New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullShenzhen shuts most public transport as China battles multiple outbreaks
The main districts of Chinese tech hub Shenzhen shut down public transport andextended curbs on public activities on Friday as cities across China battled COVID-19 outbreaks that have dampened the outlook for economic recovery. Six districts comprising the majority of the city's population of almost 18 million announced that all residents would be tested twice for COVID-19 over the weekend as subway and bus services were suspended.
2nd Sep 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina’s Major Cities Edge Into Covid-19 Lockdowns Ahead of Party Congress
Chinese cities tightened measures to halt Covid-19 flare-ups, threatening further damage to the country’s embattled economy ahead of a Communist Party congress to decide the nation’s top leadership. Chengdu ordered its 21 million residents to stay at home from 6 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to a statement from the city’s government. Authorities will conduct citywide Covid-19 tests through Sunday, with one person in each household allowed to leave home once a day to buy groceries, with proof of a negative Covid-19 test. They gave no date for when the measures would end.
1st Sep 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Chengdu locks down 21.2 million as Chinese cities battle COVID
The southwestern Chinese metropolis of Chengdu announced a lockdown of its 21.2 million residents as it launched four days of citywide COVID-19 testing, as some of the country's most populous and economically important cities battle outbreaks. Residents of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, were ordered to stay home from 6 p.m. on Thursday, with households allowed to send one person per day to shop for necessities, the city government said in a statement.
1st Sep 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 31st Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's big cities, from Dalian to Shenzhen, ramp up COVID curbs
Several of China's biggest cities imposed tougher COVID-19 curbs on Tuesday, further crimping the activities of tens of millions, and sparking fresh concerns for the health of a barely growing economy. Metropolises from the southern tech hub of Shenzhen to southwestern Chengdu and the northeastern port of Dalian ordered measures such as lockdowns in big districts and business closures aimed at stamping out fresh outbreaks
30th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Chinese Province Bordering Beijing Expands Covid Lockdown
China is enforcing lockdown restrictions in areas around Beijing more intensively, and will mass test the nearby port city of Tianjin, stepping up its quest to wipe out Covid-19 ahead of a key meeting of the Communist Party’s top leaders. The moves come even as China’s latest wave shows signs of easing, with 1,556 new infections nationwide reported for Sunday, down from more than 3,000 less than two weeks ago. Despite the high cost to the Chinese economy, the country remains focused on eliminating transmission of a virus that most of the world has now accepted as endemic. Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province bordering Beijing, confined residents of four major downtown districts to their homes for three days from Sunday afternoon, saying a mass testing exercise will be undertaken.
29th Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
China Moves Aggressively on Covid as Political Summit Looms
China is enforcing lockdown restrictions in areas around Beijing more intensively, and will mass test the nearby port city of Tianjin, stepping up its quest to wipe out Covid-19 ahead of a key meeting of the Communist Party’s top leaders. The moves come even as China’s latest wave shows signs of easing, with 1,556 new infections nationwide reported for Sunday, down from more than 3,000 less than two weeks ago. Despite the high cost to the Chinese economy, the country remains focused on eliminating transmission of a virus that most of the world has now accepted as endemic. Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province bordering Beijing, confined residents of four major downtown districts to their homes for three days from Sunday afternoon, saying a mass testing exercise will be undertaken
29th Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullCrowds try to flee Shanghai Ikea store to avoid strict COVID-19 lockdown in China
Authorities tried to lock people in a Shanghai building and Ikea store over COVID-19 concerns. Video clips shared online show a large group of people trying to leave. China has recently reported an increase in coronavirus cases
16th Aug 2022 - ABC News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullIKEA shoppers rush out of Shanghai store after lockdown attempt due to COVID-19 risk
There were chaotic scenes at an IKEA outlet in Shanghai on Saturday (Aug 13) when authorities tried to lock down the store after learning that a customer had been in close contact with a COVID-19 case. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed customers pushing past security guards and running out of the store in panic as an announcement blared over its sound system saying the mall was being locked down due to COVID-19 contact tracing. Guards were seen closing the doors to prevent people from leaving, but a crowd forced their way through and rushed out.
15th Aug 2022 - Channel NewsAsia Singapore
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau to suspend ferry services with Shenzhen in China
Ferry services between Macau and the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen will be suspended from Aug. 12, Macau's government said on Thursday, due to measures to curb COVID-19 infections, just days after it had been relaxed. Ferry services had resumed on Aug. 8.
11th Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina battles Covid outbreaks in tourism hubs of Tibet and Hainan
China is racing to stamp out Covid-19 outbreaks in the tourist hubs of Tibet and Hainan, with the authorities launching more rounds of mass testing and closing venues to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant as Beijing presses ahead with its Covid zero strategy. Mainland China reported 828 new domestically transmitted cases across more than a dozen provinces and regions for 8 August, with more than half of them in Hainan, a highly popular tourist destination, official data showed on Tuesday. Tibet, which until now had reported only one symptomatic case since the pandemic started more than two years ago, has also reported cases.
10th Aug 2022 - The Guardian
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina closes Potala Palace after COVID-19 reported in Tibet
Chinese authorities have closed Tibet’s famed Potala Palace after a minor outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in the Himalayan region. The response underscores China’s continued adherence to its “zero-COVID” policy, mandating lockdowns, routine testing, quarantines and travel restrictions, even while most other countries have reopened. A notice on the palace’s Weixin social media site said the palace that was the traditional home of Tibet’s Buddhist leaders would be closed from Tuesday, with a reopening date to be announced later. Tibet’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the Potala is a key draw.
9th Aug 2022 - ABC News
China races to contain COVID outbreaks in tourism hubs Tibet, Hainan
China raced on Tuesday to stamp out COVID-19 outbreaks in the tourist hubs of Tibet and Hainan, with the authorities launching more rounds of mass testing and closing venues to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Mainland China reported 828 new domestically transmitted cases across more than a dozen provinces and regions for Aug. 8, with over half of them in Hainan, a highly popular tourist destination, official data showed on Tuesday.
9th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Escaping Shanghai's COVID lockdown only to get trapped in Hainan
Brian Hall fled Shanghai in June to avoid another lockdown of his residential compound, escaping to China's tropical tourist island of Hainan where he could work remotely as a public health professor after undertaking 10 days of quarantine.
Hall, who has worked at the New York University Shanghai for the past two years, is now stuck in Sanya, Hainan's main tourism hub, with no clarity on when he can get out.
9th Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullOver 80,000 tourists stranded in ‘China’s Hawaii’ after Covid-19 flare-up
About 80,000 tourists were left stranded in the southern Chinese beach resort city of Sanya located in the tropical Hainan island after authorities declared it a Covid-19 hotspot and imposed a lockdown. The restrictions came into effect over the weekend after officials confirmed 129 positive cases on Saturday and 229 on Friday. Public transportation was suspended on the island city, often referred to as the “Hawaii of China”, as railway authorities banned all ticket sales in Sanya.
8th Aug 2022 - The Independent
China's Hainan expands COVID lockdowns to quell outbreak
China's Hainan, an island province dependent on tourism, locked down more areas on Monday, state media reported, as it battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak after seeing very few cases in the past two years compared with many other regions in the country. The province, which recorded just two local symptomatic COVID cases last year, has reported more than 1,500 domestically transmitted infections this month, including over 1,000 symptomatic ones. Although that is low by global standards, it is Hainan's biggest outbreak since the virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
8th Aug 2022 - Reuters
China's Hainan Orders More Covid Lockdowns Stranding Tourists
The Chinese resort island of Hainan has placed more cities, including the provincial capital, into lockdown as a Covid-19 outbreak spreads, stranding tens of thousands of tourists in one of the nation’s most popular holiday destinations. The province reported 504 cases on Sunday, taking the current outbreak to almost 1,500 since the first infection was detected a week ago. The provincial capital Haikou -- a major flight hub for the island -- and the beachside resort city of Sanya have been placed into lockdown, while Wanning and Qionghai are under “static management,” a term commonly used when referring to lockdowns.
8th Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
COVID lockdown turns Chinese tourist hotspot Sanya into nightmare for stranded tourists
When Chinese businesswoman Yang Jing was planning this year's summer holiday in 2021, she chose the tropical southern island of Hainan because of its nigh-perfect COVID track record. The island in the South China Sea recorded just two positive symptomatic COVID-19 cases in the whole of last year. Fast forward to this month, however, and the number of cases has suddenly soared, prompting a lockdown in the city of Sanya and leaving tens of thousands of tourists like Yang stuck on the island
8th Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Sanya holiday hotspot shuts duty-free malls, venues to curb COVID
Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak. Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Hainan's duty-free industry has boomed, becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach, La Mer to L'Oreal to reach Chinese shoppers.
5th Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullEastern Chinese export hub Yiwu imposes COVID restrictions
Article reports that the Chinese city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province has suspended some public gatherings and dining at restaurants, closed multiple entertainment venues and locked down some areas to cope with COVID-19 flare-ups, the city government said on Wednesday. In light of the latest COVID-19 infections, city-wide mass testing will be conducted on Aug. 4, Yiwu's health authorities said late on Wednesday. There were 38 new coronavirus cases in Yiwu since Tuesday, of which nine were symptomatic and 29 were asymptomatic, the city's health authorities said.
4th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Southern Chinese tourism city Sanya imposes lockdown measures, restricts businesses
The southern Chinese city of Sanya, a tourism hotspot, imposed lockdown measures from Thursday in most parts of the city, ordering residents to reduce their trips outside to shop for daily necessities to once every two days and confining some strictly to their homes. Non-essential venues must be suspended, said the city government late on Wednesday, in effort to curb a fresh COVID-19 cluster. Certain narrower areas in the city are allowed to keep their COVID-19 policy at normal level, the government said in a statement.
4th Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullEastern Chinese export hub Yiwu imposes COVID restrictions, locks down some areas
The Chinese city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province has suspended some public gatherings and dining at restaurants, closed multiple entertainment venues and locked down some areas to cope with COVID-19 flare-ups, the city government said on Wednesday. In light of the latest COVID-19 infections, city-wide mass testing will be conducted on Aug. 4, Yiwu's health authorities said late on Wednesday. There were 38 new coronavirus cases in Yiwu since Tuesday, of which nine were symptomatic and 29 were asymptomatic, the city's health authorities said.
3rd Aug 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai's Baoshan district orders lockdown on some steel warehouses
A district in China's financial hub of Shanghai has ordered a three-day lockdown of some of its steel warehouses from July 26 after a residential neighborhood in the district was classified as high risk following the detection of a coronavirus case there. Three out of six warehouses in the Baoshan district that Reuters contacted said they were required to enter a "closed-loop" system with no staff or materials allowed in or out of the warehouses. Operations inside the warehouses, however, are running normally.
29th Jul 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullCovid: China places one million under lockdown in city of Wuhan
Nearly one million people in a suburb of Wuhan — China’s central city where the coronavirus was first recorded — have been placed under lockdown following four new infections. Wuhan’s district of Jiangxia, with over 900,000 residents, said its main urban areas must enter a three-day restriction from Wednesday, during which it has banned many large group events and dining at restaurants; closed various public entertainment venues, agricultural product marketplaces and small clinics,; and suspended bus and subway services.
28th Jul 2022 - The Irish Times
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Wuhan shuts some businesses, transport amid new COVID cases
China's central metropolis of Wuhan temporarily shut some businesses and public transport in a district with almost a million people on Wednesday, as the city where the pandemic first emerged raised vigilance after several new infections. China, heavily invested in its "dynamic COVID zero" policy, relies on mass testing, quick restriction on business activity and people's movements and strict quarantine of cases to block nascent clusters from widening.
27th Jul 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai's Baoshan district orders Covid-19 lockdown on some steel warehouses
A district in China's financial hub of Shanghai has ordered a three-day lockdown of some of its steel warehouses from July 26 after a residential neighbourhood in the district was classified as high risk following the detection of a coronavirus case there. Three out of six warehouses in the Baoshan district that Reuters contacted said they were required to enter a "closed-loop" system with no staff or materials allowed in or out of the warehouses. Operations inside the warehouses, however, are running normally. "It's like quarantine, we are not allowed to leave the warehouses. Steel can't be transported in or out, but we still work and we have food stored in advance," a worker at one of the warehouses in Baoshan district told Reuters, who did not identify himself as he was not authorised to speak to the press.
27th Jul 2022 - The Straits Times
Wuhan Locks Down 1 Million Residents in Echo of Pandemic's Start
A district on the outskirts of Wuhan has been locked down, the first time the Chinese city that saw the world’s first Covid-19 lockdown has imposed such a measure since 2020, underscoring how far the country is from post-pandemic normalcy. More than two years since the city was sealed off to contain what was then a mysterious pneumonia, almost 1 million residents of Wuhan’s Jiangxia district have been told to stay in their homes and not go out unless necessary. All public transport has been stopped and entertainment venues shut for three days after four asymptomatic cases were found in the district on Tuesday.
27th Jul 2022 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullChinese tennis events for 2022 called off because of Covid-19 restrictions
The Shanghai Masters is one of four 2022 men's tennis tournaments cancelled in China as the country continues its strict Covid-19 restrictions. China hosted the Winter Olympics in February but most other international sporting events in the country have been cancelled or postponed in 2022. The women's tennis tour has no events scheduled in China this year as it seeks a resolution over Peng Shuai.
Chinese authorities remain committed to a zero-Covid policy. As a result, men's tennis' governing body the ATP said events in China, typically held in September and October, would be cancelled for a third year. As well as the Shanghai Masters, the Chengdu Open, Zhuhai Championships and China Open will not take place, with six ATP 250 tournaments elsewhere filling the gap in the 2022 calendar.
21st Jul 2022 - BBC News
ATP cancels 2022 events in China due to COVID restrictions
The Shanghai Masters and three other men's tournaments in China will not be held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country, the ATP Tour said on Thursday. China hosted the Winter Olympics under strict health protocols in February but almost every other international sporting event in the country this year has been cancelled or postponed. ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told Reuters last month that the prospects of the 2022 China swing were bleak
21st Jul 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau Extends City-Wide Lockdown Amid Struggle to Contain Covid
Macau will extend a city-wide shutdown as the gaming hub struggles to contain its worst ever Covid-19 outbreak, prolonging the plight of casinos which are burning through millions of dollars every day and earning no revenue. All non-essential businesses are required to remain close through July 22, authorities said in a statement Saturday, extending measures that began July 11 and were initially due to last a week. The government will allocate another 10 billion patacas ($1.24 billion) to fund alleviation programs for those affected by the outbreak, it said in a separate statement. Macau reported 31 infections for Saturday, suggesting the lockdown wasn’t enough to stop local transmission.
16th Jul 2022 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau starts lockdown, as HK mulls health code app
Macau casino shares yesterday plunged as the Chinese territory embarked on a week-long lockdown to curb its worst COVID-19 outbreak, while neighboring Hong Kong said it was mulling a mainland-style health code system. Share prices of six gaming conglomerates — Sands China, Galaxy Entertainment, SJM Holdings, Melco International, MGM China and Wynn Macau — fell by between 6 and nearly 9 percent in yesterday morning trade. It is the first casino lockdown in more than two years, overriding a previous deal between the industry and the Macau government that only those found with infections would need to close temporarily.
12th Jul 2022 - The Taipei Times
China Covid News: Anger in Shanghai on Fears of New Lockdown
Tension is spreading through Shanghai as residents watch the Covid-19 caseload tick higher, fueling fears they’re headed back into lockdown little more than five weeks after exiting a bruising two-month ordeal. The city reported 59 new infections for Monday, the fourth day in a row case numbers have held above 50. The sharp rise from single digits about a week ago follows the detection of the more contagious BA.5 sub-strain of the omicron variant, which has triggered two additional rounds of mass testing between Tuesday and Thursday this week across nine of the financial hub’s 16 districts, as well as other areas where cases have been found.
12th Jul 2022 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau shuts all its casinos to curb COVID, gaming shares plunge
Macau shut all its casinos for the first time in more than two years on Monday, sending shares in gaming firms tumbling as authorities struggle to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak yet in the world's biggest gambling hub. The city's 30-plus casinos and other businesses will shut for one week and people were ordered to stay at home though short trips for essential services were allowed. Police will monitor flows of people outside and stringent punishments will be imposed for those who disobey, the government said.
11th Jul 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullFresh COVID-19 Outbreaks Put Millions Under Lockdown in China
Article reports that tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China on Wednesday and businesses in a major tourist city were forced to close as fresh COVID-19 clusters sparked fears of wider restrictions. Chinese health authorities have reported more than 300 infections in the historic northern city of Xian, home to the Terracotta Army, with new clusters found in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere.
The outbreaks and official response have dashed hopes that China would move away from the strict virus curbs seen earlier this year, when its hardline zero-COVID policy saw tens of millions forced to stay home for weeks.
6th Jul 2022 - Voice of America
Macau locks down landmark Lisboa hotel after COVID cases found
Macau has locked down one of the city's most famous hotels, the Grand Lisboa, after more than a dozen COVID-19 cases were found there on Tuesday, with infections spreading rapidly in the world's biggest gambling hub. At least 16 other buildings across the special Chinese administrative region are also under restrictions with no one allowed to exit or enter.
Authorities reported 146 new infections on Wednesday taking the total to more than 1,000 cases since mid-June. More than 14,000 people are in quarantine as the city battles to contain its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began. Macau had largely been COVID-free since an outbreak in October 2021.
6th Jul 2022 - The Star
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau extends COVID shutdown of city, casinos stay open
Macau extended its COVID-19 restrictions including the closure of bars, cinemas, hair salons and outdoor parks from Thursday, its chief executive said as the world's biggest gambling hub battles to curb a rise in locally transmitted cases. Casinos are allowed to remain open while theatres, fitness centres, and leisure facilities must halt operations from 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, Ho Iat Seng said in a statement on the government's website.
23rd Jun 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullMacau hotel locked down after COVID case, 700 people to be quarantined-media
A hotel and casino resort in the world's biggest gambling hub of Macau was locked down by authorities with 700 people inside on Tuesday due to a coronavirus infection outbreak on the property, local broadcaster TDM reported. The lockdown comes as the Chinese special administrative region carries out a two-day mass testing of its more than 600,000 population after dozens of locally transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered over the weekend.
21st Jun 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina city mayor apologizes over COVID-19 lockdown response
The mayor of a northeastern Chinese city on the North Korean border that had been under lockdown for more than 50 days has apologized for failures in his administration’s work amid widespread — but often disguised — dissatisfaction over the government's heavy-handed approach to handling the pandemic.
14th Jun 2022 - The Independent
COVID-19: Parts of Beijing placed under lockdown after spike in Omicron cases
Beijing has locked down parts of the city as it once again struggles to contain the Omicron COVID variant, with 74 new cases registered in the last 24-hour period. In Sanlitun, a popular shopping and nightlife area in the Chinese capital, all bars have been shut and restaurants have moved to takeaway only, while 123 non-essential stores have also been closed. Around the city, various residential neighbourhoods have been sealed off following the detection of cases, with those testing positive being taken away to quarantine centres. Chaoyang district, Beijing's biggest region and where Sanlitun is located, will continue to conduct daily mass testing of its 3.5 million residents until Wednesday at least.
14th Jun 2022 - Sky News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing nightclub COVID-19 outbreak forces schools online as restrictions return to Shanghai
More than 100 cases have been linked to a nightclub in Beijing's Gongti nightlife area. Schools in the Chaoyang district were put back online, except for students taking placement exams. Mass testing and restrictions on movement have returned to Shanghai
13th Jun 2022 - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullAnother district in Beijing shuts entertainment venues to contain COVID outbreak
China's capital city of Beijing shut down entertainment venues in its Dongcheng district from Thursday in an effort to contain a new outbreak of COVID-19, the state-backed Beijing Daily said late on Thursday. The move came after Beijing's largest district, Chaoyang, also ordered entertainment venues and internet cafes to shut from 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Thursday.
9th Jun 2022 - Reuters
China COVID Jitters Flare Up as Parts of Shanghai Resume Lockdown
Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alert on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub imposed new lockdown restriction and the city announced a round of mass testing for millions of residents. The most populous district in the Chinese capital, meanwhile, announced the shutdown of entertainment venues, while news of the lockdown of Shanghai's Minhang district, home to more than 2 million people, pulled down Chinese stocks. Both cities had recently eased heavy COVID curbs, but the country has stuck with a "dynamic zero-COVID" policy aimed at shutting down transmission chains as soon as possible.
9th Jun 2022 - Voice of America
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai neighborhoods return to lockdown a day after restrictions eased
Multiple neighborhoods in Shanghai were placed back under lockdown only a day after city-wide restrictions were lifted, as China's stringent zero-Covid strategy continues to haunt the financial hub. Shanghai lifted its two-month lockdown on Wednesday, allowing most of its 25 million residents to leave their communities. But nearly 2 million people were still confined to their homes in areas designated as "high risk" by the government. At a news conference Thursday, Shanghai officials said seven new Covid cases were detected in the city's Jing'an and Pudong districts, resulting in four neighborhoods being swiftly sealed off and designated as "medium-risk areas" -- meaning residents will be confined to their homes for 14 days. Their 26 close contacts and 106 secondary contacts had been placed in government quarantine, and more than 470,000 people had been tested, according to officials.
3rd Jun 2022 - CNN
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina denies suspending passports, invalidating foreign residency cards
China's immigration authority is still providing services for necessary trips outside the country, it said on Friday, denying rumours that passport issuances were halted and that residency cards for living in foreign countries were being invalidated. Officials have promptly processed certificates for people who need to travel abroad for necessary and urgent matters such as study, scientific research, trade and businesses and medical issues, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said in a statement. The NIA was responding to what it said were "foreign media reports" that falsely said the agency had suspended passport issuances and had invalidated residency cards issued by foreign countries to Chinese citizens eligible to live overseas by cutting off the corners. The NIA statement did not include examples of the reports. The statement followed the NIA's announcement on Thursday that it would "strictly limit" unnecessary overseas travels by Chinese citizens to minimize the risks of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases caused by infections among international travellers
13th May 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai aims to defeat COVID over next week as Beijing hunkers down
Locked-down Shanghai aims to ringfence its COVID outbreak over the next week, officials said on Friday, while residents in China's capital Beijing largely heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stem the virus' spread. Easing weeks of punishing restrictions in the commercial hub would bring relief to China's battered economy, although there is growing concern that Beijing may yet take a similar course of action if it fails to get a nascent outbreak under control. Shanghai's deputy mayor, Wu Qing, said the city of 25 million aims to eliminate COVID outside of quarantined zones within the next week or so. After that, the city's lockdown will be "lifted in batches", with shops opened and traffic restictions eased, he said in the announcement which confirmed a Reuters story from Sunday
13th May 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullN.Korea reports first COVID outbreak, orders lockdown in "gravest emergency"
North Korea reported its first COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, calling it the "gravest national emergency" and ordering a national lockdown, with state media saying an Omicron variant had been detected in the capital, Pyongyang.
12th May 2022 - Reuters
North Korea confirms 1st COVID outbreak, Kim orders lockdown
North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown Thursday to control its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in the world. The outbreak forced leader Kim Jong Un to wear a mask in public, likely for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but the scale of transmissions inside North Korea wasn’t immediately known. A failure to slow infections could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated. Some experts say North Korea, by its rare admission of an outbreak, may be seeking outside aid.
12th May 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Beijing closes down businesses as millions told to work from home - but government in China avoids calling it a lockdown
In Beijing, schools, gyms, hairdressers, parks, restaurants and bars are shut, millions have been told to work from home, but do not call it a lockdown. The Beijing government zealously avoids the term. Instead, the phrase currently in favour is jing mo, "stay silent". And the city, especially Chaoyang, Beijing's biggest district, is indeed very quiet, with much fewer cars on the streets. And because everything is shut, life is fairly boring. Getting a PCR test - you need a negative one within the last 48 hours to enter supermarkets, or your district may have been told do to mass testing - is one of the more interesting things to do.
10th May 2022 - Sky News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing enforces lockdowns, expands COVID-19 mass testing
Police and new fencing restricted who could leave a locked-down area in Beijing on Tuesday as authorities in the Chinese capital stepped up efforts to prevent a major COVID-19 outbreak like the one that has all but shut down the city of Shanghai. People lined up for throat swabs across much of Beijing as mass testing was expanded to 11 of the city’s 16 districts. Another 22 cases were found in the last 24 hours, Beijing health officials said at a late afternoon news conference, bringing the total to 92 since the outbreak was discovered five days ago. That is tiny in comparison to Shanghai, where the number of cases has topped 500,000 and at least 190 people have died. No deaths have been reported from the still-nascent outbreak in Beijing.
27th Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullPanic buying in Beijing as district starts mass COVID testing
Beijing residents snapped up food and other supplies as the city's biggest district began mass COVID-19 testing of all residents on Monday, prompting fears of a Shanghai-style lockdown after dozens of cases in the capital in recent days. Authorities in Chaoyang, home to 3.45 million people, late on Sunday ordered residents and those who work there to be tested three times this week as Beijing warned the virus had "stealthily" spread in the city for about a week before being detected.
25th Apr 2022 - Reuters
China's Spreading Outbreak Stokes Fear of Beijing Lockdown
China expanded coronavirus testing to most of Beijing as rising cases fuel fears about an unprecedented lockdown of the capital, with policy makers racing to avert a Shanghai-style crisis that’s already wrought havoc on the financial hub. Officials on Monday night said testing would take place in another 11 of Beijing’s 16 districts, moving beyond just Chaoyang, where most of the infections have been detected since Friday. “Through a suite of appropriately tough measures we are confident and capable of controlling the outbreak,” said municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian at a briefing held on late Monday. Worries that the country’s strict adherence to Covid Zero will further damage the economy dragged down stocks to oil and iron ore on Monday. It’s also sparked a bout of panic buying as Beijing residents -- fearful of being caught unprepared in the event of a citywide shutdown-- rushed to stock up on food and other supplies after the government announced mass testing plans and put some areas under lockdown.
25th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Beijing locks down some areas as COVID-19 cases mount
Beijing will conduct mass testing of most of its 21 million people, authorities announced Monday, as a new COVID-19 outbreak sparked stockpiling of food by residents worried about the possibility of a Shanghai-style lockdown. The Chinese capital began mass testing people in one of its 16 districts where most of the new cases have been found. The city also imposed lockdowns on individual residential buildings and one section of the city. Late in the day, health officials said the testing would be expanded Tuesday to all but five outlying districts. While only 70 cases have been found since the outbreak surfaced Friday, authorities have rolled out strict measures under China’s “zero-COVID” approach to try to prevent a further spread of the virus. Some residents worked from home and many stocked up on food as a safeguard against the possibility that they could be confined indoors, as has happened in multiple cities, including the financial hub of Shanghai.
25th Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullGuangzhou closes to most arrivals as China’s outbreak grows
The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities.Shanghai has taken the brunt of the rise, with another 26,087 cases announced on Monday, only 914 of which showed symptoms. The city of 26 million is under a tight lockdown, with many residents confined to their homes for up to three weeks and concerns growing over the effect on the economy of China’s largest city. The financial hub has seen international events canceled because of the crackdown, and local football club Shanghai Port has been forced to withdraw from the Asian Champions League because travel restrictions prevented it from attending games in Thailand.
11th Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhole of Shanghai enters COVID lockdown despite lower symptomatic cases
Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centre's 26 million people, despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city, where latest results show only 268 symptomatic daily COVID-19 cases. In a major test of China's zero-tolerance strategy to eliminate the novel coronavirus, the government widened the lockdown to eastern parts of the city and extended until further notice restrictions in western districts, which had been due to expire on Tuesday. The broader lockdown came after testing saw asymptomatic COVID-19 cases surge to more than 13,000. Symptomatic cases fell on Monday to 268, from 425 the previous day
6th Apr 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhole of Shanghai enters COVID lockdown despite lower symptomatic cases
Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centre's 26 million people, despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city, where latest results show only 268 symptomatic daily COVID-19 cases. In a major test of China's zero-tolerance strategy to eliminate the novel coronavirus, the government widened the lockdown to eastern parts of the city and extended until further notice restrictions in western districts, which had been due to expire on Tuesday. The broader lockdown came after testing saw asymptomatic COVID-19 cases surge to more than 13,000. Symptomatic cases fell on Monday to 268, from 425 the previous day.
5th Apr 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWestern diplomats ask China not to separate COVID-positive children from parents
Western diplomats have expressed concern about separating children from their parents as part of COVID curbs - a situation that has arisen in Shanghai as the government tries to stamp out the spread of the virus. The city has been separating COVID-positive children from their parents, citing epidemic prevention requirements, which has prompted a widespread public outcry. Diplomats from more than 30 countries have written to the Chinese foreign ministry urging authorities not to take such a step. "We request that under no circumstances should parents and children be separated," said a letter written by the French consulate in Shanghai that was addressed to the foreign affairs office of Shanghai on March 31.
4th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai to extend lockdown of 26 million people as it reviews COVID test results
Shanghai will remain under lockdown as it reviews results of an exercise to test all of its 26 million residents for COVID-19, authorities said on Monday. The city began its two-stage lockdown on March 28, initially in Shanghai's eastern districts, and later expanded to cover the whole city. The curbs, which have massively disrupted daily life and business operations in China's financial hub, were initially scheduled to end at 5 a.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT) on Tuesday. "The city will continue to implement seal and control management and strictly implement 'staying at home', except for medical treatment," the city government said on its official WeChat account.
4th Apr 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Shanghai launches two-phase lockdown as COVID surges
China's financial hub of Shanghai launched a two-stage lockdown of its 26 million people on Monday, closing bridges and tunnels, and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to contain surging COVID-19 cases.
28th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai locks down as COVID surges in China's financial hub
China's financial hub of Shanghai launched a two-stage lockdown of its 26 million residents on Monday, closing bridges and tunnels and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to contain surging COVID-19 cases. The snap lockdown, announced by the local government late on Sunday, will split China's most populous city roughly along the Huangpu River for nine days to allow for "staggered" testing by healthcare workers in white hazmat suits. It is the biggest COVID-related disruption to hit Shanghai, and sent prices of commodities including oil and copper lower on fears that any further curbs could hurt demand in China, the world's second-largest economy
28th Mar 2022 - Reuters
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View this newsletter in fullChinese steelmaking hub Tangshan enters lockdown as COVID cases rise
China's top steelmaking city Tangshan implemented a temporary lockdown on Tuesday to avoid further cases of COVID-19 as infections surged, the local government said in a statement. Residents should not leave their houses or buildings except for tests or emergencies pending further announcement, the government said. Tangshan reported 15 confirmed locally transmitted cases from March 19-22, and 79 asymptomatic cases, while Hebei province, where Tangshan is located, had 331 confirmed cases and 2,454 asymptomatic cases as of March 22, data from the provincial health authority showed.
24th Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai denies lockdown rumours as daily COVID infections near 1000
Authorities in the Chinese city of Shanghai have denied rumours of a city-wide lockdown after a sixth straight increase in daily asymptomatic coronavirus cases pushed its count to record levels despite a campaign of mass testing aimed at stifling the spread. The latest outbreak in China's wealthy commercial hub remains tiny by global standards. But its testing campaign, with many people locked in residential compounds for days, is part of Beijing's national "dynamic clearance" policy to stamp out flare-ups as quickly as possible.
23rd Mar 2022 - Reuters
Chinese steelmaking hub Tangshan enters lockdown as COVID cases rise
China's top steelmaking city Tangshan implemented a temporary lockdown on Tuesday to avoid further cases of COVID-19 as infections surged, the local government said in a statement. Residents should not leave their houses or buildings except for tests or emergencies pending further announcement, the government said. Tangshan reported 15 confirmed locally transmitted cases from March 19-22, and 79 asymptomatic cases, while Hebei province, where Tangshan is located, had 331 confirmed cases and 2,454 asymptomatic cases as of March 22, data from the provincial health authority showed.
23rd Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWith 37 million in lockdown and Covid plans under fire, Chinese ask: what comes next?
