Coronavirus: Latest Global Developments

A student at Park Lane Academy takes a COVID-19 lateral flow test in the school Sports Hall in Halifax, northwest England on 4 January 2022. (AFP Photo)

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

England Eases Travel Rules

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces changes to COVID rules for travel to England, imposed after the highly contagious Omicron COVID variant spread, scrapping the need for pre-departure tests and quarantine on arrival until the traveller has tested negative.

Record After Record

More than one in 20 people in Britain, or an estimated 3.7 million people, had COVID-19 in the last week of 2021, the highest infection rate recorded during the pandemic, official data shows.

France also declares a record 335,000 new daily cases, according to Health Minister Olivier Veran.

And the Netherlands and Israel record their highest number of daily cases, with 24,590 and 12,000 respectively.

Hong Kong Bans Flights

Hong Kong bans flights from eight countries including Britain, the United States, France, India and Australia from Saturday and shutters bars, gyms and restaurants in the evening after the Omicron variant is detected in the city.

Macron Riles Unjabbed

French President Emmanuel Macron is at the centre of a political furore after saying his vaccine strategy is to "piss off" the unvaccinated by restricting their social lives until they get jabbed.

Djokovic Hits Open Hurdle

Serb tennis star Novak Djokovic gets stuck at Melbourne airport over a visa snag after sparking anger over his medical exemption that will allow him to defend his Open title without being vaccinated.

Cyprus Clamps Down

Cypriot authorities announce stricter controls on social gatherings to tackle the world's worst COVID-19 infection rate per capita.

Czech Tests Imposed

All Czech employees will have to undergo antigen tests twice a week from 17 January as the Omicron strain of COVID-19 is expected to spread.

Catalonia Curfew Extended

A Spanish court extends by two weeks the night-time curfew in place in most of the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia.

Outdoors Masks For Romania

Romania reimposes the wearing of surgical masks outdoors, the number of daily cases having tripled since the beginning of 2022.

Omicron Hits Ryanair

European airline giant Ryanair announces a seven-percent fall in passenger traffic last month as the Omicron variant triggered restrictions that hit the key Christmas travel season.

Liverpool, Bayern Hit

Liverpool's League Cup semi-final first-leg match against Arsenal on Thursday is postponed due to a "severe outbreak" of coronavirus cases at the club, while Bayern Munich's first Bundesliga match of 2022 is also in doubt.

More Than 5.4 Million Dead

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,456,207 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Wednesday.

The US has recorded the most COVID deaths with 830,284, followed by Brazil with 619,384, India 482,551 and Russia 313,015.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to COVID-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.