That’s it from the global Covid live blog for today. Thanks for following along and have a lovely weekend.
Remember, you can keep in the loop with all the latest coronavirus news as it happens here. Goodbye for now.
The allegations of rule-breaking surrounding the British Prime Minister and Downing Street have left Boris Johnson “unable to lead”, Labour’s leader is due to say.
Sir Keir Starmer, in a speech at the Fabian Society conference, is preparing to accuse the Conservatives of running down the health service and the Prime Minister of being “too preoccupied defending his rule breaking” to turn it around.
It follows a week in which Mr Johnson has faced calls from Tory MPs to resign after he admitted to attending a “bring your own booze” event in the No 10 garden during the first coronavirus lockdown in May 2020, PA Media reported.
On Saturday, Sir Keir is due to set out his “personal crusade” for NHS reform, accusing subsequent Tory-led administrations of allowing the health service to fall into a “critical condition”.
Sir Keir is set to say:
Rather than concentrating on getting through the pandemic and bringing down waiting lists, this self-indulgent Tory party is instead having a fight about a leader who they should have known from the start is not fit for office.
We are witnessing the broken spectacle of a Prime Minister mired in deceit and deception, unable to lead. When we left office 12 years ago, the Conservatives inherited a strong NHS. Waiting times were the shortest on record. Today, NHS waiting lists are the highest since records began.
And it is not good enough to blame all this on Covid - this mess has been much longer in the making. This Government has to bear the responsibility. Why have we got to this point, where the NHS itself is in a critical condition?
The US Marine Corps has approved its first two Covid vaccine exemptions based on religious reasons, something no other military service has done so far.
The Marines said they have received 3,350 requests for religious exemptions to the mandatory vaccine as of Thursday, and denied 3,212.
No information about the specific approvals was provided, and it’s not clear if the Marine Corps has ever granted a religious exemption for any vaccine in the past, the Associated Press reported.
The services have come under criticism for their failure to grant religious exemptions, with members of Congress, the military and the public questioning if the review processes have been fair.
Overall, service leaders have said that religious exemptions to any of the many vaccines required by the military over the years have been very rare. Troops are required to get as many as 17 different vaccines.
In a statement, the Marines said “all current exemption requests are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Each request will be given full consideration with respect to the facts and circumstances submitted in the request. “
The Marines, however, have also vastly outpaced the other military services in discharging troops who refuse to get the vaccine. As of Thursday, the Corps had discharged 351 Marines for refusing the shots.
The United States government is pushing ahead with other efforts to encourage people to get Covid jabs after the Supreme Court put a halt to the administration’s sweeping vaccinate-or-test plan for large employers.
The Associated Press reported today:
Concerned but not giving up, President Joe Biden is anxiously pushing ahead to prod people to get Covid-19 shots after the Supreme Court put a halt to the administration’s sweeping vaccinate-or-test plan for large employers.
At a time when hospitals are being overrun and record numbers of people are getting infected with the omicron variant, the administration hopes states and companies will order their own vaccinate- or-test requirements. And if the presidential “bully pulpit” still counts for persuasion, Biden intends to use it.
While some in the business community cheered the defeat of the mandate, Biden insisted the administration effort has not been for naught. The high court’s ruling on Thursday “does not stop me from using my voice as president to advocate for employers to do the right thing to protect Americans’ health and economy,” he said.
The court’s conservative majority all-but-struck down the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s requirement that employers with 100 or more employees require their workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or tested weekly. However, it did leave in place a vaccination requirement for health care workers.
In Brazil, the former federal judge Sergio Moro, who is widely expected to run in the presidential election later this year, said on Friday that he has tested positive for Covid despite being fully vaccinated.
“I tested positive for Covid. Since I had taken all three vaccine doses, I have no symptoms. I will comply with isolation protocols, so some scheduled appointments will have to be rescheduled,” Moro, who served as justice minister under President Jair Bolsonaro before splitting with the far-right leader, said on social media.
Moro became a household name in Brazil for leading Operation Car Wash, the country’s largest ever corruption probe.
In Britain, there have been yet more revelations about the booze and party culture at Downing Street during the nationwide lockdown.
The Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports that No 10 staff held ‘wine-time Fridays’ throughout the pandemic with Boris Johnson regularly witnessing the gatherings.
Her sources say PM encouraged aides to “let off steam” despite indoor socialising being banned under lockdown rules.
It is understood staff bought a £142 fridge to store their bottles of wine, Prosecco and beer, while aides visited the nearby Tesco Express with a wheely suitcase to stock up ahead of the weekly gatherings.
It was mostly press office staff but a military adviser now commanding UK’s largest warship also turned up to one event, while the prime minister attended “a handful” of gatherings - but witnessed many more.
Johnson told his staff to “let off steam” at a time when the rest of the country could not gather with friends, it is reported.
Hello. Tom Ambrose here, I’ll be bringing you all the latest Covid news from around the world over the next few hours.
We start with news that 15 Brazilian children received Covid vaccines on Friday, marking the start of an effort that was delayed several weeks by the federal government’s reluctance to endorse the immunisation of children.
The country’s health regulator issued approval on 16 December for the administration of the Pfizer shot to kids aged 5 to 11. The decision incensed Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who has since complained about vaccinating children, saying he won’t let his 11-year-old daughter get shots and warning of possible side effects.
A study released by US health authorities in late December determined that serious side effects of the Pfizer vaccine in 5 to 11-year-olds are rare. The results were based on approximately 8 million doses dispensed to youngsters in that age group, the Associated Press reported.
Rather than follow the regulators’ guidance, Bolsonaro’s health ministry published an online questionnaire asking if children should need a doctor’s prescription to get the shot. Some of the president’s supporters, like him leery of vaccines, campaigned on social media apps for people to vote against them for children.
Despite that, a majority of the survey’s almost 100,000 participants opposed the need for prescriptions and the health ministry announced last week that it would allow children to be vaccinated.
Summary
Here are some of the key points from today’s coverage:
- Polish Covid advisers have quit over concerns the government is not following science. More than two thirds of the board that advises the government on action and legislation to fight the pandemic resigned today, citing “very limited action” against the ongoing spread of Omicron.
- The UK has reported 99,652 new positive Covid-19 cases and 270 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test. There’s evidence the Omicron wave has peaked - in northeast England, the last part of the UK that appeared to still have rising numbers, the seven-day average is on the decline. Today 99,652 cases were recorded nationally, about half the peak seen at the start of January.
- The Netherlands will reopen its non-essential shops and some services this weekend, despite reporting a record 35,000 cases in a day.
- Novak Djokovic is set to be detained in Australia this weekend after border officials cancelled his visa for a second time. He is scheduled for an interview with Border Force at 8am Saturday.
- This afternoon, Mark Drakeford set out a plan for most Covid restrictions in Wales to be eased by the end of January. The two-week plan will see the end of limits on outdoor activities, allowing up to 500 people to meet outside, and the reopening of nightclubs. The work from home law will be scrapped.
- Germany reached a record 92,223 daily cases of coronavirus.
- The Omicron variant is now dominant in Italy, the country’s health body said.
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Police in Italy objected to being sent pink face masks to wear on duty. After opening the boxes, many of the officers refused to wear the “inappropriate” masks, prompting Stefano Paolini, the chief of a police union, to write a letter to the head of police at the interior ministry, Lamberto Giannini.
- Downing Street has apologised to Buckingham Palace for two staff parties in Number 10 on the night before Philip’s funeral.
The Covid live blog will pause for a while - please follow the UK politics blog for updates on Boris Johnson
Updated
Netherlands to lift some Covid restrictions from Saturday
Coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands will be eased as of Saturday, despite a record number of infections due to the Omicron variant, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said on Friday.
Non-essential stores, hairdressers, beauty salons and other service providers will be allowed to reopen under strict conditions until 5pm for the first time since mid-December, reports Reuters.
Bars, restaurants, cafes and cultural locations will remain closed until at least 25 January, Rutte told the first press conference since a new government was sworn in on Monday.
The Netherlands reported a record 35,521 positive coronavirus cases on Friday, topping the previous high of 31,256 that was reached one week ago. Meanwhile, the total number of hospitalisations has dipped to the lowest level in 74 days, according to NL Times.
Infections have continued to rise despite the winter curb on gatherings, with a record of more than 200,000 in the week to 11 January, according to the Netherlands Institute for Health (RIVM). It was the first European country to go into lockdown as the highly contagious Omicron variant spread to Europe.
Updated
The Netherlands will not send a diplomatic group to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics because of Covid restrictions on meetings, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Reuters has this report:
“Because of the Covid-19 measures in place in China there would only be limited opportunities for ... bilateral contacts with the host country where the Netherlands’ great concern about the human rights situation could be discussed in a meaningful way,” said Frits Kemperman, a foreign ministry spokesperson.
