Coronavirus India Jan 31 Highlights: Bengal eases Covid restrictions, allows daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai; schools, colleges to reopen from Feb 3

As the country began the Phase-2 of the vaccination programme for the children between age of 15 and 17, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh have announced that they will reopen schools next month. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that from February 3rd, the physical classes will begin for students of class 8th and above. Colleges, universities and other educational institutions have also been allowed to conduct in-person classes.

Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections. Japan began administering booster shots to medical workers in December, but has only provided such inoculations to 2.7 per cent of the population after delaying a decision to cut the interval between the first two coronavirus shots and a booster to six months from the initial eight. Demand for the shots is intense: Online reservations that started on Friday resulted in all all slots for about 4,300 doses to be given at the center this week being filled within 9 minutes. The center is providing the vaccine made by Moderna, Inc. On a smaller scale, people 65 and older can get booster shots elsewhere. AP

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home Affairs resigned on Monday weeks after attending the birthday party of a delegate to China’s legislature, where two of some 200 guests tested positive for COVID-19.Caspar Tsui was among 15 officials who went to the 53rd birthday of Witman Hung, a city delegate to the national legislature, before new COVID-19 restrictions came into force, but after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam appealed to people to avoid big gatherings.Tsui “brought the Hong Kong government into disrepute” and “did not meet the expectations of the general public”, Lam told a news conference.”I accepted his resignation,” she said.Hong Kong has followed China with a zero-COVID policy despite the economic costs and a rising psychological toll on many people of the tough restrictions aimed at keeping the virus at bay.Tsui said in a statement he had made a wrong decision to attend the banquet on Jan. 3 when all efforts should have been devoted to controlling the spread of the virus.”As one of the principal officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example,” Tsui said. – Reuters

Australia reported its lowest daily COVID-19 deaths in two weeks on Monday while cases continued to trend lower as authorities braced for staff shortages in schools due to likely outbreaks as thousands of students return after their summer break.Most states will go through a staggered school reopening exercise this week as Australia battles the worst outbreak of the pandemic, with the fast-moving Omicron coronavirus variant spiralling cases to record levels.”There will be challenges and there will be bumps over these first few weeks,” Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino said during a media briefing on Monday. Merlino said a pool of about 350 retired teachers have been set up to support schools when they have to furlough staff.Masks are mandatory indoors for older children and millions of at-home antigen tests, still not readily available in many stores, are being rolled out to families free of cost, with children asked to undergo COVID-19 tests twice a week.About 40% of children aged 5-11 years have been administered their first vaccine dose, while around two-thirds of eligible Australians have received their boosters. – Reuters

Investigations into China’s cold-chain sector has led to several managers, officials and business owners being punished for failing to meet COVID-19 prevention standards, the country’s corruption watchdog said in a notice.The Beijing branch of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) accused several people involved in the cold storage business of management and supervisory failures when it came to controlling COVID-19.It accused one manager in an industrial park in southwest Beijing of “poor leadership and non-standard management that led to the spread of the epidemic”.Several officials have been expelled from the Communist Party and could face further criminal punishment, according to a notice published by the CCDI late on Sunday.After linking a number of local cases to the cold-chain industry, Beijing also promised earlier this month to tighten its screening procedures.China has been an outlier in asserting that COVID-19 can be transmitted via cold-chain imports such as frozen meat and fish, even though the World Health Organization has played down the risk. – Reuters

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern returned a negative COVID-19 test result on Monday, but she will remain in self isolation until the end of Tuesday as per health guidelines, a government spokesman said.Ardern took a coronavirus test on Sunday after being exposed to an infected person on a flight to Auckland from the town of Kerikeri.”The Prime Minister has returned a negative COVID-19 test. In line with Ministry of Health guidance she is required to continue isolating until the end of Tuesday, February 1, or as otherwise advised by Public Health,” a spokesman to the Prime Minister said.The governor-general and other members of Ardern’s staff who were on board the flight, have also been in self-isolation. – Reuters

The head of Cyprus’ Orthodox Christian Church said on Sunday that he will suspend a dozen priests from his diocese because they refused to heed his call to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Archbishop Chrystostomos II told state broadcaster CyBC that most of the priests are also theologians who have swayed some of the faithful not to get vaccinated. The archbishop called the insubordination ‘unheard of’ and warned that the suspensions could be extended to six months or lead to the priests being defrocked. He suggested that some of the unvaccinated priests may be emboldened to defy him because of his frail health. – AP