Coronavirus digest: Biden likely to reimpose US travel ban
January 25, 2021
The US will reinstate the travel ban on non-citizens coming from Brazil and most of Europe, according to White House sources. The restrictions will also apply to travelers from South Africa. Follow DW for the latest.
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US President Joe Biden will renew the COVID-19 travel ban on most non-US citizens who have recently been in the European Union, the UK, and Brazil, a senior White House official said Sunday.
The ban will come into effect on Monday and will be extended to travelers who have been to South Africa, amid warnings that a new, more transmissible coronavirus variant was spreading in the US, the official said.
Last week, Biden tightened mask-wearing rules and ordered mandatory quarantine for people flying into the United States.
Former President Donald Trump had announced in the last days of his term that travel restrictions from much of Europe and Brazil would be lifted.
But the Biden administration said it would reverse the order.
"We're in a national emergency. It's time we treated it like one," Biden said on Thursday.
Asia-Pacific
Australia's medical regulator formally authorized the use of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine to get the green light in the country.
The first doses are expected to be administered in late February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Australia has an agreement for 10 million doses of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine and an option to buy more if supplies allow. Health Minister Greg Hunt said Monday the country overall had secured 140 million vaccines, one of the highest dosing rates per head of population in the world.
The country is aiming to complete the vaccination program by October.
New Zealand's first case of coronavirus in the community for more than two months has been identified as the South African variant, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday.
"The strain of infection is the South African variant and the source of infection is highly likely to be a fellow returnee," he said.
Authorities believe that the woman may have been infected during quarantine by a person on the same floor of the hotel who tested positive two days before she left.
The 56-year-old tested positive on Saturday, 10 days after completing her mandatory two weeks in isolation.
"She didn't talk about respiratory symptoms, it was more muscle aches, so she may not have been sharing or spreading the virus much," Hipkins said. "I don't think that's peculiar to this variant, it's just how it was expressed in this woman."
The Hong Kong government lifted the lockdown in its Kowloon district on Monday after testing about 7,000 people. Authorities set up 51 temporary testing stations and found 13 cases of coronavirus in the area.
The city's government said that hopefully "this temporary inconvenience will completely cut the local transmission chains in the district and ease residents' worries and fear" so they can return to a normal life.
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Americas
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced on Sunday that he had tested positive for coronavirus, adding that his symptoms were mild, and he was receiving medical treatment.
"As always, I am optimistic. We will come through this together," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter.
He also said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday about obtaining doses of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
The 67-year-old has resisted wearing a face mask in public since the virus arrived in Mexico 10 months ago. "I'll put on a mask. You know when? When there's no corruption," he said in July. He had said that not lying and stealing would protect him from the virus.
Coronavirus: Politicians who've tested positive
French President Emmanuel Macron is the latest top-tier politician to come down with a case of COVID-19. He's the latest among several, perhaps unsurprisingly given politicians' busy schedules and frequent travel.
Image: Olivier Hoslet/REUTERS
Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for the virus on December 17. Following the diagnosis, he canceled all of his upcoming trips, including one to Lebanon, and said he would self-isolate for seven days. French Prime Minsiter Jean Castex was also set to isolate after coming into contact with Macron.
Image: Olivier Hoslet/REUTERS
Andrzej Duda
Polish President Andrzej Duda tested positive for coronavirus in October, as the country was facing surge in new infections. Duda, an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice Party, was "feeling fine" at the time of the diagnosis. The day before officials announced his infection, the number of new cases in the country of 38 million hit a daily record of more than 13,600.
Image: Reuters/A. Szmigiel
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, who once said COVID-19 tests were "beautiful," tested positive for the coronavirus, along with his wife Melania, soon after senior aide Hope Hicks also contracted the virus. The infection came less than a month before November's presidential elections in the US.
Image: Doug Mills/abaca/picture alliance
Ambrose Dlamini
Prime Minister of Eswatini Ambrose Dlamini died at the age of 52 after contracting coronavirus. He was the first sitting leader to succumb to the virus.
Image: RODGER BOSCH/AFP
Valery Giscard d'Estaing
Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing died aged 94 on December 2 after contracting COVID-19. During his rule, he legalized abortion and brought the country high-speed trains. He also promoted cooperation among European nations, especially in tandem with the former West Germany, forging a strong rapport with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.
