Japan widens restrictions as omicron surges in cities

People walk on a street lined with bars and restaurants in Tokyo on Friday. Pic/AP

Restaurants and bars will close early in Tokyo and a dozen other areas across Japan beginning Friday as the country widens COVID-19 restrictions due to the omicron variant causing cases to surge in metropolitan areas.

Under the latest measure, most eateries are asked to close by 8 or 9 p.m., while large events can allow full capacity with anti-virus plans. In Tokyo, certified eateries that stop serving alcohol can stay open until 9 p.m. while those serving alcohol must close an hour earlier. Restaurants that close at 9 p.m. and don't serve alcohol receive 30,000 yen ($263) per day in government compensation, while those that close at 8 p.m. get 25,000 yen ($220) per day.

The restraint, which is something of a pre-state of emergency, is the first since September and is scheduled to last to February 13. Tokyo logged 8,638 new cases of coronavirus infection Thursday, exceeding the previous record of 7,377 the day before.

With three other prefectures - Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi - under similar measures since early January, the state of restraint now covers 16 areas, or one-third, of the country. While many Japanese adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, few have got a booster shot, which has been a vital protection from the highly contagious omicron variant. The Health Ministry on Friday approved Pfizer vaccinations for children 5-11 years.

37,77,104 No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours
33,67,90,193 Total no. of cases worldwide
55,60,718 Total no. of deaths worldwide

Preteens may be vaxed without parents' consent

California will allow kids aged 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents' consent, youngest age of any state, under a proposal Thursday by a state senator. Alabama allows such decisions at age 14, Oregon at 15, Rhode Island and S Carolina at 16. Only Washington, D.C., has a lower limit, at age 11, Sen. Scott Wiener said.

‘Sputnik V has higher Omicron-specific antibodies than Pfizer'

The levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies of people vaccinated with two doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine did not decline as much as of those who had Pfizer shots, according to a small study. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted on the preprint repository MedRxiv on January 19, was conducted by the Spallanzani Institute in Italy and Gamaleya Institute, Russia, developer of the vaccine.

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