Many countries have canceled festive plans over the Omicron variant

France

The daily new coronavirus cases in France and Italy have soared to record highs. On Thursday, France confirmed 91,608 new cases, and Italy confirmed 44,595, which is the highest daily record for the two countries so far.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran stated that the highly contagious variant of Omicron is spreading in France, just like in other countries, where the number of new cases doubles every two days. He said that the number of cases per day may soon exceed 100,000.

Due to the increase in the number of people in quarantine, Veran expressed concern that public services (including medical and public transportation) may lack staff. He said that the government is considering shortening the mandatory 10-day quarantine period for people diagnosed with the infection.

The UK

The UK has decided to reduce the isolation period from 10 days to 7 days to avoid a shortage of workers.

The UK recorded 106,122 Covid-19 cases-a new record in a single day, with more than 100,000 reported cases per day for the first time. The government also stated that within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, another 140 people died.

A few hours after experts stated that children aged 5 to 11 who were in the clinical risk group or were in contact with the family of immunosuppressed patients should be vaccinated with the Covid vaccine, the first six-digit total appeared.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) ruled out the possibility of immediately recommending injections for this age group. A record 968,665 booster and third doses were reported in the UK on Tuesday, surpassing the record of 940,606 doses set on Saturday.

The UK has now delivered more than 30.8 million doses of the booster and third doses, and 6.1 million doses have been delivered in the past 7 days.

Greece

In light of the spread of Omicron variants, Greece announced new Covid-19 measures.

Health Minister Thanos Plevris said at a press conference on Thursday that from 6 am local time on Friday, indoor and outdoor spaces will once again be mandatory to wear masks. Supermarkets and public transportation require double-layer masks or high-protection masks.

Holiday celebrations canceled: Plevris added that all public Christmas and New Year celebrations planned by the municipality have been canceled.

It is strongly recommended that all passengers arriving in Greece undergo a Covid test on the 2nd and 4th day after arrival, in addition to the existing requirement to provide a negative pre-departure test upon entry.

These measures will continue until January 3, when according to the Minister of Health, there may be more restrictions on sports and entertainment venues and remote work. Any further measures will be announced early next week.

NYC

In the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, more than a dozen Broadway shows were closed this week because the actors or staff tested positive for Covid-19-the industry is usually busy during the holidays.

Due to the pandemic, Broadway returned after being suspended for 18 months, so eligible audiences, staff, performers and other staff need to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Safety measures, including wearing masks, are designed to kick off the curtain as the United States enters another Christmas that has been damaged by the rising Covid-19 epidemic and work stoppages.