The Dutch decision comes amid a US-led diplomatic boycott to protest against China’s human rights record, joined by Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan. China denies rights abuses and has condemned the boycott as betraying Olympic principles.
The Winter Olympics are scheduled for 4-20 February. In July, the European Parliament urged the EU to boycott the games in Beijing unless China “demonstrates a verifiable improvement in the human rights situation in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in China”.
The government under president Xi Jinping has faced international allegations of committing atrocities against the Uyghur minority community in the Xinjiang region of north-western China.
As part of its zero-Covid strategy, China has enforced tough restrictions, despite the mounting toll on its economy and people. From mass tests to lockdowns, China is on high-alert to keep the Omicron variant at bay ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Across the country, about 20 million people are now under strict lockdown, including 13 million residents of the north-western city of Xi’an, who are entering their third week of home confinement.
Updated
Polish Covid advisers quit over concerns government not following science
More than two-thirds of Poland’s Covid-19 medical advisory body resigned on Friday, saying the government was not heeding their advice in its response to the pandemic.
AP reports:
In a statement, 13 of the board’s 17 members said they were experiencing a ‘lack of political possibilities to introduce the optimal and globally tested methods of fighting the pandemic’.
They also complained of a ‘growing tolerance’ in the government for state officials who play down the threat of the pandemic or the need for vaccination.
The mass resignation comes days after a regional education official was criticised for describing Covid vaccines as an “experiment”.
Poland’s government has ignored calls for her dismissal.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, outgoing board members said “very limited action” was taken during the autumn surge and against the ongoing threat from the fast-spreading omicron variant, “despite an expected huge number of deaths”.
Morawiecki’s office said the government had to take into account various differing opinions from businesspeople and educators. It said the makeup of the advisory body will be changed, but gave no details.
To counter a rise in infections, Poland’s government brought in restrictions last month on access to indoor public areas, but avoided a lockdown or outdoor mask mandate.
This week Poland’s coronavirus death toll topped 100,000. Its death rate per 100 million inhabitants is currently among the highest in the world, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford, at more than 57 compared to about 34 in the United States and 38 in Russia.
Only 56% of its 38 million population is vaccinated – lower than the average in the European Union.
Updated
Rwanda public sector staff have been told to get jabbed or resign, reports AFP.
Rwandan authorities on Friday told public sector workers to get vaccinated against Covid or resign, further tightening the strict pandemic measures which have seen people flee the country.
“Rights of people have limits,” said local government minister Jean Marie Gatabazi.
“We have given them [public servants] time to think. Those who refused to be vaccinated categorically they resign from their jobs”, he added.
Gatabazi, talking on national television, added that the state must protect the right of the vaccinated not to be infected by the virus.
Rwanda, with a population of 13 million, has enforced some of the strictest anti-Covid measures in Africa and implemented a rigorous regime of testing and contact-tracing.
According to AFP, quoting local sources, about 100 Rwandans have crossed into Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days, saying they are fleeing the country’s Covid-19 vaccination rules.
Small groups of Rwandans, traveling by canoe, have landed on the southern edge of Idjwi island in Lake Kivu, which straddles the border, Karongo Kalaja, the administrator of Idjwi, told AFP.
Updated
Let’s dip back into the Djokovic story now for the latest update as the tennis star faces deportation. Legal wrangling is set to continue across the weekend, but here’s a rundown of what happened today.
-
Novak Djokovic’s visa was cancelled for a second time today on the basis his presence could “excite anti-vaccination sentiment”.
- His legal team are appealing today’s decision.
- In just a few hours’ time he is scheduled to be interviewed by Australian immigration officials (at 8am Melbourne time).
- The proceedings have been transferred to Federal Court, and the full hearing will take place on Sunday morning, the day before the Australian Open begins.
If the decision by Alex Hawke, the immigration minister, to cancel the visa stands, that will of course prevent Djokovic from playing at the Australian Open, and also lead to him being put on a plane home at the earliest opportunity.
Novak Djokovic’s diary this weekend (courtesy of our reporter Paul Karp):
- 8am Saturday – interview with Border Force
- Then detention, including
- 10am-2pm at his lawyers’ offices on Saturday; then
- From 9am on Sunday, also at his lawyers’ offices, this time for the hearing
Updated
UK reports 99,652 new Covid-19 cases
The UK has reported 99,652 new positive Covid-19 cases and 270 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
That compares with 109,133 cases and 335 coronavirus-related deaths recorded on Thursday.
The latest data showed that 111,849 people had received their booster or third dose, bringing the total number of booster or third doses administered in the UK to 36,191,724.
The #COVID19 Dashboard has been updated: https://t.co/XhspoyTG79
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) January 14, 2022
On 14 January 99,652 new cases and 270 deaths in 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK.
Our data includes the number of people receiving a first, second and booster dose of the #vaccine pic.twitter.com/CMeWfO7eWM
The former UK government head responsible for Covid rules held a “boozy” leaving party during Christmas lockdown, the Telegraph reports.
Blistering revelations of merry-making inside Downing Street just keep on coming. Check out our live politics blog, where Matthew Weaver reveals every gory detail.
Kate Josephs, the former head of the government unit responsible for drawing up Covid-19 restrictions and chief executive of Sheffield City Council, was given a leaving party days before Christmas – and 24 hours before Number 10 staff hosted their own festive do.
The Telegraph has reported that “dozens” of officials from the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 taskforce attended the event on 17 December 2020 while the country was still under lockdown. Josephs has admitted she attended the gathering and issued an apology earlier today.
EXCLUSIVE :
— Harry Yorke (@HarryYorke1) January 14, 2022
Kate Josephs, the former head of the Government unit responsible for drawing covid-19 restrictions, was given a leaving do in the Cabinet Office on December 17 2020 - the day before the Number 10 Xmas Partyhttps://t.co/KB5XmRO4Ds
Updated
In pictures: Netherlands’ restaurants reopen in lockdown protest
Shops, bars and restaurants in a southern Dutch town opened on Friday in a protest action that underscored growing anger at weeks of coronavirus lockdown measures, a day before some of the restrictions are expected to be eased, AP reports.
In Valkenburg, the town’s mayor, Daan Prevoo, has given the green light to retailers who reopen in defiance of the current lockdown.
“Everyone has the right to demonstrate and this is what I consider the shopkeepers’ action to be,” he told RTL Nieuws. The Valkenburg protest is taking place on Friday from 10am to 4pm, ahead of a government press conference this evening.
The country has been under strict lockdown rules since 19 December, with all public venues, shops and dining establishments closed except for supermarkets and pharmacies. But, according to local media channels, Covid rules in the Netherlands will be relaxed tomorrow – subject to government talks today.
Non-essential stores, hairdressers and gyms will be able to open from 15 January, with a cap on customer numbers, reported broadcasters NOS and RTL, citing government sources.
Students will also be allowed back to colleges and universities - but bars, restaurants, museums and other attractions are expected to remain closed.
Updated
Larry Elliott: Omicron likely to slow UK bounceback from economic Covid shock
It has taken a year and a half but the UK economy has regained the ground lost during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 0.9% monthly increase in output in November was down to: the easing of supply chain bottlenecks that had been hitting manufacturing and construction firms; consumers shopping early for Christmas; and people feeling more confident about going out to enjoy themselves.
Here’s our economics editor, Larry Elliott, on the forces that may hold back recovery:
A better than anticipated performance last November means national output is now 0.7% higher than it was in February 2020.
Other countries reached this milestone sooner, with the US, for example, already operating well above its previous peak. Even so, Britain has experienced what economists call a V-shaped recession, with a precipitous drop in activity in March and April 2020 followed by a brisk – if occasionally interrupted – recovery.
That pattern is explained by the nature of the Covid shock. Governments imposed lockdowns in an attempt to prevent the virus spreading and, once the restrictions were eased, businesses that had been closed reopened and economies bounced back. The UK economy contracted by less during the financial crisis of 2008-09 than it did in 2020 but took much longer to regain the lost ground.
The arrival of the Omicron variant has muddied the waters.
January will be another tough month, so the chances are that the economy will fall back below its February 2020 peak. If, as expected, the government decides to ease restrictions in England later this month, output will recover again in February and March.
But as Paul Dales of Capital Economics notes, in April the economy will be hit by a double whammy of rocketing energy bills and higher taxes. As is often the case with the UK economy, it will be one step forward, one step back.
Updated
More than 10,000 people in Scotland have died after testing positive for coronavirus, according to latest figures.
PA Media writes that Scotland has recorded 41 coronavirus-linked deaths and 9,910 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. It means the death toll under this measurement, of people who tested positive for the virus in the past 28 days, has risen to 10,038.
