Germany shuts out unvaccinated, other internstional developments

Live updates: Germany shuts out unvaccinated, eyes mandate | AP News BERLIN - Germans who aren’t vaccinated are to be excluded from nonessential stores, cultural and recreational venues. Also, Germany’s parliament is to consider a general vaccine mandate. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday the measures were necessary in light of concerns that hospitals in Germany could become overloaded with COVID-19 patients. AP NEWS

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Merkel said, “The situation in our country is serious.”

Infections have again topped 70,000 in a 24-hour period. ..

Other developments include:

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine has announced an entry ban for foreign nationals traveling from eight African countries in an effort to prevent the new coronavirus variant omicron entering the country.  ...

SINGAPORE -- Singapore’s Health Ministry says preliminary tests detected the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in two passengers who arrived on a plane from Johannesburg, the country’s first suspected cases.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — More than half of a group of airline passengers who flew to the Netherlands from South Africa and were ordered into isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 are being released from quarantine.

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