New measures, new reports and highlights: update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.
The situation in France
New contamination record
France recorded a new record of Covid-19 contamination on Tuesday with nearly 180,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, after having already crossed the threshold of 100,000 cases on Christmas Day. Precisely, 179,807 contaminations were recorded in 24 hours, according to data published Tuesday evening by Public Health France.
Fines for employers reluctant to telework
New turn of the screw on teleworking: faced with the surge in Covid cases, the government wishes to impose administrative fines on companies reluctant to its implementation, an initiative freshly welcomed by employers. The Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne announced it on Tuesday during a videoconference with the social partners: she wishes to “propose an amendment to the bill (strengthening the tools for managing the health crisis, Editor’s note) to set up more dissuasive and faster sanctions (of an administrative nature) ”.
In the rest of the world
An increase in hospitalizations expected by the WHO
The Omicron variant will cause “a large number of hospitalizations” of Covid-19 patients, warned the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, against the backdrop of new restrictions in several countries, including Finland which is closing its borders to unvaccinated foreigners. “A rapid rise in Omicron, like the one we are seeing in several countries, even if combined with a slightly less severe illness, will still lead to a large number of hospitalizations, especially among the unvaccinated,” said to AFP Catherine Smallwood, one of the main officials of WHO Europe.
Belgium suspends the closure of theaters
Belgian justice on Tuesday suspended the closure of theaters and performance halls announced last week in Belgium by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The authorities have not shown “how theaters in the cultural sector are particularly dangerous places for the health and life of people as they promote the spread of the coronavirus, to the point that it is necessary to ‘order its closure,’ said the Council of State, the highest Belgian administrative court.
New record in the United Kingdom …
The United Kingdom, faced with a meteoric spread of the Omicron variant, recorded 129,471 additional Covid-19 cases in England and Wales on Tuesday, a new record since the start of the pandemic. The country, one of the most affected in Europe by the pandemic, has recorded 18 additional deaths in 24 hours, for a total of 148,021. These figures do not include Northern Ireland and Scotland, however, as data collection is disrupted due to the holidays. The Scottish authorities for their part reported a provisional toll of 9,360 additional contaminations on Tuesday.
… as well as in Portugal …
Portugal reported more than 17,000 new coronavirus contagions on Tuesday in the past 24 hours, an all-time high since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic according to data released by health authorities. The report released Tuesday by the Directorate General of Health reported 17,172 new confirmed cases, exceeding the previous record of 16,432 contagions set on January 28, when the country was overwhelmed by the wave caused at the time by the arrival of the Alpha variant.
… and in Greece
Greece recorded a new record of daily cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, proof of “an upward trend in the percentage of contamination linked to the new Omicron variant”, according to health authorities. Health authorities announced “21,657 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours”, more than double the number of cases recorded on Monday (9,284).
The balance sheet in the world
The Covid-19 pandemic has killed nearly 5.4 million people, according to a report established by AFP from official sources on Monday at 11:00 GMT. In absolute value, the United Statess are the most affected country with 816,610 deaths, followed by the Brazil (618.534), theIndia (479.997) and the Russia (305.155). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that officially recorded.
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