Scotland’s health secretary, Humza Yousaf, has said that the Omicron wave of coronavirus appears to be “decelerating”, though he stressed that more data is needed for a definitive answer.
Yousaf urged everyone to get their vaccinations and booster jab. He said: “As we acknowledge the 10,000th Covid-19 death reported in Scotland under the daily measure it is important to remember that this is not just a statistic.
“Every single one represents a person lost, families devastated and communities mourning. I want to send my heartfelt condolences to all of those affected by the loss of a loved one.
“Getting vaccinated remains the single most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and others from the effects of the coronavirus.”
Fashion-conscious Italian police are in revolt after receiving batches of pink face masks to wear on duty, arguing that the “eccentric” colour is ill-matched with their uniforms.
Police units in six cities were sent the FFP2 masks from the office of Italy’s Covid-19 emergency commissioner, Francesco Paolo Figliuolo.
After opening the boxes, many of the officers refused to wear the “inappropriate” masks, prompting Stefano Paolini, the chief of a police union, to write a letter to the head of police at the interior ministry, Lamberto Giannini.
Paolini wrote that the decision to approve the purchase of pink masks for the police force was puzzling. He claimed the colour was “eccentric” in respect to police uniform and risked jeopardising the image of the institution.
Emmanuel Macron is facing a battle for re-election as France chooses a new leader in April. The French president has made headlines with his comments on unvaccinated people and faces growing political divisions over Covid rules.
My colleague Angelique Chrisafis has this dispatch from Paris about what is facing Macron in the coming weeks:
Emmanuel Macron is facing growing political divisions over Covid rules in the run-up to the spring presidential election, after his proposed vaccine pass was delayed and teachers took strike action, amid ongoing street demonstrations and a rise in violent threats against politicians.
With an increasing mood of fatigue among French voters after two years of the pandemic and a significant mistrust of the political class, the president – who is likely to hold off declaring his re-election bid for several weeks as the Covid health crisis continues – wants to be seen as reliable but firm.
France has been hit by a fifth wave of Covid infections, with more than 305,000 daily cases reported on Thursday, just as campaigning for the April presidential election was due to begin in earnest.
Macron has ramped up his rhetoric against France’s minority of non-vaccinated people – less than 10% of the population – in part as a way of setting the political battle lines for the election.
Covid rules are becoming a key issue for the campaign. The vaccine pass would harden Covid rules, making proof of vaccination mandatory to enter certain public places including cafes, restaurants, cinemas and long-distance trains. Macron had hoped to introduce it this weekend. But the bill has been forced to a second round of parliamentary debate after lawmakers and senators failed to reach agreement.
Updated
The Netherlands reports record 35,000 cases in a day
Reuters has a snap saying the Netherlands has reported a record high of 35,000 new cases on Friday.
The rise in positive tests comes as the prime minister, Mark Rutte, prepares for a press conference on Friday evening where he is expected to allow the reopening of most stores, hairdressers and gyms.
Restaurants and bars are reportedly to be excluded from the reopening, one broadcaster said, citing government sources.
Anti-lockdown pressures are rising in the Netherlands amid repeated protests, and some bars and restaurants threatened to open despite not being included in the relaxation of restrictions.
Updated
England’s Covid-19 R number estimated between 1.1 and 1.5
The estimated range of England’s Covid-19 reproduction “R” number is between 1.1 and 1.5, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday, with promising signs that cases are growing less each day.
An R number between 1.1 and 1.5 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 11 and 15 other people. Last week the range was 1.2 to 1.5.
The growth rate range is currently 1% and 5%, meaning that the number of new infections is growing by between 1% and 5% every day. Last week, the growth rate was between +3% to +6% per day.
Latest weekly figures for the reproduction number (R) and growth rate of #coronavirus (#COVID19)
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) January 14, 2022
Statistics for England as of 14 January:
▶️R value range: 1.1 to 1.5
▶️Growth rate range: +1 to +5%
More info: https://t.co/tQUj8yTEVu pic.twitter.com/P9CGXemwOQ
Omicron has triggered a rise in UK infants hospitalised with Covid, figures suggest, though medics say most cases are very mild.
Nicola Davis, the Guardian’s science correspondent, reports:
The proportion of infants in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK has risen with the spread of Omicron, the latest data reveals, although researchers have urged calm, noting that infants’ symptoms are generally very mild.
The data from the Isaric/Co-CIN study, published on Friday by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) and based on a broadly representative subset of NHS hospitals, reveals that in previous Covid waves about 30% of children in hospital with the virus were under the age of one.
Between mid-December and mid-January, however, when Omicron spread rapidly around the country, the proportion was just over 42%, with children from the most deprived areas most affected.
Calum Semple, a professor in child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, said infants were generally experiencing very mild symptoms.
For now, researchers aren’t raising alarm over the trend. Most infants in hospital with coronavirus experience a fever and a cough.
Updated
Downing Street apologises to Buckingham Palace over parties on eve of Philip's funeral
No 10 has apologised to Buckingham Palace for two parties that took place in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last year, Boris Johnson’s spokesman has revealed.
The Daily Telegraph reported that two separate leaving parties, for former director of communications James Slack and a government photographer, were held on 16 April, with drinking continuing into the early hours.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said:
It’s deeply regrettable that this took place at a national mourning, and No 10 has apologised to the palace for that.
He declined to say whether Johnson would personally apologise to the Queen at his next private audience with her, but said the prime minister recognised the public’s “significant anger” about lockdown-busting social events.
The monarch mourned alone at her husband’s funeral because Covid rules at the time prohibited indoor mixing.
Sue Gray, the civil servant overseeing the inquiry into alleged lockdown-breaking government parties, is investigating the two leaving events held in Downing Street on the night before Philip’s funeral.
Follow more updates on our politics blog:
Updated
As panto season comes to an end, Britain’s theatres are counting the cost of another Christmas wrecked by Covid, with cancelled shows decimating income during a traditionally lucrative period.
My colleague and the Guardian’s stage editor, Chris Wiegand, spoke to the cast and crew who have been lighting up Britain’s theatres – but are now faced with eye-watering losses.
York Theatre Royal’s Cinderella – whose star and understudy both had to self-isolate – cancelled 12 performances with an estimated loss of up to £200,000. Theatr Clwyd’s Beauty and the Beast achieved ticket sales comparable to pre-Covid times but the Welsh government’s Covid restrictions, introduced on Boxing Day, led the venue to cancel all remaining performances, worth an estimated £500,000.
At Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph theatre, almost half of Jack and the Beanstalk’s run was lost because of coronavirus cases in the company; now the theatre hopes to attract viewers to an online version this month.
At Liverpool Everyman, Robin Hood’s first week was cancelled because Covid cases prevented the set from being supplied in time. An additional 15 shows were lost owing to cast and crew illness. “If we get through to Saturday, we’ll have delivered 50 shows out of a planned 71,” said its CEO, Mark Da Vanzo. “That’s pretty good going considering everything we’ve had to face with Omicron and the isolation rules.” The cast included two “swing” performers, who fill in for other roles when required, and an understudy was available to cover. Without them, “we’d have lost even more shows”, said Da Vanzo. “Once Covid got into the company, it was very hard to stop it transmitting.”
For more on the Covid-battered landscape of British theatre:
And to find out more about what it’s like to be working in pantomimes right now, listen to our Today in Focus podcast episode from before Christmas:
Updated
Wales’ Covid restrictions on pubs and sport to be scrapped
First minister Mark Drakeford said Covid cases are “coming down very rapidly”, and he hopes to relax most rules by the end of January. The Welsh government is currently giving a press conference to announce the changes.
Since Boxing Day, strict measures have been in place in a bid to curb the spread of Omicron. These include mask-wearing in all public venues, the two-metre rule, and the rule of six in hospitality settings.
However, Drakeford has now said rules will be relaxed “gradually”, bringing Wales to alert level 0 – the lowest level of restrictions. “The measures we have taken are working and they give us hope that we may be turning a corner,” he said.
- From tomorrow – 15 January – the number of people who can attend outdoor events will rise from 50 to 500.
- From 21 January, all outdoor activities will have no limits on those who can take part or watch.
- From 28 January, nightclubs can reopen and hospitality will be allowed to operate normally.
- From 28 January, working from home if possible will no longer be a legal requirement.
- Covid passes will be required to enter large events.
Under the plan, spectators will be able to return to outdoor sporting events, including the Six Nations rugby matches in Cardiff, though Covid passes will be required.
Drakeford warned: “Omicron is still with us and levels of coronavirus are still incredibly high in our communities”.
The Welsh government said working from home would remain important but it would no longer be a legal requirement.
Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “Because the data and the science is saying to us – as the modelling we have in Wales predicted – we appear to have passed the peak of Omicron, and are coming down very rapidly on the other side, that gives us confidence that over the next two weeks we can gradually and carefully lift the level of protections we needed over the Christmas period, because from a public health perspective it will then be safe to do so.”
Updated
Omicron variant now dominant in Italy, health body says
Omicron has become the dominant variant of coronavirus in Italy, the National Health Institute (ISS) said on Friday, accounting for 81% of cases in a flash survey on 3 January.
Reuters reports:
The previous survey showed Omicron at just 28% of cases on 20 December.
‘In Italy on 3 January, the Omicron variant was predominant, with an estimated prevalence of 81%, while Delta was at 19% of the sample tested,’ the ISS said in statement.
The analysis is based on 2,632 swabs tested in 120 laboratories and collected in all 21 Italian regions and autonomous provinces, the Institute said.
Italy, the first western country to be hit by Covid-19 early in 2020, has been grappling with rising infection rates and deaths in recent weeks. Earlier this month, it made vaccination compulsory for about 28 million people aged over 50, in a bid to curb infections and reduce strain on hospitals.
The new measure obliges people over 50 who do not work to get vaccinated, while from 15 February, those who do have jobs will have to show a vaccine pass to enter the workplace, removing the option of taking a coronavirus test. This week, Italy introduced compulsory vaccine passes for access to public transport, as well as hotels, restaurants and gyms – again, excluding those who can only show a negative test.
The country reported 184,615 daily cases on Thursday, compared with 196,224 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths rose to 316 from 313.
Italy has registered 140,188 deaths linked to Covid-19 since the pandemic began, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 8.15m cases to date.
Updated
Novak Djokovic will have to report for an interview with Border Force at 8am tomorrow.
Judge Anthony Kelly has ordered the proceedings to be transferred to the Federal Court. That’s a slight setback from Djokovic, whose lawyers had urged it to stay with this court (Federal Circuit), to speed things up.
The judge’s orders are as follows:
- Djokovic to serve as soon as is reasonably practical an originating application, an affidavit attaching Alex Hawke’s reasons and submissions for decision.
- The minister will not take any step to remove Djokovic from Australia.
- Djokovic will attend an interview at 8am Saturday with immigration officials, then will be supervised by Border Force officers from 10am to 2pm on Saturday at his solicitors’ offices.
- Djokovic may continue in detention from 9am Sunday 16 January, at his solicitors’ offices.
This comes after Australian officials cancelled Djokovic’s visa again. Immigration minister Alex Hawke announced earlier that he had used his ministerial discretion to cancel the tennis player’s visa on public interest grounds.
Updated
Italy has lifted an entry ban on people who had visited any of eight southern African states, which it imposed in November as the Omicron variant began to spread.
“Health minister Roberto Speranza has signed a new order lifting the special restrictive measures for South Africa and neighbouring countries,” a ministry spokesman said.
Italy banned entry for travellers from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini on 26 November.
Updated
Germany registers more than 90,000 Covid cases – another daily record
Philip Oltermann, our Berlin bureau chief, has the latest as Germany braces for yet another record high number of infections:
On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute reported another daily record of new infections, with 92,223 new cases and 286 new deaths. At 470.6, the seven-day incidence of infections per 100,000 people is approaching the record rate of 485, which was recorded in November 2021.
Omicron is now the dominant variant of Covid-19 in Germany, the country’s disease control agency said in a weekly report on Thursday. The highly infectious variant made up 73.3% of cases in Europe’s most populous country, up from 44.3% the previous week.
While other European countries have declared the arrival of the Omicron variant tantamount to the virus moving its pandemic to endemic stage, Germany’s government has struck a more cautious note.
Health minister Karl Lauterbach said this week that he was still opposed to letting the virus rip through the population, which he said would amount to an “unethical bet”.
At the same time, Germany has not opted to introduce tighter restrictions beyond restricting access to restaurants or bars to those who have been boostered or tested. The liberal-left coalition government has effectively ruled out imposing another lockdown, or any restrictions that would be referred to by that name.
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Time for a refresher: here is our video explaining the Novak Djokovic saga as it unfolded.
Djokovic’s case is in front of Judge Anthony Kelly today. The hearing is adjourned right now. Our sports writer Luke McLaughlin will bring you the updates on our other live blog once it’s back on.
Our US southern bureau chief Oliver Laughland brings us the latest from New Orleans, where staff shortages and spiralling cases are pushing hospitals to breaking point:
As the Omicron variant rips through the US, states in the south continue to report record case numbers amid serious concern around hospital staff shortages.
In Mississippi, officials warned this week the hospital system was on the verge of crisis due to staff shortages as local media reported most hospitals in the state were at or had reached capacity during the Omicron surge.
The state already faces a chronic nursing shortage, exacerbated by the pandemic, with approximately 3,000 positions vacant, according to a survey by the Mississippi Hospital Association. Around a third of the state’s hospital nurses have left for other jobs, according to the research, many of them to better paying positions out of state.
Last week Mississippi recorded its highest seven day average of new Covid cases, 7,185, since the pandemic began, according to state health department data. As of Thursday the number of people hospitalised with Covid in the state had risen to 1,332 people. Health department data showed that 90% of Covid deaths for the period between 16 December 2021 and 12 January 2022 had been among unvaccinated people.
“The game has changed since the Delta wave,” said Dr Alan Jones, chancellor of clinical affairs at University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital, during a Tuesday press conference reported by Mississippi Today.
Jones continued: “The challenges we are facing are really around staffing. Compounding that is that this is a much more infectious variant, taking more staff out that we have in the workforce.”
In Nashville, one of the city’s largest hospitals was being forced to reassign specialist staff to cope with the Omicron surge. As of Tuesday, Tennessee hit its peak Covid-positive seven-day average of 14,345 new cases, according to CDC data.
“We have tons of employees that have Omicron Covid,” said Dr Todd Rice, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in an interview with local radio. “One of our biggest problems is just finding employees to take care of patients because we have so many employees that are out sick.”
You can read Oliver Laughland’s alarming dispatch here:
Updated
Hello, I’m Georgina Quach, and will continue updating our global live blog from now. As always, my inbox is open for suggestions, thoughts and story tips:
Email georgina.quach@theguardian.com or tweet @georginaquach.
Today so far …
- Sweden’s Social Democratic prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, has tested positive for Covid. A spokesperson said she would carry out her work from home.
- Israel’s health ministry says the country has administered a fourth vaccine dose to more than 500,000 people. Israel began administering second boosters to the most vulnerable late last month and later began offering them to everyone aged 60 and older.
- The world No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia cancelled again, after immigration minister Alex Hawke intervened to make the decision “on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”.
- Poorer nations last month rejected more than 100m doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme Covax, mainly due to their rapid expiry date, a Unicef official has said.
- In the UK, prime minister Boris Johnson’s former head of communications, James Slack, has apologised for the “anger and hurt” created after it emerged that a leaving party was held for him in Downing Street during Covid restrictions last year, the night before the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh. Labour’s Emily Thornberry has called on Johnson to apologise to the Queen and resign. Slack is currently deputy editor of the Sun newspaper, which has been a fervent supporter of Johnson’s government.
- Wales is to set out a two-week plan to ease coronavirus restrictions at 12.15pm today.
- Spain is making available a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to vulnerable citizens, including those with cancer, who have had a transplant or are receiving dialysis, the health ministry said.
- China suspended dozens of international flights today over the global surge in Omicron cases, while the city of Shanghai curbed tourist activity as it attempted to head off local Covid infections as imported cases rose.
- Hong Kong will extend its stringent coronavirus restrictions until after the lunar new year celebrations.
- Cambodia has began a fourth round of vaccinations against Covid in response to the Omicron variant, with high-risk groups being among the first to receive the additional boosters.
- The Philippines will extend coronavirus curbs in the capital region of Manila and other provinces until the end of January while the government defended a controversial ban that prevents unvaccinated people from using public transport in the capital.
- Twenty new “pandemic billionaires” have been created in Asia thanks to the international response to Covid-19, while 140 million people across the continent were plunged into poverty as jobs were lost during the pandemic, according to a report from Oxfam.
There is plenty of live blog action on the website today. Lucy Campbell, who you will often see on here, is today taking the combined UK politics and Covid live blog. You can find that here:
Mostafa Rachwani is following the latest developments in the Novak Djokovic saga – there is currently a late-night court hearing going on.
Georgina Quach will be here shortly to take over from me, and bring you the latest Covid developments from around the world. I will see you bright and early again on Monday. Have a great weekend, take care and stay safe.
