Flowers lie in a puddle at the foot of the National Covid Memorial Wall in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
Pharmacists fill syringes from vials of the Moderna booster vaccine at the Antwerp Expo vaccine center in Antwerp, Belgium on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Belgium, many flocked to their local vaccine center to receive their booster shots and stay ahead of the surging omicron infections. Others faced their first real test of the latest COVID-19 measures on Monday, with shopping reduced to a maximum of two along with closures of movie theaters and concert halls.
Shoppers, some wearing face masks to guard against COVID-19, walk along Oxford Street in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
A man walks past a disgarded face mask on the ground, outside a shopping centre in downtown Mainz, Germany, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.
A medial worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.
People line up for a free COVID-19 rapid test at a gas station in the Reseda section of Los Angeles on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, as California braces for a post-holiday virus surge.
Women wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus walk by an art installation depicting a prosperity chamber on display outside a mall in Beijing, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.
People arrive to receive their Moderna booster vaccine at the Antwerp Expo vaccine center in Antwerp, Belgium on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Belgium, many flocked to their local vaccine center to receive their booster shots and stay ahead of the surging omicron infections. Others faced their first real test of the latest COVID-19 measures on Monday, with shopping reduced to a maximum of two along with closures of movie theaters and concert halls.
Social distancing signs on precautions against the coronavirus are displayed on a chair at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. The signs read “Keep your distance.”
A boy is tested at a COVID-19 mobile test center in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.
A woman wearing a face mask to guard against COVID-19 carries bags of shopping along Oxford Street in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
Worshippers and visitors, wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, arrive to Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the highly contagious Omicron variant now makes up for more than 10 percent of new cases in the country’s crowded provinces.
Shoppers, some wearing face masks to guard against COVID-19, pack Regent Street in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
People wearing protective face masks walk outside a Christmas decorated coffee shop in Psiri district of Athens, on Monday, Dec 27, 2021. Part of new restrictions includes a mask mandate for outdoors and all public areas as the Greek government is expected to announce new measures to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
An airport employee cleans the sides of a moving walkway at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season.
Shoppers wearing face masks to guard against COVID-19 walk past a sale poster covering a window of department store Selfridges on Oxford Street in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
A woman and child from Brazil wait for their flight underneath a board showing roughly a dozen cancelled flights among the scheduled arrivals, at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season.
Travelers walk through Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season.
A woman walks between closed bars and restaurants in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. New restrictions to avoid the outspread of the coronavirus will go into effect from Tuesday on all over Germany.
A woman wearing a face mask to guard against COVID-19 looks out from a tour bus on Regent Street in London, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. In Britain, where the omicron variant has been dominant for days, government requirements have been largely voluntary and milder than those on the continent, but the Conservative government said it could impose new restrictions after Christmas.
BRUSSELS (AP) — As omicron spreads ever more gloom around the globe ahead of New Year’s Eve, governments are moving at different speeds to contain the scourge, with some reimposing restrictions immediately and others hesitating to spoil the party again.
In Britain, where the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus has sent caseloads soaring to record highs, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Monday no further restrictions will be introduced in England before the new year. New daily infections in England are hovering around 100,000, and hospital admissions were up more than 70% on Christmas from a week earlier.
“When we get into the new year, of course, we will see then if we do need to take any further measures, but nothing more until then, at least,” Javid said.
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though, nightclubs have been ordered closed and limits on gatherings imposed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, leaving the country divided in its approach to the crisis.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, has already shut down all nonessential stores, restaurants and bars and extended the school holidays in what largely amounts to a new lockdown. In Belgium, new measures went into effect Monday and over the weekend: Shopping in large groups was banned, and movie theaters and concert halls closed in the middle of the holiday season.
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