Live updates: Portugal tightens travel rules due to virus

LISBON, Portugal — All aerial passengers coming to Portugal indispensable committee their planes with a antagonistic coronavirus trial if they privation to participate the state opening connected Wednesday, erstwhile Portugal enacts its 2nd authorities of exigency this twelvemonth arsenic it tries to halt a surge successful caller infections, authorities said Tuesday.

The manager of Lisbon’s airport, Rui Alves, told reporters that travelers volition beryllium fixed antithetic wristbands depending connected wherever their travel originated to easiness their recognition during the airdrome screening process. The caller introduction rules were drafted earlier the archetypal cases of the omicron variant were reported successful the state successful the past fewer days.

Those who neglect to amusement a antagonistic trial look fines ranging from 300 to 800 euros ($340 to $910).

Airlines that transport untested passengers could besides beryllium fined 20,000 euros per idiosyncratic and, if they persist, could adjacent suffer their operating license.

PCR oregon antigen trial results volition beryllium required for those arriving by onshore from extracurricular of the European Union and from astir EU countries considered astatine precocious oregon medium-high risk.

Ad

___

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— New accusation shows omicron dispersed wider earlier than thought

— The EU’s aesculapian agency says it volition instrumentality 2 weeks to person an denotation whether the existent COVID-19 vaccines volition beryllium capable to woody with the caller omicron variant

— U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says caller COVID-19 variant could dilatory the system and hiring, portion besides raising uncertainty astir inflation.

— Face masks are again mandatory successful England successful shops and connected nationalist transport owed to the caller variant

Ad

— See each of AP’s pandemic sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

—-

RIGA, Latvia — U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had thing but praise for South Africa connected however it has alerted the satellite to the caller omicron variant of COVID-19.

“I truly privation to applaud and explicit gratitude to South Africa and its authorities for its bonzer transparency and besides the precise important enactment it did successful detecting this caller variant and successful making it known to the world," helium said. “That’s precisely I think, a exemplary of work that South Africa has exhibited that we would anticipation everyone successful the satellite would show, due to the fact that we are each successful this together.”

Blinken spoke Tuesday astatine a NATO overseas ministers gathering successful Riga, Latvia.

___

LONDON — New measures to combat the caller omicron variant of coronavirus took effect successful England connected Tuesday, with look coverings again compulsory successful shops and connected nationalist transportation, arsenic the authorities said it would connection each adults a booster dose of vaccine wrong 2 months to bolster the nation’s immunity.

Ad

From Tuesday morning, each travelers returning to the U.K. indispensable besides instrumentality a PCR trial and self-isolate until they person a antagonistic result.

The reintroduction of mandatory look masks brings England person successful enactment with the remainder of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — which had kept immoderate restrictions successful spot aft England lifted each mandatory measures successful the summer.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the caller measures volition “buy america clip successful the face” of the caller variant. He said that portion galore radical felt an understandable “sense of exhaustion” astatine the imaginable of renewed restrictions, the U.K.’s presumption is “immeasurably amended than it was a twelvemonth ago.”

The authorities said Tuesday that 22 cases of the omicron variant person been identified crossed the U.K., a fig that is expected to rise.

___

ATHENS — Residents successful Greece implicit 60 years aged volition person to acquisition mandatory vaccinations against coronavirus oregon look monthly 100-euro ($114) fines opening adjacent year, the premier curate announced Tuesday, declaring the country’s archetypal wide inoculation mandate.

Ad

The Greek authorities decided upon the measurement successful effect to a surge successful caller regular infections and the emergence of the omicron variant. It volition instrumentality effect connected Jan. 16 and the fines volition beryllium added to taxation bills, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said successful a televised statement.

Greece’s wide COVID-19 decease toll exceeded 18,000 this week with confirmed caller infections astatine precocious levels. Roughly a 4th of the country’s big colonisation remains unvaccinated.

Vaccination mandates were introduced implicit the summertime for wellness attraction workers and occurrence work rescuers successful Greece, with those failing to comply being suspended from their jobs indefinitely without pay.

The authorities has ruled retired imposing caller lockdowns but says it is targeting the aged with tougher restrictions to support the nationalist wellness work arsenic ICU occupancy is adjacent capableness nationwide.

“The caller omicron variant is simply a interest for america and means we indispensable beryllium vigilant,” Mitsotakis said.

Ad

___

BERLIN — Germany’s nationalist and authorities leaders volition determine Thursday connected caller measures to tackle a crisp emergence successful coronavirus infections, officials said aft the country’s outgoing and incoming chancellors conferred with governors.

The measures are apt to see restrictions connected buying for unvaccinated radical and limiting crowds astatine shot matches, on with imaginable moves toward a vaccine mandate for all.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor, Olaf Scholz, held talks with Germany’s 16 authorities governors connected Tuesday, hours aft the country’s apical tribunal strengthened politicians’ manus by rejecting complaints against curfews and different restrictions imposed earlier this year.

Many states person tightened rules of their ain accord, but experts and politicians person called for much coordinated nationalist enactment arsenic corruption rates deed caller highs.

Tuesday’s talks brought statement that “additional measures” are needed to trim infections and unit connected hospitals, Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said successful a statement.

Ad

___

MOSCOW -- Russian authorities connected Tuesday tightened coronavirus restrictions due to the fact that of the omicron variant, adjacent though the state has yet to study its archetypal confirmed case.

Anna Popova, caput of Russia’s nationalist wellness bureau Rospotrebnadzor, announced Tuesday that travelers arriving from countries wherever the hazard of contracting the omicron variant of coronavirus is precocious volition person to quarantine for 2 weeks. She didn’t specify which countries were connected the list.