Updated
China suspended dozens of international flights today over the global surge in Omicron cases, while the city of Shanghai curbed tourist activity as it attempted to head off local Covid infections as imported cases rose.
Cities across China are becoming more vigilant ahead of the Lunar New Year travel season later this month and as Beijing readies to stage the Winter Olympics. Many local governments are urging residents not to leave town unnecessarily.
Associated Press report that Shanghai’s tourism and culture authority said travel agencies and online tourism companies must once again halt organising group tours into and out of Shanghai after it reported five new domestically transmitted infections on Thursday, all linked to an arrival from overseas.
The order, in line with a national guideline to cut tourist activities in provinces where new infections have emerged, came less than a month after Shanghai lifted a suspension that had come into effect in November.
China on Friday announced that 30 inbound international flights from several countries were suspended due to Covid cases, including four more from the United States. So far this year, China has announced the cancellation of 74 flights from the United States.
Hong Kong will extend its stringent coronavirus restrictions until after the lunar new year celebrations at the start of February as it aims to stop the spreading of Covid within the community, the city’s leader Carrie Lam has said.
Reuters reports that the move comes as the city has seen around 50 cases of the Omicron variant since the end of last year.
Updated
Alon Mwesigwa reports to us from Kampala on the alarming impact Covid has had on schools in Uganda:
The gate that once proudly displayed the name of Godwins primary school in Kampala has been removed. The compound, where pupils played at break time, is now a parking area for trucks ferrying goods to the nearby market, while the classrooms have been turned into a travellers’ lodge.
Uganda’s schools were ordered to reopen on Monday 10 January, after nearly two years of closure – the longest school shutdown in the world – but not all were able to welcome pupils back. Godwins, in Kalerwe in Kawempe division, is one of the many schools that will never reopen. It had been in existence for 20 years catering to children whose parents work in nearby Kalerwe market.
Harriet Namubiru, a charcoal seller whose two grandchildren, aged eight and 10, attended the school, says its closure is a “tragedy that has befallen us”.
“The management of the school called a meeting and they told us ‘It has become very hard for us to run again. We shall not open,’” she says. “It was like lightning or something [had hit us]. Some parents who were in the meeting fainted. Some fell sick for weeks.”
Kampala’s suburbs are littered with ghost structures that were once schools. Some buildings were sold, while others have been destroyed to make way for real estate development. Kampala Capital City Authority said that more than 40 schools in the city have closed for good. Local media is awash with reports of schools turned into bars, restaurants or travellers’ accommodation.
There are no official figures on the number of schools that have failed to reopen countrywide.
Read more of Alon Mwesigwa’s report here: Term starts in Uganda – but world’s longest shutdown has left schools in crisis
Lucy Campbell is at the helm of our combined UK Covid and politics live blog today. You can follow all that as it unfolds today with her over here.
We’ve also got a live blog running in the hands of Mostafa Rachwani following reaction to the news that Novak Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled – again – by Australia. You can find that here.
I will be continuing on this blog with the latest Covid developments from around the world.
Twenty new “pandemic billionaires” have been created in Asia thanks to the international response to Covid-19, while 140 million people across the continent were plunged into poverty as jobs were lost during the pandemic, according to Oxfam.
A report by the aid organisation says that by March 2021, profits from the pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and services needed for the Covid response had made 20 people new billionaires as lockdowns and economic stagnation destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of others.
From China, Hong Kong, India and Japan, the new billionaires include Li Jianquan, whose firm, Winner Medical, makes personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, and Dai Lizhong, whose company, Sansure Biotech, makes Covid-19 tests and diagnostic kits.
The total number of billionaires in the Asia-Pacific region grew by almost a third from 803 in March 2020 to 1,087 by November last year, and their collective wealth increased by three-quarters (74%), the report said.
Read more of Sarah Johnson’s report here: Covid created 20 new ‘pandemic billionaires’ in Asia, says Oxfam
Israel’s health ministry says the country has administered a fourth vaccine dose to more than 500,000 people.
Israel began administering second boosters to the most vulnerable late last month and later began offering them to everyone aged 60 and older.
Authorities hope the additional jabs will blunt a wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant. Associated Press reports that official figures show Israel has about 260,000 active cases but only 289 patients are listed as seriously ill, which is far fewer than during previous waves.
Updated
Sweden's PM Magdalena Andersson tests positive for Covid
A quick snap from Reuters here that Sweden’s Social Democratic prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, has tested positive for Covid, her spokesperson told TT news agency, as a growing wave of infections swept the country, driven by the Omicron variant.
“The prime minister has tested positive for Covid in a rapid test. She is following current recommendations and will carry out her work from home,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Updated
By the way, if you are looking for the latest updates on the Novak Djokovic story, my colleagues on the sport desk have a live blog up and running covering that. I’ll note any major developments in the story here as well.
Updated
PA Media has published a few reaction quotes to the reports that there were parties at Downing Street the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year. Boris Johnson’s former director of communications, James Slack, who is now the deputy editor of the Sun, has issued an apology for the “anger and hurt” caused.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has said: “The Queen sitting alone, mourning the loss of her husband, was the defining image of lockdown. Not because she is the Queen, but because she was just another person, mourning alone like too many others. While she mourned, No 10 partied. Johnson must go.”
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: “The Queen sat alone in mourning like so many did at the time with personal trauma sacrifice to keep to the rules in the national interest. I have no words for the culture behaviours at No 10 and the buck stops with the PM.”
Fran Hall, from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “If your neighbours had behaved like this, you’d have been disgusted. For the people running the country to do it and then lie about it, shows a complete disdain for the general public.
“We shared the same pain of grieving in isolation as the Queen did. And she must be just as sickened as we are at hearing this. Sadly, instead of doing the decent thing and resigning, we can expect the prime minister to continue shamefully lying to our faces. The Conservative MPs that are keeping him in power disgrace their country.”
Updated
Wales to announce two-week plan to ease Covid restrictions
The Welsh government is to set out a two-week plan to ease coronavirus restrictions at 12.15pm today. The first minister, Mark Drakeford, will reveal his roadmap for returning to alert level 0, during a press conference in Cardiff.
Wales has been on alert level 2 since Boxing Day, which includes measures such as mask-wearing in all public venues, the two-metre rule and the rule of six in hospitality settings. Nightclubs have also been forced to shut.
The move to alert level 0 is expected to be phased, with restrictions on outdoor activities being removed first. This could mean Six Nations Rugby matches, which are due to start next month, can go ahead.
PA Media notes that pressure had been mounting from sports organisations and fans, with many fearing games would have to be held across the border in England.
Updated
Gaby Hinsliff has filed her latest column for us, and it is not going to make for happy reading in the Boris Johnson household. She writes:
Like a dog that could not be sorrier for chewing the sofa, it was a contrite prime minister who prostrated himself before parliament this week. Dogs are never truly sorry, of course. They have learned that if they whimper, hang their heads and look pathetic when caught, they can defuse their owners’ anger. But they don’t actually feel sorry, because dogs don’t think like that. They just want the shouting to stop.
In Boris Johnson’s case, the ever-so-humble act certainly doesn’t seem to have lasted long. When he toured the tearooms afterwards, taking the temperature of his party, he reportedly horrified some MPs by insisting that he hadn’t actually done anything wrong and was merely taking the rap for someone else: some other prime minister, presumably, who had stood in the middle of a crowd chugging wine on his lawn and now claimed not to have realised that was a party.
Read more here: Gaby Hinsliff – The sickness ailing the Conservatives runs deeper than Boris Johnson
Tens of thousands of devout Hindus, led by heads of monasteries and ash-smeared ascetics, took a holy dip into the frigid waters of the Ganges River in northern India on Friday despite rising Covid infections in the country.
Hindu pilgrims congregated at the Sangam, the confluence of three rivers — the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — in Prayagraj city, 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, to participate in the Magh Mela festival, one of the most sacred pilgrimages in Hinduism.
They bathed in the Ganges waters, a ritual Hindus believe will wash away their sins and free them from the cycle of death and rebirth.
Similar gatherings last year were criticised as being super-spreader events as the Delta variant took hold in the country.
Associated Press report that already, 77 policemen and 12 cleaning staff deployed for the event have tested positive for the virus.
“This is going to be a superspreader. The government should not allow a congregation of people in such a large number because religious congregations in the past two years were found responsible for spreading the deadly virus all across the country,” said Utkarsh Mishra, a lawyer who has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court asking that the festival be canceled.
Mishra said only locals and heads of important Hindu monasteries should be allowed to take part in the ritual.
Fearing a rise in infections, authorities in neighbouring Uttarakhand state have already banned a similar gathering.