Image: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images
Silvio Berlusconi
The 83-year-old former Italian premier tested positive for the virus and is believed to be asymptomatic, his party announced on September 2. Two of Berlusconi's children as well as his 30-year-old girlfriend are also COVID-19 positive. The ex-premier tested positive after vacationing along Sardinia's coastline, where Italy's rich and famous have been known to flaunt mask policies.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Vojinovic
Jair Bolsonaro
Brazil's president, who has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the pandemic, contracted the virus in July. He was criticized for ignoring the safety measures recommended by health experts both before and after his diagnosis, including shaking hands and hugging supporters in crowds. His wife and sons also tested positive.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Peres
Boris Johnson
In late March, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came down with a coronavirus infection that landed him in the hospital for several days. Johnson spent a week at a hospital in London and three nights in intensive care where he was given oxygen and observed around the clock. He was released in mid-April and credited hospital staff with saving his life.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Dawson
Michel Barnier
Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, tested positive for the virus in March. The top Brussels official sent out a tweet in English as well as French saying he was doing well and "in good spirits." He added: "I am following all the necessary instructions, as is my team."
Image: Reuters/Y. Herman
Alexander Lukashenko
Belarus's embattled President Lukashenko told military officials on July 28 that he had survived an "asymptomatic" COVID-19 infection "on his feet," days before his contentious re-election. The claim met skepticism given its timing. He initially dismissed fears about the pandemic as a "psychosis" and went as far as suggesting cures such as drinking vodka, taking saunas and playing ice hockey.
Image: picture-alliance/Russian Look/V. Listsyn
Jeanine Anez
Bolivia's interim president Jeanine Anez announced on July 10 that she had the virus. "I feel well, I feel strong, I am going to keep working remotely from my isolation, and I want to thank all the Bolivians who are working to help us in this health crisis," the leader tweeted at the time.
Image: AFP
Juan Orlando Hernandez
The president of Honduras spent time being treated at a military hospital after falling ill with coronavirus in June. He received specialized care including receiving medicines via an intravenous drip. His wife and two presidential aids also tested positive. Hernandez left hospital in early July after his symptoms improved.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Martin
Alejandro Giammattei
The Guatemalan president told local radio on September 18 that he had tested positive for the virus. The 64-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis and uses canes to walk, said his symptoms were mild. The government said Giammattei plans on monitoring his health and continuing official duties from isolation.
Image: Johan Ordonez/AFP
Abdelmadjid Tebboune
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was flown to Germany hospital for treatment after contracting the virus. The 74-year-old looked haggard and spent in his public appearance 47 days after testing positive.
Image: Ryad Kramdi/AFP
Luis Abinader
Luis Abinader, the newly elected president of the Dominican Republic, tested positive during his election campaign. He recovered before the July election and spent one week in isolation.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Barria
Jens Spahn
German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who has led Germany's fight against the pandemic, tested positive for the coronavirus in October and had "cold-like symptoms." He went into immediate isolation and soon recovered. Despite a couple of self-isolation scares for Angela Merkel and other ministers, Spahn remains Germany's highest-profile political case to date.
Image: Daniel Karmann/dpa/picture alliance
Not an exhaustive list
This gallery does not include all major politicians who have contracted the coronavirus. Others, such as Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Chicu, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, are just some of the other top politicians who have contracted the virus.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
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Europe
France is mulling a third lockdown due to the new variants of the coronavirus, the government's top medical advisers said on Sunday.
"We probably need to go towards confinement. Whether that needs to be very strict confinement like the first one in March or a softer form like in November, that is a political decision," said Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises the government on COVID-19 response.
France went into lockdown twice in 2020, the first time between March and May and then October to December
The Netherlands' first night of curfew aimed at slowing coronavirus infections was met with widespread protests and rioting, police said on Sunday.
Rioters set fires in several Dutch cities and threw rocks at police at a banned demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures. Officers responded with tear gas and water cannon, arresting more than 240 people nationwide.
Middle East
Israel will be closing its international airport to nearly all flights for a week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday.
"We are closing the skies hermetically, except for really rare exceptions, to prevent the entry of virus mutations, and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli police clashed with ultra-Orthodox protesters in several major cities and the government raced to bring a raging coronavirus outbreak under control.
Israel has so far vaccinated more than 2.5 million of the nine-million-strong population.