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Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Thailand's public health ministry will propose reinstating mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors, while the country reported its first case of local Omicron transmission.
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A cyclist working for a delivery company rides on an empty road downtown Rotterdam on December 19, 2021, on the first day of The Netherlands' (AFP/Marco de Swart)
T
he Netherlands went into lockdown on Sunday and the possibility of more COVID-19 restrictions being imposed ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays loomed over several European countries as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly.
Asia-Pacific
* Japan will extend a curb on foreigners entering the country beyond year-end, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing anonymous government sources.
* Thailand's public health ministry will propose reinstating mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors, while the country reported its first case of local Omicron transmission.
* Australian authorities resisted calls to make masks mandatory indoors and limit the numbers of patrons at Sydney venues, even as new infections lingered near records.
* Beijing said it is advising residents not to leave town during a major holiday season in early 2022.
Read also: Third Omicron case sparks call for vigilance in Indonesia
Europe
* Britain reported a surge in Omicron cases on Saturday, while the country's health minister on Sunday declined to rule out the chance of further restrictions before Christmas.
* Germany ruled out a Christmas lockdown but warned a fifth COVID-19 wave could no longer be stopped. It will also impose quarantine on travellers from Britain from midnight on Monday and require a negative COVID-19 test for entry into the country.
* Italy is considering new measures to avoid a surge in infections during the holidays, local newspapers reported.
* The Kremlin is convinced that the World Health Organization will recognise Russia's flagship Sputnik V vaccine within a few months, the Interfax news agency cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.
* Ukraine has detected its first case of the Omicron variant.Americas
* Two years into the pandemic, the United States is confronting another dark winter, with the Omicron variant threatening to worsen an already dangerous surge of cases.
* US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker said they both tested positive for COVID-19 and were experiencing mild symptoms.
* Peru has detected its first cases of Omicron.
* A US appeals court reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, which covers 80 million American workers, prompting opponents to rush to the Supreme Court to ask it to intervene.
Middle East and Africa
* Israel is in the midst of a fifth COVID-19 wave due to the Omicron variant, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
* Iran has confirmed its first case of Omicron, while authorities urged Iranians to get their booster doses in the Middle East's worst-hit country.
Medical Developments
* Omicron has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, the WHO said.
Economic Impact
* Asian shares fell to one-year lows on Monday and oil prices slid nearly 3 percent as surging Omicron COVID-19 cases triggered tighter curbs in Europe and threatened to swamp the global economy into the New Year.
