Saudi to lift most virus curbs from tomorrow
Saudi Arabia will ease COVID-19 curbs from Sunday (Oct.17), the interior ministry said on Friday, in response to a sharp drop in daily infections and a considerable development in vaccinations.
The government will lit social distancing measures and will allow full-capacity atendance at the country’s two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah for those who have taken the full dose of vaccines, the ministry added.
The faithful who have received both vaccine doses will now be able to visit the mosques while wearing a mask and using the Umrah tracking app.
Masks in open spaces will no longer be mandatory for fully-vaccinated people, although people must still wear them in closed spaces.
The authorities also cancelled curbs on fully vaccinated people at closed venues, gatherings, transportation, restaurants and cinemas.
Social distancing regulations will also be lited and transport, restaurants, cinemas and other public gatherings will be allowed to operate at full capacity for the fully-vaccinated.
Wedding halls will be also be allowed to operate with no restrictions on atendance, although those atending must still comply with the precautions, including masks in closed spaces.
On Friday, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) registered 104 new coronavirus cases and one death. MOHAP also noted that an additional 179 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19.
The Health Ministry has announced that 31,708 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given in the past 24 hours. The total number of doses provided up to Friday stands at 20,645,011 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 208.74 doses per 100 people.
The White House on Friday said it will lit COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective from Nov.8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States.
Announcing the starting date for the new rules on travel into and out of the country, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz posted on Twiter that the policy “is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent.”
The unprecedented travel restrictions kept millions of visitors out of the United States from China, Canada, Mexico, India, Brazil, much of Europe and elsewhere; shrunk US tourism; and hurt border community economies. They prevented many loved ones and foreign workers from reuniting with families.
US allies had heavily lobbied the Biden administration to lit the rules.
Australia’s capital Canberra has come out of lockdown with authorities reporting more than 99% of the population aged 12 and older having at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Sydney will allow the entry of fully vaccinated travellers from overseas from Nov.1 without the need for quarantine, authorities said on Friday, although the easing of strict entry controls will initially benefit only citizens.
Australia’s most populous state New South Wales said it would end hotel quarantine for vaccinated international travellers as the government accelerates the wind back of pandemic restrictions.
The pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Biontech say they have requested that their coronavirus vaccine be licenced for children aged 5 to 11 across the European Union. If authorised, it would be the first opportunity for younger children in Europe to be get immunised against COVID-19.
In a statement on Friday, Pfizer and Biontech said they had submited data to the European Medicines Agency, including late-stage results from a study testing their COVID-19 vaccine in more than 2,200 children aged six months to 11 years, using a lower dose than what’s normally given to adults.
France on Friday stopped offering COVID-19 tests free of charge for everyone, in the government’s latest effort to incite holdouts to get vaccinated against the virus.
A recent negative test, proof of recovery or full vaccination is needed to get a health pass which is required for access to cafes, restaurants, sports facilities and entertainment venues such as cinemas.
The tests were free of charge while France’s vaccination drive got into full swing, but the government said it did not view them as an alternative to vaccinations once everybody who wanted a jab could easily get one.
Saudi allows 100% attendance at Holy Mosques in Makkah, Madinah; UAE reports 104 new cases; fully vaccinated foreign visitors can enter US from Nov.8, Sydney from Nov.1; Pfizer seeks European nod for child vaccines.