Covid live news: Chinese city puts 1.3 million in strict lockdown over three asymptomatic cases

Thousands of US schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant pushes Covid-19 cases to record levels.

Cities including Milwaukee, Cleveland and Detroit either implemented online instruction or cancelled school altogether this week for tens of thousands of students, citing both staff shortages and Omicron concerns.

In New Jersey, which has seen some of the highest case rates in recent weeks, most urban school districts have implemented virtual classes to start the new year, including Newark, the state’s biggest city.

Nationally, there are more than 2,750 school closures so far this week, according to Burbio, a website that tracks school disruptions, Reuters reports.

Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you on the blog reporting from sunny Sydney.

Let’s kick off with some news from China.

The city of Yuzhou in China’s Henan Province entered lockdown Monday night after three asymptomatic Covid cases were detected on Sunday, local media reports.

More than 1 million citizens are now required to stay at home while public transportation, in-person education and public gatherings have been suspended.

The city’s downtown area was reportedly locked down with all personnel unable to enter or exit the area.

Shops and supermarkets have been ordered to suspend all business activities except “guaranteeing the supply of daily life materials”, according to a government notice.

The emergency measures follow the lockdown of 13 million in Xi’an after 127 people contracted the virus.

Israel is also set to allow foreigners with presumed Covid-19 immunity to enter from medium-risk countries from 9 January, the health ministry has said.

Foreign travellers from 199 “orange” countries will be admitted if they can prove they are vaccinated or have recovered from the virus.

Here’s a quick rundown of the day’s key developments:

• Thousands of US schools delayed a scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant pushes Covid-19 cases to record levels.
• In Florida, Covid-19 cases have risen by 948% in just two weeks.
• Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, and his wife, Isaura, have tested positive for Covid-19 and are isolating, the president’s office said on Monday.
• The UK reported 157,758 new Covid cases today and 42 additional deaths.Cases rose by 50% between 28 December and 3 January compared with the week before. Deaths rose 17% during the same period compared with the previous seven days.
• Multiple NHS trusts have declared “critical incidents” amid soaring staff absences caused by Covid. Parts of the health service are in “crisis”, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation said.
• Canada’s most populous province of Ontario announced new restrictions – including closing down schools and shops operating at 50% capacity – as officials warned of a “tsunami” of new Covid cases.
• The US food and drug administration (FDA) has authorised the use of a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.
• Starbucks will require its US workers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo weekly testing in order to comply with new federal mandates, the company said in an update sent to employees on Monday.
• India vaccinated over 3.8 million 15- to 18-year-olds on Monday as the country expanded its vaccination drive.
• The Omicron variant is better at circumventing vaccinated people’s immunity than the Delta variant, but is very likely to be milder, according to a Danish study.
• Israel will allow foreigners with presumed Covid-19 immunity to enter from medium-risk countries from 9 January, the health ministry said on Monday.