When nearby neighbourhoods went into lockdown, Liu Li started stocking up. The 42-year-old Chinese magazine worker bought vegetables, fruit, medicine and other supplies, adding to stores of basics she had maintained since the pandemic began. Last Sunday a resident in the community where Liu lives with her mother, in Changchun city, Jilin, tested positive. Everyone was ordered inside. The fresh lockdown has, so far, been OK. “I live a normal life,” she says. “I work when there are tasks for me. If there aren’t any, I talk to my mother, watch TV, or play with my cat.” Liu is luckier than some – she works from home and was well prepared. But there is also a risk. Her mother is a cancer patient and unvaccinated. They are now among the 37 million people under lockdown in China, as authorities battle the country’s biggest outbreak of the pandemic.
20th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
Millions in China’s northeast placed under COVID-19 lockdown
The city of Jilin will lock down some 4.5 million people for three days starting Monday to help curb the spread of China’s biggest coronavirus outbreak.
20th Mar 2022 - Al Jazeera English
China's factories opt for isolation bubbles to beat COVID curbs and keep running
To keep factory lines open in the face of COVID curbs Chinese firms are asking workers to eat, sleep and work in bubbles isolated from the wider world, sterilising premises as often as three times a day and testing for COVID daily. Dubbed "closed-loop management", this approach has been part of China's efforts over the past two years to keep local transmission extremely low by global standards. It was used for example at the Winter Olympics in Beijing to seal event personnel off from the public.
20th Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 news: Nearly 30 million in China are now living in lockdown
China yesterday reported 5280 new SARS-CoV-2 cases, more than double the previous day’s count and its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. The surge has prompted the introduction of full or partial lockdowns in various cities across the country. China has been pursuing a strict ‘zero covid’ strategy, which until recently had largely kept outbreaks under control. The omicron variant, however, is more transmissible than previous variants and is probably driving the current surge. Cities across the country are now in full or partial lockdowns. The north-east province Jilin is the worst affected, accounting for more than 3000 of China’s new reported cases on 15 March. Speaking on 14 March, Jilin’s governor vowed to “achieve community zero-Covid in a week”.
16th Mar 2022 - New Scientist
China's Jilin province in 'last ditch' COVID battle-party official
China's Jilin province was "in a last-ditch battle" against COVID-19, according to a senior Communist Party official, as the northeastern region bordering North Korea and Russia accounted for three-quarters of China's total new cases on Wednesday. Authorities have called for blanket testing in Jilin, with provincial Communist Party secretary Jing Junhai urging health departments to ensure "not a single person is missed", the official Jilin Daily newspaper reported. Jilin registered 1,456 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 infections with confirmed symptoms on March 15, while new cases totalled 1,860 nationwide, National Health Commission (NHC) data showed.
16th Mar 2022 - Reuters
COVID curbs bite at Chinese ports, threatening global supply chains
The queues of container ships outside major Chinese ports are lengthening by the day as COVID-19 outbreaks in manufacturing export hubs threaten to unleash a fresh wave of global supply chain shocks, ship owners, logistics firms and analysts say. China is experiencing its biggest spike in COVID-19 infections since an initial outbreak in the central city of Wuhan was contained in early 2020. The spread of the highly-infectious Omicron variant this month has led to movement controls across China, including in key manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Dongguan, paralysing factories making goods from flash drives to car parts
16th Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullCovid: Nearly 30 million people under lockdown as China grapples with worst outbreak in two years
China has put nearly 30 million people under strict lockdown measures as the country recorded a steep rise in new coronavirus infections, which have hit a two-year high. A total of 5,280 new Covid-19 infections were recorded in the country on Tuesday,
15th Mar 2022 - The Independent
China Reports Over 5,000 Covid Cases as More Cities Locked Down
China saw more than 5,000 new Covid-19 infections for the first time since the early days of the pandemic, as outbreaks of the highly contagious omicron variant prompt officials to lock down more cities and impose further restrictions. The were a total of 5,154 new cases Tuesday, of which 1,647 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said. While not a large number if compared globally, it’s a significant tally for China which has kept cases low for most of the past two years through a strict Covid Zero strategy that is now being challenged by omicron. More than 4,000 of the infections were in the northeastern province of Jilin, bordering Russia. The region of some 24 million residents was locked down on Monday to try and stymie what has become an explosive outbreak by China standards.
15th Mar 2022 - Bloomberg
Lockdowns Spread Across China to Contain Outbreak
Fallout from China’s race to halt its worsening coronavirus outbreak is growing as authorities order lockdowns and other restrictions across more of the country. All 24 million residents of northeastern Jilin province, which borders Russia and North Korea, were locked down on Monday, the first time since Covid-19 was first detected two years ago in Wuhan that such restrictions have been imposed on an entire province. Shenzhen city began a weeklong lockdown on Monday, closing public transport, nonessential businesses and schools, while companies in Shanghai began shutting down over the weekend. Whether authorities can swiftly end the outbreak will not only test China’s pandemic strategies against the more infectious Omicron variant behind the latest wave, but also has major implications for the rest of the world. China’s current restrictions have already disrupted global supply chains, including Foxconn Technology Group plants in Shenzhen that make devices for Apple Inc.
15th Mar 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Chinese city of Shenzhen goes into lockdown after surge in Hong Kong coronavirus cases
A city of 17.5 million people in China has gone into lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases in neighbouring Hong Kong. Everyone in the business centre of Shenzhen will undergo three rounds of COVID-19 testing after 60 new cases were reported on Sunday. All businesses except those providing essential goods such as food and fuel have been ordered to shut or operate from home.
11th Mar 2022 - Sky News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai residents bristle as authorities turn COVID screws
An uncompromising response to a spike in local COVID-19 cases in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai is testing the resolve of residents, with a wave of school closures and other draconian measures causing disruptions throughout the city.
China's health authority said another 76 asymptomatic local infections were found in Shanghai on Wednesday, and authorities have been sealing off schools, residential compounds and office blocks as part of a "dynamic clearance" approach aimed at shutting down each new transmission route as soon as it arises. China has insisted its "zero-COVID" strategy is cost-effective and saves lives, even as other countries seek to coexist with a virus that has killed 6 million people worldwide.
10th Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong government urges residents spooked by citywide lockdown not to panic
Hong Kong's government said any decision to impose a COVID-19 lockdown would take into account the global financial hub's status and ensure basic needs such as food and urged anxious residents who raided supermarkets this week not to panic.
The government said it was still planning and "refining" details for a compulsory mass COVID testing scheme and would announce details once they had been confirmed. The government statement, released late on Tuesday, comes amid widespread confusion and chaos with many residents fatigued and frustrated by the mixed messaging and almost daily tweaking of coronavirus rules.
2nd Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong leader calls for calm, after supermarkets emptied ahead of mass COVID testing
Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam called for calm on Tuesday after residents emptied supermarkets, stocking up on produce ahead of reports of compulsory mass COVID-19 testing and rumours of a city-wide lockdown. Local media reported compulsory COVID testing would start after March 17, sparking concerns many people will be forced to isolate and families with members testing positive would be separated. Lam appealed to the public "not to fall prey to rumours to avoid unnecessary fears being stirred," with the supply of food and goods remaining normal, according to a statement on Tuesday.
1st Mar 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong residents empty supermarkets ahead of city-wide lockdown
Hong Kong residents braced for a city-wide lockdown, emptying supermarkets and pharmacies, even as leader Carrie Lam called for calm on Tuesday and appealed for the public not to worry over a compulsory mass COVID-19 testing plan. The Chinese-ruled territory reported 32,597 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday and a record 117 deaths in the past 24 hours. It has seen daily infections surge over 30 times from just over 100 at the start of February. The global financial hub has reported more than 230,000 coronavirus infections and more than 800 deaths since the pandemic began in 2020. Around 500 deaths have been in the past week, with the majority being unvaccinated residents.
1st Mar 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullVirus-hit Hong Kong considering lockdown
Hong Kong may impose a China-style hard lockdown that confines people to their homes, authorities signalled Monday, with the city's zero-Covid strategy in tatters and bodies piling up in hospitals. Two years of strict zero-Covid policies kept the coronavirus largely bay but a breakthrough of the highly transmissible Omicron variant exposed how little authorities had done to prepare for a mass outbreak. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam previously ruled out a citywide lockdown and instead has ordered all 7.4 million residents to be tested in March.
28th Feb 2022 - Bangkok Post
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullMajor Chinese industrial city steps up COVID control; Bosch affected
A major Chinese high-tech industry centre limited some highway access on Tuesday after detecting new COVID-19 cases, while epidemic control measures, including mass testing, affected the local operations of overseas firms such as Robert Bosch GmbH. The city of Suzhou - a trading, commercial and industrial hub in the eastern province of Jiangsu - reported eight domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Monday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday. The highly transmissible Omicron variant was detected among the cases, a Suzhou official said on Monday, without specifying the number of Omicron cases.
15th Feb 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologises for long Covid testing queues as new restrictions bite
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has said she is “deeply sorry and anxious” about the lengthy wait for residents to get tested or enter isolation facilities after a record number of new coronavirus cases left authorities scrambling. Hong Kong’s daily Covid-19 infections nearly doubled to a record 1,161 cases on Wednesday as the global financial hub battles a rapid surge that could pose the biggest test yet of its “dynamic zero” policy. Writing on her official Facebook page on Wednesday night, Lam said that the government was working hard to enhance capacity and that the fast-spreading infections, hitting places like elderly care homes, were the last thing she wanted to see.
10th Feb 2022 - The Guardian
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina locks down southern city as omicron variant surges
China has ordered inhabitants of the southern city of Baise to stay home and suspended transportation links amid a surge in COVID-19 cases at least partly linked to the omicron variant. Classes have been suspended, non-essential businesses closed and mass testing of residents ordered. Restaurants are only permitted to serve take-out. Traffic lights have been switched to red only to remind drivers to stay home. As of Tuesday, 135 cases had been reported in the city — at least two of them found to be omicron, health authorities said.
8th Feb 2022 - The Associated Press
Hong Kong Curbs Private Gatherings With Tightest Covid Rules Yet
Hong Kong will limit gatherings in private homes for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, in an attempt to keep residents from socializing as it fights an outbreak that risks dashing its strategy of keeping out the virus long term. The city will limit multi-household gatherings on private premises to two families starting Thursday, but authorities won’t go door-to-door to check if the rule is being followed. It will also restrict public gatherings to two people, down from four currently, and expand the list of venues where entry is limited to those who are vaccinated to shopping malls, food markets and hair salons. “Now given this severe epidemic, I hope the public will accept that we have to go back to the most stringent level,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday.
8th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Hong Kong's COVID misery deepens with new social restrictions, vegetable shortage
Hong Kong announced stringent new coronavirus restrictions and record new infections on Tuesday, while a shortage of vegetables added to the misery as truck drivers who tested positive for COVID-19 were unable to bring them from mainland China. The Asian financial hub reported a record 625 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with cases likely to continue rising rapidly, authorities said. There were 2,600 infections over the past two weeks compared with just two in December. Responding to the worrying trend, Hong Kong's leader Carrie lam said public gatherings would be limited to two people from four currently, while churches and hair salons would close from Thursday, joining a slew of venues already closed.
8th Feb 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina locks down city on Vietnam border as COVID-19 cases rise
Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Baise ordered residents to stay at home from Monday, February 7, and avoid unnecessary travel as they enforced curbs that are among the toughest in the nation’s tool-box to fight rising local infections of COVID-19. The outbreak in Baise, which has a population of about 3.6 million and borders Vietnam, is tiny by global standards, but the curbs, including a ban on non-essential trips in and out, follow a national guideline to quickly contain any flare-ups.The effort takes on extra urgency during the staging of the Winter Olympics, which began on Friday and run until February 20, as well as a busy travel season for the Lunar New Year holiday.
7th Feb 2022 - Rappler
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullStreets of tsunami-hit Tonga empty on first day of COVID lockdown
"Normally this road would be queueing with vehicles and people, but as you can see all shops are closed, everything is closed - taxi stands, shops, supermarkets, it's closed," said local journalist Marian Kupu as she stood at a deserted crossroads in the capital, shuttered buildings behind her. "It's a ghost town here in Nuku'alofa." There had been fears an influx of international ships and planes delivering badly-needed water, shelter and food after last month's devastating volcanic eruption had increased the risk of a pandemic outbreak in the isolated Pacific nation.
3rd Feb 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullTonga goes into lockdown after tsunami aid brings COVID-19
The Pacific nation of Tonga has gone into lockdown following the discovery of two coronavirus infections in the community. The two cases are local port workers who had been helping to distribute aid received after a volcanic eruption and tsunami last month. The disaster polluted drinking water, severed communications, killed three people, and left dozens homeless.
2nd Feb 2022 - Sky News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing seals off several communities over two cases of Covid-19
Beijing officials have sealed off several residential communities north of the city centre after two cases of Covid-19 were found as the Chinese capital prepares to host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. Another 34 cases were confirmed among athletes and others who have come for the Games, the organising committee said. In all, 211 people have tested positive among more than 8,000 who had arrived by the end of Saturday. They include a Swedish cross-country skier and a snowboarder from Slovenia. Everyone coming for the Olympics is being isolated from the general public for the duration of their stay in China to try to prevent cross-infection.
31st Jan 2022 - The Guardian
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullCovid Outbreak Hits Australian Ship Heading to Virus-Free Tonga
Almost two dozen crew on board an Australian Navy ship on its way to provide relief to the Pacific island of Tonga have been diagnosed with coronavirus, potentially hampering aid efforts to the Covid-free nation. Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton said 23 personnel on the HMAS Adelaide had been infected, in an interview on Sky News on Tuesday. The ship left from Brisbane on Friday with a 600-strong crew as well as humanitarian and medical supplies to assist Tonga in the wake of a volcanic eruption.
25th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullKiribati goes into first lockdown after Covid flight cases
The remote island nation of Kiribati has gone into lockdown after passengers on the first international flight in 10 months tested positive for Covid. Under the new measures, people have been told to stay at home and social gatherings are banned. Some 36 people on the flight from Fiji have tested positive. Four people have caught the virus from community transmission. Until last week, Kiribati had recorded just two Covid cases. Kiribati is one of the most isolated islands in the world. It is some 4,800km (2,980 miles) from its nearest continent, Australia.
21st Jan 2022 - BBC News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong to shut secondary schools from Monday over COVID fears
Hong Kong will suspend face-to-face teaching in secondary schools from Monday until after the approaching Lunar New Year, authorities said, because of a rising number of coronavirus infections in several schools in the Chinese-ruled territory. The government halted classes in primary schools and kindergartens early this month, and imposed curbs, such as a ban on restaurant dining after 6 p.m. and the closure of venues such as gyms, cinemas and beauty salons.
20th Jan 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullChinese woman stuck in blind date’s home by abrupt COVID lockdown
When authorities in Zhengzhou suddenly placed the central Chinese city under a COVID-19 lockdown last week, a woman known only by her surname, Wang, was having dinner – at the house of her blind date. “Just after I arrived in Zhengzhou, there was an outbreak and his community was put under lockdown and I could not leave,” Wang told Shanghai-based outlet The Paper on Tuesday, adding that she went there for a week-long trip to meet potential suitors.
13th Jan 2022 - AlJazeera
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullThree Million Britons Were Off Work Sick in the First Week of 2022
The rapid spread of the omicron variant drove a sharp increase in the number of people missing work in the U.K. during the first week of January, according to an analysis of workplace attendance data carried out for Bloomberg News. About 3 million workers were on sick leave from Jan. 3 through Jan. 9, according to GoodShape, which tracks work-related illness and wellbeing at U.K. employers. An estimated 1.6 million new cases of absence began during that period, an 18% jump on a year earlier. The snapshot of absences at the beginning of the year is one of the first indications of the impact the omicron surge is having on the U.K. economy.
12th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in Britain, US
Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect, just a month and a half after it was first detected in South Africa. “It’s going to come down as fast as it went up,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
12th Jan 2022 - The Associated Press
Tunisia to restore curfew and ban gatherings over COVID
Tunisia will re-impose a night curfew and ban all gatherings for two weeks starting from Thursday to counter the rapid spread of COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday in a move critics decried as aimed at stopping protests. The ban on gatherings and a request to avoid travel within the country except for emergencies comes two days before a planned demonstration against President Kais Saied called by major political parties.
12th Jan 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullChinese cities tighten COVID-19 curbs as Tianjin battles Omicron outbreak
Cities across China are imposing tougher restrictions to try to control new outbreaks of COVID-19, with Tianjin battling the highly contagious Omicron variant which has been detected to have been transmitted locally in two other provinces.
A Tianjin official told a Tuesday press briefing that 49 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms have been detected during the latest outbreak. The city of 14 million people, around 100km (62 miles) from Beijing, is now implementing tough controls to stop the coronavirus from spreading, especially to neighbouring Beijing.
11th Jan 2022 - Reuters
China locks down 3rd city, raising affected to 20 million
A third Chinese city has locked down its residents because of a COVID-19 outbreak, raising the number confined to their homes in China to about 20 million people. The lockdown of Anyang, home to 5.5 million people, was announced late Monday after two cases of the omicron variant were reported. Residents are not allowed to go out and stores have been ordered shut except those selling necessities. Another 13 million people have been locked down in Xi’an for nearly three weeks, and 1.1 million more in Yuzhou for more than a week. It wasn’t clear how long the lockdown of Anyang would last, as it was announced as a measure to facilitate mass testing of residents, which is standard procedure in China’s strategy of identifying and isolating infected people as quickly as possible.
11th Jan 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Tianjin tightens control over travel after Omicron cases
The northern Chinese city of Tianjin tightened exit controls and is requiring residents to obtain approval from employers or community authorities before leaving town in an effort to block the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The port city to the southeast of Beijing reported 21 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, up from three a day earlier. Tianjin, with around 14 million residents, said over the weekend it detected two local cases of infection with the Omicron.
10th Jan 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Henan adds COVID curbs as cases rise, Xian official apologises
More cities in central China's Henan province imposed COVID restrictions as infections there rose sharply, while authorities in the northwestern city of Xian apologised on Thursday to a woman whose miscarriage during lockdown stirred public outrage. Henan reported 64 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Wednesday, up from just four a day earlier, official data showed on Thursday. While those numbers are small by global standards, and no cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant have been reported so far in Henan, several cities there imposed new limits on travel and other activities in response.
6th Jan 2022 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's Henan hit by COVID curbs after sporadic cases
A few central Chinese cities imposed varying degrees of travel curbs after sporadic COVID-19 cases, in line with a national strategy that has taken on extra urgency due to the upcoming Winter Olympics and Lunar New Year holiday. The city of Yuzhou in the central province of Henan has ordered its 1.1 million residents not to leave town since Jan. 2, although the caseload for the city and the entire province remained tiny. Henan reported four domestically transmitted cases and 18 local asymptomatic infections for Tuesday.
5th Jan 2022 - Reuters
Yuzhou: Second Chinese city forced into Covid lockdown
China has put a second city into total lockdown after just three asymptomatic Covid cases were discovered. Yuzhou - which has a population of 1.1 million - saw its transport system shut down and all but essential food stores closed overnight. It follows a similar lockdown in Xi'an, where 13 million have been confined to their homes since 23 December. The strict measures come ahead of the Lunar New Year and the Winter Olympics due to be held in Beijing.
5th Jan 2022 - BBC News
China's Health Code App Crashes in Xi'an, Spiking Lockdown Chaos
China’s Covid-19 health code system that strictly governs people’s movements crashed in Xi’an this week, worsening conditions in the locked-down city where the country’s worst outbreak since Wuhan has been unfolding. The crash has complicated efforts to weed out cases through mass testing, created hurdles for people seeking care at hospitals and led to the suspension of a top official, the latest among a slew of bureaucrats to be punished as Beijing fumes over the situation. Liu Jun, head of Xi’an’s big-data bureau, was temporarily dismissed over performance failures, the municipal Communist Party Committee said in a statement. While the committee didn’t explicitly lay out the reason behind its decision, it came after Xi’an’s health code system -- which is under Liu’s purview and tracks individuals’ movements and vaccination status -- broke down on Tuesday.
5th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
China reports major drop in virus cases in locked-down Xi’an
China on Wednesday reported a major drop in COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Xi’an, which has been under a tight lockdown for the past two weeks that has sharply disrupted the lives of its 13 million residents. The National Health Commission announced just 35 new cases in Xi’an, home to the famed Terracotta Warriors statues along with major industries, down from 95 the day before. Health officials said they have basically achieved the goal of halting community transmission because the new cases were among people already quarantined.
5th Jan 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullDelhi imposes weekend curfew as COVID cases multiply, chief minister tests positive
Authorities in India's capital Delhi on Tuesday ordered people to stay home over coming weekends, with COVID-19 cases quadrupling in a week. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the most senior elected official in the capital's administration, was one of the 37,379 new COVID-19 cases reported in India in the space of 24 hours.
Kejriwal, who announced his infection the day after addressing an election rally without a mask, is among scores of political leaders - including Prime Minister Narendra Modi - holding events across India in front of large crowds.
4th Jan 2022 - Reuters
China's Yuzhou locks down 1.1 mln residents on COVID fears
A Chinese city has locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new coronavirus cases as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks just over four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin. The curbs in the city of Yuzhou, in the central province of Henan, are similar to those imposed for nearly two weeks in the industrial hub of Xian, which has become China's latest COVID-19 epicentre.
4th Jan 2022 - Reuters
In locked down Chinese city, some complain food hard to get
Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are enduring a strict coronavirus lockdown, with business owners suffering yet more closures and some people complaining of difficulties finding food, despite assurances from authorities that they are able to provide necessities for the 13 million people largely confined to their homes.
Stringent measures to stem outbreaks are common in China, which still maintains a policy of stamping out every COVID-19 case long after many other countries have opted to try to live with the virus. But the lockdown imposed Dec. 23 in Xi’an is one of the harshest in the country since a shutdown in 2020 in and around Wuhan, after the coronavirus was first detected there.
4th Jan 2022 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina's Xian locks down its 13 mln residents as COVID-19 cases rise
Rising COVID-19 infections in China's city of Xian have spurred a lockdown of its 13 million residents, with stretches of highway eerily bare on Thursday, as many people queued in the cold to get their noses swabbed at testing sites. The daily count of domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms in the northwestern city, famed for its terracotta warriors buried with China's first emperor, has increased for six straight days since Dec. 17. That takes the tally of local cases to more than 200 over the period from Dec. 9 to 22, smaller than many outbreaks outside China. No Omicron infection has yet been found in Xian, capital of the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
24th Dec 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullS.African study offers Omicron hope as nations reimpose curbs
South African data offered a glimmer of hope on Wednesday about the severity of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but World Health Organization officials cautioned that it was too soon to draw firm conclusions as the strain spread across the globe.
With the second Christmas of the pandemic days away, countries imposed new restrictions on their citizens while worrying about the damage the variant might inflict on their economies. Plans for Christmas parties and celebrations were wiped out from London to New Delhi amid the uncertainty.
22nd Dec 2021 - Reuters
Despite consumption hit, China to stand fast on tough COVID-19 curbs
China's strict COVID-19 policy is weighing on consumption and rattling foreign firms, but its effectiveness and the imperative to maintain stability heading into a sensitive year mean Beijing will stick to its approach, experts say. China has reported just two COVID-19 fatality this year, retaining a tough line even as many other countries ease restrictions, imposing targeted shutdowns and travel curbs even when they disrupted local economies. Avoiding major outbreaks is especially critical in a year when Beijing hosts both the Winter Olympic Games and the once-every-five-years Communist Party Congress, where President Xi Jinping is expected to clinch a third term as party secretary.
22nd Dec 2021 - Reuters
Chinese city Xian curbs residents' travel, activities amid COVID outbreak
The Chinese city of Xian has ordered its 13 million residents to stay at home and urged them not to leave town unnecessarily as it struggles to contain rising COVID-19 cases under Beijing's guideline that flare-ups must be curbed as quickly as possible. Xian, in China's northwest, has reported more than 140 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms since Dec. 12 in its latest cluster caused by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. A handful of cities have detected cases linked to the Xian outbreak, including one from the capital Beijing.
22nd Dec 2021 - Reuters
German health experts urge more COVID curbs as lockdown not ruled out
German health experts said on Wednesday that new coronavirus curbs probably did not go far enough to keep the Omicron variant in check, as the country's health minister said he had not ruled out a full lockdown if cases spiked. The measures, decided on Tuesday, include limits on private gatherings, closing clubs and discos and banning spectators at football matches and are set to be introduced from Dec. 28. Janosch Dahmen, health expert for junior coalition partners the Greens, said they were a step in the right direction. "But they probably won't be able to curb the danger that Omicron represents," he told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
22nd Dec 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany to Impose Tighter Curbs as Nation Braces for Omicron
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pushed through tighter social-distancing restrictions to stave off the threat of a “massive” surge of the omicron Covid-19 variant just as families gather for the Christmas holidays. The latest measures, which add to existing curbs that mainly affect the unvaccinated, include limiting gatherings to 10 people starting Dec. 28. The restrictions, which Scholz negotiated with regional leaders on Tuesday, also apply to those who are inoculated or have recovered from the virus. “We can’t close our eyes to the next wave that’s beginning to appear in front of us,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin after meeting the country’s 16 state premiers. The chancellor said Germans should celebrate Christmas, but cautiously.
21st Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullDutch streets deserted as snap Christmas COVID lockdown starts
Article reports that Dutch urban centres were largely deserted on Sunday as the country began a snap lockdown that, aimed at stemming an expected COVID-19 surge caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, left people's Christmas plans in disarray. 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. 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.
20th Dec 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullNetherlands starts 'painful' Christmas coronavirus lockdown
Dutch urban centres were largely deserted on Sunday as the country began a snap lockdown that, aimed at stemming an expected COVID-19 surge caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, left people's Christmas plans in disarray. 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. 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.
19th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Officials draw up plans for two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown
Plans for a two-week circuit breaker lockdown after Xmas are being drawn up. Leaked minutes from a SAGE meeting said restrictions are needed 'very soon.'
During the Thursday meeting, the experts backed a ban on indoor social contact. It is believed that they want fresh measures to come in before January 1
19th Dec 2021 - Daily Mail
Virus News: Netherlands Goes Back Into Lockdown
The Dutch government announced plans to enforce a stricter lockdown to stem a surge in coronavirus infections caused by the spread of the omicron variant. “Omicron spreads even quicker than we feared. That is why we have to act now, to prevent worse,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday at a news conference in The Hague. “We are going back into a lockdown.” The tougher measures mean the country pivots from evening restrictions that shuttered shops, bars and restaurants after 5 p.m. to a so-called full lockdown that allows only supermarkets and essential shops to stay open. They’ll take effect on Sunday and last until at least Jan. 14. All schools and universities will stay closed while the stricter curbs last.
19th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullNorway in partial lockdown as Omicron 'changes the rules', PM says
Norway will further tighten restrictions and speed up vaccination in a bid to limit an expected surge of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday. Norway's new restrictions could cast doubt on the central bank's plan to raise interest rates later this week,
14th Dec 2021 - Yahoo News UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullSwiss mull limited lockdown as COVID-19 cases rise
Switzerland may have to impose another limited lockdown to break the momentum of rising coronavirus cases that threaten to overwhelm its healthcare system, the government said on Friday. "This is really a critical phase. The trends are going in the wrong direction," Health Minister Alain Berset told reporters in Bern as the cabinet launched consultations with regional authorities and social partners on the way forward. The government said it may expand the requirement for proof of vaccination or recovery from the virus for access to many indoor venues, which would leave out unvaccinated people even if they have negative test results.
11th Dec 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullNorway again hardens COVID-19 curbs to try to halt spread
The Norwegian government introduced stricter rules on Tuesday to limit the spread of COVID-19, including a cap on the number of visitors in private homes and shortening the hours bars and restaurants can serve alcohol. The Nordic country has seen a surge of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, followed by a rise in the number of hospitalisations. "We really wished we were done with the pandemic. But the situation is now so serious that we must put in place new measures to keep control," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference.
8th Dec 2021 - Reuters
France's Martinique territory imposes new curfew as COVID infections surge
Authorities on the Caribbean island of Martinique ordered a new curfew on Tuesday, citing the worsening of the COVID-19 epidemic on the French territory. The curfew is set at 8 p.m. local time (0000 GMT) and will start from Wednesday, the local authorities said, adding all trips will have to be justified by health or professional reasons. This curfew follows another one ordered on Nov. 25 in Martinique after protesters looted shops and set up burning barricades amid demonstrations against COVID-19 protocol
8th Dec 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullParts of northern China tighten curbs on new COVID-19 flare-ups
A resurgence of COVID-19 infections in northern China have forced two small cities to suspend public transport and tighten control over residents' movement, as the country has showed no willingness to go easy on local outbreaks. China reported 21 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Sunday, official data showed on Monday, marking the highest daily count since mid-November. Almost all of the new local cases were detected in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.
29th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Couple caught fleeing Dutch COVID-19 quarantine moved to "forced isolation"
A couple caught trying to escape from COVID-19 quarantine in the Netherlands after testing positive for the coronavirus have been transferred to a hospital where they were being held in isolation, an official said on Monday. The pair, a Spanish man and Portuguese woman, left the hotel where travellers who tested positive for the virus were staying after arriving at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport from South Africa. "They have now been transferred to a hospital elsewhere in the Netherlands to ensure they are in isolation. They are now in so-called forced isolation," said Petra Faber, spokesperson for Haarlemmermeer municipality, where Schiphol is located just outside of the capital.
29th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullPortugal Says Remote Working Will Be Mandatory on Jan. 2-9
The Portuguese government said remote working will be mandatory in the week of Jan. 2-9 as it tries to prevent a spike in coronavirus infections after the Christmas and New Year holiday break. Schools will reopen on Jan. 10, a week later than previously planned, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Thursday at a press conference in Lisbon. Until that first week of January, remote working will be recommended when possible. From December, the use of masks will become mandatory in closed spaces, digital certificates will be needed to access restaurants or hotels, and negative tests will be required for nightclubs, bars and sports venues. Masks are currently already required on public transport.
26th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullSlovakia follows Austria into lockdown amid record surge in COVID cases
Slovakia's government followed the example of neighbouring Austria on Wednesday and ordered a two-week lockdown to quell the world's fastest rise in COVID-19 cases as the number of people sick in hospital reached a critical level and vaccination levels remain low. Restaurants and non-essential shops will close as part of the measures and movement will be limited to trips for essential shopping, work, school or medical visits, along with walks in nature, government officials said.
25th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Europe's Harsh Covid Restrictions Are Coming Back. They Don't Have To Stay
Before the arrival of safe and effective vaccines, dealing with Covid-19 in Europe was dominated by fear, uncertainty and blunt tools like lockdowns and travel bans to keep hospitals from being overrun. Countries with blanket curbs such as Israel, Austria and Denmark — whose leaders self-identified as “first movers” — wore their strict social-distancing rules like a badge. This fear is back as the region struggles with breakout infections moving from East to West. Austria is sliding into lockdown, with its middling vaccination rate making it look more like a laggard than a leader. Neighboring Germany, where public health played second fiddle to politics this fall, is refusing to rule out another lockdown. Denmark, despite a high vaccination rate, is seeing record cases after lifting restrictions in September. (Less complacent Southern Europe looks better-placed for now.)
24th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullSlovakia's COVID cases rise by record as government prepares lockdown
Slovakia's government followed the example of neighbouring Austria on Wednesday and ordered a two-week lockdown to quell the world's fastest rise in COVID-19 cases as the number of people sick in hospital reached a critical level and vaccination levels remain low. Restaurants and non-essential shops will close as part of the measures and movement will be limited to trips for essential shopping, work, school or medical visits, along with walks in nature, government officials said.
24th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Austria's lockdown is looking infectious
Austria’s lockdown may spread as quickly as Covid-19. On Friday, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced a national lockdown beginning on Monday and introduced Europe’s first vaccine mandate. Austria and its neighbours had been hoping that a targeted lockdown for vaccine holdouts might avert blanket restrictions, however soaring infection rates have already stretched intensive care facilities to the brink.
