- COVID cases mount as athletes and personnel arrive in Beijing.
- Protesters mainly objected to harsher restrictions for the unvaccinated, including a ban on eating in restaurants.
- Trucks remained parked on the streets near parliament on Sunday and hundreds of protesters were out too.
China has identified 119 COVID-19 instances among athletes and personnel participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics over the last four days, with officials enforcing a “closed-loop” bubble to keep competitors, staff, and media segregated from the general public as reported by Reuters.
Winter Olympics
As athletes and personnel arrive in Beijing for Beijing Winter Olympics, the number of COVID cases grows.
According to Games organisers, there were 37 new instances on Sunday and 34 on Saturday, with the majority of them testing positive at the airport upon arrival.
The Games are scheduled to attract 3,000 participants, coaches, administrators, federation delegates, and media from February 4 to 20.
Foreign travels
Bali, a popular tourist destination, will reopen to international visitors.
Bali, Indonesia’s popular tourist destination, will begin welcoming visitors from all countries this week, officials announced on Monday, more than three months after it first opened to a limited number of nationalities.
Despite the fact that Bali formally opened to travellers from China, New Zealand, and Japan in mid-October, Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno stated there had been no direct flights since then.
Quarantine waivers
Thailand and the Philippines have made similar statements after putting quarantine waivers on hold in December because of early concerns about vaccination efficacy against the Omicron strain of COVID-19.
Vaccination bill
Germany falls short of its goal of achieving an 80% immunisation rate.
Germany failed to reach its aim of vaccinating 80% of the population against the coronavirus by the end of January, less than a month before lawmakers are set to vote on an obligatory vaccine measure.
According to figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 75.8% of Germans had received at least one vaccine dosage as of Monday, putting the country below European peers such as Italy, France, and Spain.
COVID protests
Thousands of Czechs demonstrate against COVID restrictions.
Thousands of Czechs gathered in Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Sunday, waving flags and screaming anti-COVID-19 slogans despite an increase of COVID-19 infections.
Protesters were mostly against stricter restrictions for unvaccinated people, such as a prohibition on dining in restaurants.
Lowest death toll
COVID mortality and infections are said to be lower in Australia.
On Monday, Australia reported its lowest daily COVID-19 death toll in two weeks, as infections continued to fall, despite schools bracing for outbreaks among staff as thousands of kids returned from summer vacation.
As Australia confronts its greatest pandemic epidemic, spurred by the Omicron subtype, most states will have a staggered school reopening exercise this week.
Vaccine mandates
Protesters against the vaccine mandate tangle up the streets, the capital of Canada
After thousands descended to Canada’s capital city on Saturday to protest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and COVID-19 vaccine regulations, dozens of trucks and other vehicles blocked the downtown area of Ottawa for a second day.
On Sunday, trucks remained parked on the streets near parliament, as did hundreds more demonstrators. Some trucks have stated that they will not leave unless the mandate is repealed.
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Source: Reuters
