Biden Omicron Speech Live: Latest News Updates - The New York Times

Jane Barlow/Press Association, via Associated Press

Sweden and Scotland on Tuesday ordered tighter restrictions on gatherings as the Omicron variant continued its march across Europe, and Swedish officials warned that a surge of infections driven by the variant would continue rising until mid-January.

Sweden’s public health agency also released new forecasts that suggested that, under a worst-case scenario, in which vaccinations afford the least protection against being infected with Omicron, the country could see 15,000 daily infections in mid-January, far higher than previous peaks.

Sweden’s new rules include a cap of 50 people for private gatherings and instructions that most people should work from home. In announcing them, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that the country, which had thrown off nearly all restrictions over the summer, “must adapt to the new reality.”

“I understand that many are tired of this — so am I — but we now have a new virus variant, which means we are in a new situation,” she said.

Days before Christmas, many European nations are imposing new social restrictions, mask mandates and travel rules as Omicron drives the continent’s infection rates to their highest levels of the pandemic. An average of 51 daily cases are being recorded per 100,000 people in Europe, the most of any continent.

Denmark announced on Tuesday that it had recorded 13,558 cases in the previous 24 hours, a daily record. The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, said on Twitter that Omicron was now the dominant variant in the country “and continues to grow.”

Scotland announced limits on crowds at large events for three weeks, beginning the day after Christmas, and ordered bars and restaurants only to serve seated patrons in order to limit social contact. The rules in effect mean that professional sporting events will take place without spectators, following a similar announcement made by the government of Wales.

“The obligation of government is to take difficult decisions to keep the country as safe as possible, no matter how unpopular they might be,” said Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Omicron is now the dominant variant in Scotland, just as it is in London, the epicenter of the virus surge in Britain, where daily case totals have set records.

Also on Tuesday, the European Union said that from next year, people would be allowed to travel freely within the bloc only if they had received booster shots or had been fully vaccinated within the previous nine months.

The new rules, which are set to come into force on Feb. 1, aim to standardize travel across the bloc by setting an expiration date on Covid passes, which first came into effect in July and show the holders’ vaccination status. But even with the rules, individual countries can still decide whether to require visitors to quarantine or show proof of a negative test upon entry. The change also does not affect domestic passes that some countries require for entry into public places like bars and restaurants.

With rising infections, including Omicron cases, and growing evidence of the waning protection of vaccines, E.U. officials say that an additional dose is necessary, although the rollout of booster shots has been uneven. More than 67 percent of the bloc’s population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and about 14 percent have received an additional dose.

“It’s now up to the member states to ensure boosters will be rolled out swiftly to protect our health and ensure safe traveling,” Didier Reynders, the bloc’s commissioner for justice, said in a statement.

Adblock test (Why?)