24th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Austria coronavirus lockdown feels not just like a health crisis, but also a cultural, social and political storm
On Saturday, the streets of Vienna were packed with shoppers. Today, they were quiet, if not deserted. Yes, this is lockdown, but it isn't quite the eerie emptiness of 18 months ago. Instead, the Austrian capital feels like it's closed for business. The clothes shops, the ice rinks and, of course, the Christmas markets. All shut. Maria Fridrichovsky normally sells chestnuts in one of the markets. She told me she is "angry" at what has happened, bemused that only 65% of the Austrian population is vaccinated against COVID. "I feel very sad because the companies are closed down," she said. "We sell chestnuts and potatoes to the people. It should be lovely here at Christmas. "But now it's so hard - many people are calling up by telephone - what can I do? What can I tell them? It's so sad."
23rd Nov 2021 - Sky News
Slovakia "intensively" looking at COVID lockdown possibility, PM says
The Czech Republic and Slovakia banned unvaccinated people from hotels, pubs, hairdressers and most public events from Monday after COVID-19 cases filled hospital intensive-care wards, and were mulling harsher steps to stem the resurgent pandemic. The central European neighbours both acted a step behind Austria, which first set restrictions on unvaccinated people but went for a full lockdown on Monday as the region became the world's latest COVID-19 hotspot.
23rd Nov 2021 - Reuters
Austria’s Return to Covid-19 Lockdown Is Met With Anger, Resignation
The country introduced the toughest in an array of restrictions that are spreading across Europe, sometimes meeting violent protests, as governments seek to fend off a steep rise in Covid-19 cases.
23rd Nov 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustria re-enters COVID-19 lockdown as cases soar again in Europe
The German health minister has warned citizens that they would be either “vaccinated, cured or dead” from COVID-19 by the end of winter as several European countries impose restrictions amid surging infections. “Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead,” Jens Spahn said, as he urged more Germans to get the jab. As intensive care beds fill up fast, Germany’s worst-hit regions have ordered new shutdowns, including the closure of Christmas markets. In regions with high hospitalisation rates, the unvaccinated will be barred from public spaces like cinemas, gyms and indoor dining. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany’s current COVID restrictions, including barring the unvaccinated from certain public spaces “are not enough”.
22nd Nov 2021 - Aljazeera.com
Austria locks down, Merkel says new steps needed, as Europe faces COVID freeze
Austria became on Monday the first country in western Europe to reimpose lockdown since vaccines were rolled out, shutting non-essential shops, bars and cafes as surging caseloads raised the spectre of a second straight winter in deep freeze for the continent. Germany will also need tighter restrictions to control a record-setting wave of infections, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying, remarks that erased gains on European stock markets and sent bond yields down. With Europe once again the epicentre of the global pandemic that first prompted lockdowns in March 2020, new restrictions and vaccine mandates are expected to spread nearly two years after the first COVID-19 case was identified in China.
22nd Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustria's focus shifts to full lockdown as COVID-19 cases keep rising
Pressure on Austria's government to impose a full COVID-19 lockdown grew on Thursday as its worst-hit provinces said they would adopt the measure for themselves since infections are still rising despite the current lockdown for the unvaccinated. Roughly 66% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Its infections are among the highest on the continent, with a seven-day incidence of 971.5 per 100,000 people. As winter approaches, cases have surged across Europe, prompting governments to consider reimposing unpopular lockdowns. The Netherlands has imposed a partial lockdown that applies to all, but Austria has sought not to impose extra restrictions on the fully vaccinated.
18th Nov 2021 - Reuters
German region hardest hit by COVID surge plans partial lockdown -report
Germany will limit large parts of public life in areas where hospitals are becoming dangerously full of COVID-19 patients to those who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from the illness, a document showed. National and regional leaders meeting on Thursday agreed the measure as part of their response to the fourth wave of the pandemic that is raging in Germany, overburdening hospitals in some areas. In places where hospitalisation rates exceed a certain threshold, access to public, cultural and sports events and to restaurants will be restricted to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered, according to the document seen by Reuters.
18th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullBack in lockdown: Streets in the Netherlands are deserted as curfew comes in after protests over new Covid restrictions
Streets of Rotterdam were quiet and empty tonight following introduction of rules closing nightlife by 8pm. Around 200 protestors clashed with riot police and were blasted with a water cannon in The Hague on Friday. It comes as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the return of a partial Covid lockdown in the country. Bars, restaurants, shops will close from 8pm and social distancing measures are set to be reimposed
15th Nov 2021 - Daily Mail
Austria locks down unvaccinated as COVID cases surge across Europe
Austria imposed a lockdown on people unvaccinated against the coronavirus on Monday as winter approaches and infections rise across Europe, with Germany considering tighter curbs and Britain expanding its booster programme to younger adults. Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, prompting some countries to consider re-introducing restrictions in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19. The disease spreads more easily in the winter months when people gather inside.
15th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Austrian unvaccinated lockdown starts amid COVID resurgence
Austria took what its leader called the “dramatic” step Monday of implementing a nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people who haven’t recently had COVID-19, perhaps the most drastic of a string of measures being taken by European governments to get a massive regional resurgence of the virus under control. The move, which took effect at midnight, prohibits people 12 and older who haven’t been vaccinated or recently recovered from leaving their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, going to school or university or for a walk — or getting vaccinated. The lockdown is initially being imposed until Nov. 24 in the Alpine country of 8.9 million. It doesn’t apply to children under 12 because they cannot yet officially get vaccinated — though the capital, Vienna, on Monday opened up vaccinations for under-12s as part of a pilot project and reported high demand.
15th Nov 2021 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullDutch return to partial lockdown as COVID-19 cases soar
The Netherlands will return to a partial lockdown from Saturday after the government ordered restaurants and shops to close early and barred spectators from major sporting events in an effort to contain a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said restrictions that the Dutch people had thought had ended for good were being re-imposed for three weeks. Supermarkets and non-essential retailers will also close earlier and social distancing measures will be re-imposed. The government recommended that no more than four visitors be received at home, effective immediately.
12th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullBeijing city imposes COVID restrictions on conferences, events
Authorities in Beijing city imposed new curbs on conferences and events after confirming on Thursday six locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, including individuals who had attended conferences in person in the city. Beijing city has reported fewer than 50 COVID-19 local symptomatic infections in the current outbreak that led to over 1,000 local cases since mid-October, but has taken tough measures to block potential routes of further transmission under China's zero-tolerance policy. The city is also the host of the Winter Olympics in February.
11th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Dutch consider new partial lockdown as coronavirus cases hit record
The Dutch government on Thursday was considering whether to impose Western Europe's first partial lockdown since the summer, as new coronavirus cases jumped to the highest level since the start of the pandemic. A surge in infections that started when social distancing measures were lifted late September has put pressure on hospitals throughout the country, forcing them to scale back regular care to treat COVID-19 patients. New coronavirus infections in the country of 17.5 million have roughly doubled in the last week and hit a record of around 16,300 in 24 hours on Thursday.
11th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Austrian lockdown for the unvaccinated is days away, chancellor says
Austria is days away from placing millions of people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on lockdown, as daily infections are at a record high and intensive-care units are increasingly strained, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Thursday. Around 65% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, national statistics show. Austria has the lowest vaccination rate of any Western European country apart from tiny Liechtenstein, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data.
11th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullCroatia tightens measures to fight spreading of COVID-19
Amid new record-high COVID-19 daily infections Croatia decided on Friday to tighten measures against the spreading of the disease, including introducing obligatory digital certificates for public sector employees. Croatia reported 6,932 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the highest daily number since the beginning of the pandemic. Slightly over 50% of around four million Croats are fully vaccinated and experts largely blame a low vaccination rate for a large increase in the number of infections in recent weeks.
5th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Action needed now to avoid lockdown, say German state leaders
Germany's COVID-19 situation is entering a very difficult period with rising numbers of intensive care patients, health minister Jens Spahn said, as German state leaders warned the country may need a new lockdown unless it takes urgent action. Spahn said he had agreed with regional health ministers that in future everyone should be offered a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine six months after receiving their previous injection. "This should become the norm, not the exception," Spahn said at a news conference on Friday.
5th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-hit China keeps vigil at borders, restricts local tourism
China is on high alert at its international ports of entry to reduce the risk of COVID-19 cases entering from abroad, and it has stepped up restrictions within the country amid a growing outbreak less than 100 days before the Beijing Winter Olympics. The National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Thursday it would continue to guide citizens not to go abroad for non-urgent and non-essential reasons. The dramatic drop in Chinese travellers since early last year has left a $255 billion annual spending hole in the global tourism market
4th Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullRussian regions consider extra COVID curbs as deaths hit record
Several Russian regions said on Tuesday they could impose additional restrictions or extend a workplace shutdown to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases that has already prompted Moscow to re-impose a partial lockdown nationwide. Russia reported 1,178 deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, its highest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic, as well as 39,008 new infections. President Vladimir Putin last month ordered a week-long nationwide workplace shutdown from Oct. 30 that could be extended by regional authorities as they see fit. The Novgorod region has already announced it is prolonging the shutdown by a week.
2nd Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Zealand seals off northern region over suspected spread of COVID-19
Authorities planned to seal off the northern tip of New Zealand with police cordons on Tuesday, as they enforce a lockdown in the region over fears of an undetected community transmission of COVID-19 there. Part of the Northland region, about 270 km (168 miles) from the biggest city of Auckland, is to begin a level 3 lockdown from midnight, said Chris Hipkins, the minister coordinating the response to coronavirus. The move follows two cases in the region that lacked a link to any known cases.
2nd Nov 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullNetherlands to impose new coronavirus curbs as infections jump
The Netherlands will impose new coronavirus restrictions this week in a bid to curb a recent surge in infections, health minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday. "We can't escape having to take new measures", De Jonge said. "The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals is rising fast." De Jonge did not give details of the new measures, which he said would be decided on Tuesday. Broadcaster NOS said the government was likely to require face masks in many public places and broaden the use of a "corona pass" showing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or recent negative coronavirus test.
1st Nov 2021 - Reuters
Tonga records first-ever COVID-19 case, Pacific island nation prepares for lockdown
Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onenoa announced the seven-day lockdown in a press conference on Monday, despite no evidence of community transmission. From midnight, residents on the island of Tongatapu will be required to stay home, except to access essential services or to purchase essential goods, including medical supplies. Police and the military will also enforce a curfew between 8pm and 6am, with all bars, restaurants and non-essential businesses to close temporarily.
1st Nov 2021 - ABC News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Nov 2021
View this newsletter in full'We have to survive': some businesses flout Moscow COVID-19 lockdown
Some businesses flouted the Russian capital's new lockdown measures on Friday saying they needed to make ends meet amid a lack of state support, as nationwide deaths from COVID-19 hit a new record daily high blamed on slow vaccination take-up. The restrictions allow only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets to remain open, while schools and state kindergartens are shut. Bars, cafes and restaurants are only allowed to operate takeaway and delivery services. Some entrepreneurs said they were trying to keep their businesses going as they had not been promised state aid.
29th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Chinese city on Myanmar border vows COVID curbs despite disruption
A Chinese jade trading hub on the border with Myanmar vowed strict control over domestic outbound travel to halt the spread of COVID-19, sustaining some of the toughest zero-tolerance policies in China despite economic costs. After suffering intermittent waves of outbreaks, Ruili has imposed some of the most stringent domestic travel restrictions in China, including self-funded quarantine of at least seven days at centralised facilities for those wishing to leave the city for non-urgent matters.
29th Oct 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRare plea for help as China's zero tolerance for COVID hits border town
A former vice mayor of a Chinese town on the border with Myanmar lamented local lockdowns and disruptions caused by repeated COVID-19 outbreaks and wrote a rare plea for a "strong" helping hand from Beijing. Ruili, in the province of Yunnan, has faced some of the toughest curbs in the country under Beijing's zero-tolerance policy, as a key international transit point for southwest China, following multiple outbreaks since last year.
28th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs
The Russian capital brought in its strictest COVID-19 related lockdown measures in more than a year on Thursday as nationwide one-day pandemic deaths and infections hit new highs amid slow vaccination take-up across the world's biggest country. Moscow's partial lockdown, in which only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets are allowed to remain open and schools and state kindergartens are shut, comes ahead of a week-long nationwide workplace shutdown from Oct. 30
28th Oct 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRussians opt for foreign beach breaks over COVID curbs
Facing the toughest restrictions since the early months of the pandemic, many Russians have decided that now is an ideal time to fly off for a foreign beach holiday instead of hunkering down at home. Workplaces across Russia are due to close in the first week of November for paid "non-working days" to slow the relentless spread of COVID-19. Russia on Wednesday reported 1,123 new COVID-19 deaths, its highest one-day toll of the pandemic so far.
27th Oct 2021 - Reuters
China doubles down on COVID-zero strategy
An expansive compound of buildings covering the equivalent of 46 football pitches was recently erected on the outskirts of Guangzhou, China’s bustling southern metropolis. The sprawling complex of three-storey buildings contains some 5,000 rooms and is the first of what is expected to be a chain of quarantine centres built by the Chinese government to house people arriving from overseas as it forges ahead with its zero-tolerance approach to COVID.
27th Oct 2021 - AlJazeera
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong to tighten COVID-19 rules, seeks to open to China
Hong Kong will tighten COVID-19 restrictions despite a lack of local outbreaks to better align with China’s policies and increase chances of quarantine-free travel between the territory and mainland, leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday. It will step up contact tracing, such as requiring the use of its LeaveHomeSafe app in government premises to record the coming and going of visitors. It will also tighten quarantine rules to exempt only emergency workers or those in essential industries such as logistics. Currently, those exempt from quarantine include airline crew, banking and insurance executives, directors of public companies, as well as crew members on cargo and passenger ships, among others.
26th Oct 2021 - The Independent
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina Locks Down Thousands in North as Delta Outbreak Spreads
China locked down a county that has seen the most Covid-19 cases in the nation’s latest delta outbreak, as an initial flareup in the northwest quickly spirals into a nationwide surge. Ejin, a county in China’s Inner Mongolia region, asked its 35,700 residents to stay home from Monday and warned of civil and criminal liabilities should anyone disobey the order, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a local government statement. The small county bordering Mongolia is the current outbreak’s hotspot, home to nearly one-third of the more than 150 infections found over the past week in the mainland. The lockdown comes a day after a warning from National Health Commission officials that the outbreak would continue to worsen after spreading to 11 provinces in about a week. China reported 38 Covid infections on Monday, half of which were found in Inner Mongolia.
25th Oct 2021 - Bloomberg
Fresh lockdowns in China as local Covid-19 infections spread to 11 provinces
Authorities in northern China are reimposing lockdowns and other emergency measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, with health officials warning of a worsening outbreak after the country recorded more than 100 cases across 11 provinces over the last week. "Since October 17, there have been multiple scattered local outbreaks in China, and they're expanding rapidly," Mi Feng, a spokesman at the National Health Commission (NHC), said at a news conference Sunday. "There is an increasing risk that the outbreak will spread even further."
The rapid spread comes despite about 75% of China's population -- or more than a billion people -- being fully vaccinated, according to Mi.
25th Oct 2021 - CNN
Poland may tighten COVID-19 curbs if cases keep growing, says minister
Poland will need to consider tighter COVID-19 restrictions if average daily cases exceed 7,000, the health minister was quoted as saying on Monday, as the government warned that infections were almost doubling each week. Central and eastern Europe, where vaccination rates are lower than in the west of the continent, has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, with officials in Poland urging the public to get vaccinated and follow the restrictions in place. "If, at the end of October, we are at an average level of over 7,000 cases per day, we will have to consider taking some more restrictive steps," Adam Niedzielski was quoted as saying by state-run news agency PAP.
25th Oct 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRomania revives COVID-19 restrictions as hospitals struggle
Dr Petruta Filip is working 100-hour weeks at a Bucharest hospital which, like hospitals throughout Romania, is struggling under an onslaught of COVID-19 patients in a country with worryingly low vaccination rates. The European Union country of around 19 million people has only 35 percent of its adults fully vaccinated compared with a European Union average of 74 percent. It is the second-least vaccinated nation in the 27-nation bloc. That is crippling Romania’s creaking healthcare system, which is also facing record-high death and infection numbers. Romania has reported more than 1.5 million cases of the coronavirus, including at least 44,000 deaths, since the pandemic began.
24th Oct 2021 - Al Jazeera English
Austria threatens to lockdown the unvaccinated as Covid cases soar
Unvaccinated Austrians have been warned that they could face new lockdown restrictions if Covid cases continue to rise. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Friday night that those who have not been jabbed may only be allowed to leave their homes for certain reasons.
24th Oct 2021 - Metro
Austrian chancellor says the unvaccinated could be forced to lockdown in their homes if COVID-19 cases worsen
Austria's chancellor on Friday warned of possible restrictions for people not vaccinated against COVID-19. Restrictions for unvaccinated people would begin if ICU capacity reaches 25%, he said, according to the Associated Press. If more than 600 people require treatment in the ICU, health authorities will require the unvaccinated to remain in their homes.
23rd Oct 2021 - Business Insider on MSN.com
Austria to impose lockdown for unvaccinated against COVID-19
Austria is threatening a potential lockdown for those unvaccinated if the situation in the country's intensive care units worsens, new government plans suggest. "We are about to stumble into a pandemic of the unprotected," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday night after a crisis meeting. Schallenberg ruled out a lockdown for those who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. He said he hopes the plans will send a signal.
23rd Oct 2021 - Daily Sabah
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullLatvia is first country to reimpose lockdown in Europe’s new Covid wave
Latvia has announced a month-long Covid-19 lockdown after an unprecedented surge in infections, becoming the first country in Europe to reimpose far-reaching restrictions amid a new wave of cases in countries across the continent. The Baltic country has one of the highest rates of new Covid cases relative to population in the world, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after successfully keeping the virus at bay for months. “Our health system is in danger … The only way out of this crisis is to get vaccinated,” the prime minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, said on Monday evening at an emergency government meeting. He said the country’s low vaccination rate was to blame for the surge in hospital admissions.
21st Oct 2021 - The Guardian
Parts of northern China brace for more COVID-19 lockdowns and curbs
Parts of northern China are bracing for more COVID-19 curbs as a wave of cases raises concerns of a broader outbreak, with three areas enforcing lockdowns, some schools halting classes, and an aerospace firm delaying work on a rocket project.
China reported 13 new domestically transmitted cases for Oct. 20, bringing the total number since Oct. 16 to 42, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Thursday.
21st Oct 2021 - Reuters
Moscow to reintroduce lockdown measures from Oct. 28 to combat COVID-19 case surge
Moscow will reintroduce lockdown measures from Oct. 28 to combat surging COVID-19 cases, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Thursday, with all shops, bars and restaurants due to close, except those selling essential goods, such as supermarkets and pharmacies. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday approved a nationwide week-long workplace shutdown from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 and said regional leaders could introduce other measures at their discretion. Russia reported a record daily high of both coronavirus-related deaths and new COVID-19 infections on Thursday.
21st Oct 2021 - Reuters
Moscow to shut shops, schools as COVID-19 deaths soar
Restaurants, movie theaters and many retail stores in Moscow will be closed for 11 days starting Oct. 28, along with other new restrictions, officials said Thursday, as Russia recorded the highest numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths since the pandemic began. The government coronavirus task force reported 36,339 new infections and 1,036 deaths in the past 24 hours. That brought Russia’s death toll to 227,389, by far the highest in Europe. President Vladimir Putin has voiced consternation about Russians’ hesitancy to get vaccinated and urged them to get the shots, but firmly ruled out making them mandatory.
21st Oct 2021 - The Associated Press
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullMoscow orders unvaccinated over-60s to stay home for 4 months as Russia's Covid-19 crisis deepens
Millions of Russians face strict new Covid-19 restrictions from this week after a slow vaccination drive, an overwhelmed health care system and widespread mistrust in government combined to plunge the country into its most deadly phase of the pandemic to date.
20th Oct 2021 - CNN
Putin approves week-long Russian workplace shutdown as COVID-19 surges
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday approved a government proposal for a week-long workplace shutdown at the start of November to combat a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Coronavirus-related deaths across Russia in the past 24 hours hit yet another daily record at 1,028, with 34,073 new infections.
Speaking at a televised meeting with government officials, Putin said the "non-working days" from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, during which people would continue to receive salaries, could begin earlier or be extended for certain regions.
20th Oct 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRussia proposes week-long workplace shutdown as COVID deaths hit new record
Moscow's mayor announced four months of stay-home restrictions for unvaccinated over-60s on Tuesday and the Russian government proposed a week-long workplace shutdown as the national death toll from COVID-19 hit yet another daily high. The moves reflected a growing sense of urgency from the authorities as they confront fast-rising cases and widespread public reluctance to get injected with the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine. Moscow, a city of 12.7 million, ordered people over the age of 60 to stay home for four months starting on Oct. 25 unless they are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID, and for businesses to move at least 30% of their staff to remote work.
19th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Two northern Chinese areas enforce lockdown in COVID-19 outbreak
China reported nine new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Oct. 18, the highest daily tally since the end of September, with the latest outbreak prompting two northern border areas to enforce a lockdown. Under a national policy of zero tolerance of domestic coronavirus clusters, cities with new infections have quickly tracked down and tested contacts of infections and sealed off higher-risk areas. Five of the nine new local cases were found in the northwestern city of Xian in Shaanxi province, and two were in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Tuesday.
19th Oct 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullLatvia Plans to Reimpose Lockdown After Covid Spike
Latvia plans to impose a 4-week lock down to slow the spread of coronavirus after a surge in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said, according to the Leta newswire. The Baltic country will impose the stricter measures, including restrictions on schools, shops and public events from Oct. 21 until Nov. 15, Leta reported. The government still must confirm the decision on the proposed measures.
18th Oct 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand widens Covid lockdown as Delta spreads outside Auckland
New Zealand’s Delta Covid variant outbreak has spread beyond Auckland, prompting the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to put additional regions into a snap lockdown. There were 32 new coronavirus cases on Sunday in the country’s largest city, which has been in lockdown since mid-August, and two cases in the Waikato region, some 147km (91 miles) south of Auckland. Ardern announced on Sunday that parts of the region will go into a five-day lockdown. She added that the government will decide on Monday whether Auckland’s 1.7 million residents will remain sealed off from the rest of New Zealand.
3rd Oct 2021 - The Guardian
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19 sends northern Chinese city into semi-shutdown
China's northeastern city of Harbin, population 10 million, went into semi-shutdown after reporting new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for the first time since early February. Three of 16 new local cases reported in China for Sept. 21 were in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday. The last reported locally transmitted cases in the city were on Feb. 4.
22nd Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullChinese city orders spas, mahjong salons to shut after COVID-19 case confirmed
Spas, cinemas and mahjong salons in the Chinese city of Harbin were ordered to close on Tuesday to prevent COVID-19 spreading in poorly ventilated spaces, state television reported.
21st Sep 2021 - Reuters
Ukraine tightens COVID-19 lockdown restrictions from Sept 23...
A Ukrainian government commission decided on Tuesday to tighten coronavirus lockdown restrictions from Sept. 23 as the number of new infections has increased sharply, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said. Ukraine lifted lockdown restrictions as cases dropped over the summer but has now imposed a nationwide "yellow" code which restricts mass events and limits the occupancy rates of gyms, cinemas and other culture venues.
21st Sep 2021 - Thomson Reuters Foundation
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-hit Chinese city tells residents to stay home as holiday starts
A city in southeast China hit by COVID-19 told residents on Saturday to stay home and closed various venues, as infections spread in the country's latest hotspot during a key holiday travel season. The government of Xiamen, in a series of notices, told residents not to leave home unnecessarily, closed parks, scenic spots and sports venues, and halted mass activities including tours, fairs and performances.
18th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina imposes local lockdowns as COVID-19 cases surge
China tightened lockdowns and increased orders for mass testing in cities along its east coast Wednesday amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. Checks have been set up in toll stations around the city of Putian in Fujian province, with a dozen of them closed entirely. The nearby cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou have also restricted travel as the delta variant spreads through the region. The National Health Commission on Wednesday said an additional 50 cases had been diagnosed in various parts of Fujian, most of them in the Putian region.
15th Sep 2021 - The Independent
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullPhilippines to test localised lockdowns in capital region
The Philippines' capital region will exit wide-scale coronavirus restrictions from Thursday, as the government launches a pilot test of localised lockdowns, amid efforts to balance reopening the economy and containing the spread of the coronavirus.
14th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullSlovenia tightens access to indoor spaces due to COVID-19
Slovenia will, from this week, require that all people who enter indoor spaces, with few exceptions, be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show negative tests unless they have had the disease in the previous six months,
13th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustralia's Queensland state warns of possible COVID-19 lockdown
Australia's third most populous state said on Saturday it may order a snap lockdown after a cluster of COVID-19 cases, as the country posted a record one-day rise in daily infections. Queensland state, home to more than 5 million people, said it had detected five new infections in the past 24 hours after a family tested positive. The next few days would be critical to see if a lockdown was warranted, authorities said.
11th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullUkraine could tighten lockdown restrictions as COVID-19 picture worsens
A Ukrainian government commission will meet soon to decide whether to tighten coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told a televised government meeting on Wednesday. Ukraine lifted lockdown restrictions as cases dropped over the summer but could impose a nationwide "yellow" code, which restricts mass events, and limits the occupancy rates of gyms, cinemas and other culture venues.
8th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullNigeria's Delta region oil hub may need new COVID lockdown, governor says
The governor of Rivers State in Nigeria's oil-producing Delta region said he may be forced to reimpose COVID-19 lockdown measures if residents did not comply with prevention protocols amid a rise in cases. Governor Nyesom Wike implored residents to get vaccinated and comply with safety and social distancing rules amid a consistent rise in COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks.
7th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullGuatemala orders new travel, social curbs as virus cases surge
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei announced new national transport curbs and social restrictions on Thursday in an effort to contain a surge of coronavirus infections and relieve pressure on hospitals. Giammattei opted against the toughest lockdown measures but said from Saturday, auto transport will be prohibited for most trips from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. and social gatherings such as weddings and public sports events will be banned for at least four weeks.
3rd Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrance imposes weekend lockdown near Belgian border after corona outbreak
The French region of Dunkirk, right next to the border with Belgium, will be placed under a weekend-long lockdown after an “alarming” rise in the number of coronavirus cases was reported, French Health Minister Olivier Véran announced on Wednesday. In the vicinity of the coastal town, the rate of infection was around nine times higher than the national average, reportedly as a result of a breakout of the British variant, which is believed to be the cause of around 75% of all regional cases.
25th Feb 2021 - The Brussels Times
Finland to begin three-week lockdown on 8 March
Finland will go into a three-week lockdown starting on 8 March and is prepared to declare a state of emergency, Prime Minister Sanna Marin has said, as the country faces a rising number of coronavirus cases. The lockdown will not include a curfew but will involve the closure of restaurants and ordering school students who are 13 or older to move to remote learning, the government said. Ms Marin said she is ready to declare a state of emergency next week, having discussed this with the president.
25th Feb 2021 - RTE Online
Lockdown for Dunkirk, other areas under watch as French COVID-19 cases spike
France’s government on Wednesday ordered a weekend lockdown in the Dunkirk area to arrest an “alarming” rise in COVID-19 cases, signalling extra curbs might also be needed elsewhere as daily cases nationwide hit their highest since November. Unlike some of its neighbours, France has resisted a new national lockdown to control more contagious coronavirus variants, hoping a curfew in place since Dec. 15 can contain the pandemic. But it reported 31,519 new infections on Wednesday, up from 25,018 a week ago and the most since mid-November. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the national situation was deteriorating, and “a source of worry in about 10 regional departments”. Some required “rapid and strong” containment measures.
25th Feb 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullDunkirk area in northern France to impose weekend lockdown -minister
The region around the northern French port of Dunkirk will start enforcing a weekend lockdown from this weekend to halt a spike in COVID-19 infections, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday. Veran said the situation in the Dunkirk area was “alarming” and that France would also increase vaccine supplies for the area.
24th Feb 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullIs Lockdown Necessary in Mumbai? Read What Experts Say
Though Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned that lockdown would have to be reimposed if daily coronavirus cases continue to rise, experts believe that there is no need to take such stringent measure now. Notably, Maharashtra has been witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases for the past few days. Earlier on Sunday, it had recorded nearly 7,000 new Covid-19 cases, the biggest jump in the last 3 months.
23rd Feb 2021 - India.com
Kuwait to close land, sea border in latest COVID restrictions
Kuwait says it will close its land and sea border crossings from Wednesday until further notice as it imposes curbs to control coronavirus infections in the Gulf nation. Citizens and domestic workers accompanying them are, however, allowed to return through land and sea ports, as are citizens’ first-degree relatives, the cabinet said in its meeting on Monday.
23rd Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFirst Test For Italy’s New Government: A New Lockdown Ahead?
No movement between regions until March 27th and no visits to family and friends in a red zone: these are the main measures that Italy’s new government has introduced to counter the coronavirus crisis, which has started to strike back and threaten the country’s restart. It is the first official act that the government has taken since its settlement last week.
22nd Feb 2021 - Forbes
India sees new lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise again
Cases of COVID-19 are increasing in some parts of India after months of a steady nationwide decline prompting authorities to impose lockdowns and other virus restrictions. Infections have been plummeting in India since September, and life has already returned to normal in large parts of the country. In many cities, markets are bustling, roads are crowded and restaurants are nearly full. But experts have been warning that the reasons behind India's success aren't really understood, and that the country of nearly 1.4 billion people can't afford to let its guard down. Public health officials are now investigating potential mutations in the virus that could make it more contagious and render some treatments and vaccines less effective.
22nd Feb 2021 - The Independent
Maharashtra reimposes curbs as Covid cases surge
A Covid-19 test positivity rate inching towards 10% in Pune district and a surge in cases in Amravati division made authorities in Maharashtra act swiftly on Sunday to reimpose measures like school and college closure, limitation on movement at night and restrictions on events like weddings for the remainder of the month.
22nd Feb 2021 - Times of India
French Riviera placed under weekend lockdown
The French government has placed the French Riviera in southern France under lockdown on weekends, local authorities announced, amid a rapid surge of coronavirus cases in recent weeks. While France has been reluctant to enforce a third nationwide lockdown, local ones are seen as increasingly likely in areas where the situation has deteriorated, including the Paris region. This measure will be enforced from Friday 6 p.m., until Monday 6 a.m. for the next two weekends, "following the same rules as during October lockdown," state Representative Bernard Gonzalez said.
22nd Feb 2021 - Politico
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullMayor of French city of Nice calls for weekend coronavirus lockdown
The mayor of the French Mediterranean city of Nice called on Sunday for a weekend lockdown in the area to stop the flow of visitors and curb a sharp spike in coronavirus infections. “We need a strong measures that go beyond the nationwide 6 p.m. curfew, either a tighter curfew, or a partial and time-specific lockdown. A weekend lockdown would make sense ...that would stop the inflow of visitors,” Mayor Christian Estrosi said on franceinfo radio.
21st Feb 2021 - Reuters
France considers partial lockdown for Nice region after spike in Covid cases
France's Health Minister has said the city of Nice and the surrounding department of Alpes-Maritimes is facing a partial lockdown or an even stricter curfew, after a jump in the number of new coronavirus infections in recent days. Olivier Véran said decisions about further tightening limits on people's movements would be taken over the weekend. "There are a few cities and areas in France where the virus is circulating much more quickly than elsewhere and this may require regional confinement measures," the health minister said during a visit to a health centre in Nice.
20th Feb 2021 - RFI
Iraq sees record Covid-19 cases as new lockdown begins
New lockdown measures came into effect in Iraq on Friday as it recorded its highest new coronavirus caseload in 2021 -- double the daily figures from less than a week ago. Earlier this week, health authorities announced new overnight curfews would begin on February 18th, from 8:00 pm until 5:00 am, as well as full lockdowns on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On its first full lockdown day on Friday, Baghdad's main roads were clear of the usual traffic and security forces had set up new checkpoints to stop violators.