Emily Thornberry: Johnson should apologise to Queen and resign
The Labour MP Emily Thornberry is not taking any prisoners in her round of TV interviews this morning, and appears to have nearly dropped an F-bomb on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, saying: “If only he had told the f… truth in the first place.”
She also responded to the suggestion that Jacob Rees-Mogg had posited yesterday – that the Covid rules were too detailed and complex for people to follow – by saying that the government had not found them too complex to pass the laws.
In her earlier Sky News appearance, she raised the spectre of the awkwardness of the next meeting between the prime minister and the Queen, after the reports that his staff had a boozy party the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, saying:
We’re waiting for the prime minister to look into his heart and soul and decide whether or not he has a scrap of human decency in him. Because if he does, he will resign. How the hell can you possibly expect to go before Her Majesty again at a weekly audience and be able to look her in the eye and pretend that everything is alright, because everything is not all right. The one thing he should be saying to Her Majesty is “I am profoundly sorry, and I resign”. That’s what he should do.
Updated
Sir Roger Gale, the Conservative MP who has been dismissed by some Boris Johnson supporters as a serial dissenter, delivered a cracking line on Sky News this morning.
Sir Roger Gale tells Sky News: "I don't think that the image of the Downing Street branch of the Majestic Wine warehouse is doing us any good at all."
— Sophie Morris (@itssophiemorris) January 14, 2022
Updated
Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow attorney general, has been on Sky News. Here’s a flavour of what she had to say about the Downing Street parties story:
I think when I first heard it, it actually took quite a long time for me to just get over the emotion that I felt. Because, I thought about Her Majesty the next day, and the way in which she was leading the country, and behaving in such a thoroughly decent way in which she always does, I think, in many ways embodying the suffering that we have had as a country. The way in which she behaves in such a proper way, in a way which makes us all so proud.
And you think of that, and you compare it with what was going on in Downing Street. Where there had been a culture that had been set over the time of the pandemic, where the prime minister made it perfectly clear that he was perfectly alright about this. You know, and frankly, we would not have been seeing these parties, not just one party but two parties in one night, if they really thought that the prime minister didn’t approve, or wouldn’t have been all right about it.
But the point is that the culture is set by the prime minister. It is his responsibility. And so far the only thing that you have heard from Number 10 Downing Street is that their defence was “Oh, the prime minister wasn’t there.” So what. So what.
Eleni Courea is doing Politico’s London Playbook today, and she has this:
The prime minister is working from his Downing Street flat and limiting external contacts after a member of his immediate family tested positive for the coronavirus. His spokesman said yesterday that he was unlikely to be seen in public for the next week.
Particularly painful for the PM is the fact this latest bombshell story was broken by the Telegraph, one of Johnson’s strongest cheerleaders, which employed him for years as its star columnist. The story is also problematic for the Sun, where Slack now works as deputy editor.
Will things get tougher for Johnson? Tory MPs heading to their constituencies for the weekend are about to find out the extent of backlash they face from Tory members and the wider public. It would hardly be surprising if, on their return to the Commons on Monday, there is another trickle of no-confidence letters into backbench 1922 committee Chairman Graham Brady’s letterbox.
Away from Westminster for a moment, but still in the UK, Wales’ first minister, Mark Drakeford, has been on the BBC Today programme. PA Media quote him saying that his move to ease restrictions in Wales comes amid a falling number of cases:
Because the data and the science is saying to us – as the modelling we have in Wales predicted – we appear to have passed the peak of Omicron, and are coming down very rapidly on the other side, that gives us confidence that over the next two weeks we can gradually and carefully lift the level of protections we needed over the Christmas period, because from a public health perspective it will then be safe to do so.
He was, though, critical of the approach in England, saying looser restrictions had led to “thousands upon thousands” of people unable to do their jobs because of sickness. He said:
The government in England has been paralysed throughout this process and simply hasn’t been able to take decisions. In Wales we have a government that is prepared to do difficult things when they are necessary to protect public health.”
There was a flurry on social media last night about a move by a local Conservative association to withdraw support from prime minister Boris Johnson over the continual succession of news about Downing Street parties during periods of Covid restriction.
Sutton Coldfield Conservatives is an association in a safe Tory seat, and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme have had local councillor Simon Ward on. PA Media quote him telling the show:
The conversation we had last night ... was really about what I think we have the right to expect from our leaders and the standards of leadership we expect from them, and the trust that we put in them.
This is about what the right thing is for politics, what the right thing is for our leaders, how this reflects on our country as well, and it’s just massively disappointing and it reflects very, very poorly on us as a nation as well.
James Slack issues apology for 'anger and hurt' caused by Downing Street party ahead of Duke's funeral
The Prime Minister’s former director of communications has apologised for the “anger and hurt” caused by a Downing Street party which it is claimed was held as his leaving do last year, during a period of Covid restrictions. The gathering, which the Telegraph has reported featured dancing, thirty people, and the fetching of a suitcase of wine from a Co-op shop on the Strand, is alleged to have taken place the night before the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh.
James Slack, who was appointed deputy editor-in-chief of the Sun newspaper last year, said:
I wish to apologise unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused. This event should not have happened at the time that it did. I am deeply sorry, and take full responsibility.
PA Media report he then said he could not comment further as the matter had been referred to Sue Gray’s investigation.
Cambodia has began a fourth round of vaccinations against Covid in response to the omicron variant, with high-risk groups being among the first to receive the additional boosters.
Frontline medical staff and members of the armed forces were among those lining up at hospitals and clinics. Government ministers, including prime minister Hun Sen, also received booster doses today.
Hun Sen has appealed to all Cambodian people to get fully vaccinated, including a booster, saying on his Facebook page that it is the only way to make sure to keep their families and communities safe from Covid. Associated Press remind us that a campaign to have people get their third jabs is still ongoing.
The country’s first case of the Omicron variant was confirmed in mid-December in a 23-year-old woman who returned from Ghana. Cambodia reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers on 15 November, two weeks earlier than originally planned, in a move aimed at revitalising the country’s economic and social activity.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has been notably quiet this week, but we do have a statement from him this morning about some better-than-expected GDP figures for the UK, showing a bit of a bounce back from the impact of Covid restrictions. He said:
It’s amazing to see the size of the economy back to pre-pandemic levels in November - a testament to the grit and determination of the British people.
The Government is continuing to support the economy, including through grants, loans and tax reliefs for businesses, and our Plan for Jobs is ensuring people up and down the country have fantastic opportunities.
We all have a vital part to play to protect lives and jobs, and I urge everyone to do theirs by getting boosted as soon as you can.
My colleague Graeme Wearden has more:
Paul Karp has this analysis for us from Australia and how Novak Djokovic has ended up in this situation. His visa has been cancelled in the last few minutes. Paul writes:
When Novak Djokovic landed in Melbourne late on the evening of 5 January, he thought a visa and a medical exemption approved by Tennis Australia’s chief medical officer and an independent Victorian government board would guarantee him a shot at his 10th Australian Open and record 21st grand slam.
But his fate was sealed by a hardening view in the Australian government and its Border Force that a recent Covid diagnosis was itself not enough to enter the country quarantine-free, and an error on his immigration paperwork that took days to come to light.
Djokovic challenged his visa cancellation in the federal circuit court, winning because the judge agreed it had been unreasonable of Border Force to renege on a deal to give him more time to address the exemption issue.
First set Djokovic. He took to Melbourne Park, ensuring familiar images of him on Rod Laver arena’s Avatar-blue court that seemed to promise another shot at grand slam greatness.
Even public opinion – so long set against Djokovic for his refusal to be vaccinated to play a tournament in one of the world’s most locked down cities during the pandemic – seemed to swing back his way.
But momentum swung against Djokovic when it was noted that his presence in Belgrade for Christmas suggested a declaration he hadn’t travelled in the fortnight before his flight to Australia from Spain was wrong, to say nothing of his public appearances in the days after his positive test on 16 December.
Read more of Paul Karp’s analysis here: What more could Novak Djokovic have done? Get vaccinated, isolate and get the facts right
Government minister Damian Hinds has, you will not be surprised to learn, had a torrid time on Sky News in that interview. He said:
If the details that are in the story turn out to be true, then clearly people are going to form their their judgement. But it will be part of these broader investigations being undertaken by by by Sue Gray. The terms of reference have been clear that those investigations should cover events, plural, alleged events, the nature of them, who attended them, or the purpose of them. And I think we do need to see what comes through in that report. The prime minister has also be clear in the terms of reference clear that if allegations are found to be true, of individuals appear to have been guilty of wrongdoing, then action can indeed be taken.
PA Media have just published this quick summary to remind us of how Covid regulations impacted on the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh last year. They say:
- The guest list was trimmed from 800 to 30.