Popova besides said that results of PCR tests for coronavirus, utilized successful galore Russian regions to summation entree to nationalist places, volition stay valid for lone 48 hours alternatively of 72 hours.

“The caller variant so elicits superior concerns and demands immediate, broad study,” Popova said.

___

GENEVA — The Swiss authorities says travelers arriving from Canada, Japan, Niger and Portugal volition beryllium required starting Wednesday to contiguous some a antagonistic COVID-19 trial and acquisition a 10-day quarantine.

Ad

The caller measures were announced connected Tuesday aft cases of the recently identified coronavirus variant omicron turned up successful those countries.

On Friday, the Swiss authorities initiated a akin request for travelers from Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel, and banned each flights from 7 countries successful confederate Africa wherever cases of the variant were archetypal detected.

___

WASHINGTON — Drugmaker Regeneron says that its COVID-19 antibody cocktail whitethorn beryllium little effectual against the omicron variant, though the institution says much investigating is needed to gauge the effect.

Regeneron’s cocktail is 1 of 3 antibody treatments that person go the modular U.S. treatments for COVID-19 patients who bash not yet necessitate hospitalization. The national authorities has purchased and distributed millions of doses of the drugs, which are infused oregon injected by wellness professionals.

Because of mutations successful the omicron variant, wellness authorities person warned that immoderate vaccines and antibodies whitethorn suffer their potency.

Ad

Regeneron says it is doing much investigation to specify the variant’s interaction connected its drug’s effectiveness.

The institution besides says it is investigating alternate antibodies that whitethorn beryllium much effectual against the caller variant.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Swedish Public Health Agency connected Tuesday recommended that anyone entering Sweden who wrong the past 7 days has traveled extracurricular the Nordic countries should beryllium tested arsenic soon arsenic imaginable for COVID-19 and “preferably connected the aforesaid day.”

The bureau said that the proposal applies to some vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Children nether preschool property are excluded.

The caput of the agency, Karin Tegmark Wise, said “it is important to instrumentality further measures to beryllium capable to observe cases early, truthful that corruption power measures tin beryllium implemented.”

The Nordic countries are Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

___

MADRID — Spain’s authorities has banned flights connecting aerial routes from South Africa and six neighboring countries to the European state owed to fears of the caller omicron coronavirus variant.

Ad

The bid affects immoderate connecting flights from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Spain has nary nonstop flights to confederate Africa. The bid volition instrumentality effect connected Thursday.

Spanish wellness authorities person reported 1 confirmed lawsuit of the omicron strain successful a 51-year-old antheral who flew from South Africa to Madrid via Amsterdam. He was afloat vaccinated and is showing mild symptoms. Three much imaginable cases are nether investigation.

Much remains chartless astir the caller variant, though the World Health Organization warned that the planetary hazard from the variant is “very high” and aboriginal grounds suggests it could beryllium much contagious.

___

RIGA, Latvia — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the caller omicron variant of the coronavirus, which was discovered successful South Africa, underscores the constituent that “none of america volition beryllium afloat harmless until everyone is.”

Speaking successful Riga, Latvia, during a two-day gathering of the NATO overseas ministers, Blinken besides noted “a existent disparity” betwixt vaccinations successful Africa and the United States and Europe.

Ad

“We person vaccination rates successful the United States, successful Europe of 50, 60, 70%, depending connected precisely who you’re counting. And successful Africa, it’s much similar 14, 15% oregon less.”

He noted that sometimes the proviso of vaccines whitethorn really beryllium capable to conscionable the needs, but the quality to get shots successful arms is lacking.

He said the United States was moving connected a solution that “brings the backstage assemblage into the crippled to assistance lick these last-mile problems of getting shots and arms. We’re putting that into into question now.”

___

SINGAPORE — Singapore volition tighten borderline restrictions arsenic it seeks to defender against the caller omicron coronavirus variant that has dispersed to astatine slightest 16 countries and sparked planetary concern.

Authorities announced Tuesday that Singapore volition frost the summation of caller vaccinated question lanes which already are successful usage to let travelers from countries similar the U.S. and Malaysia to participate Singapore without quarantine. Authorities said Tuesday they were suspending plans to see different countries successful the program.

Ad

Singapore had already deferred the motorboat of vaccinated question lanes with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates connected Sunday, fixed their proximity arsenic transport hubs to countries similar Botswana, South Africa, and different African countries which person been deed by the omicron variant.

___

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said helium tasked the authorities to enactment up a revised program of COVID-19 effect wrong a week, taking into relationship the caller omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The Russian person said Russia’s wellness attraction strategy should beryllium prepared for the caller challenges of the changing virus, adding that globally, the satellite tin efficaciously combat the pandemic lone with “coordinated actions of the planetary community.”

Russia inactive hasn’t reported immoderate confirmed cases of omicron. It hasn’t halted flights with African nations but has restricted question from respective African countries.

Ad

___

BRUSSELS — The omicron variant was already successful the Netherlands erstwhile South Africa alerted the World Health Organization astir it past week, Dutch wellness authorities said Tuesday, adding to fearfulness and disorder implicit the caller mentation of the coronavirus.

The Netherlands’ RIVM wellness institute recovered omicron successful samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. The WHO said South Africa archetypal reported the the variant to the U.N. steadfast bureau connected Nov. 24.

It remains unclear wherever oregon erstwhile the variant archetypal emerged — but that hasn’t stopped nations from rushing to enforce question restrictions, particularly connected visitors coming from confederate Africa.

Much is inactive not known astir the variant — though the WHO warned that the planetary hazard from the variant is “very high” and aboriginal grounds suggests it could beryllium much contagious.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.