20th Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24
Coronavirus: India records 13,993 new cases and 101 deaths, lockdown imposed in parts of Maharashtra
India reported 13,993 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours on Saturday, as the total number of cases went up to 1,09,77,387, according to health ministry data. The toll rose to 1,56,212, with 101 new deaths, while the number of active cases in the country stood at 1,43,127. A total of 1,07,15,204 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered so far to health workers and frontline workers, according to the government data.
20th Feb 2021 - Scroll.in
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid cases rising, Maharashtra to impose weekend lockdown in Amravati
Owing to a rise in novel coronavirus cases, a weekend lockdown will be imposed in Maharashtra’s Amravati district starting 8 pm on February 20. It will be in effect till 7 am on February 22. “The markets will be shut from Saturday night till Monday morning. For now, this is being implemented for one day,” said Dr Dilip Ranmale, a district health officer in Amravati. Until a month ago, Amravati city was recording less than 70 cases a day. In a month, the spike in cases in the entire district is fastest across the state, worrying officials of an unusual transmission pattern.
18th Feb 2021 - The Indian Express
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in full'Karnataka will go to square one': Minister on lockdown amid Covid clusters in Bengaluru
Karnataka has registered over 9,46,000 Covid-19 cases till now of which 12,273 people died and 927,924 have recovered. The state is among the worst hit regions in the country along with Maharashtra and Kerala. Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Wednesday that economic activity in the state had been severely hit in the past 10 months due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and added that the overall situation would go back to square one if a lockdown is imposed again. Karnataka has registered over 9,46,000 Covid-19 cases till now of which 12,273 people died and 927,924 have recovered. The state is among the worst hit regions in the country along with Maharashtra and Kerala.
17th Feb 2021 - Hindustan Times
Maharashtra CM warns of lockdown again as Covid cases rise in state
If Covid-related norms are not followed, the state government will be forced to reimpose a lockdown, warned chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday. The state has reported a steady rise in cases in the last few days. “People have become carefree. It is for the people to decide if they want a lockdown or want to continue living with the small restrictions like now,” said Thackeray, while directing local administrations to crack down on citizens and establishments that are found violating Covid-19 norms and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
17th Feb 2021 - Times of India
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullAmid Rising Cases, Mumbai Mayor's Lockdown Caution
As Mumbai records a surge in Covid cases, a lockdown is a possibility, a top Mumbai official warned today. But whether the city will go into lockdown mode once again would depend on the people, said Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar.
The Mayor noted that most people travelling on trains did not wear masks. "It's a matter of concern. Most people travelling in trains don't wear masks. People must take precautions or we will head towards another lockdown," Kishori Pednekar said.
"Whether a lockdown will be implemented again is in the hands of people."
16th Feb 2021 - NDTV
COVID-19: Another 'Lockdown' in Maharashtra? This district shuts down schools, colleges, imposes restrictions
While the countrywide coronavirus caseload is decreasing, the situation in Maharashtra's Akola is completely opposite as a sudden rise in the infections has raised the administration's concern. To control the spread of COVID-19, strict rules have been implemented in the district till February 28. The administration has restricted social gatherings and has disallowed more than 50 people in functions like weddings. Schools and colleges have also been ordered to close and there is a ban on a gathering of five or more people.
16th Feb 2021 - DNA India
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullIraq detects new UK-based strain, reimposes partial lockdown
Iraq will re-impose partial lockdown measures until early March after detecting a new strain of the coronavirus, including among children, its health minister announced on Monday. "Unfortunately, government labs showed genetic mutations in the Covid-19 strain, detecting the new fast-spreading strain in Iraq," Hassan al-Tamimi told reporters. He referred to the strain as the one "which spread in the UK," and said it had been detected in some Iraqi children, but did not give a total number of people who had been diagnosed with the new variant.
15th Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24
No new community cases found in New Zealand since lockdown
As people in Auckland adjusted to a new lockdown on Monday, health officials said they'd found no evidence the coronavirus had spread further in the community, raising hopes the restrictions might be short-lived. New Zealand's largest city was hurriedly placed into a three-day lockdown Sunday after three unexplained virus cases were found. It's the country's first lockdown in six months and represents a setback in its largely successful efforts to control the virus. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the negative test results since the first three were found was an encouraging start, but cautioned a fuller picture of the outbreak wouldn't emerge until Tuesday, when the results from an expanded testing regimen would be known.
15th Feb 2021 - The Independent
New Zealand Orders 1st COVID-19 Lockdown in 6 Months
As people in Auckland adjusted to a new lockdown on Monday, health officials said they’d found no evidence the coronavirus had spread further in the community, raising hopes the restrictions might be short-lived. New Zealand’s largest city was hurriedly placed into a three-day lockdown Sunday after three unexplained virus cases were found. It’s the country’s first lockdown in six months and represents a setback in its largely successful efforts to control the virus.
15th Feb 2021 - TIME
Covid 19 coronavirus: How much the lockdown could cost New Zealand
The re-emergence of lockdown measures could sap over $90 million out of the economy - and an Auckland business leader says firms need to know the Government will look after them. Based on cost estimates developed by ASB during the previous lockdown, having Auckland at alert level 3 and the rest of the country at alert level 2 costs the economy about $440 million per week - or 0.15 per cent of GDP. ASB has today released an updated estimated, suggesting that impact would be about half what was designated in August. "This time around we think the GDP impact could be slightly less than half that given how NZ adapted in the last lockdown," ASB said in a note today.
14th Feb 2021 - New Zealand Herald
Australia suspends travel bubble with New Zealand after Auckland lockdown
Australia has suspended its quarantine-free travel arrangement with New Zealand following the detection of COVID-19 in a couple and their daughter in Auckland at the weekend. After initially saying there would be no change to the travel bubble, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly convened an urgent meeting late on Sunday with the chief health officers from NSW, Queensland and Victoria. “It was decided at this meeting today that all flights originating in New Zealand will be classified as Red Zone flights for an initial period of 72 hours from 12.01am on 15 February”, a statement from the Department of Health reads.
14th Feb 2021 - Sydney Morning Herald
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand locks down Auckland after 3 new local COVID-19 cases
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday announced a three-day lockdown in the country’s biggest city Auckland, after three COVID-19 cases emerged, the first local infections since late January. Level 3 restrictions will require everyone to stay home except for essential shopping and essential work, Ardern said, repeating the strict approach the country has taken over the past year in virtually eliminating the pandemic. “We have stamped out the virus before and we will do it again,” Ardern told a news conference. New Zealand, which had gone more than two months without local infections before the January case, is to start inoculating its 5 million people against the new coronavirus on Feb. 20, receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier than anticipated.
14th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Little risk of lockdowns outside Victoria, top doctor says, as rush to trace airline passengers continues
Australia's top doctor said lockdowns are not likely in other states, despite a rush to trace thousands of people who passed through a Melbourne Airport where an infected staff member worked at a cafe. NSW Health said it has sent text messages to about 7000 people in the state who were at Terminal 4 in Melbourne Airport where the cafe worker was with other states also working to identify people who could have been there. The person worked at Brunetti Cafe on February 9 between 4.45am and 2pm, Victoria Health says.
13th Feb 2021 - 9News
Victoria's coronavirus lockdown sabotages terminally ill Australian man's year-long fight to get home
Terminally ill Australian man John Jobber is running out of time to make it back from Ireland and fulfil his wish of dying back home in Tasmania. After nearly a year of fighting to get Jobber home, his daughter Samantha John finally secured plane tickets to Melbourne for next week, but now she fears Melbourne’s snap lockdown means he will never see home again. “I really do understand there is pandemic and it’s a matter of balancing the risk, but, on the other hand, it’s my dad,” Samantha said.
13th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
COVID-19: Australia's Victoria state enters snap lockdown after coronavirus outbreak linked to quarantine hotels
A five-day lockdown is being imposed in Australia's Victoria state, barring spectators from the first few days of the Australian Open tennis tournament. A new COVID-19 cluster has been linked to a quarantine hotel in the state capital Melbourne, reaching 13 cases on Thursday and prompting authorities to take action. Around 6.5 million people went into lockdown at midnight, lasting until the same time on Wednesday, in a state which endured one of the world's strictest and longest lockdowns last year.
13th Feb 2021 - Sky News
Greece extends lockdown to more regions to contain COVID-19 pandemic
Greece on Friday extended the full lockdown imposed on metropolitan Athens earlier this week to more regions of the country in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections, the deputy civil protection minister said. Effective on Saturday the region of Achaia in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula as well as Euboea, Greece’s second-largest island after Crete, will be in lockdown until Feb. 22 at least, authorities said. This means schools, hair salons and non-essential retail shops will close. “The epidemiological picture countrywide shows a steady deterioration,” Vana Papaevangelou, a member of the committee of infectious disease experts advising the government, told a news briefing.
13th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Melbourne starts snap virus lockdown, no crowds at Australian Open
Australia’s second most populous state Victoria entered a five-day lockdown on Saturday as authorities raced to prevent a third wave of COVID-19 cases sparked by the highly infections UK variant.
13th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Australian Open fans are ejected from the arena as five-day lockdown begins in Melbourne after quarantine hotel outbreak lead to 13 infections
Australian Open is designated as a 'workplace' for players but with no spectators
Fans were ushered out at 11.30pm half an hour before new lockdown took effect
Outbreak has been blamed on infections leaking from a Melbourne airport hotel
A guest's nebuliser allowed the virus to escape into hotel corridor, it is believed
Five-day 'circuit breaker' is meant to stop a repeat of last year's long lockdown
12th Feb 2021 - Daily Mail
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFears of a Victoria lockdown after Holiday Inn cluster reaches 13
There are reports Victoria could enter a snap lockdown as the Holiday Inn cluster grows to 13 cases with the latest two cases announced by Victoria Health being household contacts of previous infections. It is believed the virus spread in the hotel after the use of a nebuliser by a resident in quarantine, raising questions as to why the person was in the facility whilst being dependent on the device. There are also fears hotel quarantine workers are not wearing the correct PPE after a nurse was spotted at the Intercontinental Hotel without even a mask. The majority of the cases have already been linked to the highly contagious UK variant.
11th Feb 2021 - Sky News Australia
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullGreek premier orders full lockdown in Athens after surge in coronavirus cases
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday announced a full lockdown in the capital Athens and the surrounding region to curb a resurgence in coronavirus cases and ease pressure on badly stretched health services. The new restrictions in the Athens region, where half of Greece’s population of 11 million lives, include closing non-essential shops and schools from Feb. 11 until the end of the month, Mitsotakis said in a televised address. “I will not hide: In the next two months, restrictions may be imposed and lifted depending on the level of alarm,” he said after chairing an emergency meeting with ministers and health experts. “But this is also the last mile towards freedom.” Authorities registered 1,526 infections on Tuesday, more than double the number recorded a day earlier - half of them in the wider Athens area, with COVID-19 related deaths reaching 6,017 since the coronavirus was first detected.
10th Feb 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullNorth Korean authorities lockdown cities in Chagang Province over COVID-19 fears - Daily NK
With North Korea placing the border cities of Hyesan and Samjiyon in Yanggang Province under lockdown due to a smuggling incident late last month, Daily NK has learned authorities recently placed Chasong and Manpo in Chagang Province under lockdown as well. A source in Chagang Province told Daily NK that authorities issued a lockdown order for Chasong and Manpo on Feb. 3. According to the source, the authorities issued the lockdown order ostensibly to strengthen quarantine efforts against COVID-19 after incidents of smuggling and defections in the two towns earlier this month.
9th Feb 2021 - DailyNK
130 pupils to be quarantined as Hong Kong imposes more lockdowns
Hong Kong health authorities have sent more than 130 pupils and teachers from a government secondary school into quarantine and ordered mandatory Covid-19 testing for hundreds of others after two students who sat for an exam in the same hall were found to be infected. Both the infected pupils at Shau Kei Wan Government Secondary School live in Wai Lee Building in Quarry Bay, which has been hit by seven Covid-19 cases so far, and officials on Monday evacuated more than 20 households from the block after experts found evidence of vertical transmission of the disease as well as faulty pipes. Authorities confirmed 32 new cases citywide as they ordered another daily lockdown for mandatory testing overnight
9th Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
France was right to decide against new national lockdown - health minister
The COVID-19 situation in France is currently stable and the government was right to have decided against imposing a new national lockdown, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday. Veran also told France Info radio “it is possible and indeed preferable” that France would not have to be locked down again. “For three weeks we have had (on average) 20,000 new cases per day and 3,000-3,200 patients in intensive care units. It’s stable but high...It does not call for national lockdown measures,” Veran said. The number of people in France who have died from COVID-19 infections rose by 458 on Monday to 79,423 - the seventh-highest death toll globally.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullDelaying French lockdown risks repeat of British 'tragedy', Macron is warned
President Macron’s reluctance to impose a third lockdown risks plunging France into the sort of “tragedy” that hit Britain in December, according to one of his top scientific advisers. Professor Arnaud Fontanet, director of the epidemiological research unit on emerging diseases at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, became the latest figure to warn that the country could pay a heavy price for Mr Macron’s insistence on keeping shops and schools open and travel unrestricted. Mr Macron has introduced some restrictions but stopped short of a lockdown of the sort brought in last spring and autumn. Members of Mr Macron’s Scientific Council told him last month that the measures were unlikely to be sufficient and urged him to put France into full lockdown. Although Olivier Véran, the health minister, backed the advice, Mr Macron refused to heed it.
8th Feb 2021 - The Times
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrench health experts stress need for new COVID measures
Two leading French health officials called for new restrictive measures to rein in the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday, taking the opposite view of the government, which stood by its decision to not impose a new lockdown for now. Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the COVID-19 situation in France remained fragile but that a third lockdown was not needed at present, despite demands from several leading French medics for such a measure. France is the sixth most infected country in the world in terms of COVID-19 cases, with a total of 3.27 million cases. Its death toll, at almost 78,000, is the seventh-highest globally.
6th Feb 2021 - Reuters
'Eye of the storm': Diverse east London grapples with virus
Taxicab driver Gary Nerden knows colleagues who got seriously ill from COVID-19. He knows the area of east London where he lives and works has among the highest infection rates in the whole of England. But since he can’t afford not to work, he drives around picking up strangers for up to 12 hours a day, relying on a flimsy plastic screen to keep him safe. “I’ve got people telling me they won’t wear a mask, saying they’re exempt,” said Nerden, 57. “I’ve got diabetes, I have to look after myself. I wipe the handles, the seat belt, after every customer, but that’s all I can do, really.”
5th Feb 2021 - Associated Press
French hospital federation president calls for new COVID lockdown
Frederic Valletoux, president of the French hospital federation, on Friday called for a new national lockdown to deal with the COVID-19 situation, in the latest sign of tensions between the government and health officials on the issue. Valletoux, who is also mayor of Fontainebleau just south of Paris, told LCI TV that while the situation in hospitals was under control for now, it remained “very tense” in many areas. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the COVID-19 situation in France remained fragile but there was no need for a new lockdown at present, although several leading French medics have said a new lockdown might be necessary.
5th Feb 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullSudden lockdowns in Hong Kong leave some residents trapped in shops, hair salons overnight
In one operation, a 10-year-old girl getting a haircut was separated from her mother who had left to buy food. Health experts divided on the wisdom of the strategy, with one saying residents should avoid leaving their homes late at night
4th Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
Qatar reimposes restrictions amid surge in COVID-19 infections
The measures affect education, leisure and business activities as the Gulf country seeks to head off a potential second wave. Qatar has reimposed a series of coronavirus-related restrictions on education, leisure and business activities, including closing indoor swimming pools and theme parks and restricting restaurant capacities. The measures came into effect on Thursday, a day after they were first announced as the country battles a surge in new COVID-19 infections.
4th Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 Lockdown Exposes Fragility in Aging Chinese City
When the city of Tonghua in China’s northeast shut residents in their homes in response to new coronavirus cases in January, it forced a reckoning with some harsh economic realities in the aging rust-belt city. Thousands complained on social media that they were running out of necessities such as food and medicine. It was the kind of hardship that hadn’t been seen since the lockdown of Wuhan for the first Covid-19 outbreak a year earlier. As many pleaded that they were starving, saying “Don’t forget us,” city officials apologized and said they were short-handed.
3rd Feb 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Bushfire smoke blankets Australian city under COVID-19 lockdown
Strong winds threatening to fan a bushfire prompted Australia on Wednesday to urge thousands of people to leave their homes in the provincial capital of Perth, complicating a lockdown after the state detected its first coronavirus infection in 10 months. As firefighters battled a blaze in steep, inhospitable terrain, authorities told residents of Bullsbrook, a suburb of 6,600 in Australia's fourth largest city, to ignore a stay-home order and leave immediately as hot, dry weather picked up.
3rd Feb 2021 - MSN.com
Australia Bushfire Drives People From Covid Lockdown
Just days after residents of Perth, Australia’s fourth-largest city, were ordered to stay in because of the coronavirus, some were forced to flee their homes on Tuesday as a ferocious wildfire bore down on the city’s outskirts. “It’s still a very, very active and very aggressive fire and very much out of control,” said Kevin Bailey, mayor of the City of Swan, a region within the Perth metropolitan area where the blaze had done the most damage. He added that it was not realistic to expect residents to adhere to lockdown conditions in a deadly fire zone.
3rd Feb 2021 - The New York Times
Qatar announces new restrictions amid fears of second COVID wave
Qatar has announced new restrictions amid a surge in coronavirus cases that authorities said could lead to a second wave of infections. The 32-point plan, made public on Wednesday, includes provisions to limit at 80 percent the number of staff present at their workplace. Among other things, it also reimposes a ban on indoor weddings, with some exceptions. The announcement came as Qatar announced an 85 percent increase in the number of hospitalisation cases in January compared with the previous month. “We have seen an 85 percent increase in January compared to December in the number of COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospital,” Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation, said.
3rd Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus lockdown for Perth and South West leaves WA facing a week like no other
WA's regime to swab people for the virus will itself be tested over the coming days, as people who attended the 17 possible exposure sites present to COVID clinics. Health Minister Roger Cook has repeatedly promised WA has the surge capacity to deal with a rush on clinics, but officials have admitted there could be significant waits over the coming days. If the worst fears are realised and the virus has spread unknowingly through the community, WA's contact tracing regime will also be tested like never before.
2nd Feb 2021 - ABC.Net.au
Much of Western Australia in lockdown after 1 case of COVID-19. Here's what Canada can learn from the approach
As the debate about the merits of strict lockdowns continues in Canada, and the federal government introduces its own version of hotel quarantine, the successes and failures of those practices in other countries can be looked to for insight. As vaccines begin to be rolled out in Canada, and the chance of a return to "normal" seems within reach, there will be many questions to answer about what was done right, what could have been handled better, and what have we learned to prepare for another pandemic.
2nd Feb 2021 - CBC.ca
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew lockdown in France 'almost inevitable' says infectious diseases expert, as new measures begin
France's latest measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus "may not be enough," according to the President of the French Society of Infectious Diseases, who believes the country will go into national lockdown very soon. President Emmanuel Macron has been resisting putting that measure in place. Instead, borders have closed to countries outside the European Union and those entering France from the EU now need a negative PCR test
1st Feb 2021 - Euronews
'We are very frustrated': WA health expert wants overhaul of hotel quarantine system
Health experts in Western Australia say they are "frustrated" at the state's hotel quarantine system, where a security guard was able to contract COVID-19, feared to be the highly contagious UK variant. Parts of WA are now in a five-day lockdown, with nearly two million residents ordered to stay at home. President of the Australian Medical Association WA branch, Dr Andrew Miller, said the quarantine system needed an overhaul.
1st Feb 2021 - 9News.com.au
Single Covid case in Western Australia leads to 5-day lockdown for 2 million
Parts of Western Australia went into a five-day lockdown Sunday, after a hotel security guard tested positive for coronavirus. The Perth metropolitan area and the Peel and South West regions of the Australian state are now under "full lockdown," Premier Mark McGowan announced Sunday, with residents only able to leave their homes for essential shopping, medical needs, exercise, and for jobs that cannot be done at home or remotely. Schools, most businesses, entertainment venues and places of worship are all closed, and restaurants restricted to takeaway only.
1st Feb 2021 - CNN
Covid: Australian city of Perth goes into snap lockdown after guard tests positive
The Australian city of Perth has begun a snap five-day lockdown after a security guard working at a quarantine hotel tested positive for coronavirus. Western Australia - the state of which Perth is the capital - had not had a case of locally acquired coronavirus for 10 months. People in the city of two million - along with people living in the nearby Peel and South West regions - must stay at home, except for essential work, healthcare, food shopping or exercise, said Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan. Mr McGowan said the guard may have the UK variant of the virus
1st Feb 2021 - BBC
One Case, Total Lockdown: Australia’s Lessons for a Pandemic World
One case. One young security guard at a quarantine hotel who tested positive for the coronavirus and experienced minor symptoms. That was all it took for Perth, Australia’s fourth-largest city, to snap into a complete lockdown on Sunday. One case and now two million people are staying home for at least the next five days. One case and now the top state leader, Mark McGowan, who is facing an election next month, is calling on his constituents to sacrifice for each other and the nation. The speed and severity of the response may be unthinkable to people in the United States or Europe, where far larger outbreaks have often been met with half measures. But to Australians, it looked familiar.
1st Feb 2021 - The New York Times
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullPerth in lockdown, ending Australia's two-week run without COVID-19
The Australian city of Perth was ordered into lockdown on Sunday after a security guard working in hotel quarantine tested positive for COVID-19, ending the country’s longest coronavirus-free run. From Sunday evening until Friday, people in the city of 2 million must stay home, except for essential work, healthcare, grocery shopping or exercise, with visits to hospitals and nursing homes banned, said Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan.
31st Jan 2021 - Reuters Australia
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrance Weighs Third National Lockdown Over Variants Worries
French officials are considering a third nationwide lockdown as soon as Saturday, in an effort to stop the country’s increase in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Options under consideration include continuing the country’s nationwide 6 p.
28th Jan 2021 - Wall Street Journal
France Will Likely Be Put Under A 3rd Nationwide Lockdown
The virus is hitting Europe with its full force. Across the continent, countries are fighting back with various restrictive measures to control COVID spread. France has Europe's strictest overnight curfew, but the government there says it hasn't been enough to slow the virus down. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley has more.
28th Jan 2021 - NPR
Coronavirus pandemic: Is France heading back into a nationwide lockdown?
The French government admitted on Wednesday that current restrictions designed to contain the spread of coronavirus were not enough, raising the prospect of a third nationwide lockdown. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Commentator Doug Herbert tells us more.
28th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
North Point buildings placed under sudden Covid-19 lockdown in Hong Kong
Chief Executive Carrie Lam spends 15 minutes in the area for a briefing from health officials and to show support for workers. Residents of four North Point tenement buildings locked down for testing overnight, with restrictions relaxing from 7am on Friday
28th Jan 2021 - South China Morning Post
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullSweeping Covid-19 lockdown in Peru as virus cases soar
Sixteen million Peruvians will enter a two-week coronavirus lockdown covering a third of the country at the end of January, Peru's interim president said. The South American nation's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic -- with only 500 intensive care beds for a population of 32 million -- with authorities reporting a spike in deaths as infections increase. The country's lockdown will run from January 31 to February 14, interim president Francisco Sagasti said in a televised address, blaming the soaring Covid infections on end-of-year gatherings.
27th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Peru orders total lockdown across 10 states as second wave bites
President Francisco Sagasti of Peru announced a total lockdown of the capital and nine other regions following a significant increase in COVID cases, which he said had pushed hospitals close to collapse. Sagasti said the new measures covering central Peru would remain in effect until at least Feb. 14. They include instructions to work from home, the closure of all non-essential shops, the suspension of interregional land and air travel and the extension of a ban on flights coming from Europe to flights from Brazil in a bid to curb new, more contagious strains of the virus.
27th Jan 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong places residents of 12 buildings under sudden Covid-19 lockdown
Metal barriers blocked streets, police addressed people through loudspeakers, and some residents in the Hong Kong area of Yau Ma Tei faced a night sealed off from the rest of the city, after an “ambush-style” Covid-19 lockdown on Tuesday. People living in blocks numbered 9-27 on Pitt Street, and Shun Fung Building on 3 Tung On Street, were taken by surprise, with the government acting at the last minute to avoid giving residents advance warning through leaks in the media. The lockdown, which began at 7pm, was expected to end at 6am on Wednesday, and those in the area had been told to stay inside until they had been tested for Covid-19. But officers also said people should be prepared to miss work, because they were unsure of whether testing would finish on time.
26th Jan 2021 - South China Morning Post
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrance May Be Headed for New Lockdown as Scientists Raise Alarm
France probably needs to move into a third lockdown, perhaps as early as the February school holidays, because of the circulation of new variants of the virus, the government's top medical adviser on Covid-19 policy said on Sunday. French schoolchildren have two weeks off in February, but the entire month is a holiday month as three different zones stagger the start of their holidays by one week, with the first starting on Feb. 6.
25th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
France to decide on possible 3rd lockdown amid rise in new Covid-19 variants cases
The French government is considering whether or not to impose a third national lockdown. France is now under a 6pm curfew but coronavirus cases have still continued to rise. A final decision on that move is said to be announced on Wednesday and depending on the effects of this tightened curfew. But just how could this new lockdown look like: a very strict one like in March 2020, or rather a loosened up version like in November 2020?
25th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Top advisor warns France probably needs new lockdown as early as February
France probably needs to move into a third lockdown, perhaps as early as the February school holidays, because of the circulation of new variants of the virus, the government's top medical adviser on Covid-19 policy said on Sunday. French schoolchildren have two weeks off in February, but the entire month is a holiday month as three different zones stagger the start of their holidays by one week, with the first starting on Feb. 6. "We probably need to go towards a confinement. Whether that needs to be a very strict confinement like the first one in March or a softer form like in November, that is a political decision," Jean-François Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises the government on Covid-19 response, told BFM television.
25th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24 English
France Faces Renewed Lockdown ‘Within Days,’ JDD Says
France is set to go back into lockdown “within days” amid concerns that a new wave of infections driven by the more-contagious U.K. variant of the coronavirus could spiral out of control, Journal du Dimanche said, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the matter. A decision is imminent, JDD wrote, saying President Emmanuel Macron could announce the country’s third lockdown on Wednesday night. It could start before the end of the week and last at least three weeks, according to the paper.
25th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
China's COVID-19 case spike forces another harsh lockdown, and citizens are calling out for help
Authorities in a north-eastern Chinese city have come under fire for their poor handling of a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, as anger mounts over a shortage of food and medication during lockdown measures. The latest outbreak in Tonghua city, in the northern province of Jilin, saw local authorities impose strict measures last week, resulting in residents being banned from leaving their homes. More than 190 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Tonghua since China's north-eastern outbreak began earlier this month, and residents in the lockdown zones are now desperate to find food and essential goods.
25th Jan 2021 - ABC News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong orders thousands to stay home in 2-day COVID-19 lockdown
Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked down Saturday (Jan 23) in an unprecedented move to contain a worsening outbreak in the city, authorities said.
The order bans anyone inside multiple housing blocks within the neighbourhood of Jordan in Kowloon from leaving their apartment unless they can show a negative test. Officials said they planned to test everyone inside the designated zone within 48 hours "in order to achieve the goal of zero cases in the district". The government said in a statement there are 70 buildings in the "restricted area".
23rd Jan 2021 - CNA
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina barricades part of capital as COVID-19 outbreak escalates
Beijing has imposed a lockdown of 1.7 million people in part of the Chinese capital as officials race to prevent a COVID-19 resurgence in the country’s northern region from seeping into its most important city. Daxing district in southern Beijing, where its new airport is located, has been sealed off from the rest of the country after six infections were found there. The total number of cases in Beijing stood at 23 on Wednesday, while over a thousand infections have been found nationwide since early January, mostly in China’s vast rural northern provinces. While the number of cases is small compared to outbreaks in western countries, the flareup — fueled by an unusually cold winter — is China’s biggest coronavirus challenge since the Wuhan crisis a year ago given its potential to spread to the capital of over 20 million people
21st Jan 2021 - The Japan Times
China to test Lunar New Year travellers amid partial lockdown in Beijing
Beijing residents have been banned from leaving the capital after the UK virus strain was found in the city. Two cases linked to the new UK strain was detected in Bejing's Daxing district. The UK strain is believed to be 70 per cent more transferable than the earlier version. Residents in Daxing area have been barred from leaving Beijing unless they get special permission from authorities and get a negative test result. The local Daxing government said meetings of 50 or more people in the area has been banned with weddings postponed and funerals simplified. Schools have also been shut with students asked to study from home.
21st Jan 2021 - MSN.com
China is back in emergency mode, racing to contain COVID surge before holiday
China is rushing to build a massive quarantine camp with more than 4,000 isolation suites in Hebei Province, a region just outside Beijing at the center of a resurgent coronavirus epidemic. Ahead of a holiday that normally sparks the biggest mass-movement of humans on the planet, authorities have put tens of millions of people under strict lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19 a year after it first surfaced. The new isolation center spans more than 108 acres on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang city, the provincial capital of Hebei Province, which surrounds Beijing. It will temporarily house close contacts and secondary contacts of confirmed COVID-19 patients so they can be kept under medical observation for any signs of infection.
21st Jan 2021 - CBS News
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullOuter Hebrides islands put into lockdown as Covid takes hold
About 1,000 islanders on Barra in the Outer Hebrides are taking a “robust and responsible” approach to being placed in full lockdown from midnight on Tuesday, as a coronavirus outbreak spreads to affect about 16% of the population. Having kept the virus off the 11-mile-long island since the pandemic began, there are now 45 positive tests with a further 140 individuals self-isolating. Although islanders were already observing a voluntary lockdown as the outbreak spread rapidly since taking hold in the second week of January, Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday that the islands of Barra and Vatersay, which are connected by a causeway, would go into tier 4, the highest level of Scotland’s five levels of Covid controls.
20th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Rwandan capital back under full coronavirus lockdown
Rwanda's capital Kigali was back under total lockdown on Tuesday after a surge in coronavirus cases in a country that has adopted some of Africa's toughest anti-Covid measures. President Paul Kagame's government announced the measures late Monday after a cabinet meeting, banning "unnecessary movements" in the capital. Rwanda imposed one of Africa's first total shutdowns in March 2020, and has maintained an evening curfew, changing the times and imposing curbs on transport as its outbreak fluctuated.
20th Jan 2021 - Times of India
Lockdown is imposed on five Beijing neighbourhoods, with 1.6 million people ordered to stay at home
Lockdown has been imposed on five Beijing neighbourhoods after two cases of the British Covid-19 variant were detected in the Chinese capital. The cases had 'no genetic correlation with previously reported local cases and imported cases in Beijing', the head of the Beijing health authority Pang Xinghuo told reporters, but are 'considered to be variants of the new coronavirus discovered in the UK.' The two cases of the UK variant were among seven new Covid-19 cases detected on Wednesday, with six found in the city's southern Daxang district alone.
20th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullAs Chinese cities face new Covid-19 lockdowns, have 2020 lessons been learned?
Echoes in Hebei of measures a year ago in Wuhan, with students stranded in icy conditions and some people unable to get routine medical treatment. Residents complain of mistakes being repeated, as countries continue to struggle to balance a speedy response with the public’s wider needs
19th Jan 2021 - South China Morning Post
Rwanda re-imposes strict lockdown in capital after COVID-19 cases surge
Rwanda has re-introduced tough lockdown measures in its capital Kigali after a surge in coronavirus cases. The government has also banned movement into and out of the city, except for essential services and for tourists, it said, citing a jump in the number of cases found in a given sample of tests, known as the positivity rate.
“All employees, public and private, shall work from home, except for those providing essential services,” the government said in a statement.
19th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Malaysia expands lockdown measures to most states as virus spreads
Malaysia on Tuesday said it would extend lockdown restrictions across most of the country as it grappled with a rise in coronavirus infections. Last week, capital Kuala Lumpur and six states went into a two-week lockdown. Essential sectors including manufacturing, plantations and construction were allowed to stay open, but a nationwide travel ban was implemented. Security minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Tuesday said the lockdown will also be imposed on six other states from Friday for two weeks. Only the eastern state of Sarawak will not see a full lockdown, though some restrictions are in place. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said the lockdown measures were necessary as the healthcare system was at a breaking point.