- The Queen attended the funeral wearing a face mask and socially distanced from her family at the service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
- Those in the funeral procession were required to put their face masks on before entering St George’s Chapel.
- Original plans for military processions through London or Windsor were scrapped, with the royal family asking the public not to gather at the castle or other royal residences.
- The choir was also limited to just four singers, while the few guests were banned from singing in line with the Covid regulations.
Damian Hinds, the government minister of state for security, is on media duties this morning. I think it would be fair to say that he’s been rendered pretty speechless by this news, broken late last night by the Telegraph, of these parties at Downing Street. The opening question on Sky News was whether he would like to apologise to the Queen on behalf of the government. He said:
I was shocked to read it. I have only just read it, it is just out in this morning’s papers, and we will have to see what comes out further in the investigation.
Hello from London, it is Martin Belam here. Let me put it to you like this. When I started my shift on Wednesday morning, the official position of the prime minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, was that to his knowledge no parties had taken place in Number 10 and no rules had been broken. He’d been clear about that on at least seven different occasions, including at the despatch box in parliament.
When I started my shift on Thursday, the official position of the prime minister Boris Johnson was that he was sorry that he hadn’t broken up a party at Number 10, which did take place, and which he had attended for 25 minutes.
And now I’ve started my shift today after a night where it appears “suitcase of wine” has been trending on social media because of the news of another raucous party night in the heart of government during lockdown, this time the night before the Queen sat alone at her husband’s funeral, which generated one of the defining images of the Covid pandemic in the UK.
The morning media round should be quite lively. I’ll bring you key quotes as they come in, and of course, the Covid news from around the world, and the latest on that breaking Novak Djokovic story. Stay tuned.
Novak Djokovic’s visa cancelled ahead of Australian Open
Australia’s immigration minister Alex Hawke has officially cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa.
Here is the full statement:
Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.
This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.
The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I thank the officers of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia’s interests in increasingly challenging operational environments.”
Read the full story here.
Updated
Breaking news reports out of Australia indicate Novak Djokovic has had his visa cancelled after immigration minister Alex Hawke reportedly made the decision late on Friday (AEDT).
We will have more on this story as it develops.
As the sun prepares to rise for another day over in the UK, here are some useful visual guides reflecting how Covid is unfolding across the nation.
Summary of key developments
Hello I’m Samantha Lock reporting to you from Sydney. Before I hand over to my colleague Martin Belam over in London, here’s a snapshot of all the latest Covid developments:
- UK prime minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political future after he belatedly apologised for attending a party during the coronavirus lockdown.
- An inquiry into lockdown parties in Downing Street is expected to lay bare a “farcical” culture of drinking and impromptu socialising, with little oversight from senior officials, the Guardian understands.
- The Metropolitan police said they will not investigate alleged parties held at Downing Street in apparent breach of lockdown rules unless an upcoming inquiry finds evidence of criminality.
- Poorer nations last month rejected more than 100m doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX, mainly due to their rapid expiry date, a UNICEF official has said.
- Hong Kong will suspend passenger transit flights from countries considered high-risk from Sunday.
- The Philippines will extend coronavirus curbs in the capital region of Manila and other provinces until the end of January while the government defended a controversial ban that prevents unvaccinated people from using public transport in the capital.
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South Korea will extend tougher social distancing rules for three more weeks amid concerns over a looming Omicron wave ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, officials said on Friday.
- Half a million Israelis over the age of 60 have received the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, prime minster Naftali Bennett announced.
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Spain had denied it is probing Novak Djokovic for entering without a Covid vaccine in a small win for the tennis No 1.
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The World Health Organization has approved two new Covid-19 treatments on Friday, growing the arsenal of tools along with vaccines to stave off severe illness and death from the virus.
- Spain is making available a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to vulnerable citizens, including those with cancer, who have had a transplant or are receiving dialysis, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Updated
Ukraine is reporting a daily rise of 10,476 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Thursday.
The cases included 663 were children and 241 medical workers, according to a recently published report from the ministry of health.
Another 140 deaths were also recorded, bringing the national tally to 98,068.
Hong Kong will suspend passenger transit flights from countries considered high-risk from Sunday.
Hong Kong International Airport announced the news in a statement on Friday:
In order to control the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of Covid-19, from 16 January to 15 February 2022, passenger transfer/ transit services via Hong Kong International Airport for any persons who have stayed in Group A specified place(s) in the past 21 days will be suspended.”
Hong Kong considers more than 100 countries as high risk, including the UK, US and Australia.
Here’s a quick snapshot detailing how Covid is currently unfolding across Australia.
A total of 130,015 coronavirus cases and 114 deaths were reported across the nation on Friday.
The country’s most populous state of New South Wales reported a daily rise of 63,018 new Covid cases and 29 deaths with 2,525 people being treated in hospital including 184 people in ICU.
Victoria reported 34,836 new Covid cases and 18 deaths with 76 people being treated in hospital including 112 in ICU.
Queensland reported 23,630 new Covid cases and three deaths with 589 people being treated in hospital, including 41 in ICU.
South Australia reported 5,679 new cases and six deaths with 246 hospitalisations and 20 patients in ICU.
Tasmania reported 1,201 new Covid cases with 10 people being treated in hospital. There have been no deaths.
The ACT reported 1,125 new Covid cases with 27 people being treated in hospital, including three in ICU. There have been no deaths.
The Northern Territory reported 546 new cases, with 27 in hospital and 20 in ICU. No deaths were reported.
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Over in Australia, the Hillsong church has come under fire over a youth camp where congregants were filmed singing and dancing in breach of public health orders.
The church apologised on Friday for “giving any perception that we were not playing our part to keep New South Wales safe” after footage of its annual youth summer camp near Newcastle provoked widespread outrage amid the state’s Covid case numbers.
Police have said officers attended the event in the Newcastle area and spoke with organisers but will not issue a fine.
“It is important to clarify that the current youth camps we are holding are not music festivals,” Hillsong said, claiming the camp was “low risk as described under current guidelines”, because it was held outdoors, with sports activities and no alcohol, and the roughly 200 students attending were all “part of the same social network”.
The Philippines will extend coronavirus curbs in the capital region of Manila and other provinces until the end of January, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government has defended a controversial ban that prevents unvaccinated people from using public transport in the capital Manila, denying that the policy was “anti-poor”.
The “no vaccination, no ride” policy is designed to curb a recent wave of infections, and applies to all modes of transport to and from Metro Manila - including public buses, rail, boats and planes. The policy will be fully implemented from Monday, according to local media, when passengers will be required to show proof of vaccination.
The Philippines has experienced a recent surge in infections, which health experts have blamed on the more transmissible Omicron variant. The country reported a record 34,021 cases on Thursday, the highest since the start of the pandemic, half of which were reported in the national capital region. A further 82 deaths were confirmed.
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Daily Covid cases rise across Asia
Here are the latest daily Covid figures from across Asia:
South Korea has just reported a daily rise of 4,542 confirmed coronavirus cases and 49 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A further 659 people are in critical condition with 510 new admissions per day.
Japan is reporting another 18,673 new daily cases, according to ministry of health data.
Thailand has reported another 8,158 confirmed coronavirus cases and 15 deaths, according to health ministry data.
Pakistan reported another 3,567 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7 deaths with 675 people in critical care, according to figures from the country’s National Command and Operation Centre.
India is also reporting another 264,202 confirmed coronavirus cases and 315 deaths, according to the ministry of health.
Malaysia has recorded another 3,684 new cases and 12 deaths, according to government data.
China has reported 201 new confirmed coronavirus cases for 13 January, up from 190 a day earlier, its health authority said on Friday. Of the new infections, 143 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 124 a day earlier.
New Zealand has reported another 18 community cases with 34 in hospital and 2 in ICU care, according to ministry of health data.
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South Korea extends distancing curbs
South Korea will extend tougher social distancing rules for three more weeks amid concerns over a looming Omicron wave ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, officials said on Friday.
The curbs were restored a month ago just six weeks after being eased under a “living with Covid-19” scheme, as record-breaking numbers of new cases and critically ill patients threatened to saturate the country’s medical system.
Daily tallies have dropped since, with 4,542 new cases for Thursday from a peak of almost 8,000 in mid-December, but the downtrend appeared to bottom out this week due partly to a surge in Omicron infections.
“The indicators have improved more or less but the number of new cases are no longer decreasing this week,” prime minister Kim Boo-kyum told an intra-agency meeting, noting that Omicron’s share of domestically transmitted infections has reached 20% in just two weeks.
The extended curbs will last until 6 February, including a 9pm curfew for restaurants, cafes and bars, but the limit on private gatherings will be raised to six fully vaccinated people from four, Reuters reports.
