikes of 0.1 percent driven partly by higher fuel prices, government data showed Friday. The advances follow 18 months of declines or stagnation during the depths of the pandemic, and Friday’s reading beat economist expectations of a 0.4 percent rise. The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices but includes fuel […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York’s famous New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be drastically scaled back due to the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday, as the Omicron variant fuels a “staggering” surge in Covid cases. Typically some 58,000 New Yorkers gather to watch a giant ball drop marking the arrival of a new year, but next week the capacity will be reduced to 15,000, with each attendee required […]