19th Jan 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullAlmost All Of Italy Goes Into Lockdown
Italy is heading into a tough period of restrictions on Sunday, January 17, as coronavirus cases in the country continue to skyrocket. There is currently an average of 500 deaths per day in Italy, with 16,310 new Covid infections registered on Saturday according to the Ministry of Health. The death toll in the country stands at 81,800. As of Sunday, twelve Italian regions will be in the ‘orange zone’, meaning that all bars and restaurants will be closed and people won’t be allowed to leave the municipality. Lombardy, Sicily and Alto Adige are in the ‘red zone’ and will be plunged into total confinement for three weeks
18th Jan 2021 - Euro Weekly News
Coronavirus pandemic in Italy: Three regions return to near-lockdown restrictions
Italy has registered 81,325 Covid-19 deaths since the virus came to light last February, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world. Earlier on Friday the government issued a new decree extending curbs to keep lid on infections after the health ministry warned that the epidemic was getting worse. Restrictions will be tightened to the maximum "red-zone" level in three of Italy's 20 regions, including northern Lombardy around Milan.
18th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Virus resurgence expands lockdown in China
Amid a rise in locally transmitted coronavirus infections in China, at least 11 regions in three provinces have been put under lockdown to stem the spread of the virus as of Monday, according to local reports. According to a statement by China’s National Health Commission (NHC), 109 infections were reported on Sunday which included 93 indigenous cases -- 54 in the Hebei province, 30 in Jilin, seven in Heilongjiang, and two in Beijing. China, where the first cases of the virus were reported in December 2019, is witnessing a resurgence of the virus since early this month, mostly in Hebei. The country has reported 88,336 coronavirus cases, including 4,635 deaths, so far
18th Jan 2021 - Anadolu Agency
Malaysia to roll out additional $3.7 billion stimulus measures - PM
Malaysia will introduce 15 billion ringgit ($3.71 billion) worth of additional stimulus measures to support its pandemic-hit economy and fight COVID-19, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Monday. Last week, Malaysia declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide travel ban and lockdowns in the capital and five states to help curb the spread of the outbreak, which has been worsening in recent days in the Southeast Asian country.
18th Jan 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhat’s life like for the 20 million Chinese back in lockdown?
More than 20 million people across China are in lockdown as the country battles a spike in Covid-19 infections, the worst flare-up since last summer. China reported 135 new locally transmitted cases for Thursday, of which 90 were in the northern province of Hebei, 43 in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, one in the southern region of Guangxi and one in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. A total of 66 asymptomatic cases were also reported. As of the end of Thursday, 1,001 Covid-19 patients were receiving treatment in hospital and 618 asymptomatic cases, which are not included in the tally, were under medical observation.
16th Jan 2021 - South China Morning Post
China builds hospital in 5 days as COVID-19 cases rise in Beijing
China on Saturday finished a five-day construction project on a 1,500-room hospital as clusters of COVID-19 spread in Beijing and the surrounding provinces.
The state of play: The facility is the one of six hospitals with a total of 6,500 rooms in the works in Nangong, the Xinhua News Agency said Saturday per AP reporting. They are all expected to be completed next week. China reportedly put roughly 28 million people on lockdown this week in the the Hebei provincial capital of Shijiazhuang.
16th Jan 2021 - Axios
Covid-19: France PM Castex announces tighter curfew
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced a new evening curfew will begin nationally across France starting at 18:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday. The move is a tightening of a curfew already in place since December, which restricts movement from 20:00-06:00. Announcing the measure on Thursday, Mr Castex described the country's situation as "worrying" with infections remaining at a "high plateau". He also announced new restrictions for people arriving into the country. France has so far recorded more than 69,000 coronavirus deaths - the seventh-highest death toll in the world.
15th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Between home confinements and evacuations, stories of lockdown in China’s Hebei province after Covid-19 outbreak
The January 2 discovery of a cluster of coronavirus infections in Shijiazhuang, the capital of China’s northern Hebei province, has led to China’s most severe Covid-19 outbreak in five months, with 463 reported active infections in the province as of January 14 and one death. Authorities have placed the province’s three major cities, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang, under lockdown starting from last week. However, videos posted on Chinese social media reveal differing quarantine experiences, as the authorities proceed with a more localised lockdown approach.
16th Jan 2021 - France 24
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullSemi-lockdown to stave off third Covid wave, says Swiss health minister
In Switzerland, Health Minister Alain Berset has defended further Covid-19 restrictions as a preemptive attempt to prevent a third wave of the pandemic. Shops will be closed and gatherings further restricted from Monday. In addition, existing restrictions will be extended until the end of February. Speaking to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, Berset defended the move to enhance a semi-lockdown despite falling cases of infection in Switzerland. He said that the decision was informed by watching a devastating variant strain take hold in Britain and other countries.
14th Jan 2021 - swissinfo.ch
Lebanon enters full lockdown to stem virus uptick
A full lockdown started in Lebanon today, with residents barred even from grocery shopping and dependent on food deliveries, in a bid to slow a surge in novel coronavirus cases. The new restrictions were only loosely respected in some areas of the country, however, after mass protests in recent years against a political elite held responsible for a deepening economic crisis. The lockdown, ordered after some hospitals started to run out of intensive care beds, includes a 24-hour curfew until 25 January.
14th Jan 2021 - RTE.ie
China reports first death in months; 22 million people placed under lockdown
China reported its first death from covid-19 after it recorded its biggest daily jump of Covid-19 cases in more than 8 months. The Chinese National Health Commission reported a total of 115 new confirmed cases on the mainland. China denied entry to two members of a WHO team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus after both tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, the Wall Street Journal reported. More than 22 million people are under lockdown in the north of the country and one province has declared an emergency as daily Covid-19 numbers climb after months of reporting only a handful of daily cases. This is double the number affected in January 2020 when China's central government locked down Wuhan, where the virus was first reported.
14th Jan 2021 - Times Now
Malaysia, once praised by the WHO as 'united' against COVID, has gone back into lockdown
The Malaysian Government announced a renewed lockdown across much of the country, banning interstate travel, as daily coronavirus case numbers hit a new record. A day later, the country's King Al-Sultan Abdullah declared a months-long state of emergency as requested by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin — the first in half a century. "The Government can been said to [be prioritising] the nation's health security at the expense of democracy," Tengku Nur Qistina, a senior researcher at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, told the ABC.
14th Jan 2021 - ABC.Net.au
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullFacing New Outbreaks, China Places Over 22 Million on Lockdown
When a handful of new coronavirus cases materialized this month in a province surrounding Beijing — apparently spread at a village wedding party — the Chinese authorities bolted into action. They locked down two cities with more than 17 million people, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. They ordered a crash testing regime of nearly every resident there, which was completed in a matter of days. They shut down transportation and canceled weddings, funerals and, most significantly, a provincial Communist Party conference. By this week the lockdowns expanded to include another city on the edge of Beijing, Langfang, as well as a county in Heilongjiang, a northeastern province. Districts in Beijing itself, the Chinese capital, also shut down.
13th Jan 2021 - New York Times
Province In China On Lockdown After Biggest Coronavirus Spike In Months
Eleven million people are under lockdown in Hebei province after a new cluster of coronavirus infections. Since Jan. 2, Hebei has reported more than 600 new positive cases, 544 of which were from the capital city of Shijiazhuang. To identify all potential patients, health officials have completed one round of mass testing of all the city's residents, and a second one is being carried out this week. The province also postponed its annual legislative meeting because of the flare-up. Liaoning province, which has had a small number of new virus cases this month, also postponed its meeting. Hebei provincial authorities have doubled-down on travel restrictions and quarantine measures, hoping to contain the virus ahead of the Lunar New Year next month. Anyone leaving Hebei province must show a negative COVID test done no more than three days prior.
13th Jan 2021 - NPR
Tunisia to lock down for four days from Thursday
Tunisia will impose a four-day national lockdown from Thursday along with lesser measures lasting until Jan. 24 to combat a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Fouzi Mehdi said on Tuesday. “The situation is very critical and the vaccination will not come before February,” Mehdi said. Other measures will include rotating staffing in state jobs to reduce people in offices and transport, school closures, longer curfew hours and the removal of all chairs from cafes.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
As China COVID-19 cases rise, millions more placed under lockdown
China posted its biggest daily jump in COVID cases in more than five months on Wednesday, stepping up containment measures that have seen four cities put under lockdown, as the world’s second biggest economy scrambles to head off a new wave of infections. Most of the new cases were reported near the capital Beijing, but a province in far northeast China also saw a rise in infections, official data showed, amid a resurgence that has seen more than 28 million people placed under home quarantine. While the Chinese city of Wuhan was the initial epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged there in late 2019, China had in recent months largely kept COVID-19 at bay.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Chinese province of 37million declares 'emergency' to combat coronavirus as the nation's new COVID-19 epicentre launches a second round of mass-testing amid fresh outbreak
Heilongjiang in northeast China announced to enter an 'emergency state' today
The province banned its 37m residents from leaving unless absolutely necessary
Shijiazhuang in Hebei ordered 11m people to undergo city-wide testing again
The province emerged as China's new epicentre in the latest COVID-19 outbreak
China recorded 107 new native cases today, the highest daily tally since last July
13th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullLockdown adds to suffering of vulnerable Lebanese: charity
A total lockdown set to start this week will exacerbate the suffering of vulnerable Lebanese families struggling to make ends meet unless the government offers assistance, a charity has warned. “We recognise the importance of taking thorough measures... but we are very concerned that vulnerable families and their children will be left to deal with a catastrophe on their own," Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children’s Lebanon director, said late Monday. Lebanon, a country of more than six million, is grappling with its worst economic downturn since the 1975-1990 war.
12th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Coronavirus: China locks down a third city and moves 20,000 from new COVID-19 epicentre to isolation
Chinese authorities locked down the city of Langfang in Hebei Province near Beijing on Tuesday, putting its 4.9million residents under quarantine for seven days while conducting mass testing.
12th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Millions in China lockdown over new COVID-19 threat
China imposed new coronavirus curbs in areas near Beijing on Tuesday, putting 4.9 million people under lockdown as new infections raised worries about a second wave in a country that has mostly contained the disease. Lauren Anthony reports.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Another Chinese city goes into lockdown amid new COVID-19 threat
The Chinese city of Langfang near Beijing went into lockdown on Tuesday as new coronavirus infections raised worries about a second wave in a country that has mostly contained COVID-19. The number of new cases in mainland China reported on Tuesday remained a small fraction of those seen at the height of the outbreak in early 2020. However, authorities are implementing strict curbs whenever new cases emerge. The National Health Commission reported 55 new cases on Tuesday, down from 103 on Monday. Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, accounted for 40 of the 42 locally transmitted infections. In a village in the south of Beijing that shares a border with Hebei, residents were stopping vehicles and asking to see health-tracking codes on mobile phones.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Germany's stricter lockdown starts nationwide
Harder coronavirus lockdown restrictions came into force across all of Germany's 16 federal states on Monday. Ten states, including the most populous, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden Württemberg, introduced the new rules as of Monday. A number of restrictions were introduced on December 16 in a bid to curb a second COVID-19 infection wave. These were originally slated to remain in place until at least January 10 but have had only a moderate impact on caseloads. Some of the measures that were already in place have been extended, while other restrictions have been tightened. Health Minister Jens Spahn appealed to the public to stay the course. "I know that these are once again particular difficulties, hardships for many," Spahn said on ZDF television. "Also social hardships, but at the moment that is the arena in which the virus is spreading above all others."
11th Jan 2021 - DW (English)
This lockdown is necessary but must not lead to a permanent loss of liberty
When the second lockdown was announced in October sceptics were down but not out. The Great Barrington Declaration, the formation of the Covid Recovery Group and the widely held view that shutdown 3.0 could trigger the implosion of Boris Johnson’s premiership handed them firepower in the fightback against coronavirus authoritarianism. Laws passed in late March marked the greatest restrictions on liberty in modern British history. Worse, they could not stop Covid: that ship sailed in February with New Zealand and east Asian nations on board. Claims by ministers and scientists that this blunt tool could eliminate the virus were wrong-headed, corroded public trust and torpedoed compliance.
11th Jan 2021 - The Times
Malaysia to reimpose 2-week limited lockdown to stem virus spread
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday announced a fresh lockdown in the capital Kuala Lumpur and five states, as the Southeast Asian nation’s cumulative cases grew to over 135,000 as of Sunday. Muhyiddin said interstate travel will also be barred during the two-week lockdown, but assured that five essential sectors will be allowed to continue operating under strict regulations.
11th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Japan emergency state to expand beyond Tokyo as COVID-19 cases climb: media
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a meeting of ruling party executives on Tuesday he would declare a state of emergency for the three western prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo to stem the spread of COVID-19, Kyodo news reported. Responding to pressure from Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures in eastern Japan, Suga last week declared a one-month state of emergency for that region until Feb. 7. But the number of coronavirus cases has also climbed in the west, prompting the three prefectures to seek a state of emergency too. The government is finalising plans to declare an emergency there on Wednesday, and could also consider adding the central prefectures of Aichi - home to Toyota Motor Corp - and Gifu, Kyodo reported, citing government sources.
11th Jan 2021 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Ad campaign launched with plea to public as fears grow over lockdown compliance
A new public awareness campaign has been launched, urging people to "stay at home" in an attempt to encourage the public to comply with lockdown rules. It comes amid growing fears that people have not been observing social distancing rules, as case numbers surge, hospitals become swamped and deaths continue to rise. On Friday, a record 68,053 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK and one in 50 people in England are now thought to have coronavirus, according to the Office for National Statistics.
9th Jan 2021 - Sky News
COVID-19 lockdown fines reviewed in Derbyshire after women 'treated like criminals' over country walk
A police force is to review its lockdown fines after being criticised by two women who "thought someone had been murdered" due to the "heavy-handed" response to what they thought was a legal walk. Jessica Allen told Sky News she and her friend Eliza Moore travelled in separate cars to make the five-mile journey from their home town in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, to Foremark Reservoir, just across the county border in Derbyshire, on Wednesday.
9th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Australia on high alert after overseas travelers bring new COVID-19 strains
Australia’s health officials said on Saturday they are on high alert after cases of highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus, discovered in Britain and South Africa, have made it into the country. Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, on Saturday went into a three-day strict lockdown after the discovery of a virulent strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, linked to Britain. A variant that emerged in South Africa was found in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, in a hotel quarantine. Australia has been more successful than most advanced economies in managing the pandemic, with total infections at around 28,600 and 909 deaths, while each state has at some point recorded zero COVID-19 transmissions.
9th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Cyprus goes into new lockdown from January 10 as COVID surges
Cyprus will introduce a new lockdown to quell rising COVID-19 infections from Jan. 10, its health minister said on Friday, the country’s second since the start of the pandemic. Retail businesses such as hairdressers, beauty parlours and large department stores will shut until Jan. 31, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou told a news conference. People will be allowed to leave home just twice a day for specific reasons such as buying groceries or medicines and taking exercise, while a current curfew banning movement from 2100 to 0500 daily will remain in force.
9th Jan 2021 - Reuters
COVID-19: Brisbane in three-day lockdown over case of new variant first identified in UK
Brisbane has entered a three-day lockdown after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel was diagnosed with the COVID-19 variant first identified in the UK. Australia's third largest city - and its surrounding areas - will also see the introduction of compulsory face masks for the first time, the Queensland state government said. Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said: "We know that that strain is 70% more infectious and we know the extreme difficulty that the UK has had in controlling their outbreak due to that strain.
8th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Cyprus set for second coronavirus lockdown
Cyprus is to go back into lockdown in a bid to curb an aggressive rise in coronavirus infections. From Sunday until January 31, businesses such as hairdressers, beauty salons and department stores will be closed, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Friday. Authorities are also reintroducing a text messaging system that grants people permission to leave their home — which is allowed only for work, shopping for essentials, visiting a doctor or exercising, with just two outside trips a day permitted. The current curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. will remain in place.
8th Jan 2021 - POLITICO.eu
Covid 19 coronavirus: Brisbane suburbs go into a three-day lockdown
Queensland's first community Covid-19 case in 113 days has sparked a three-day lockdown for greater Brisbane. It comes a day after Air New Zealand's first quarantine-free flight from Auckland to Brisbane took off. Today the state has recorded nine new cases – all in hotel quarantine – from more than 13,000 tests.
An inner Brisbane quarantine hotel cleaner has tested positive to the virus' highly infectious UK variant.
7th Jan 2021 - New Zealand Herald
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrance Has Lockdown Lessons for Boris Johnson
Optimism about Covid-19 vaccines has quickly turned to pessimism about how slowly they’re being rolled out — and the grim realization that stay-at-home restrictions will be with us for longer as a result. This is being felt acutely in Europe, where Brits are now in their third national lockdown, barely a month after the second one ended. Ireland has also reintroduced tougher curbs. Both countries have seen cases and hospitalizations pile up this winter.
7th Jan 2021 - Washington Post
Nation of small-business owners adapts to England lockdown No 3
A year ago, yoga teacher Brenda Ward would have been dashing between hotels, gyms and schools to deliver her classes but as England entered a third national lockdown, she stepped into her living room and greeted students by video call. Having switched all her yoga and wellbeing classes online, the 53-year-old has joined a host of small-business owners finding ways to adapt and thrive despite lockdowns that have upended high streets and downed economic activity. “I’m probably busier (than before the pandemic),” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from her home-turned-studio in northwest England.
7th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullMinisters convene to approve full lockdown starting Friday
Netanyahu and Gantz said to agree on plan to shutter schools and most businesses; both appear to blame UK virus variant for recent steep rise in cases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have reached an agreement on tightening the current nationwide lockdown for 10 days, shuttering schools and nonessential businesses and closing supermarkets at 7 p.m., according to Hebrew media reports Tuesday, with the aim of reversing a steep spike in infections that have passed 8,000 a day.
6th Jan 2021 - The Times of Israel
Boris Johnson says no end date for lockdown
Prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that the end of lockdown may be delayed beyond mid-February, telling MPs the government will be “extremely cautious” about lifting restrictions and reopening schools. His comments came as anti-lockdown backbenchers raised concern about lockdown regulations published last night which set a date of 31 March for them to remain in force. Announcing England’s third national lockdown on Monday, Mr Johnson said that the vaccination could progress fast enough to allow restrictions to be eased “by the middle of February, if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails”.
6th Jan 2021 - The Independent
Lockdown in Hebei provincial capital amid most daily Covid-19 cases in months
Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei, enters lockdown after accounting for most of province’s 63 cases, the highest daily figure for months in mainland China. First locally transmitted infections in the northern province since June, and health authorities expect case numbers to rise
6th Jan 2021 - South China Morning Post
Lockdown uncertainty causing anxiety among UK students
Lockdown uncertainty is causing anxiety among students in the UK as classes have been moved to remote learning and exams cancelled in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. In England, schools and universities have been closed for seven-weeks as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's latest COVID-19 lockdown. The government has confirmed students will not be asked to sit GCSE and A-level exams. A-Level student Maryam Mazhar said she is hoping to go to university to study history. "I definitely feel quite anxious now, especially because the government hasn't outlined what the methods of grading are going to be this year," Ms Mazhar said. The exams regulator is now considering a number of options.
Both families and schools are desperately hoping pupils will return after half-term.
6th Jan 2021 - Sky News Australia
Coronavirus: Met to enforce lockdown rules more strictly
Met Police officers have been told to enforce Covid regulations more strictly during the latest lockdown.Under the new instructions, people who attend large gatherings will be fined along with organisers, while those not wearing face coverings without good excuse will also be targeted. Londoners have also been warned to expect officers to be "more inquisitive" if they are seen outside. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said police would "act robustly". England's third national lockdown legally came into force overnight with measures including a stay-at-home order and the closure of schools to most pupils.
6th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Britain's Asda urges lockdown shoppers not to stockpile
British supermarket group Asda on Wednesday urged its customers to shop considerately and not buy more than they normally would after new COVID-19 lockdowns were introduced across the United Kingdom to stem the spread of the virus. Under the new rules in England, schools are closed to most pupils, people should work from home if possible, and all hospitality and non-essential shops are closed. Semi-autonomous executives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have imposed similar measures. With the hospitality sector shut, there is pressure on supermarkets to meet demand. December trade hit record levels.
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters
COVID risk 'extraordinarily high' if lockdown rules ignored - official
The risks for Britons without COVID-19 vaccinations were extraordinarily high if people don’t follow the current lockdown rules, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Tuesday, adding that the risks will not disappear in the spring.
“If people don’t take the ‘stay at home’ seriously, the risk at this point in time, in the middle of winter with this new variant, is extraordinarily high,” Whitty said. “We shouldn’t kid ourselves ... this just disappears with spring.”
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullEngland Covid lockdown likely to be in place until March, Gove warns
The third national lockdown imposed in England to try to deal with the huge increase in Covid-19 cases is likely to remain in place into March at least, with some measures lasting even longer, the government has indicated. The Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, said he hoped the gradual lifting of restrictions could begin in mid-February, but that the time it took for the vaccines to take effect meant it was likely to be at least another couple of weeks before measures could start to be eased. “We can’t predict with certainty that we’ll be able to lift restrictions the week commencing the 15 to 22 [February], what we will be doing is everything we can to make sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated so that we can begin progressively to lift restrictions,” Gove told Sky News on Tuesday.
5th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
UK PM Johnson cancels India visit, citing need to oversee virus response
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday cancelled a planned trip to India later this month, citing the need to oversee the pandemic response at home. “The prime minister spoke to (Indian) Prime Minister Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Covid-19 fight in China's Hebei enters 'wartime mode' as province sees first local cases in six months
The fight to contain the coronavirus in northern China's Hebei has entered "wartime mode", official media reported on Tuesday (Jan 5), after the province surrounding capital Beijing saw its first locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in more than six months. Hebei reported 19 local infections and 40 asymptomatic cases between last Saturday and Monday, according to data from the Chinese health authorities. The last time the province recorded locally transmitted infections was in June last year. Nationally, mainland China reported 33 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday, with 14 of the 17 local cases recorded in Hebei and 16 cases imported from overseas.
5th Jan 2021 - The Straits Times
China places village under lockdown after coronavirus outbreak
China has placed a village under lockdown following a coronavirus outbreak likely tied to recent weddings, according to multiple reports. Entry and exit were barred from Xiaoguozhuang, located in Hebei province, and it is now the only "high risk" area of China, The Washington Post reported. Authorities reported 44 new cases in Hebei, of which 30 were asymptomatic.
5th Jan 2021 - The Hill on MSN.com
The Times view on the new lockdown: End Game
The means to defeat the coronavirus are now available. Yet the rate of infection of Covid-19 in Britain is intensifying and risks overwhelming the National Health Service. That is the paradox driving public health policy. Unfortunately, the government has been continually reactive in adopting measures to halt transmissions. It has had to learn painfully that there is no route out of the crisis by half-measures. Policy needs to be tougher and speedier if the nation’s hardships are to be eased and then dispelled by a vast vaccination campaign. Failing to do this has already cost lives. The government needs to give a clearer message on the urgency of the crisis and the stages by which, with public support, it can be lifted.
5th Jan 2021 - The Times
Covid-19 coronavirus: New UK lockdown 'frustrating, utterly disappointing' say Kiwis
Kiwis living in the United Kingdom say the Government's announcement of a new lockdown is frustrating and utterly disappointing. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new national lockdown for England with people being instructed to stay at home just as they did in March. In his TV address on Tuesday morning NZ time, Johnson said a new coronavirus variant had caused the number of Covid-19 cases to rise rapidly in every part of the country. Leeanne Coles, 31, a beauty therapist from Auckland, has been in the UK for the last 18 months and contracted Covid-19 when she went out for lunch with five friends on December 4
5th Jan 2021 - New Zealand Herald
Covid-19: Third UK lockdown 'pretty depressing' for Kiwi expats but not a surprise
The United Kingdom is preparing to endure a third Covid-19 lockdown as new strains of the virus ravage the country. Tuesday’s announcement, however, came as no shock to some Kiwi expatriates enduring the pandemic in the UK. Sam Tylee, a 28-year-old originally from Wairarapa who has lived in the UK for over four years, described the announcement from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as anti-climatic. “I wasn’t actually shocked, to be honest ... I think that it was inevitable because they can’t vaccinate people quick enough.”
5th Jan 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Rishi Sunak announces £9,000 grant to support UK businesses closed during national Covid lockdown
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a new package of support for businesses forced to close during the lockdown. One-off grants worth up to £9,000 per property will be made available to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses to support them during the Covid-19 lockdown. The measures will apply to 600,000 business properties and are expected to cost the Treasury around £4 billion.
5th Jan 2021 - iNews
Lebanon orders three-week lockdown to fight virus spread
Lebanon announced a full lockdown for three weeks, including a night curfew, to stem a rise in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals in a country already facing financial meltdown. Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the lockdown would start on Thursday and run until Feb. 1, with further details on Tuesday on which sectors would be exempt. The lockdown will include a curfew from 6 pm to 5 am. “It has become clear that the pandemic challenge has reached a stage that is seriously threatening Lebanese lives as hospitals are not capable of providing beds,” Hasan told reporters after a meeting of the ministerial committee on COVID-19.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UK offers lockdown-hit firms extra $6.2 billion of help
Britain offered a 4.6 billion pound ($6.2 billion) support package for businesses on Tuesday to soften an expected recession caused by a surge in COVID-19 cases that has triggered a third national lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown on Monday, saying a highly contagious coronavirus variant risked overwhelming the health service within 21 days. Most people must work from home and schools have closed for almost all pupils. Hospitality venues must stay shut, as well as non-essential shops. Britain’s economy looks likely to tip back into recession - shrinking in the final quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 - following a record 25% fall in output in the first two months of lockdown in 2020.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Britons ordered to stay at home as third national lockdown begins
Britain began its third COVID-19 lockdown on Tuesday with citizens under orders to stay at home and the government calling for one last major national effort to contain the virus before mass vaccinations turn the tide. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown late on Monday saying the highly contagious new coronavirus variant first identified in Britain was spreading so fast it risked overwhelming the National Health Service (NHS) within 21 days. In England alone, some 27,000 people are in hospital with COVID, a number 40 percent higher than during the first peak of infections in April. “The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle, because with every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against COVID and in favour of the British people,” said Johnson.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UK lockdowns force British Airways, easyJet to review flying plans
UK-based airlines British Airways and easyJet said they were reviewing their plans in response to new national COVID lockdowns, with reductions to already low levels of flying almost certain. Restrictions on travel due to the pandemic, and particularly a halt by some countries to passenger traffic from Britain due to an outbreak of a new variant of the coronavirus, means that there are only a fraction of flights currently operating. But the new lockdown in England stops most people from travelling abroad, making more cuts likely, and putting airline finances under renewed pressure as carriers had hoped for a recovery in travel by the spring. Goodbody analysts said the lockdown would wipe out income from the school half-term holiday in February, usually a strong travel period, and risked impacting bookings for Easter and summer.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
UK unveils $6.2 billion in extra lockdown support
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown late on Monday saying the highly contagious new coronavirus variant first identified in Britain was spreading so fast it risked overwhelming the health service. Britain announced on Tuesday 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Elite sport to continue in England despite national lockdown
Elite sport will be allowed to continue in England despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing a new national COVID-19 lockdown on Monday due to surging infections in the country caused by a more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus.
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Scotland to enter another effective national lockdown
Scotland will on Monday enter another effective national lockdown, likely to last until spring, The Times newspaper reported. Scottish government leader Nicola Sturgeon said earlier her cabinet would meet on Monday to discuss possible further steps to limit the spread of the virus, and ordered Scotland’s parliament to be recalled. It is expected the reopening of schools will be pushed back beyond Jan. 18, the newspaper reported
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew lockdown could send Rishi Sunak's furlough scheme soaring through £50billion barrier
The job retention scheme (JRS) reached £46.4billion before Christmas. There was a sharp upturn in payouts following November lockdown. Likely to reignite the row over the economic impact of coronavirus. Union leaders demanded parents be paid to stay at home while schools are shut
4th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Tougher UK Covid-19 lockdown measures discussed at Stormont
The Stormont executive is meeting this evening to discuss the possibility of further coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland. First Minister Arlene Foster said she would be joining a call with the British government at 5pm to discuss the "Coronavirus response across the four nations". "There will be an Executive meeting at 6pm immediately afterwards," she tweeted. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said an "urgent executive meeting" had been called to discuss the "fast moving and volatile Covid situation". "Urgent decisive action is required to respond," she added in a tweet. British prime minister Boris Johnson will tonight make a televised address setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England, Downing Street has said.
4th Jan 2021 - The Irish News
Coronavirus in NI: Stormont executive to discuss UK lockdown moves
There will be an extended period of remote learning for schools in Northern Ireland, the executive has said. Ministers met on Monday night as other parts of the UK tightened their coronavirus restrictions. The Stormont executive also plans to give its stay at home guidance legal force, with new restrictions on travel. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said details would be formalised on Tuesday. The health and education ministers will bring separate papers on the issues to the executive at the meeting, she added.
4th Jan 2021 - BBC News
UK to move to highest coronavirus alert level as full lockdowns loom
The government is expected to announce new steps to control the spread of coronavirus, as the chief medical officers recommended that the UK move to the highest coronavirus alert level. Boris Johnson is due to make a TV address on Monday evening where he is set to announce mass school closures and tight lockdown restrictions. MPs will be recalled to parliament from Wednesday. In a joint statement, the UK’s four chief medical officers said the alert level should be moved to the maximum of five, warning that without action there was a risk of the NHS “in several areas” being overwhelmed.
4th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
As post-holiday infections surge, Lebanon gears for lockdown
Lebanon will begin a 25-day nationwide lockdown Thursday to battle a surge in coronavirus infections during the holiday season that has challenged the country’s already battered health care sector
4th Jan 2021 - ABC News
Catalonia imposes perimetral lockdown in municipalities in bid to slow coronavirus spread
The Catalan regional government on Monday approved new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The new plan will see a perimetral lockdown for municipalities, preventing movement between them, as well as the closure of shopping malls and other non-essential stores. The measures will come into force on Thursday, January 7 – the day after a national holiday for Kings’ Day.
4th Jan 2021 - EL PAÍS in English
Coronavirus pandemic: Scotland to impose lockdown for rest of January
Scotland is to impose a nationwide coronavirus lockdown for the rest of January because of a surge in cases, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced on Monday. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Philip Turle tells us more.
4th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Netanyahu to convene ministers within 48 hours to decide on new lockdown steps
Top officials say rise in patients steeper than ever, many of them trending young; health officials said to warn of 10,000 cases a day if nothing done to curb disease
4th Jan 2021 - The Times of Israel
'Just stay home' - Thai PM urges compliance as virus cases hit record
The government has declared 28 provinces, including Bangkok, as high-risk zones and asked people to work from home and avoid gathering or travelling beyond provincial borders, as infection numbers climb after an outbreak was detected last month at a seafood market near the capital. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government was mindful of the potential economic damage from strong containment measures. “We don’t want to lock down the entire country because we know what the problems are, therefore can you all lock down yourselves?” he told reporters.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
UK needs tougher restrictions to tackle coronavirus, health minister says
Scotland on Monday imposed the most stringent COVID-19 lockdown since last March and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would shortly impose tougher curbs in England to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak of a new variant of the coronavirus. The United Kingdom has the world’s sixth-highest official coronavirus death toll - 75,024 - and the number of new infections is soaring across the country. As Johnson mulled tougher measures for England, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new variant accounted for nearly half of new cases in Scotland and is 70% more transmissible. Scots, she said, would be legally required to stay at home for January from midnight. Schools will close for all but the children of essential workers.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
UK health minister does not rule out new national lockdown
Scotland on Monday imposed the most stringent COVID-19 lockdown since last March and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would shortly impose tougher curbs in England to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak of a new variant of the coronavirus. The United Kingdom has the world’s sixth-highest official coronavirus death toll - 75,024 - and the number of new infections is soaring across the country. As Johnson mulled tougher measures for England, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new variant accounted for nearly half of new cases in Scotland and is 70% more transmissible.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
'Stay at home': Sturgeon imposes new Scottish lockdown from midnight
Scotland will go into a new lockdown with people ordered to stay at home for January to tackle the escalating COVID-19 crisis, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday. Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament that from midnight on Monday people would face a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes, similar to the lockdown imposed at the start of the pandemic in March last year. “The situation ... is extremely serious,” she said.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
COVID variant-fueled surge, health system pressure trigger new UK lockdown
Amid a third surge of COVID-19 in Europe, likely fueled by holiday gatherings and made worse by a more transmissible UK coronavirus variant (B117), Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced a new lockdown, following recent announcements by Ireland and Scotland. Cases in the region continued to soar, with Britain today reporting a new record daily high of 58,784 new cases, according to Public Health England, and Ireland reporting a single-day high of 6,110 cases.
