Covid-19 has infected more than 263M people and killed over 5.2M worldwide. Here are the coronavirus-related developments for December 1:
Concerns growing about pause in bookings, business travel delay
Airlines are bracing for a fresh round of volatility due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 that could force them to adjust schedules and destinations at short notice and to rely more on domestic markets where possible, analysts have said.
Many travellers have already booked trips for the Christmas period, a peak season for airlines, but there are growing industry concerns over a pause in future bookings and further delays to the already slow recovery in business travel.
Fitch Ratings said it had lowered its global passenger traffic forecasts for 2021 and 2022, with the emergence of new variants like Omicron highlighting the likelihood that conditions would remain volatile for airlines.
"It feels a little bit like we are back to where we were a year ago and that's not a great prospect for the industry and beyond," Deidre Fulton, a partner at consultancy MIDAS Aviation, said at an industry webinar on Wednesday.
Omicron's impact will vary by country and region due to the diverse nature of global airlines as well as their business models.
"In the past year, each new variant has brought a decline in bookings, but then an increase once the surge dissipates. We expect the same pattern to emerge," said Helane Becker, an analyst at Cowen and Co.
Travel booking website Kayak said international travel searches from the United States were down only 5 percent on Sunday - a stark contrast to a 26 percent fall in searches from Britain, which had tightened testing requirements for arrivals.
US CDC moving to tighten international testing rules
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it is working to impose stricter Covid-19 testing rules for air travelers entering the United States amid concerns about a new variant.
The CDC confirmed in a statement it is working to revise its current Global Testing Order "for travel as we learn more about the Omicron variant; a revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States."
South Korea reports daily record of over 5,000 new infections
South Korea reported a new daily record of 5,123 new coronavirus cases, as the country battles to contain a sharp rise in patients with severe symptoms and stave off the Omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has said.
The government on Monday shelved plans to further relax Covid-19 curbs due to the strain on its healthcare system from rising hospitalisations and deaths as well as the threat posed by the new variant.
Hospitals were treating a record number of 723 patients with severe Covid that require ICU beds, as the authorities scrambled to secure more. The severe cases have seen a steep rise compared to just under 400 in early November.
Over 84 percent of the severely ill Covid patients were aged 60 and above. Experts had pointed to waning antibody levels from the vaccines and urged the elderly to get booster shots.
Sydney braces for more Omicron cases but no lockdowns for now
Australian authorities have flagged another probable case of the Omicron variant in Sydney as they braced for more infections after at least two international travellers visited several locations in the city while likely infectious.
Officials in New South Wales (NSW), home to Sydney, said initial testing "strongly indicates" a man in his 40s, who arrived from southern Africa on Nov. 25, had been infected with the Omicron variant and had spent time in the community.
"We believe it is likely it will be confirmed later this afternoon as a definite Omicron case," NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters, but he ruled out lockdowns to contain the newly identified variant.
"I feel like it's time for a change in approach. We don't know how many more variants of this virus are going to come," Hazzard said.
Sydney, Australia's largest city, came out of nearly four months of lockdown in early October to contain a Delta outbreak and has been gradually easing curbs after higher vaccinations.
Hong Kong bans non-residents from three more countries over Omicron
Hong Kong will ban non-residents from entering the city from Japan, Portugal and Sweden from Friday, adding to a fast-expanding list of countries facing travel restrictions due to concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Non-Hong Kong residents who have been in the three countries in the past 21 days will not be allowed to enter the global financial hub. Residents can only board flights if fully vaccinated and will have to undergo 21-days of quarantine in a hotel at their own cost.
The government's announcement adds to a growing list of countries facing similar restrictions.
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(With input from news agency language)
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