Coronavirus: Japan to ban new entry from around world as cases linked to UK strain rise
- The ban will begin on December 28 and run until the end of January after Japan confirmed seven cases of a new Covid-19 variant found in Britain
- Meanwhile, Thailand reported 64 infections connected to an outbreak in a seafood centre in Samut Sakhon
The suspension will begin on Monday and run until the end of January, Kyodo reported, citing government officials.
Two more people were confirmed on Saturday to have been infected with a new coronavirus variant, while the country reported a national record of more than 3,870 new cases, marking the highest daily increase for the fourth day in a row.
The two are a pilot who stayed in Britain and one of his family members, and they have been hospitalised in Tokyo, according to the Health Ministry.
The ministry on Friday reported its first cases of a new coronavirus variant identified in the UK.
Five people were sent into quarantine after their infections were confirmed upon their arrival from Britain between December 18 and December 21, Health Minister Norihisa Tamura told a news conference late Friday. The five arrived before Japan began on Thursday to impose a temporary ban on foreign visitors from Britain.
Currently only Japanese citizens and foreign nationals with resident status are allowed to enter the country. They are required to go into quarantine for 14 days after arrival.
Meanwhile, there were 949 new cases in Tokyo, also the highest single-day tally, as the government urged the public to refrain from social gatherings during the new year holiday.
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Thai seafood market cluster grows
Of the new infections, 30 were among migrant workers and 16 were imported cases, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the country’s Covid-19 task force, told a briefing.
Thai protesters demonstrated on Saturday to demand more action to help seafood sellers hit by the outbreak as the government urged people to eat more shellfish.
Seafood sellers say business has fallen in a country whose economy had already been badly hit by a collapse in tourism.
“We want the government to create confidence in shrimp consumption,” said Piyarat Chongthep, among the scores of protesters at Government House, some of whom briefly scuffled with police.
A major shrimp exporter, Thailand sold 36 billion baht (US$1.2 billion) worth in the first 10 months of 2020, industry association data showed.
“The problem now is there is no market,” said one shrimp seller at Government House.
Thailand has a total of 6,020 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.
South Korea’s outbreaks in prisons, nursing homes widen
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said there were 1,132 new cases on Friday, not too far off the record of 1,241 logged a day earlier.
“The virus is spreading whenever and wherever it wants,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told an intra-agency meeting, adding that people were also being infected at small gatherings with friends and acquaintances. “As we stand at the crossroads of the third wave, how we stop the spread hinges on how we spend this year-end and New Year period.”
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The government plans to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss whether it will tighten distancing rules to the toughest level for the greater Seoul area.
That would shut another 1.2 million stores and allow only essential workers into offices. Curbs currently in place have closed night clubs, karaoke bars and other night entertainment venues as well as banned on-site dining after 9pm.
The current largest cluster is at a prison in eastern Seoul, where 514 inmates and workers have been infected, prompting health authorities to test all people there. The virus likely spread easily as the prison consists of five, high-rise buildings and suffers from overcapacity, a health official said.
South Korea’s total infections now stand at 54,770, with 773 deaths, KDCA data showed.
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Lockdown on Sydney’s northern beaches extended
Australian authorities extended a lockdown for Sydney’s Northern Beaches until at least December 30 and urged the rest of the city to avoid crowds as a cluster of Covid-19 infections continues to grow.
Nine new cases were recorded overnight, taking the cluster’s total size to 116. Health officials remain concerned that the virus spread across the city in the days leading to Christmas, and have urged Sydneysiders to limit their activities in coming days and avoid Boxing Day shopping sales in the central business district.
“There are still concerns about the CBD and still concerns about people in the Northern Beaches who may unintentionally have spread the virus,” New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters Saturday. “Our strategy is to nip this in the bud as soon as we can.”
The outbreak is a blow to Australia, which had largely suppressed community transmission through rigorous testing and contact tracing, and by shuttering the international border – with all returned overseas travellers made to isolate for 14 days in quarantine hotels.
Some 250,000 people in the Northern Beaches have been told to remain at home except for essential medical care and provisions and not to allow visitors. Groups of up to five or 10 people will be able to gather outside for exercise, depending on whether they are in the worst-affected areas.
Authorities are still trying to pinpoint the source of the cluster that’s seen Sydney’s 5 million residents barred from travelling to other states and territories in the peak summer holiday season. Prior outbreaks in the states of Victoria and South Australia were linked to breaches at quarantine hotels that saw the virus leak into the community.
Malaysia logs highest single-day infections
Malaysia logged the highest single-day jump in new infections, three weeks after the government relaxed restrictions on movements in some places to bolster the economy.
Saturday’s 2,335 cases topped the previous high of 2,234 on December 10, according to data from the health ministry. The total number of positive cases topped 100,000 this week.
Philippines evaluates emergency use for Pfizer jab
The Philippines is evaluating the emergency use of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, the presidential spokesman said on Saturday.
Pfizer was the first company to seek the Philippine regulator’s approval for emergency use of its coronavirus vaccine, Harry Roque, spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement.
It will take the food and drugs agency 21 days to evaluate and approve the vaccine, he said, adding that inoculation would start as soon as stocks become available.
Duterte also extended a ban on flights from the UK by another two weeks to mid-January in a bid to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant.
He also ordered a 14-day quarantine for passengers that came from or transited in Britain, and from places where the strain was detected, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Japan.
Reporting by dpa, Reuters, Bloomberg