4th Jan 2021 - CIDRAP
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullColombia's Bogota puts three neighborhoods in quarantine once more
Colombia’s capital Bogota will implement strict two-week quarantines in three neighborhoods beginning Tuesday to try and control a second wave of coronavirus, the mayor’s office said on Sunday. Home to a combined 2.7 million people, Bogota’s neighborhoods of Usaquen, Suba, and Engativa will enter strict quarantines with restrictions on movement and the shuttering of non-essential retail, as well as restaurants and bars, until Jan. 18, the mayor’s office said. “We’re taking action due to the accelerated increase in the occupancy of COVID intensive care units that we have seen in the last 48 hours,” acting Mayor of Bogota Luis Ernesto Gomez said in a press conference. The sale of alcoholic drinks in these three neighborhoods will also be banned on weekends during the quarantine period, the mayor’s office added.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters
'Overwhelmed' Zimbabwe tightens COVID-19 restrictions, orders most businesses closed
Zimbabwe extended a nationwide curfew, banned gatherings and ordered non-essential businesses closed for a month on Saturday in an effort to curb a surge in coronavirus infections. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also health minister, said some of the tighter restrictions were effective immediately and included a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and a ban on inter-city travel. From Tuesday, non-essential businesses would also be suspended, he said. “People must stay at home save for buying food and medicines or transporting sick relatives,” Chiwenga told a news conference.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters India
Australia's NSW tightens restrictions as virus cluster expands
Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales on Saturday made masks compulsory and imposed new restrictions as its coronavirus cluster expanded by seven, while neighbouring Victoria recorded 10 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian banned dancing and singing at night clubs while restricting numbers at gym classes, weddings, funerals and places of worship.
However, the five-day Cricket test match between Australia and India, scheduled to begin on Thursday, will go ahead with attendance at 50% capacity.
2nd Jan 2021 - Reuters
Stronger worker safety measures and transparency around workplace outbreaks on the way as Toronto reports record COVID-19 cases
Stronger worker safety measures and detailed data around workplace outbreaks on the way as Toronto reports record COVID-19 cases
30th Dec 2020 - Toronto Star
Japan Considering Virus Emergency as Cases Surge, Suga Says
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is considering declaring a state of emergency to stem a surge in coronavirus infections that has sent the country’s number of confirmed cases to record highs in recent days. Suga told a news conference Monday the government will finalize the extent of the emergency declaration shortly as it pushes to strengthen measures against the virus. He also urged people to avoid unnecessary outings and said he will ask parliament to amend an act on virus management when it convenes this month.
4th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullIreland is in ‘dark place’ on Covid-19 and full Level 5 lockdown may be imminent, Harris says
A Government Minister has said an exponential rise in hospital admissions with Covid-19, the presence of a new coronavirus variant in Ireland, and a tripling in the number of referrals for Covid-testing strongly suggest a return to a full Level 5 lockdown is imminent. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said that the State – like many other countries – found itself in a “dark and worrying place” in relation to Covid-19 right now. He was speaking shortly after Ministers were notified a Cabinet meeting has been hastily arranged for Wednesday afternoon, to discuss the deteriorating situation as regards the Covid-19 pandemic.
29th Dec 2020 - The Irish Times
Punjab govt imposes smart lockdown in Lahore's coronavirus hotspot areas
The Punjab government has imposed a smart lockdown in district Lahore, controlling the entry and exit of people in certain areas of the city identified as "coronavirus hotspots" on Tuesday. "There has been a constant increase in positivity percentage and prevalence of COVID-19 in the Province of Punjab during last two weeks which poses a serious and imminent threat to public health," read a notification from the Primary and Secondary Health Department issued today.
29th Dec 2020 - Geo News
China's capital locks down part of district in coronavirus fight
Beijing has reported 16 infections and three asymptomatic cases since Dec. 18, when the first cases were found. Most of the cases were in Shunyi, which has banned couriers from entering residential compounds. Six villages, three buildings and one industrial zone were among the areas locked down, a Beijing municipal official told a news conference. While Beijing’s new cases are modest in number compared with June and July, municipal authorities have beefed up steps to rein in the coronavirus, which has surfaced in three districts, where hundreds of thousands of residents have been tested.
29th Dec 2020 - Reuters
No new lockdown in France for now despite spike in virus cases
France will not enforce a new lockdown for the time being to curb the spread of the coronavirus but it could soon impose an earlier curfew in eastern areas of the country, the worst-hit by infections, the health minister said on Tuesday. “We’re ruling out the idea of a lockdown for now, whether it be nationally or locally”, Olivier Veran said on France 2 public TV channel. “But we will propose an extension of the curfew that could start at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. in all the areas where it will be deemed necessary”, Veran said.
29th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullSydney residents discouraged from Boxing Day shopping, some suburbs to re-enter lockdown
Sydney residents were urged not to head to the shops for Boxing Day bargains, while those in some northern beach suburbs prepared to re-enter a strict lockdown for three days from Sunday as the city seeks to stamp out a coronavirus outbreak. The state of New South Wales recorded nine new coronavirus cases, eight of them directly linked to the northern beaches outbreak, which now stands at 116 confirmed cases. Lockdown measures for some suburbs were first imposed on Dec. 19 but were eased slightly for the Christmas break. “Our strategy is to make sure we nip this in the bud as soon as we can,” the state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said
27th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
UK imposes more lockdowns as mutated COVID variant causes record cases
The British government said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country, pushing the number of cases to a record level. Britain reported almost 40,000 new infections as the mutated variant of the coronavirus, which could be up to 70% more transmissible than the original, causes the number of cases and hospital admissions to soar.
27th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Israel imposing third national COVID-19 lockdown
Israel will impose a third national lockdown to fight surging COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, as the country pursues a vaccination campaign. The restrictions will come into effect on Sunday evening and last for 14 days, pending final cabinet approval, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said. They include the closure of shops, limited public transport, a partial shutdown of schools and a one-kilometre (two-thirds of a mile) restriction on travel from home, except for commuting to workplaces that remain open, and to purchase essential goods. Such measures will cost Israel’s economy about three billion shekels ($932.6 million) a week, the Finance Ministry said.
27th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Israel speeds vaccines, locks down in hope of March exit from pandemic
Israel will enter what officials hope will be its last coronavirus lockdown on Sunday as they ramp up vaccinations to a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said may allow an emergence from the pandemic by March. If realised, that could help Netanyahu’s re-election hopes after missteps that include lifting a first lockdown with a premature declaration of victory in May, inconsistent enforcement of curbs and sluggish economic relief. After beginning vaccinations a week before the European Union’s roll-out on Sunday, Israel’s centralised health system is now administering around 70,000 shots daily. Netanyahu wants that raised to 150,000 by next weekend, with the opening of 24/7 vaccination stations among proposals.
27th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Widespread Boxing Day lockdown looms as UK bans South Africa travellers
Millions more people will be under the toughest coronavirus restrictions from Boxing Day as the UK implemented a travel ban on South Africa amid concerns over another new strain of Covid-19. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned the “highly concerning” new variant is believed to be more transmissible than the mutant strain that resulted in the creation of the new Tier 4 restrictions. It is believed to be behind an increase in cases in South Africa, and has been discovered in two people in the UK thought to be contacts of those who travelled between the two countries in the last few weeks.
24th Dec 2020 - Yahoo Finance
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullUK fashion retailers pushed deeper into crisis by tighter Covid curbs
Non-essential British retailers have been plunged deeper into crisis, as concern over a more infectious strain of coronavirus prompted fresh store closures in the south-east of England as well as border restrictions. Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, whose brands include Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, on Monday withdrew the profit guidance it had laid out only 10 days ago, citing “the high likelihood of further rolling lockdowns nationwide over the following months”. Frasers’ share price fell 10 per cent on Monday morning, while rival fashion stores Next, Ted Baker and Superdry were also hit. Superdry shed 12 per cent, while Next was down about 5 per cent
21st Dec 2020 - Financial Times
Coronavirus: Empty streets and squares amid Germany’s second lockdown
Many of Germany's busiest streets and squares have never been so empty shortly before Christmas. Strict COVID-19 rules, which have hit many hard, are in place throughout the country.
21st Dec 2020 - Deutsche Welle
In Germany, ‘tis the season to point fingers
If there’s one thing Germans excel at (aside from engineering and self-deprecation), it’s what they call nörgeln, an ancient Teutonic exercise in unrelenting complaint that can border on the pathological. As it happens, there’s no better time than Christmas for nörgeln, and amid this year’s lockdown, Germans are going full bore over the country’s handling of the coronavirus, blaming everyone from politicians to the press for ruining the holidays. For months, Germans basked in the accolades they received for their handling of the pandemic. Then November hit, and infection rates began to skyrocket, plunging the nation into a fit of Nietzschean angst.
21st Dec 2020 - POLITICO.eu
Spanish village in COVID-19 lockdown after barber’s Turkish hair transplant trip
A village in south-west Spain is reeling after a severe outbreak of COVID-19 has been linked to a barber's trip to Turkey for hair transplant treatment. The municipality of Calamonte, east of Badajoz, Extramadura, has seen 29 of its 6,000 residents test positive for Covid-19 this month. The outbreak has caused the school to close to students and numerous businesses to shut their doors
21st Dec 2020 - Olive Press
Canada's most populous province makes clear 'hard lock down' needed to fight COVID-19
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, on Monday announced a partial shutdown of some businesses starting Dec. 26 and banned most indoor gatherings as it struggles to control a second wave of COVID-19. Essential retailers, such as those selling food, will have to impose capacity limits while many other stores will only be allowed curbside pick-ups. Indoor dining is to be banned. “Thousands of lives are at stake,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters. “If we fail to take action right now the consequences will be catastrophic.” The measures appear to fall short of the immediate four-to-six-week “hard lockdown” that Ontario’s own expert medical panel had called for earlier on Monday.
21st Dec 2020 - Reuters
Thailand considers more lockdowns as seafood workers hit by virus
While a lockdown hasn’t been imposed in Bangkok, the capital’s chief administrator said residents with businesses in the neighboring province should work from home and ordered more stringent screening of migrant workers.
21st Dec 2020 - Hindustan Times
Covid: Australian states enforce travel bans amid Sydney outbreak
Australian states and territories have begun enforcing entry bans on Sydney residents amid a growing coronavirus outbreak in the nation's largest city. The border closures outside New South Wales (NSW) have dashed Christmas plans and family reunions for many people. Airlines cancelled several flights leaving Sydney Airport on Monday, following a midnight deadline. The city has recorded 83 cases so far in this outbreak, all linked to Sydney's Northern Beaches region. Speaking from Canberra on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "2020 is not done with us yet."
21st Dec 2020 - BBC News
New Covid variant to delay normality by ‘up to four months’ and tip vast swathes of England into lockdown
The new Covid variant is so infectious it is likely to delay any return to normality by up to four months and force vast swathes of the country into the toughest tier four restrictions, leading scientists have warned.
21st Dec 2020 - iNews
Sydney isolated from rest of Australia as COVID outbreak grows
Sydney was isolated from the rest of Australia on Sunday after all of the country’s states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents as a coronavirus cluster in the city grew to around 70. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) sent a stern ‘do not come to us’ message to Sydney, the country’s most populous city of more than five million people, warning its residents they would be quarantined for 14 days if they arrived. "If you are not an ACT resident and have been in greater Sydney...our message is simple: do not travel to the ACT,” the ACT health department said. The states of Victoria and Queensland, and the Northern Territory, banned people arriving from Sydney as of Monday.
21st Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Coronavirus: Royal Mail halts deliveries to Europe amid transport turmoil
Royal Mail has halted deliveries to Europe, except for the Republic of Ireland, due to a UK travel ban triggered by the discovery of a new faster spreading coronavirus strain. The company has also added Canada and Turkey to its "on suspension" list due to delays caused by "severely limited" air capacity. In addition, Royal Mail said it could not guarantee special delivery items posted on 23 December would arrive before Christmas due to tighter COVID-19 restrictions being introduced in England.
21st Dec 2020 - Sky News
UK business despairs at new lockdown restrictions
Business groups reacted with despair and anger this weekend as they called for urgent government support to help companies survive “the hammer blow” of UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s clampdown on pre-Christmas trading. A clutch of trade bodies issued pleas for further financial relief to help non-essential retail, leisure and entertainment businesses to cope with a shutdown in high-risk areas in south-east England during a crucial period for sales. The Welsh government also enforced a new national lockdown at the weekend. Specific demands include an extension of the rates holiday for a further 12 months from January, VAT relief and additional direct support for businesses forced to shut their doors.
20th Dec 2020 - Financial Times
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullThailand reports over 500 new coronavirus cases, Samut Sakhon province to go on lockdown until Jan 3
Thailand reported over 500 cases of coronavirus from the centre of its seafood industry where there are many migrant workers on Saturday (Dec 19), in by far the biggest one-day rise in a country that had previously brought the epidemic largely under control. The new cases were reported in Samut Sakhon province, south-west of Bangkok, where four infections were reported at a shrimp market on Friday - the first a 67-year-old woman. Disease Control Department director-general Opas Karnkawinpong told a news conference that 516 new cases were found after testing that included 1,192 migrant workers.
20th Dec 2020 - The Straits Times
Tier 4 rules for London as Christmas cancelled by stay at home lockdown
Christmas bubbles have been axed for London and many surrounding areas as they were slammed into Tier 4 as a new fast-spreading variant of Covid-19 was blamed for a surge in cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas gatherings for millions of families in London and the wider South East on Saturday as he sought to contain the spread of the mutant virus. The Christmas relaxation for the rest of the country was dramatically scaled back to three households being able to meet on Christmas Day alone rather than for five days in England.
19th Dec 2020 - Evening Standard
Wales to go into lockdown from midnight as new rules announced for Christmas
Wales will go into lockdown from midnight as new level four restrictions start and new rules are announced for Christmas. First Minister Mark Drakeford met with representatives from the four UK nations and held an emergency meeting with his cabinet on Saturday afternoon about a new strain of coronavirus that is believed to be behind a surge in infections across the UK. Non-essential retail, close contact services, gyms and leisure centres and hospitality will close at the end of trading on Saturday and stay-at-home restrictions will be in place from midnight.
Christmas rules are also changing. The two-household bubble now only applies on Christmas Day rather than a five-day period between December 23 and 27. Mr Drakeford said: "Many of you will have heard the Prime Minister this afternoon setting out the pattern of transmission in London and the South East of England, which has been linked to this new variant of coronavirus.
19th Dec 2020 - Wales Online
Britain tightens lockdowns over virus mutation with ‘significantly faster’ transmission rates
Faced with a newly emerging coronavirus mutation with "significantly faster" transmission rates, Britain on Saturday announced tightened pandemic restrictions that returned London and parts of the country to virtual lockdown and reversed earlier promises for relaxed rules over the holidays. The new mutation, or variant, was first detected in southeast England in September and is quickly becoming the dominant strain in London and other regions in Britain. Experts said it does not appear more deadly or resistant to vaccines. At a news conference from 10 Downing Street, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant “may be up to 70 percent more transmissible” than previous versions of the virus here.
19th Dec 2020 - The Washington Post
Germany’s Shuttered Retailers Turn to Online Rival for Help
For most high-street retailers, the hard lockdowns across Europe mean they’re missing out on the lucrative holiday shopping period. That’s unless they team up with the enemy. Kaufhaus Ganz, a department store near Frankfurt that sells clothing, toys and stationaries, is doing just that. Even as it has been losing customers to online rivals, the business this year turned to Zalando SE to sell wares on the Internet giant’s websites. The move helps keep revenue flowing now that its physical shop had to close, said Managing Director Tatjana Steinbrenner.
19th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
Virus surge causes Christmas lockdown in Germany | World
My five-year-old German nephew, Finn Gustav, was devastated last week to hear the news of a Christmas lockdown. There will be no markets to sample marzipan sweets and stollen. No merry-go-rounds or Ferris wheels. He lives in the central city of Weimar, home of the country’s enlightenment, but even the ice-skating rink set up every year in the main square around the bronze statues of Goethe and Schiller will be missing. “Alles wegen dem doofen corona” – “all because of that stupid coronavirus,” he says...
19th Dec 2020 - The Times
U.K. Faces Fresh Lockdown to Curb New Covid-19 Strain
The U.K. imposed a fresh lockdown across London and surrounding areas of England to combat a new strain of Covid-19 that appears to be significantly more contagious than earlier variants of the pathogen. Scientists say the new variant might be as much as 70% more transmissible than more established strains, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a news conference Saturday. Though it spreads more easily from person to person, there is no evidence it is any more deadly or resistant to vaccines, he said. The new lockdown means many families won’t be allowed to gather for Christmas. Mr. Johnson, who only days ago noted it would be “inhuman” to put curbs on Christmas celebration, said: “It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned.”
19th Dec 2020 - Wall Street Journal
Coronavirus: Festive lockdown as bodies pile up in Italy
Italy will crack down on festive gatherings as bodies of coronavirus victims are stashed in churches and hospital car parks in the hard-hit northern region of Veneto. Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister, announced new rules last night ordering Italians to stay at home and closing all restaurants and non-essential shops on December 24-27, from New Year’s Eve to January 3 and on January 5-6.
19th Dec 2020 - The Times
Greater Sydney lockdown fears as Gladys Berejiklian warns coronavirus cases to worsen
The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has warned residents of greater Sydney to prepare for an increase in restrictions if the outbreak of Covid-19 expands beyond the northern beaches. Meanwhile travellers from NSW to Queensland will needed a border pass declaration from 1am Sunday and Western Australia announced it was reinstating its hard border with NSW. The Sydney to Hobart yacht race was cancelled after Tasmania also introduced border restrictions with Sydney.
19th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Sydney imposes lockdown on beach suburbs as COVID cluster grows
A quarter million people in Sydney’s northern beach suburbs were ordered on Saturday into a strict lockdown until Christmas Eve to help contain a coronavirus cluster with authorities fearing it may spread across Australia’s most populous city.
19th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Italy government orders Christmas, New Year lockdown to prevent COVID surge
Italy will be placed under nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holiday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday, as the government looks to prevent a fresh surge in coronavirus cases. The announcement ended days of indecision and wrangling within the coalition, which was split between those wanting a complete shutdown and those pressing for more limited action to help struggling businesses and to allow some family reunions. Under the new rules, non-essential shops will be shuttered between Dec. 24-27, Dec. 31- Jan. 3 and Jan. 5-6. On those days, Italians will only be allowed to travel for work, health or emergency reasons.
19th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Switzerland adopts 'lockdown light', urges people to stay home
Switzerland headed for a second lockdown on Friday as the government ordered restaurants and sports and recreation centres closed for a month from Tuesday and urged people to stay home. Backing away from its “middle path” approach that had aimed to avoid business-crippling consequences, the government conceded immediate, strong action was vital to curb stubbornly high coronavirus infection rates that had prompted calls from scientists and medical professionals for tighter measures.
19th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Italy to go into Covid lockdown over festive period
Italy will go into a nationwide lockdown during the Christmas and new year period as the government tries to impede a rise in coronavirus infections that could be triggered by the festivities. The Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said it had not been an easy decision but the measures were necessary. The whole country will be under “red-zone” lockdown on between Christmas Eve, and 27 December and then again between 31 December and 3 January and 5-6 January, when Italy celebrates the feast of the epiphany.
19th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Wales to enter national lockdown from midnight, with rules relaxed on Christmas Day only
Wales will enter a national lockdown from midnight on Saturday, with festive bubbles cancelled for all but Christmas Day. Mark Drakeford, the first minister, announced the “stay at home” rules after hosting an emergency cabinet meeting amid concerns over a new strain of coronavirus, which he said is present “throughout Wales”. He detailed how the pattern of transmission in London and the southeast of England, which has been linked to the new variant, is “remarkably consistent with the rapid acceleration of transmission in Wales” and the high case rates seen in recent weeks.
18th Dec 2020 - The Independent
U.K. Imposes Harsher Lockdown on London, Citing New Version of Virus
The variant is up to 70 percent more transmissible than earlier versions, officials said. People in southeast England, including London, were told to stay at home.
18th Dec 2020 - The New York Times
New strain of Covid-19: Boris Johnson backtracks on relaxing Christmas rules
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a series of stricter coronavirus restrictions, tightening rules around household mixing that were due to be relaxed over Christmas in England, while leaders in Scotland and Wales also introduced more stringent measures. The UK has among the highest Covid death rates in Europe, with more than 67,000 fatalities, and over 2 million cases.
18th Dec 2020 - CNN on MSN.com
Nearly all of California under stay at home order as FDA authorizes second vaccine
Nearly all of California is under regional stay-at-home orders triggered by alarmingly low capacity in intensive care units. Statewide, a sliver of those critical beds were available: 2.1 percent. The news came as a second coronavirus vaccine received emergency authorization Friday, an unprecedented scientific feat that gives the United States two powerful tools to fight a pandemic that emerged almost exactly a year ago.
18th Dec 2020 - The Washington Post
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullTwo-thirds of England to be under toughest COVID-19 measures
Large areas of England will be added to the ‘very high alert’ COVID-19 category this weekend, placing residents under the most stringent set of restrictions to tackle a rising number of infections. Britain, like other countries, is struggling to tame a second wave of novel coronavirus cases and deaths, and the government is having to defend a plan to relax contact restrictions for five days over Christmas. In a sign of mounting anxiety over the potential consequences of Christmas socialising, the government said most secondary school pupils would have a week of remote learning before returning to classrooms in January
17th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Uruguay to close its borders over holidays due to COVID-19
Uruguay will temporarily close its borders next week to non-commercial traffic, and urged citizens to limit holiday gatherings due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Borders will be closed from Dec. 21 to Jan. 10, except for cargo transportation, the government said late on Wednesday. Uruguay’s lockdown measures largely held the virus at bay during the first months of the pandemic. “The second wave to hit the world is our first wave,” President Luis Lacalle Pou said in an evening televised event. “We cannot compromise what has been achieved so far,” said Rafael Radi, coordinator of the government’s COVID-19 advisory group. He said the hardest hit areas are the capital Montevideo and surrounding areas.
17th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Greece tightens COVID-19 curbs in west Athens boroughs
Lockdown restrictions will tighten in parts of western Athens from Friday to contain a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, authorities said. Greece has seen a rapid rise in infections since October, forcing it to impose a second nationwide lockdown. But, despite those curbs, infections have shown no sign of abating in three western boroughs of Athens, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said in a televised briefing. In those areas, a curfew will be extended by four hours and run from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time from Friday, Hardalias said. Bookstores, hair salons and some of the few retailers that Greece allowed to re-open on Monday will also close for a week.
17th Dec 2020 - Reuters on MSN.com
Covid-19: Millions move into tier 3 of virus rules in England
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announces results of review into England's tier rules. A number of areas move into tier three: all of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant, Hastings and Rother, and Surrey, except Waverley. Just two areas move down a tier: Bristol and North Somerset into tier two, while Herefordshire moves to tier one. The new rules kick in at 00:01 on Saturday 19 December.
17th Dec 2020 - BBC News
Northern Ireland could be heading for a six week lockdown
The Executive has agreed to go into a six week lockdown that will begin on Boxing Day. Ministers met on Thursday amid growing concern about the rise of coronavirus cases in Northern Ireland. The Health minister said the restrictions will come into effect from midnight on Christmas Day, taking effect on the 26th. Robin Swann said: "The Executive has probably taken its hardest decision, its most deep decision, in regards to how we have had to combat Covid-19 collectively. "We will be looking to a six week lock down where the message will be work from home, stay at home."
17th Dec 2020 - ITV News
Italy Weighs Holiday Lockdown That Would Dash Hopes for Christmas Respite
Italy's government is debating a lockdown over the holiday period, something it promised Italians it would do its best to avoid. Some ministers are pushing for the closure of stores, restaurants and bars for a few days around Christmas and again over New Year, as well as tight restrictions on nonessential movement. Some in the government want to preserve freedom of movement for people who want to visit their close relatives. A decision could come as early as today. Italy has struggled to suppress its recent surge of coronavirus cases, despite imposing an array of social-distancing measures last month. Infections and deaths have peaked but are declining only slowly. Italy recorded around 17,500 new infections on Wednesday and 680 deaths.
17th Dec 2020 - Wall Street Journal
Denmark will shut down completely during Christmas, New Year - PM
Denmark will impose a hard lockdown over Christmas and the New Year to limit the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday. Shopping malls will close starting Thursday, and other stores, with the exception of supermarkets and food shops, will close from Dec. 25. Students still in school will be sent home as of Monday.
17th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullWales to enter post-Christmas lockdown
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has announced tougher new measures to tackle Covid-19, including a post-Christmas lockdown. "We must move to alert level 4 and tighten the restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus and save lives," he said. Mr Drakeford also advised that "only two households should come together" at Christmas. Under rules agreed for all nations of the UK up to three households are allowed to meet for a limited period.
16th Dec 2020 - BBC
Wales imposes fresh Covid lockdown rules from Christmas Eve
Fresh lockdown measures are to be imposed in Wales beginning on Christmas Eve, while the law will be changed to limit Christmas mixing to two households, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced. Amid surging cases, all non-essential shops, plus leisure and fitness centres and close-contact services, will shut at the end of trading on Thursday 24 December. Hospitality premises, including pubs and restaurants, will close from 6pm on Christmas Day. On 28 December, tighter restrictions for household mixing, staying at home, holiday accommodation and travel will apply. This new set of “level 4” restrictions will apply to the whole of Wales.
16th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Germany faces hard lockdown until Easter as deaths spiral
Germany’s Covid-19 death toll has risen by nearly 1,000 in a single day, leading to speculation that its lockdown could last until Easter. One of the country’s regional chief ministers has warned that the hospital system is for the first time “seriously on the brink of overload” as the infection rate continues to mount and spare intensive care capacity dwindles. This morning the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which compiles the government’s coronavirus statistics, reported 952 deaths within the previous 24 hours, well above the previous single-day record of 590, which was set on Friday.
16th Dec 2020 - The Times
South Korea warns of first potential lockdown as coronavirus numbers continue to rise
South Korean health officials have warned residents to take current restrictions seriously, as the country faces the possibility of entering into its first potential lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic amid an alarming rise in new infections.
16th Dec 2020 - CNN Philippines
Last gasp: Londoners party on eve of tougher rules
One woman waved purple burlesque feather fans while dozens cheered with beers and some sang Karaoke in the streets for one last gasp of revelry in London’s partyland before the capital went into the strictest level of COVID restrictions.
For much of 2020, the pubs of London’s West End and the hedonistic nightclubs of Shoreditch have lain silent - devoid of the fun that has, over the centuries, attracted drunken poets, louche musicians and the lonely seeking a liaison. As tougher restrictions loomed at the stroke of midnight, a few hundred revellers brushed away the COVID-19 doom and gloom in Soho by partying on the streets, mostly without masks.
16th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Denmark to close shops and shopping malls during Christmas, Ekstra Bladet newspaper reports
Denmark will impose a hard lockdown over Christmas and the New Year to limit the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday. Shopping malls will close starting Thursday, and other stores, with the exception of supermarkets and food shops, will close from Dec. 25. Students still in school will be sent home as of Monday. “Our healthcare system is under pressure,” Frederiksen said. “We have to act now.” Danish authorities expect the coming months to be the worst of the pandemic, she said.
16th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullLondon returns to strict lockdown, following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases
61% of England will be in toughest Tier 3 lockdown by TONIGHTDaily MailNew variant of coronavirus identified in UK; London in tier 3 lockdownWIONLondon to move into top tier of restrictions as UK identifies new Covid variantCNBCLondon placed in Tier 3 lockdown as new strain of Covid-19 feared to be driving up casesThe TimesView Full coverage on Google News
15th Dec 2020 - CNN
South Korea warns of tougher coronavirus restrictions if rules ignored
South Korea’s prime minister pleaded with residents on Tuesday to abide by social distancing rules to avoid even greater restrictions in the face of the country’s largest wave of coronavirus infections. Daily infection rates are hovering at record levels with another 880 new cases reported as of midnight Monday, up from 718 a day earlier, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.
15th Dec 2020 - Reuters India
Delivery Workers in South Korea Say They’re Dying of ‘Overwork’
At a logistics depot the size of an airplane hangar in southern Seoul, couriers recently held a ritual at the start of another grueling work day: They stood for a moment of silence to remember more than a dozen fellow couriers who they say died this year from overwork. “We won’t be surprised here if one of us drops dead, too,” said Choi Ji-na, one of the couriers. Ms. Choi, 43, and other delivery workers in South Korea say they feel lucky to have jobs amid growing unemployment, and that they are proud to play an essential role in keeping the country’s Covid-19 cases down by delivering record numbers of packages to customers who prefer to stay safe at home.
15th Dec 2020 - The New York Times
South Korea among several nations eyeing lockdowns
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea has been hailed as a model for other countries, using extensive testing and tracing to keep COVID-19 cases low. But a surge in infections that began in October and is centered around the capital city of Seoul has the country on the verge of its first nationwide lockdown. "Our back is against the wall," South Korean President Moon Jae-in said yesterday during a meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, according to Reuters. "This is a crucial moment to devote all our virus control capabilities and administrative power to stopping the coronavirus spread."
15th Dec 2020 - CIDRAP
Netherlands set for five-week coronavirus lockdown with schools, shops and gyms closing until mid January
The Netherlands is set to enter a tough second lockdown for at least five weeks, the country's prime minister has announced. The tough new nationwide measures mean schools, non-essential shops, museums and gyms will close at midnight until January 19. In a rare televised address, Mark Rutte told the nation: "We have to bite through this very sour apple before things get better.” As he spoke from his office in The Hague, protesters could be heard blowing whistles outside. "The reality is that this is is not an innocent flu as some people - like the demonstrators outside - think," he said. "But a virus that can hit everybody hard.”
15th Dec 2020 - London Evening Standard
Dutch shopkeepers grapple with sudden Christmas lockdown
Shopkeepers in the Netherlands on Tuesday were grappling with the effects of a new lockdown, which meant they suddenly had to close their doors in what should have been the busiest and most lucrative part of the year. “Obviously it is a big loss, this time of year is extremely important to us”, said Robert Reuter, the owner of City Diamonds in the center of Amsterdam. “It is a very hard decision, it is bitter for us, but I think it is necessary.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday night announced a tough second lockdown in the Netherlands, in a push to drive down the coronavirus infection rate, which has rapidly moved back to record levels in the past week.
15th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Netherlands and Czech Republic to enforce strict Christmas lockdowns
The Netherlands and the Czech Republic have said they will follow Germany into strict second lockdowns over the holiday period, with Italy weighing similar measures to avoid a fresh surge in coronavirus infections over Christmas and new year. In a rare television address, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said non-essential shops and businesses, gyms, museums, cinemas and theatres would close for five weeks after the country’s seven-day new case average rose by more than 40% in the past week. Bars and restaurants in the Netherlands have been closed since mid-October but the partial lockdown has not slowed the spread of the virus enough, Rutte said, as anti-lockdown protesters booed and whistled outside his office.
14th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Dutch shopkeepers grapple with sudden Christmas lockdown
Shopkeepers in the Netherlands on Tuesday were grappling with the effects of a new lockdown, which meant they suddenly had to close their doors in what should have been the busiest and most lucrative part of the year.
