China Implements Quarantine in City with 13 Million Residents

Chinese authorities imposed quarantine measures in the city of Xi'an, located in the northern part of the country, with a population of 13 million, due to a rise in COVID-19 infections, more than a month before the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Local authorities stated that residents of Xi'an must "stay at home unless there is a compelling reason" to leave, clarifying that one person from each family is allowed to go out for shopping "every two days." Additionally, Singapore suspended travel without quarantine, and Australia renewed its vaccination campaign on Wednesday, in light of increased infections from the Omicron variant, just days before Christmas, prompting authorities to enforce new restrictions and accelerate the administration of booster doses of vaccines. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Singaporean government announced on Wednesday that it had decided to halt all new ticket sales for flights and bus journeys under its travel program that exempted arrivals from quarantine, starting from December 23 to January 20, citing concerns over the spread of Omicron. In other parts of Asia, Japan reported its first local case of Omicron on Wednesday, while India urged all its states to prepare for an increase in infections and allowed local authorities to impose restrictions on large gatherings.