The Lunar New Year break begins on 29 January, and normally tens of millions of Koreans travel country-wide for family gatherings during one of the country’s main holidays, raising the risks of contagion.
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Half a million Israelis over the age of 60 have received the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, prime minster Naftali Bennett has announced.
Israel began administering a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine last week to people over the age of 60, making it the first country in the world to do so.
Preliminary results from an Israeli study carried out by the Sheba Medical Centre found antibodies increased fivefold in the first week of vaccination.
חצי מיליון ישראלים מעל גיל 60 כבר התחסנו בחיסון הרביעי.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) January 13, 2022
ישראל מעניקה את ההגנה הטובה בעולם למבוגרים:
תוכנית ״מגן אבות״ לשמירה על בתי האבות, חיסון רביעי, תרופת פקסולביד.
בשבועות הקרובים—שמרו על סבא וסבתא! pic.twitter.com/3Xpp7icx6X
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Germany has reported more than 92,000 Covid cases today as the country quickly approaches the 100,000 daily count threshold.
Another 92,223 confirmed Covid cases and 286 deaths were recorded by the Robert Koch-Institut.
Vaccine mandate to be introduced in Western Australia
The state of Western Australia intends to ban the unvaccinated from a wide range of public activities, with the restrictions to last “years”, according to premier Mark McGowan.
From January 31, unvaccinated West Australians will be banned from entering bottleshops or dining at fast-food restaurants ahead of the February 5 border transition.
The premier told reporters on Thursday:
Life will become very difficult for the unvaccinated from January 31.
These will be the broadest proof of vaccination requirements in the nation and they will not be removed anytime soon.”
Mr McGowan said West Australians who chose to remain unvaccinated were putting themselves and others at risk and increasing the burden on the health system.
Proof of double-dose vaccination will be required at all hospitality venues, including restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars and fast-food outlets for dine-in customers.
It will also be needed for visitors to public and private hospitals and aged care facilities, indoor entertainment venues including play centres, casinos and cinemas, gyms and fitness centres, the zoo, Crown casino and amusement parks, the Australian Associated Press reports.
The requirement will apply to anyone aged 16 and above and will be implemented across the state.
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Returning to the Djokovic saga for a moment.
Spain had denied it is probing Novak Djokovic for entering without a Covid vaccine in a small win for the tennis No 1.
Djokovic was before yesterday reportedly facing investigations for possible breaches of Covid regulations in three countries: Australia, Spain and Serbia. Apparently Spain are not investigating his travel to the country.
“The news is false. Neither the government has ordered it nor is there any police investigation open on the athlete,” the spokesperson for interior ministry told POLITICO.
“Only residents in Serbia who have a complete vaccination certificate or special authorization can enter Spain,” the Spanish entry requirements read. Djokovic had traveled to Marbella in late December to train for the Australian Open, which begins Monday.
Meanwhile, Djokovic has taken to the court on Friday to practise for the Australian Open as he waits to hear whether Australia will cancel his visa for a second time, threatening his bid for a record 21st major tennis title.
WHO approves two new Covid-19 treatments
The World Health Organization has approved two new Covid-19 treatments on Friday, growing the arsenal of tools along with vaccines to stave off severe illness and death from the virus.
In their recommendation in British medical Journal the BMJ, WHO experts said arthritis drug baricitinib used with corticosteroids to treat severe or critical Covid patients led to better survival rates and reduced need for ventilators, Agence France-Presse reports.
Experts also recommended synthetic antibody treatment Sotrovimab for people with non-serious Covid at highest risk of hospitalisation, such as the elderly, people with immunodeficiencies or chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Sotrovimab’s benefits for people not at risk of hospitalisation were deemed insignificant and the WHO said its effectiveness against new variants like Omicron was “still uncertain”.
Only three other treatments for Covid-19 have received WHO approval, starting with corticosteroids for severely ill patients in September 2020.
Corticosteroids are inexpensive and widely available and fight inflammation that commonly accompanies severe cases.
China has reported 201 new confirmed coronavirus cases for 13 January, up from 190 a day earlier, its health authority said on Friday.
Of the new infections, 143 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 124 a day earlier.
The new locally transmitted cases were in Henan, Tianjin, Shaanxi, Guangdong and Shanghai.
China reported 42 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, higher than 31 infections a day earlier.
There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636. As of 13 January, mainland China had 104,580 confirmed cases.
Poorer nations reject 100m Covid shots as many close to expiry
Poorer nations last month rejected more than 100m doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX, mainly due to their rapid expiry date, a UNICEF official has said.
Etleva Kadilli, director of the agency’s supply division told lawmakers at the European Parliament that the main reason for rejection was the delivery of doses with a short shelf-life, Reuters reports.
More than a 100 million have been rejected just in December alone.”
Poorer nations have also been forced to delay supplies because they have insufficient storage facilities, Kadilli said, including a lack of fridges for vaccines.
Many countries also face high levels of vaccine hesitancy and have overburdened healthcare systems.
UNICEF’s data on supplies and use of delivered vaccines show that 681m shipped doses are currently stored in about 90 poorer nations, according to CARE, a charity, which extracted the figures from a public database.
More than 30 poorer nations, including big states such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, have used fewer than half of the doses they received, CARE said. The organisation added:
We MUST invest in last-mile delivery to get vaccines from tarmacs to arms. Countries need delivery support - including for health workers, cold chains, and education programs to combat vaccine hesitancy - if they want to use all the vaccines they receive.”
A spokesperson for Gavi, a vaccine alliance which co-manages COVAX, said that the high storage level was due to a surge in deliveries in the last quarter, especially in December.
Gavi added that most vaccines recently shipped by COVAX had a long shelf life, and therefore were unlikely to go wasted.
COVAX, which is co-led by the World Health Organization, has so far delivered 987m Covid-19 vaccines to 144 countries, according to data from Gavi.
Wealthy countries donating vaccines with a relatively short shelf life has been a “major problem” for COVAX, a WHO senior official said last month.
Updated
Spain to offer fourth dose to vulnerable
Spain is making available a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose to vulnerable citizens, including those with cancer, who have had a transplant or are receiving dialysis, the health ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry said the dose would be given five months after a third dose.
For the population as a whole, a third dose will from now on be available for those aged 18 and above rather than the previous age floor of 40, and from five months after the second dose rather than six as previously.
Spain has already jabbed 90.5% of the population aged 12 and above to date.
Hello it’s Samantha Lock with you on the blog today as we unpack all the latest Covid developments from across the world.
I’ll be reporting to you from Sydney and my colleagues from London will take over a little later in the day.
Let’s jump in with the news that poorer nations last month rejected more than 100m doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX, mainly due to their rapid expiry date, a UNICEF official has said.
“More than a 100 million have been rejected just in December alone,” Etleva Kadilli, director of the agency’s supply division told lawmakers at the European Parliament, Reuters reports.
The main reason for rejection was the delivery of doses with a short shelf-life, she said. Last month, a WHO senior official said wealthy countries donating vaccines with a relatively short shelf life has been a “major problem” for COVAX, the worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to vaccines.
Spain will make a fourth vaccine dose available to vulnerable citizens, including cancer patients, those who have had a transplant or are receiving dialysis, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Spain has also agreed to cap the cost of Covid self-testing antigen kits at just under €3 and continues to lead Europe’s vaccination drive having already jabbed 90.5% of the population aged 12 and above to date.
Here are the latest developments from across the world surrounding the coronavirus crisis:
- UK prime minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political future after he belatedly apologised for attending a party during the coronavirus lockdown.
- Novak Djokovic’s deportation decision looms as Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke must decide whether to revoke his visa for a second time and throw him out of the country.
- France eases ban on UK allowing vaccinated people from Britain to visit from Friday providing they have a negative test, after the French authorities say they will ease curbs introduced last month due to the Omicron Covid variant.
- US president Joe Biden says the government will double its purchase of Covid-19 tests to one billion.
- Finland’s health authorities cut the recommended quarantine period for Covid-19 patients by up to half, as infections hit record levels.
- French teachers went on strike, with the biggest teachers’ union saying half of primary schools were closed as staff demand clarity from the government on coronavirus measures.
- Hungary says it will offer a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose to citizens.
- Spain agrees to cap the cost of Covid self-testing antigen kits at just under three euros and will make a fourth vaccine dose available to vulnerable citizens, including cancer patients.
- Greece’s government announces a 100-euro ($114) monthly fine on persons aged over 60 who refuse the anti-Covid vaccine.
- Poorer countries refused to take around 100m donated Covid-19 vaccine doses in December alone, chiefly due to their short shelf life, the United Nations says.
- Norway is to allow bars and restaurants to serve alcohol again from Friday, but only as part of table service and until 11pm.
