Healthcare and frontline workers and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities would be administered the third dose of the same vaccine they had been given before.

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Maharashtra recorded its highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases in nearly two months, with 1,648 cases taking its tally of active cases to 9,813 on Sunday.

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You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the updates:

New Delhi

Night curfew in Delhi from Monday over rising Covid cases

Night curfew will be imposed in Delhi from 11 pm on Monday, restricting movement of individuals except those in exempted categories, due to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat posed by Omicron, according to a DDMA order.

The night curfew will be in place from 11 pm to 5 am till further orders, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said.

Those exempted from the curfew include government officials, judges and judicial officers, medical personnel, pregnant women and patients, people going on feet to buy essential items, media persons, and people going to or returning from railway stations, bus stops and airports.

Only exempted-category people will be allowed in Metro trains and public transport buses during the night curfew hours, the DDMA order stated. -PTI

National

India logs highest single day rise of Omicron cases, tally climbs to 578

India saw the highest single day rise of Omicron infections with 156 fresh cases, taking the total tally of such cases to 578, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The ministry said 151 out of the 578 people who contracted the infection have recovered or migrated.

The 578 cases have been detected across 19 states and UTs with Delhi recording the maximum number of 142 cases followed by Maharashtra at 141, Kerala  57, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 43 and Telangana 41.

With 6,531 people testing positive for coronavirus infections in a day India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,47,93,333, while the active cases declined to 75,841, according to the data updated at 8 am. The death toll has climbed to 4,79,997 with 315 fresh fatalities, the data stated.

The daily rise  in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 60 days now.

The active cases have declined to 75,841 comprising 0.22% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40%, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. -PTI

Singapore

Covid vaccination mandatory in Singapore from February 2022

Singapore has made Covid vaccination a mandatory condition for the approval of new applications for work passes, long-term passes and permanent residence in Singapore from February 1 next year.

Those renewing their work passes will also have to be vaccinated, The Straits Times reported, citing the multi-ministry task force (MMTF) on Covid.

The new order will not apply to children aged below 12 and those who are medically ineligible for vaccination, it said. -PTI

Singapore

Singapore lifts travel ban imposed on 10 African countries

Singapore has lifted the ban it imposed on 10 African countries over the Omicron variant of coronavirus, while authorities expect a rapid doubling of cases in the coming days.

Passengers arriving in Singapore with travel history to Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe within the past 14 days will come under the country’s Category IV border measures from 11.59 pm on Sunday. -PTI

Hong Kong

Hong Kong suspends Korean Air flights until January 8 due to virus infections

The Hong Kong government ordered a two-week suspension of Korean Air Lines flights, Korean Air said on Monday, after some of its passengers traveling from South Korea to Hong Kong tested positive for coronavirus upon landing last week according to Hong Kong’s official news platform.

The suspension will last until January 8.

Korean Air, which runs flights between South Korea and Hong Kong three times a week, said it respects the entry regulations of the Hong Kong government, and all passengers had tested negative when it had checked. -Reuters

Iran

Iran bars travellers from parts of Western Europe over Omicron fears

Iran has banned the entry of travellers from Britain, France, Denmark and Norway for 15 days as part of curbs following the discovery of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Middle East’s worst-hit country.

State television said on Sunday a similar ban imposed in late November on travellers from South Africa and seven neighbouring countries was also extended for 15 days.

Health authorities also indefinitely halted land travel to neighbouring Turkey, a popular tourist destination, the broadcaster said. -Reuters

France

France sees over 100,000 daily virus infections for 1st time

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the French government’s efforts to stave off a new lockdown.

More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days. Omicron is already dominant in Britain, right across the Channel. -AP