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters on MSN.com
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: London mayor calls for schools to close early
London's mayor has urged the government to ask all secondary schools and colleges in the capital to shut early ahead of Christmas. In a letter to ministers, Sadiq Khan said he also wanted schools to reopen later in January amid "significant" Covid outbreaks in 10 to 19-year-olds. It comes as the BBC was told London was likely to move into tier three. Greenwich and Islington councils are the first in England to urge schools to switch this week to online learning. Council officials in Greenwich have advised schools to shut from the end of Monday, although some academies will remain open, while Islington schools have been asked to move online from the end of Tuesday.
14th Dec 2020 - BBC
Europe's biggest economy is heading into lockdown. Will recession follow?
Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, is heading into a national lockdown that could send it into another recession — a major warning as countries like the United States try to battle a spike in coronavirus cases over the winter.
What's happening: Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that Germany will go into a "hard" lockdown starting this week and continuing through the Christmas period. Non-essential shops and schools will be shut starting on Wednesday, and Christmas gatherings will be reduced from 10 people to only five from two different households. The announcement comes after Germany recorded nearly 30,000 new coronavirus infections and almost 600 deaths within 24 hours on Friday, surpassing records.
14th Dec 2020 - CNN
New rapid strain of coronavirus identified as London and south east moved into Tier 3 lockdown
Matt Hancock told MPs that a worrying new strain of covid-19 has been identified which may be the cause of a rapid spread of the virus in the south east of England. A new strain of coronavirus that spreads more rapidly has been identified, leading to surges in cases in London and the south east of England. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed the discovery to MPs as he confirmed plans to move London and parts of the surrounding area into Tier 3. Hancock said the new variant of Covid may explain the fast rise in cases in the south. He said: “We have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the fastest spread in the south-east of England. Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants. "We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant, predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas, and numbers are increasing rapidly.”
14th Dec 2020 - Daily Record
London set to move to Tier 3 of lockdown restrictions
London is being moved into the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, after a surge in cases across the city.
14th Dec 2020 - Yahoo News UK
Germany calls on all to forgo Xmas shopping before lockdown
The German government called on citizens Monday to forgo Christmas shopping, two days before the country heads into a hard lockdown that will shut most stores tighten social distancing rules and close schools across the country. “I wish and I hope that people will only buy what they really need, like groceries,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said late Sunday. “The faster we get these infections under control, the better it is for everyone.” Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed Sunday to step up the country’s lockdown measures beginning Wednesday and running to Jan. 10 to stop the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases.
14th Dec 2020 - The Independent
Germany back in hard lockdown for Christmas
Germany will be placed under a hard lockdown from Wednesday, with schools, nurseries and all but the most essential shops to be closed through Christmas and the new year, Angela Merkel has announced.
14th Dec 2020 - The Times
German Economy Hit Hard as Abrupt Lockdown Strikes Fresh Blow
Anneliese Kleinschmidt was gearing up for a brisk Christmas season, but now stands in a sea of roses, lilies and chrysanthemums that will perish if she can’t sell them by the end of Tuesday.
14th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
Italy considers new COVID-19 restrictions for the holidays
Italy is considering more stringent nationwide coronavirus restrictions during the Christmas holidays, the health minister said on Monday, after scenes of big gatherings in many cities over the weekend raised worries of a new spike in infections. Italy, the first Western country hit by the pandemic, on Saturday passed Britain as the European nation with the worst official death toll, with more than 65,000 dying since the start of the outbreak in February. With pressure on hospitals easing and daily cases falling, the government relaxed some restrictions put in place last month. But scenes of crowded shopping districts in cities such as Milan and Rome have caused concern. Police were forced to close off popular sites such as Rome’s Trevi fountain due to large crowds.
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Italy likely to follow Germany with Covid Christmas lockdown
The Netherlands and the Czech Republic have said they will follow Germany into strict second lockdowns over the holiday period, with Italy weighing similar measures to avoid a fresh surge in coronavirus infections over Christmas and new year. In a rare television address, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said non-essential shops and businesses, gyms, museums, cinemas and theatres would close for five weeks after the country’s seven-day new case average rose by more than 40% in the past week. Bars and restaurants in the Netherlands have been closed since mid-October but the partial lockdown has not slowed the spread of the virus enough, Rutte said, as anti-lockdown protesters booed and whistled outside his office.
14th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Germany braced as hard lockdown set to trigger double-dip recession
Germany is heading for a double-dip recession this winter after Berlin imposed a hard lockdown, economists have predicted, denting hopes that Europe’s largest economy will rebound to pre-pandemic levels by the start of 2022. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government announced at the weekend that schools and most shops would be closed from Wednesday until January 10 in an effort to contain a surge in coronavirus infections. “Germany must brace itself for a second recession,” said Jörg Krämer, chief economist at Commerzbank. “The additional closures affect, among other things, all stores except those for daily needs . . . hairdressers and largely schools and day care centres for children.”
14th Dec 2020 - Financial Times
Germany to close shops and schools in Covid Christmas lockdown
Germany will close most shops from Wednesday until 10 January and ban the sale of fireworks for New Year’s Eve, after Angela Merkel and state leaders agreed to impose a national lockdown in order to regain control of rising coronavirus infection rates before a “very difficult Christmas”. Non-essential shops, excluding food retailers, pharmacies and banks but including hairdressing salons and beauty parlours, will have to close their doors from 16 December. Schools and nurseries will also be required to offer only emergency care for essential workers for the last three days before the start of the scheduled Christmas holidays, with parents asked to look after their children at home “whenever possible”.
14th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Lifting of Germany's lockdown early next year unlikely -Merkel aide
A broad lifting of anti-pandemic measures in Germany early next year is unlikely, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, said on Monday. Germany goes into full lockdown on Wednesday to tackle high infection rates. Braun told broadcaster n-tv he was very optimistic that the stricter measures would help to bring new infection numbers down. However, during winter and as long as not enough vaccines are available for everyone, “we are going to have some difficult days ahead,” he said. “A comprehensive easing is very, very unlikely.”
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters India
Lithuania orders tougher lockdown, to last until January 3
Lithuania told citizens to stay at home for three weeks from Wednesday as it seeks to rein in a raging coronavirus spread that has seen the country jump from 18th to third worst-hit in the European Union in just six weeks. Leaving home will be permitted only for work, essential shopping, caring for the sick, funerals and for people to take walks in single household groups, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced. All non-essential shops will be closed and meetings between households banned. As of Sunday, Lithuania reported 1,178 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks, three times more than the 340 cases per 100,000 when a lighter lockdown was announced on Nov. 4.
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Tough Christmas lockdown looming in Netherlands
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte held emergency meetings on Monday about the soaring rate of COVID-19 infections and was expected to announce tougher lockdown measures during a television address in the evening. Key members of the Dutch government were weighing stricter social curbs and Rutte took the unusual step of inviting the heads of all political parties in parliament for talks, the national news agency ANP reported. He was set to address the country from his office in a rare broadcast at 1900 local time
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Tighter COVID-19 restrictions imposed in London as infections surge
London will move into England’s highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said on Monday, citing increased infection rates that may be partly linked to a new variant of the coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said more than 1,000 cases of the new variant had been identified, mainly in southeastern England. Although there was currently nothing to suggest the new strain was likely to cause more serious disease or that it would not respond to a vaccine, Hancock said that it could be contributing to higher infection rates.
14th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermans deprived of mulled wine in Christmas lockdown
Germany’s tightened lockdown measures have eliminated one remnant of seasonal frivolity: “Gluehwein” or mulled wine, a staple of Christmas markets usually served in steaming mugs on cold days in town squares round the nation. A blanket outdoor alcohol ban, starting mid-week, was announced on Sunday among measures to curb the coronavirus second wave. Offenders will be fined.
13th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Germany to close shops and schools in tightened Covid lockdown
Germany will close most shops from Wednesday until 10 January and ban the sale of fireworks for New Year’s Eve, after Angela Merkel and state leaders agreed to impose a national lockdown in order to regain control of rising coronavirus infection rates before a “very difficult Christmas”. Non-essential shops, excluding food retailers, pharmacies and banks but including hairdressing salons and beauty parlours, will have to close their doors from 16 December. Schools and nurseries will also be required to offer only emergency care for essential workers for the last three days before the start of the scheduled Christmas holidays, with parents asked to look after their children at home “whenever possible”.
13th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Germany to impose stricter lockdown to battle COVID-19
Germany will close most stores from Wednesday until at least Jan. 10, cutting short the busy Christmas shopping season, as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday. “I would have wished for lighter measures. But due to Christmas shopping the number of social contacts has risen considerably,” Merkel told journalists following a meeting with leaders of the country’s 16 federal states. “There is an urgent need to take action,” she said. Only essential shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as banks, are to remain open from Dec. 16. Hair salons, beauty salons and tattoo parlours will also have to shut.
13th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullU.S. Jobless Claims Surge to 853000 Amid Covid Lockdowns
U.S. unemployment benefit applications exceed expectations last week, reflecting the impact of lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bloomberg’s Michael McKee reports on “Bloomberg Surveillance.”
10th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
More California Counties on Lockdown as COVID-19 Explodes
California's coronavirus surge has caused so many hospitalizations and deaths that the numbers brought usually stoic public health officers in major metropolitan areas to pleas — and even near to tears — as they urged people to heed safety rules. Los Angeles County, the nation's largest with 10 million residents, had a “devastating increase in deaths" from about a dozen a day in mid-November to an average of 43 a day this week, the county's health director, Barbara Ferrer, said Wednesday. “Over 8,000 people who were beloved members of their families are not coming back,” Ferrer said in a choked voice. She called the deaths “an incalculable loss to their friends and their family and the community.”
10th Dec 2020 - U.S. News & World Report
Berlin seeks tighter lockdown to rein in pandemic
Berlin wants to close shops and extend the school Christmas holidays to try to get the coronavirus pandemic under control, the mayor of the German capital said on Thursday as the country reported a new record number of cases of COVID-19. Berlin’s mayor Michael Mueller said he would seek the approval of the city’s parliament next Tuesday to close stores apart from supermarkets until Jan. 10, and also to extend the school break until that date or put lessons online for a week. Germany’s coronavirus cases rose by 23,679 on Thursday to 1,242,203, setting a new record daily rise, while the death toll increased by 440 to 20,372, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI).
10th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Denmark widens coronavirus lockdown after record infections
Denmark said on Thursday it will expand lockdown measures announced earlier this week to more cities, placing almost 80% of the population under the tight restrictions after registering its highest number of new daily infections yet. “There is widespread infection throughout society and incipient pressure on the hospital system,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told reporters, adding a further rise in infections in the coming days is expected.
10th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Ukraine will introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January
Ukraine will introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January, hoping to stop the rapid spread of coronavirus infection, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on Wednesday. The measures, which include the closure of schools, cafes, restaurants, gyms and entertainment centres and a ban on mass gatherings, will be in force from Jan. 8 to 24, Shiygal told the televised government meeting. The government last month introduced a lockdown at weekends, closing or restricting most businesses except essential services such as grocery shops, pharmacies, hospitals and transport. It lifted the restrictions on Dec. 2
10th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullUkraine will introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January
Ukraine will introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January, hoping to stop the rapid spread of coronavirus infection, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on Wednesday. The measures , which include the closure of schools, cafes, restaurants, gyms and entertainment centres and a ban on mass gatherings, will be in force from January 8-24, Shmygal told the tlevised government meeting.
9th Dec 2020 - The Times of India
David Staples: Alberta's new measures can wipe out COVID but how far should we go?
The Alberta government is imposing the kind of severe lockdown measures that have worked to stop COVID-19 spread in places like Canada’s Maritime provinces, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, jurisdictions which in the past two weeks have had zero COVID-19 deaths. Compare that to Alberta and B.C., each with 35 deaths per million in the past two weeks, Quebec with 51 per million and Manitoba with 124 deaths per million, with all of those death rates trending up quickly.
9th Dec 2020 - Edmonton Journal
Merkel pushes for tougher German lockdown
Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind calls for a fuller lockdown in Germany that would include closing shops after Christmas, telling legislators that vaccines alone would not majorly alter the pandemic’s course in the first quarter.
Europe’s largest economy has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed but shops and schools open. That has stopped the coronavirus’s exponential growth but infection levels remain at a high level. Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Merkel said regional leaders should follow scientific guidance, which has called for people to further reduce their contact with others.
9th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany inches towards stricter COVID-19 lockdown
Germany inched towards stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus on Tuesday, as an eastern region said it would close schools and most businesses and the health minister warned a partial lockdown had not stopped the disease. Europe’s biggest economy is struggling to squash new infections in a second wave of COVID-19 that is both proving far more difficult to tame than the first one and extracting a heavier human toll as daily deaths hit record highs. The governor of the eastern state of Saxony, which has the highest seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 residents anywhere in Germany, said schools and non-essential businesses will be shut from Dec. 14 as hospitals struggle to take in patients.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Experts urge Germany to impose strict coronavirus lockdown over Christmas
Germany should introduce stricter measures before and especially during the Christmas holidays to bring down stagnating coronavirus numbers, a group of experts said Tuesday. In a statement, the country's National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina recommended a two-phase "hard lockdown" until at least January 10. In the first phase, from December 14, the experts want Germans to reduce contacts and work from home while authorities should lift the requirement for children to attend school. In the second phase, from December 24 — when Christmas is traditionally celebrated in Germany — non-essential shops should close, larger gatherings should be banned and contacts reduced to a minimum
8th Dec 2020 - POLITICO
German leaders to discuss tighter COVID-19 measures this week
The German government and states will discuss tighter measures this week to suppress the COVID-19 virus, RBB broadcaster reported on Tuesday, citing the Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Woidke. Woidke said a number of state premiers would exchange views ahead of the meeting with the federal government. A partial lockdown and social distancing rules in place since the start of November have slowed, but not stopped the spread of the disease.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Azerbaijan to introduce lockdown in major cities from Dec. 14
Azerbaijan will impose a strict lockdown in all of its major cities for just over a month from Dec. 14 to limit the spread of COVID-19, the government’s emergency coronavirus department said on Tuesday. Azerbaijan already has a raft of restrictions in place but cases have roughly doubled in the past three to four weeks. Restaurants, cafes, beauty salons and shops are closed at weekends, with public transport not in operation.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Californians endure another lockdown as COVID-19 patients overwhelm hospitals
Most Californians face heavy new restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, while New York’s governor threatened to ban indoor restaurant dining in New York City as the United States feared infections would continue skyrocketing. Restaurants in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area and the state’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley shut for all but takeout and delivery. Playgrounds closed, stores reduced capacity and hair salons and barbershops shuttered. The moves affected about three-quarters of the nearly 40 million people in America’s most-populous state. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order allowed some schools to continue to hold classes.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullMillions of Californians put under strict Covid lockdown
Stay-at-home order will stay in place through Christmas after hospital intensive care beds filled almost to capacity. More than three-quarters of California’s population are now living under the harshest lockdowns in the US, as Covid-19 cases hit record levels in the country’s most populous state. Regional stay-at-home restrictions went into effect for nearly 23 million residents in southern California and 4.4 million residents in a large swath of the Central Valley on Sunday night, as ordered by the state governor, Gavin Newsom. The orders take effect on a region-by-region basis when hospital intensive care unit beds in the region dropped to below 15%.
7th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Tighter German Lockdown Looms as Virus Rates Remain High
Germany is looking to impose tougher measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic after a soft shutdown failed to bring contagion rates down to manageable levels. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told legislators in the CDU-CSU parliamentary caucus that the current, partial lockdown is insufficient and needs to be revised with the heads of the country’s 16 states, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be named because they were private.
7th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
Merkel warns Germany needs tougher lockdown to get through winter
German leaders came out on Monday in favour of stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a few days after the country posted its highest one-day death toll so far. Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that existing lockdown measures - with bars and restaurants closed and shops admitting limited numbers - were too little to get the virus under control. “The situation is getting very serious: these measures will not be enough to get us through the winter,” participants said she had told a meeting of her conservative bloc’s legislators.
7th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Southern California goes into virus lockdown
Southern California went into a strict lockdown Monday, with more than 20 million people under stay-at-home orders triggered after hospitals faced being overwhelmed by record Covid-19 cases. Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced new statewide bans on gatherings and "non-essential" activities would come into effect once 85 percent of intensive care unit beds have been filled. Under the lockdown, most offices will close and gatherings of people from different households are banned. Bars and personal services such as hair salons will be temporarily closed, and restaurants will only be allowed to offer take-out and delivery.
7th Dec 2020 - FRANCE 24
Los Angeles restaurant owner’s tearful response to lockdown goes viral
Mayor Eric Garcetti has said he is sorry for Angela Marsden’s suffering, but with the virus raging out of control he has no choice. A California restaurant owner whose tearful video complaining about her patio being closed, while a film company shot scenes next door, has received over $90,000 in donations from well-wishers after the clip went viral. Angela Marsden's video, showing the scene at the Pineapple Hill Saloon, in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles, has been seen by 8.5 million people since she posted it on Saturday. In the clip she walks viewers around her restaurant, showing off the outdoor patio with its picnic tables under an awning.
7th Dec 2020 - The Independent
Cargo ship in lockdown off WA coast after crew member falls ill
A cargo ship is in lockdown off Western Australia after a crew member experienced flu-like symptoms overnight. The Matsuyama ship is docked at the Kwinana terminal in Fremantle with no one on board allowed to leave as they await the results of a coronavirus test for the unwell crew member. 9News Perth reports the unwell crew member is being isolated from the rest of the crew on board.
7th Dec 2020 - 9News
California faces strict new coronavirus lockdowns; some sheriffs push back
More than 23 million people in Southern California were preparing on Sunday for the harshest lockdowns in the United States as COVID-19 cases spiked to record levels in the country’s most populous state. The restrictions in California, ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom to take effect on a region-by-region basis as hospital intensive care unit beds are filled almost to capacity, call for bars, hair and nail salons and tattoo shops to close again. As of 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, the affected regions were also required to shut down even outdoor restaurant dining. Newsom, a first-term Democrat, has threatened to withhold funds from local governments that refuse to carry out the restrictions.
7th Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullCalifornia heads for Covid lockdown as US records 200,000 cases a day
As large parts of California went back into lockdown and healthcare systems in many states began to waver under the strain, new cases of Covid-19 in the US remained above 200,000 on Saturday, with more than 2,000 deaths. Members of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force heralded the imminence and efficacy of vaccines, but asked Americans to keep their guard up. Johns Hopkins University recorded 213,875 new cases, down from nearly 228,000 on Friday in a week of surging figures after a Thanksgiving lull in record-keeping. Amid figures worsened by holiday travel and gatherings whose full impact experts say is not yet apparent, there were 2,254 new deaths, making the full death toll 280,979 from nearly 14.6m cases.
6th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Germany's Bavaria region to tighten coronavirus lockdown
The southern German region of Bavaria, which has so far recorded the country’s highest coronavirus death toll, announced on Sunday that it will impose a tougher lockdown from Wednesday until Jan. 5. People in Bavaria will only be able to leave their homes with good reason, state premier Markus Soeder told a news conference, adding that there would be some relaxation in the rules for Christmas but not for New Year celebrations. While Germany brought the pandemic under control in March and April, it is now dealing with a more deadly second wave and imposed a “lockdown light” at the start of November, closing restaurants and bars and limiting public gatherings. While daily infections are no longer rising as sharply as before, case numbers have stagnated at a high level, and Germany reported its highest single-day coronavirus death toll on Wednesday.
5th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Portugal to ease COVID-19 rules for Christmas, but not New Year
Portugal will ease coronavirus rules over the Christmas period to allow people to visit loved ones, but measures will be reimposed a few days later to crack down on New Year’s Eve parties, the government said on Saturday. While a ban on domestic travel will not be imposed between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26, Prime Minister Antonio Costa urged people to avoid spending too long in large festive gatherings without wearing a face mask. “It’s essential that this Christmas is a time of sharing but that in this sharing there is no involuntary transmission of the virus,” Costa told reporters as he announced the measures.
5th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullTier 3 lockdown rules in England: latest Covid restrictions explained
England’s new three-tier system came into effect on 2 December after the national lockdown was lifted. Non-essential shops in all areas can reopen, as can gyms, hairdressers and other personal care businesses, with the formal instruction to stay at home coming to an end. The “rule of six” will again apply for outdoor gatherings in all areas. Places of worship will be able to open and weddings will be allowed within local restrictions.
3rd Dec 2020 - The Guardian
LA residents are ordered to stay in their homes: Mayor Garcetti tells 4million citizens to remain indoors, restricts travel, closes non-essential businesses and says it's 'time to cancel everything' as hospitalizations and cases surge
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the city's 4 million residents to stay at home Wednesday night. The mayor told the public to 'cancel everything' and banned all travel, including walking and bicycling. Non-essential businesses were ordered to close and officials threatened to arrest those breaking the rules. There are, however, a long list of exemptions included in the Mayor's order. People can leaves their homes if they need to engage in a number of the exempt activities such as visiting certain businesses and exercise, including at beaches and on trails. Businesses that are exempt from the order include healthcare operations, supermarkets and convenience stores, liquor stores, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, handymen services and laundromats. Retail stores that follow the county's in-person shopping health protocols are allowed to remain open. Indoor capacity, however, must be limited to 20 percent and be closed between 10pm to 5am. Personal care establishments such as hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and tanning salons must limit indoor capacity to 20 percent. Garcetti's order mirrors a directive put in place by Los Angeles County health officials last week. During a press conference, Garcetti said Los Angeles County saw increase of 5,987 new cases on Wednesday. 40 new deaths were reported, bringing county's toll to 7,740, which could hit 11,130 by end of the year. According to Garcetti, 2,572 Angelenos were hospitalized as of Wednesday; there are only 479 beds left across county and at current rate, health officials are predicting county will run out of beds in next 2-4 weeks.
3rd Dec 2020 - Daily Mail
Business owners in Serbia demand government aid ahead of coronavirus lockdown
Owners of small businesses in Serbia on Wednesday demanded government aid as the country prepared for its first weekend coronavirus lockdown since May. Several dozen people, including restaurant owners and travel agents, protested in front of the Finance Ministry. A crisis committee, made up of doctors and members of the government, has proposed a weekend lockdown for all except food stores and green markets. The government is expected to formally adopt the measure - which will see cafes, restaurants, hair salons, shopping malls, gyms, swimming pools and other businesses close at the weekend - on Thursday. Vladanka Rakic, owner of a small travel agency in the western town of Uzice, said: "We (travel agencies) are on ventilators, we have not been working since March.
2nd Dec 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Shoppers return to stores under England's new tier system
Shoppers have returned to the High Street in England, after non-essential retailers opened their doors at the end of a four-week national lockdown. A three-tiered system of Covid-19 rules has now come into force in the nation, with gyms and businesses such as hairdressers also able to open. More than 55 million people are in the strictest two tiers and cannot mix indoors with those in other households.
The government said it would "safeguard the gains made during the past month".
At a Downing Street briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he accepted that the tiered system was "tough", but insisted that regional restrictions and mass testing were the way to "keep the virus under control".
2nd Dec 2020 - BBC
Spreading virus pushes German regions towards tougher lockdowns
Germany inched towards tougher lockdown measures on Wednesday, with one regional premier promising a stricter course now that regions that had been spared the worst of the coronavirus pandemic are seeing case numbers surge. A partial lockdown that was imposed at the start of November was last week extended into December, and state and federal leaders are expected to discuss a further prolongation into January at a video conference due on Wednesday afternoon. More than 17,000 new cases were reported overnight, and 487 deaths - a new daily record.
2nd Dec 2020 - Reuters
Coronavirus: England’s national lockdown ends, as country moves into new tier system
England’s second national lockdown has come to an end, with the country moving into a new tiered system of coronavirus restrictions. As the clock struck one minute past midnight on Wednesday, nationwide restrictions expired and were replaced by a controversial, localised approach as the government attempts to further stem the spread of Covid-19. Around 99 per cent of the population are now under the toughest two levels of restrictions, tier 2 and tier 3, with only three areas in England - the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly - in the lowest tier 1 level. In the highest tier - which currently includes the cities of Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle - pubs and restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway and delivery services.
2nd Dec 2020 - The Independent
Coronavirus tier system comes into force as England’s national lockdown is lifted
A new tougher tier system of Covid-19 restrictions for England has come into force, as the national four-week lockdown is lifted. The measures, which came into force at midnight, were approved by MPs in the Commons on Tuesday with the support of 291 votes to 78. More than 55 million people in the country are being placed in the top two strictest tiers, with London in Tier 2. The rules are tougher than in the previous tier system England was face with before its second lockdown began in November.
2nd Dec 2020 - Evening Standard
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown Restrictions May Return in Uttar Pradesh Soon
Earlier states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Rajashtan had extended the lockdown restrictions in the containment zones till December 31.
1st Dec 2020 - India.com
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullTurkey tightens coronavirus curbs as death toll hits record high
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a new round of tight restrictions in a bid to stem a surge in coronavirus infections, extending curfews to weeknights and imposing a full lockdown during the weekend. After only reporting symptomatic cases for four months, Turkey last week resumed reporting all positive COVID-19 cases that saw logged daily infections jump to about 30,000. On Monday, the number of daily new cases reached a record high of 31,219, while the COVID-19 death toll hit a record high for an eighth consecutive day, with 188 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to figures from the health ministry.
1st Dec 2020 - AlJazeera
Turkey expected to tighten weekend COVID-19 measures -sources
Turkey is expected to tighten weekend curfews after a record rise in new coronavirus cases and fatalities, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. The move is expected to be announced after a cabinet meeting on Monday, said the sources who requested anonymity. They said that new measures adopted on Nov. 17, including nightly curfews at weekends, had been insufficient.
“It is highly probable that the scope of the weekend curfew restriction will be expanded,” said one of the sources, adding that a final decision would be made at the cabinet meeting chaired by President Tayyip Erdogan.
30th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Pubs ordered to close by 6pm from Friday as Wales enters new lockdown
Wales will be placed back under harsh new coronavirus restrictions just three weeks after a ‘firebreak’ lockdown ended, the First Minister has confirmed. Mark Drakeford announced that there will be a total ban on alcohol sales, with pubs, bars and restaurants across the country told to shut by 6pm on Friday, following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. He said that without action, government modelling suggested 2,200 people could be in hospital by January 12, with 1,600 people also losing their lives over the winter period. Non-essential retail, hairdressers, gyms and leisure centres will remain open but cinemas, bowling alleys and other indoor entertainment venues will be forced to shut in the run up to Christmas.
30th Nov 2020 - Metro
Kim Jong Un is cutting off his economic lifeline, China, to stave off Covid-19
Kim Jong Un appears to have kicked North Korea's pandemic prevention plan into overdrive, further tightening the country's nearly impassible borders, cutting off nearly all trade with China, and even allegedly executing a customs official for failing to handle imported goods appropriately. Beijing exported just $253,000 worth of goods to Pyongyang in October -- a drop of 99% from September to October, according to data published by China's customs administration. For context, that's less in terms of dollar value than China exported to Liechtenstein and Monaco during October.
30th Nov 2020 - CNN
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSouth Korea agency says North Korea leader Kim Jong Un ordered executions, locked down capital
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered at least two people executed, banned fishing at sea and locked down the capital, Pyongyang, as part of frantic efforts to guard against the coronavirus and its economic damage, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Friday. Kim's government also ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any acts that could provoke the United States because it is worried about President-elect Joe Biden’s expected new approach toward North Korea, lawmakers told reporters after attending a private briefing by the National Intelligence Service. One of the lawmakers, Ha Tae-keung, quoted the NIS as saying Kim is displaying “excessive anger” and taking “irrational measures” over the pandemic and its economic impact.
28th Nov 2020 - USA Today
Los Angeles County to impose new COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings
Nearly all social gatherings of individuals from more than a single household will be banned in Los Angeles County for at least three weeks starting Monday under new restrictions local health officials unveiled on Friday, citing a continued surge in COVID-19 infections. The public health order specifically exempts religious services and protests under constitutionally protected rights in an apparent nod to Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a New York state order that had restricted the size of religious gatherings. The Los Angeles County measures, affecting some 20 million people living in and around the nation's second-largest city, go beyond a curfew imposed last week by California Governor Gavin Newsom barring social gatherings and other non-essential activities across most of the state between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
28th Nov 2020 - Japan Today
Lockdown in Los Angeles: LA County asks its 10 million residents to stay home for THREE weeks - but churches and protests are exempt
Los Angeles County confirmed 24 new deaths and 4,544 new cases on Friday
Officials banned most gatherings but stopped short of full shutdown on stores
Restrictions were brought on by average of 4,751 cases a day for last five days
Residents of nation's most populous county are being urged to stay home
People are also not allowed to gather with those from outside their household
Exceptions are being made for church services and protests, officials said
Non-essential retail businesses could stay open, but at 20 per cent capacity
27th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
Panicking Kim Jong Un has had two people executed and locked down Pyongyang as he tries to tackle coronavirus and its economic damage, South Korea claims
Kim Jong Un is taking 'irrational measures' against Covid-19, South Korea says
North Korea executed a high-profile money changer in Pyongyang last month
Key official was executed in August for bringing in goods from abroad, NIS says
27th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSunday lockdown to return in Dehradun from this week
Uttarakhand's Dehradun district will be locked down on Sundays from this week to contain the spread of COVID-19. Only shops selling essentials like medicines, fruits, vegetables, milk, petrol pumps and LPG agencies will be allowed to open. Weekend lockdown had been temporarily suspended in the district due to the festive season. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Uttarakhand with Dehradun district reporting the maximum number of infections in the state for several weeks.
26th Nov 2020 - The New Indian Express
No lockdown on weekends or border sealing: Minister
In Uttar Pradesh, State health minister Jai Pratap Singh ruled out night and weekend lockdowns or sealing of border areas in the state. Target and random sampling, he added, will continue in vulnerable areas. “There is no question of a night or weekend lockdown, or any steps towards sealing of borders. All rules of unlock will continue to apply. We will, however, continue with target sampling in designated areas, such as urban slums, jails, sweet shops, malls and (other) high-risk areas. Random testing at the borders will also continue,” Singh said.
26th Nov 2020 - The Times of India
Covid-19: Should Indian states consider lockdowns again – even as a last resort?
If there is a Covid-19 surge, can a lockdown be far behind? As a fresh wave of the coronavirus sweeps through North and West India again, speculation is rife that some states will once again go back to the blunt-force tool that people across the world have to come to associate with the virus: lockdowns. The Delhi government has shot down the possibility of a fresh lockdown, despite cases spiking and rumours in the city markets. But Maharashtra has kept the door open. A decision, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said, would be taken shortly. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, on the other hand, have already clamped down with night curfews and weekend lockdowns.
26th Nov 2020 - Scroll.in
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullNight curfews allowed, lockdown needs Centre’s nod in new Covid protocol
In India, due to the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in various states, the Centre on Wednesday allowed states and union territories to impose local restrictions, such as night curfew, based on their assessment of the situation. However, they cannot impose any local lockdown outside the containment zones without prior consultation with the Centre. The MHA also said that state governments can consider implementing staggered office timings and other suitable measures in cities where the weekly case positivity rate is more than 10 percent so that the number of employees attending offices at the same time can be reduced.
25th Nov 2020 - Hindustan Times
Bulgaria imposes lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge
Bulgaria said on Wednesday it would close schools, restaurants, shopping malls and gyms until Dec. 21 as it struggles to contain a surge in new coronavirus infections. “Only one thing has been proven to have an impact on COVID-19 - decreasing social contacts or quarantine. To ease the pressure on hospitals that are on the brink, we are introducing measures for three weeks,” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said. Like much of central and eastern Europe, Bulgaria weathered the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well in the spring, but cases have spiked across the region this autumn.
25th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullAll Hail The Lockdown
In a five-part series, made in lockdown, Ali Rae explores the complexities of our global response to the Covid-19 pandemic
24th Nov 2020 - AlJazeera
Amid lockdown worries, PM Modi holds key meet with CMs on corona surge
As the major Indian cities battle with the sharp rise in the fresh Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with several Chief Ministers to formulate the strategy for the coming days. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. The brainstorming session gains importance as it is not only a stock-taking meeting but more centred on making urgent plans to tackle the corona surges, especially in urban areas. While nothing official has been communicated so far, there is a buzz that the state, as well as the Centre, maybe thinking on something akin to a ‘mini lockdown’.
24th Nov 2020 - The Financial Express
No lockdown in Maharashtra, state Cabinet decides
In India, putting speculations to rest, the Maharashtra government has decided against imposing any lockdown in the state amid rising cases of the novel coronavirus. The decision was taken at a key cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The cabinet also ruled out clamping of a night curfew in the state.
24th Nov 2020 - India TV News
Can India Afford Another Lockdown?
Several states across India have reimposed the lockdown restrictions with a sudden spurt in coronavirus cases. While the Delhi government has raised the fine for not wearing face masks and reverted to the earlier cap on the number of wedding guests, night curfews and Section 144 have returned in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and others. With these decisions, the reimposition of the total shutdown has started doing the rounds. Speculations are rife that PM Modi, after meeting the chief ministers on Tuesday, might announce another lockdown in states where the cases are rising.
24th Nov 2020 - India.com
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullBulgaria Plans Lockdown to Contain Coronavirus Infection Surge
Bulgaria plans to close schools, restaurants and shops and ban all sports events, private celebrations and excursions as it struggles to contain a coronavirus case surge. The Balkan country's health minister Kostadin Angelov said on Monday that the measures, to be debated by the centre-right government on Wednesday, were aimed at preventing a struggling health system from being overwhelmed. New coronavirus cases have doubled in the past week to 23,569, Bulgarian health ministry data showed, bringing the total number to 121,820 in the country of 7 million.
23rd Nov 2020 - U.S. News & World Report
Toronto enters virus lockdown as US looks to vaccine rollout
Canada's biggest city entered lockdown on Monday in the latest bid to curb coronavirus infections, with case numbers surging across North America even as US officials said vaccinations could be available within weeks. Toronto banned private indoor gatherings and capped the size of weddings and funerals for four weeks from midnight, with officials warning that hospitals risked being overwhelmed without quick action. "I've been clear on this: the situation is extremely serious and further action is required," Ontario premier Doug Ford had told journalists ahead of the lockdown.
23rd Nov 2020 - Medical Xpress
Pizza worker at centre of South Australia lockdown 'unaware' of public attention
In Australia, the Spanish national at the centre of a police investigation into his failure to disclose to contact tracers he worked shifts at the Woodville Pizza Bar is unaware of the growing public focus on him as he remains in hotel quarantine, Guardian Australia has learned. The 36-year-old man, currently on a temporary graduate visa in Australia, had his devices seized by South Australian police over the weekend after they issued a search warrant to obtain them from his quarantine hotel room. All the focus on the one man is causing concern among contact tracing experts, who argue it might hinder people coming forward for testing. They say the best way to get the most accurate information from people during contact tracing interviews is to ensure their privacy and protect them from punishment.
23rd Nov 2020 - The Guardian
More English regions to face tougher COVID rules after lockdown ends
England’s tiered system of regional COVID restrictions will be toughened up when a national lockdown ends on Dec. 2 and some areas will move into a higher alert level than the one they were in before, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. “I’m sorry to say we expect that more regions will fall, at least temporarily, into higher levels than before,” Johnson said in a statement to parliament.
23rd Nov 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullTrudeau warns Canada's hospitals could be swamped, Toronto to enter COVID-19 lockdown
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada’s hospital system could be overwhelmed by a possible quadrupling of new COVID-19 cases by year end as its biggest city Toronto prepared to impose a lockdown. Trudeau implored Canadians to stay home as much as possible as a second wave of the novel coronavirus rips across the country, forcing several of the 10 provinces to reimpose curbs on movement and businesses. Cases continue to spike and authorities complain some people are being more careless about taking precautions.
21st Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
South Australia says man's 'lie' caused coronavirus lockdown as harsh curbs eased
South Australia’s drastic six-day coronavirus lockdown was triggered by a “lie” to contact tracers from a man who tested positive and restrictions across the state are set to be lifted much sooner than first planned, authorities said on Friday.
21st Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Toronto is under a 28-day COVID-19 lockdown starting Monday. Here’s what that means
With the risk of overwhelming hospitals in red zones with COVID-19 patients now imminent, Premier Doug Ford is moving Toronto into a 28-day lockdown along with Peel Region. The new measures will return the city to an experience similar to the earlier days of the pandemic with widespread closures. In Toronto, here is what that means as far as closures and new limitations as of 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23:
20th Nov 2020 - Toronto Star
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown 2.0 Shows Europe’s Businesses Are Learning From the Pandemic
European small businesses that survived the first coronavirus lockdowns are getting creative to weather the second wave and the long-term fallout from the pandemic. Faced with the prospects of another recession and uncertainty over how long the crisis may last, firms are fighting to retain existing customers and hunting for new ones to stay afloat. Many have learned from the painful experience of the first lockdown to navigate some of the drastic long-term changes to work and consumer behavior brought about by the virus.
19th Nov 2020 - Bloomberg Quint
Strict, six-day coronavirus lockdown begins in Australian state
One of Australia’s strictest lockdowns began on Thursday with outdoor gatherings, weddings, funerals, takeaway food all coming to a standstill as authorities try to stifle the latest flare-up of the novel coronavirus. Images on social media showed empty streets in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia state, on day one of the state-wide lockdown. Residents flocked to supermarkets to load up with supplies until late on Wednesday.The state, home to about 1.8 million people, has recorded 23 cases from the latest cluster. There were no new infections to report on Thursday while 3,200 close contacts of the infected were in quarantine, the state’s chief public health officer, Nicola Spurrier, said
19th Nov 2020 - Reuters
South Australia reports no new Covid cases and urges people to avoid lockdown loopholes
South Australia didn’t report any additional cases of coronavirus as the state entered a strict six-day lockdown in an attempt to halt an Adelaide cluster that authorities worry could become a second wave. The so-called Parafield cluster remained at 22 on Thursday with three people in hospital in a stable condition. There are 17 additional suspected cases. The state’s chief health officer, Prof Nicola Spurrier, revealed the news at a testy press conference where the police commissioner clashed with reporters who questioned whether security guards at quarantine hotels should be allowed to work multiple jobs.
19th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Health experts fear South Australia's extreme 'circuit breaker' lockdown may not work
A new 'dangerous' strain of coronavirus that sparked a sudden six-day hard lockdown in South Australia is so infectious it spread from a pizza box into the community. South Australians are in their first day of one of the world's harshest lockdowns, which aims to provide a 'circuit-breaker' to prevent the new strain spreading rapidly across the state. At the centre of the outbreak is a pizza shop in Adelaide's northern suburbs where an infected medi-hotel security guard had a second job making pizzas. Health experts are divided over whether the harsh lockdown enforced on South Australians will be enough to stop of the new wave from spiralling out of control.
19th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
SA police out on empty streets as state goes into first day of lockdown
The busy streets of Adelaide looked like a ghost town as South Australians woke up to their first day in lockdown. On Thursday morning, many chose to sleep in and remained indoors to keep cool as the mercury rose to 36C. Regular peak hour traffic heading into the CBD was nowhere to be seen. While the city was near-empty — with the exception of essential workers — SA Police officers hit the streets to hand out face masks to homeless people and essential workers that passed by. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens told ABC Radio additional patrols would be out over the next six days to ensure South Aussies were complying with the tough restrictions.
19th Nov 2020 - NEWS.com.au
Top doc warns Western Australia is 'rolling dice' with lockdown
A top Western Australian doctor has warned that the state is "rolling the dice" as South Australia heads into lockdown. The state head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Andrew Miller said Western Australians should be told to buy a mask in preparation for a coronavirus outbreak. "Just go and get one now, while you can, while there's time, while it's easy," he said. "If you never have to use it, that's a big bonus."Dr Miller said there was a gaping hole in the security of Western Australia's quarantine system, with many people such as security guards both working on the front line of the outbreak and having a second job. "It's just rolling the dice — we may as well be down as the casino putting it all on red," he said.
19th Nov 2020 - 9News.com.au
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSouth Australia announces six-day Covid lockdown as ‘circuit breaker’ to avoid second wave
The South Australian government has announced an immediate six-day lockdown followed by a further week of tough restrictions as the state scrambles to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections. The lockdown will take effect from midnight on Wednesday after the Parafield cluster, which started from a hotel quarantine breach, grew by two overnight to reach 22 confirmed cases. The premier, Steven Marshall, said the state needed a “circuit breaker” to allow for a contact-tracing blitz so South Australia didn’t face a crisis as Victoria experienced.
18th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
South Australia introduces 6-day lockdown as COVID-19 'circuit-breaker'
The South Australian government has announced comprehensive restrictions under a six-day lockdown as it fights to stamp out a coronavirus cluster. Universities, pubs, cafes and food courts will be at a standstill, and schools will be closed to everyone but vulnerable children and children of essential workers as of midnight Wednesday, local time.
18th Nov 2020 - SBS News
Panic-buying across South Australia as state goes into lockdown
Adelaide residents have started panic-buying in supermarkets after Premier Steven Marshall announced a six-day coronavirus lockdown. South Australia is battling a cluster of 22 cases in the city's northern suburbs and will introduce the harshest restrictions the country has seen to slow the spread from midnight. The lockdown - described as 'extreme' by state chief health officer Nicola Spurrier - bans residents from leaving home for exercise and allows one shopping trip per household a day.
18th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
South Australia plans six-day lockdown after 'highly contagious' virus outbreak
South Australia on Wednesday declared a six-day lockdown to stamp out what the state premier described as a highly contagious outbreak of the coronavirus disease that officials linked to a returned traveller from the UK. Most businesses will close except for some food outlets, and people will be largely confined to their homes, as the state tries to avoid a more severe breakout like the one that all but shuttered neighbouring Victoria for more than 100 days. “We need this circuit breaker, this community pause,” South Australian Premier Steven Marshall told media
18th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Crisis-weary Beirut residents defy new lockdown despite COVID surge
Beirut’s popular Sabra market teemed with shoppers this week, some of them unmasked, in apparent defiance of a full national lockdown imposed on Saturday to stem a resurgence of coronavirus infections. The Lebanese government ordered the two-week restrictions, including a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on Sundays, as new daily infections rose above 1,000. Lebanon reported 1,016 new infections on Monday, bringing its total to 106,446 cases and 827 deaths since Feb. 21. After city streets and roads emptied on Sunday, pedestrians were back on Monday and some motorists could be seen flouting a re-imposed odd-even licence plate alternate day driving rule.
18th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullTeachers say Scots school closures should be on the cards as Level 4 lockdown is imposed in 11 council areas
School closures should be on the cards in the 11 local authority areas - including Glasgow - that face Scotland's toughest Covid restrictions on Friday. The level four rules will see the closure of non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms. Now the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s largest teaching union, has said schools in Level Four should be allowed to implement blended or remote learning contingency measures
17th Nov 2020 - heraldscotland.com
Italy’s Covid Lockdown Empties Tourist Hotspots, Again
Italy’s spring lockdown, one of the longest and strictest in Europe, gifted extraordinary experiences and photos of the country’s iconic tourist attractions devoid of people. As Italy’s latest COVID rules see regional borders closing and international travel continues to be restricted, these tourist hotspots are once more emptying. The situation is bittersweet. Many businesses, particularly those dependent on tourism, wonder if they’ll manage to survive a second travel hiatus.
17th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Austria returns to lockdown to limit rise in Covid-19 cases
Austria will introduce a national lockdown on Tuesday in a bid to bring its soaring coronavirus infections under control, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Saturday, confirming an earlier Reuters report based on a draft government decree.
17th Nov 2020 - FRANCE 24
Canada's remote Nunavut to impose COVID-19 lockdown after community outbreak
Canada’s remote Arctic territory of Nunavut is suffering its first community outbreak of COVID-19 and will close all non-essential services, as well as schools, for at least two weeks, officials said on Monday. “This is an outbreak,” Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, told a news conference streamed online from the territory’s capital, Iqaluit. “There has been community transmission occurring in Arviat in the last little while.” COVID-19 outbreaks in Canada’s northern territories are particularly concerning because healthcare services are limited and because there are often numerous people living under the same roof, which facilitates the spread of the virus.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters
People living in Scotland's toughest tiers could be arrested if they try to leave: Nicola Sturgeon makes it illegal to travel outside of Level 3 and 4 lockdown areas
In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon today announced parts of Scotland that are home to millions of people will be moved into its toughest coronavirus level at the end of the week as she warned infection rates remain 'stubbornly high'. The First Minister said 11 council areas, which include the city of Glasgow, will be subject to Level Four restrictions from 6pm on Friday. The areas have a combined population of approximately 2.3million people. People living in Level Four areas are banned from meeting with other households indoors while all non-essential shops must close.
17th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullMost Spaniards support a second home lockdown, according to new poll
The majority of Spaniards (six in 10) would support a second home lockdown if it was needed to contain the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s according to a survey by pollster 40dB commissioned by EL PAÍS. During the first wave of the pandemic, the Spanish government introduced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, with residents confined to their homes and only allowed out for essential business. In the past few weeks, with infections rising in some territories, several regional authorities called on the central government to authorize home lockdowns in areas with dangerously high incidence rates of the virus
16th Nov 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Mongolia imposes national lockdown after first Covid case reported
The Mongolian government on Sunday extended a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic by two weeks until December 1. Mongolia imposed a national lockdown effective from 6 a.m. on Thursday after the country confirmed its first Covid-19 case of local transmission, involving a woman who is the wife of a 29-year-old infected Mongolian transport driver, the Xinhua news agency reported. The driver returned home from Russia via Altanbulag border point and tested positive for the virus four days after he was released from the 21-day mandatory isolation on November 6. The extension is part of the efforts to identify all people who have had contact with cases of locally transmitted Covid-19 infection, Yangu Sodbaatar, the country’s deputy prime minister, said at a press conference.
16th Nov 2020 - India New England
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullItaly to Continue Stop-and-Go Local Lockdowns Through Winter
Italy’s government is likely to extend its region-by-region lockdown system through the entire winter to counter the spread of the coronavirus while protecting the economy, the deputy health minister said. Pierpaolo Sileri, a lawmaker from the Five Star Movement, told Bloomberg Television’s Francine Lacqua that the current decree dividing the country into areas of varying risk, with different restrictions on businesses and movement, will be extended beyond its current Dec. 3 expiration date. “We need to monitor these regions and, as I think exposure to the virus will decrease, we will see better numbers,” Sileri, a 48-year-old surgeon, said at his Rome ministry. “I do see an extension of that for the entire winter. Obviously this will help us avoid a national lockdown.”
14th Nov 2020 - Bloomberg
Austria announces strict lockdown as virus cases soar
Austria’s government has ordered one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, with chancellor Sebastian Kurz telling the public to “meet nobody” as the country battles a surge in coronavirus infections. “One contact is one contact too many,” Mr Kurz said on Saturday, as he unveiled a raft of restrictive measures that will put much of public and economic life in the alpine country on hold. An “around-the-clock” curfew will apply from Tuesday, with people only allowed to leave their homes to buy groceries, travel to essential work or provide urgent care.
14th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Austria's Kurz confirms national lockdown will start on Tuesday
Austria will introduce a national lockdown on Tuesday in a bid to bring its soaring coronavirus infections under control, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Saturday, confirming an earlier Reuters report based on a draft government decree. Non-essential shops will close and the current curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. will be expanded into an all-day requirement to stay at home, with specific exceptions such as shopping for essentials or exercise, Kurz confirmed. People should work from home wherever possible, he added. The lockdown is due to last almost three weeks, with the last day being Dec. 6.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Austria planning three-week lockdown from Tuesday, draft decree shows
Austria on Saturday ordered a three-week lockdown in a last-ditch effort to bring surging coronavirus cases under control and relieve the stress on the health service in time for retailers to reopen in the run-up to Christmas. The country had so far used a lighter touch in dealing with the second wave of cases than it did with the first outbreak, which it brought under control with a lockdown in the spring. A nighttime curfew is in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. this month but shops are open; cafes, bars and restaurants are limited to take-away service; theatres and museums are closed.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Coronavirus Europe: Draconian lockdowns slow down second waves
Most European countries were hit with a tsunami of new infections in mid-September after schools went back. Blitz of cases triggered domino effect right across continent, with nations one-by-one announcing lockdowns. Most of these nations are seeing infections either decreasing dramatically or flatlining, data shows
13th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
Lockdown 2.0: Food companies overhauled production to put more toilet paper, pasta sauce in stores
When rumors first began to circulate that the UK would go back into lockdown, Leanne Barnes despaired as bread and toilet roll flew off the shelves again at her local supermarket. But to her surprise, shelves were back to being fully stocked within a few days. Barnes stocked her pantry last time around with a few additional comfort foods - macaroni cheese, ravioli, soup and spaghetti. But as of last week, she said she felt no urge to stockpile goods. So far, consumers haven’t returned to the sort of panic buying frenzy that sent packaged-food manufacturers scrambling earlier this year.
13th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Italy extends partial lockdown as Naples hospitals struggle
The regions of Italy that include the cities of Naples and Florence were declared coronavirus red zones Friday, the latest signals of the dire condition of Italian hospitals struggling with a surge of new admissions. The director of the National Health Institute, Gianni Rezza, said the stricter measures were justified by a “worrisome increase in hospitalizations” as Italy's rate of new confirmed cases reached 650 per 100,000 people. Confirmed cases hit a daily pandemic high of nearly 41,000 and 550 people died of the virus in 24 hours, bringing the country's known death toll to 44,139. Italy has reported a total of more than 1.1. million virus cases.
13th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Coronavirus: Oregon and New Mexico impose restrictions
The US states of Oregon and New Mexico have announced strict measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 as the country faces growing outbreaks of the disease.
Officials have ordered most non-essential businesses to close and urged people to limit their social interactions. On Friday, California became the second state to hit one million Covid cases, after Texas. On average, more than 900 people a day are dying with the disease in the US. Daily cases have topped 100,000 for the last 11 days and more than 67,000 people are currently in hospital.
13th Nov 2020 - BBC
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullA national coronavirus lockdown would be 'the absolute last resort,' Democratic senator says
In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President-Elect Joe Biden’s 12-person coronavirus task force, floated the idea of a four- to six-week lockdown to bring the coronavirus to heel. The virus that has killed around 250,000 people in the U.S. is on track to hit 150,000 new cases per day by the end of the week. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), in a separate interview with Yahoo Finance, said a lockdown would be “the absolute last resort” and suggested an array of priorities to fight the pandemic.
12th Nov 2020 - YAHOO!
An Expert Explains: A second wave of Covid-19, and is lockdown the answer?
Large parts of Europe are in a second lockdown as a new wave of infection sweeps through the continent. Cases in the US are smashing new records. But overall numbers in India are falling — for reasons not yet fully clear. What is the way forward, given the cost of lockdowns? In an interview to The Indian Express, Professor Sunetra Gupta, a proponent of herd immunity, weighed in on this and related questions.
12th Nov 2020 - The Indian Express
Is India heading towards another lockdown from December 1? PIB clarifies
As coronavirus cases are continuing to spike significantly in the country, there are a lot of rumours doing the rounds that the government might impose another lockdown in the country in December. It is to be noted that Britain has also announced Lockdown-2 after France to control the outbreak which is overwhelming the public health system. In fact, the second wave also started in India. Recently, AIIMS Delhi director Randeep Guleria warned that the second wave of coronavirus in India has begun. People should not leave the house unless absolutely necessary, he added. Guleria's statement came at a time when the number of corona patients is increasing significantly across the country
12th Nov 2020 - DNA India
Romania enters lockdown as medical workers protest
News of a possible vaccine against the coronavirus has hit the headlines across the globe. The first effective coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90% of people from getting COVID-19, a preliminary analysis shows. The developers, Pfizer and BioNTech, are a joint American and German effort. But these two countries are not the only ones currently busy trying to provide a vaccine to halt the health pandemic. So too is Kazakhstan which, while not quite at the same stage at Pfizer, is at the forefront of such efforts. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month. No vaccine has gone from the drawing board to being proven highly effective in such a short period of time.
12th Nov 2020 - EU Reporter
New EU Travel Bans: Country By Country Covid-19 Restrictions As Europe Locks Down
In a week when most European countries saw hospitals reach near-saturation point, many nations had no choice but to implement lockdowns, curfews and new travel restrictions. The U.K. reached 50,000 deaths, many countries moved from implementing curfews to full lockdowns, Denmark and other countries restricted movement due to a Covid-19 outbreak in minks and many European countries entered red lists, meaning residents from those countries cannot travel without a negative PCR test.
12th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Biden COVID-19 adviser floats plan to pay for national lockdown lasting up to six weeks
A top health adviser to President-elect Joe Biden suggested that the nation is well-positioned financially to withstand a lockdown of more than a month in an effort to get the coronavirus pandemic under control. "When you look at the personal savings rate in this country, it's now gone from about 8 percent to over 22 percent. We have a big pool of money out there that we could borrow. The historic low interest rates by the federal government, we could pay for a package right now to cover all of the wages, lost wages for individual workers, for our losses to small companies to medium sized companies, for city states, county governments. We could do all of that," said Michael Osterholm during a live event this week with Yahoo News.
12th Nov 2020 - The Hill on MSN.com
Biden COVID Advisor Says US Lockdown of 4 to 6 Weeks Could Control Pandemic, Revive Economy
Dr. Michael Osterholm, a coronavirus advisor to President-elect Joe Biden, said a nationwide lockdown would help bring the virus under control in the U.S. He said the government could borrow enough money to pay for a package that would cover lost income for individuals and governments during a shutdown. "We could really watch ourselves cruising into the vaccine availability in the first and second quarter of next year while bringing back the economy long before that," he said.
12th Nov 2020 - NBC Los Angeles
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullUS states resume lockdowns as COVID-19 hospitalisations skyrocket
Several US states on Tuesday imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus as people admitted to hospitals soared, straining the facilities and medical resources across much of the country. The number of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in California has risen by 32 percent over the past two weeks and intensive-care admissions have spiked by 30 percent, Dr Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary told reporters.
11th Nov 2020 - AlJazeera
Italy May Have to Spend EU10 Billion a Month on Lockdown Aid
Italy may need to spend as much as 10 billion euros ($11.8 billion) a month to aid businesses and workers hit by coronavirus restrictions, according to people familiar with the matter. Authorities are working on plans that would help the country navigate through a surge in infections that’s derailed the rebound from one of Europe’s worst recessions. Lockdown measures similar to the ones imposed earlier this year are estimated to cost the government between 40 billion to 50 billion euros, or about 3% of Italy’s output, if they last until March, said the people, who declined to be identified because the discussions are confidential.
11th Nov 2020 - Bloomberg
Beleaguered Italy needs to spend $11.8bn a month on lockdown aid
Italy needs to spend up to 10 billion euros ($11.8 billion) a month on extra aid for businesses and workers during restrictions to contain the coronavirus, according to people familiar with the situation. Government officials estimate that during lockdowns, the country requires support of at least 6 billion euros a month. Virus measures may have to become tougher through the winter, the people said, which would push the bill to the higher figure. That means a tougher lockdown running into March could cost 40-50 billion euros, the people said. That’s about 3% of Italian GDP
11th Nov 2020 - AlJazeera
Italy Virus Cases Pass 1 Million With Second Lockdowns Under Way
Italy led the way in fighting the early wave of Europe’s pandemic back in March, imposing a strict three-month lockdown that halted the contagion but almost crippled its economy. Now, with cases topping 1 million, a second round of shutdowns has made Italians anxious about the economic impact and weary of the return to restrictions on daily life. The government’s wavering response hasn’t helped.
11th Nov 2020 - Bloomberg
Virus restrictions deal European economy lesser blow than in spring
The wave of new coronavirus lockdowns that has swept across Europe in recent weeks has hit consumer services activity hard, but the wider economy is less affected than when the pandemic first hit in the spring, according to high-frequency data indicators. Alternative economic data such as truck mileage, trips to entertainment venues and offices, and restaurant bookings have become widely watched since the pandemic began as they offer a more timely gauge of the economy, although they are less comprehensive and reliable than official data. The indicators show the damage that the new restrictions are doing to Europe’s services industry, but they also suggest that more people are continuing to travel to work than they did in the spring and manufacturing is still operating.
11th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Ukraine approves lockdown restrictions at weekends to fight COVID spread
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's cabinet voted on Wednesday to impose a national lockdown at weekends to strengthen steps to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said the weekend lockdown would be in force from Nov. 14-30. The decision will mean closing or restricting the activity of most businesses at weekends with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals and transport. The cabinet also stepped up restrictions on operations of restaurants, cinemas, gyms, and public events.
11th Nov 2020 - YAHOO!News
Lebanon orders full lockdown to combat COVID-19, boost hospital beds
Lebanon ordered a full lockdown for around two weeks to stem a rise in COVID-19 infections and allow a badly strained health sector to bolster capacity as the country buckled under a financial meltdown.
11th Nov 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWaiting in the wings: how a second lockdown halted theatre's comeback
Two of this autumn’s most anticipated UK theatre shows opened last Wednesday – and promptly closed that night. A revival of the classic musical Rent at Manchester’s Hope Mill and a sequel to the hit play Death of England at the National Theatre in London were scuppered by the introduction of a second lockdown in England on 5 November. Their sold-out runs ended after a handful of previews and a press night. This month was supposed to find England’s theatres welcoming back audiences, albeit at reduced capacity, and plotting a path through the turmoil wrought by coronavirus. Perhaps they would even learn of the long awaited date for stage five of culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s roadmap to fully reopen venues. Instead, productions around the country have been cancelled, postponed or streamed for an online audience instead.
10th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Lockdown 2 leaves music venues in search of an encore
On the genteel Royal Tunbridge Wells Common, a converted toilet has for almost three decades housed The Forum, the Kent town’s premier independent music venue. With a capacity of 250, acts from Oasis to Mumford & Sons have packed out this sweaty little building, epitomising what is most loved about live music. In these dreary lockdown days, we yearn for such evenings. The Forum shut on March 17, in accordance with the UK’s first lockdown, and has since subsisted on donations and sales of merchandise. With help from the government’s £1.6bn cultural recovery fund, the venue was ready to host socially-distanced gigs this month, albeit with a mere 55 patrons. Then came last week’s lockdown mark two, meaning more closures and cancellations.
10th Nov 2020 - The Financial Times
UK redundancies hit record before second Covid lockdown
The government’s furlough scheme and a recovering economy failed to prevent record redundancies in the period before tougher lockdown restrictions were imposed, according to the latest official data. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that young people have been the hardest hit by mounting job losses, with an unemployment rate three times the national average. The ONS said a record 314,000 people lost their job in the three months to September – a period in which the Treasury’s wage subsidy scheme became less generous.
10th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
How are people in Berlin handling 'lockdown light?'
German authorities have tightened restrictions on public life for a second time to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Bars and hotels are shut, and restaurants are open for takeout only. How are people in Berlin handling the situation?
10th Nov 2020 - Deutsche Welle
Italy’s Regional Lockdown Leaves Border Bar In Limbo
Plumb on the border between two Italian regions, legend has it this bar’s entrance is in Lombardy, now a red zone that can’t be entered from bordering regions, while the car park is in the “yellow” area of Emilia-Romagna, with the loosest COVID restrictions. Italy’s latest three-level coronavirus lockdown has plunged the bar and the surrounding village of Stellata di Bondeno into a regulatory nightmare restricting residents’ access to basic services and visiting relatives.
10th Nov 2020 - Forbes
UK consumer spending wilts even as new lockdowns spur stockpiling
Consumer spending, a rare bright spot for Britain’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic, faded in October although the re-introduction of lockdowns prompted a renewed stockpiling spree, surveys showed on Tuesday. Payment card provider Barclaycard said overall consumer spending slipped 0.1% in annual terms in October as people cut back on non-essential spending while stocking up on groceries. Another survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) similarly showed spending was skewed towards food sales.
10th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
German investor moral drops on concerns over second coronavirus lockdown
German investor sentiment dropped more than expected in November as a second wave of coronavirus infections and a partial lockdown to contain the disease increased uncertainty over the outlook for Europe’s largest economy. The ZEW economic research institute said on Tuesday that its survey of investors’ economic sentiment fell to 39.0 points from 56.1 points the previous month, undershooting a reading of 41.7 in a Reuters poll. “Financial experts are concerned about the economic impact of the second wave of COVID-19 and what this will entail,” ZEW President Achim Wambach said in a statement, adding that the data pointed to an economic slowdown in the fourth quarter.
10th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Lebanon orders full lockdown to combat COVID-19, boost hospital beds
Lebanon ordered a full lockdown for around two weeks to stem a rise in COVID-19 infections and allow a badly strained health sector to bolster capacity as the country buckled under a financial meltdown. The Supreme Defence Council said in a statement on Tuesday the lockdown starting Saturday would be in place until Nov. 30, with vital sectors and food delivery exempt. The airport and borders will remain open. “We have reached a very dangerous stage as public and private hospitals can no longer admit critical cases because all beds are occupied,” Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said, warning the shutdown may be extended if people do not comply.
10th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
UK job losses underline scale of COVID-19 challenge - Sunak
British finance minister Rishi Sunak said figures showing a record increase in redundancies and a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.8% “underline the scale of the challenge we’re facing”. “I want to reassure anyone that is worried about the coming winter months that we will continue to support those affected,” he said in a statement after the data was published on Tuesday. Sunak last week extended until the end of March the government’s costly wage subsidy scheme.
10th Nov 2020 - Reuters
New Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullAndalusia confines its municipalities and suspends all non-essential business activity from 6pm
The 8.4 million inhabitants of Spain’s Andalusia region will be confined to their municipalities from Tuesday, November 10 until November 23, as the regional government toughens its coronavirus restrictions. The hospitality sector and all non-essential activity will have to close at 6pm, apart from in the province of Granada, where the high rates of infection – currently at 1,194 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days – have prompted the authorities to implement a total shutdown. The nighttime curfew will be brought forward to 10pm and will last until 7am. Growing pressure on the region’s hospitals due to coronavirus cases has prompted the Andalusian government to take this action, which also includes obligatory online classes for university students. The plan was announced on Sunday by the regional premier, Juan Manuel Romero of the conservative Popular Party (PP), who explained that over this week a plan will be approved that will help to compensate the losses from the hostelry and retail sector, but did not go into detail about the assistance.
9th Nov 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Coronavirus: Hungary and Portugal in partial lockdown
Hungary and Portugal are introducing new coronavirus restrictions to stem the second wave of infection now affecting most of Europe. Hungary's partial lockdown will include starting the current night curfew earlier, so it runs from 20:00 to 05:00 local time (19:00 to 04:00 GMT). Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the month-long curbs would include limits on public gatherings and closure of schools, restaurants and universities. Portugal has imposed a night curfew. Its state of emergency has started and is set to last at least two weeks. The curfew covers 70% of the population, including Lisbon and Porto. On weekdays it runs from 23:00 to 05:00 local time, but at weekends it will run from 13:00 to 05:00. Hungary's state of emergency is expected to get parliamentary approval on Tuesday, as Mr Orban's supporters have a majority.
9th Nov 2020 - BBC
New COVID Lockdown Triggers Fight Over Fate Of France's Bookstores
While small business owners across France are feeling the pinch of the nation’s second COVID lockdown, the economic plight of bookstores has taken center stage in the roaring debate about how to fight the pandemic. Late last month, President Emmanuel Macron announced the nation would go into confinement again as COVID rates raced out of control. But he also signaled that this second lockdown would be different based on lessons learned from the two-month shutdown in the Spring. For instance, schools that closed earlier this year have remained largely open.
9th Nov 2020 - Forbes
France to 'limit impact' of new lockdown with schools, public services open
The Banque de France predicts economic activity in November will decline by 12 percent under the country's second Covid-19 lockdown. That compares to a 31 percent decline during the first confinement in April, with the decision to maintain public services and keep schools open playing "a key role" in limiting the economic impact. The new figures were published on Monday in Banque de France's economic forecast under the new lockdown measures.
9th Nov 2020 - Yahoo News UK
Hungary announces lockdown measures to curb coronavirus infections -PM Orban
Hungary will close secondary sc