Coronavirus live: Brazil faces row over emergency vaccine approval; UK restrictions 'possible' next winter

Police have been breaking up anti-lockdown demonstrations in Amsterdam. Images and video are coming through on Twitter.

There was this from Manya Koetse, a Dutch journalist covering China:

Dutch authorities have been using social media to urge people to go home.

France is considering demanding Covid-19 tests for passengers from Ireland including truck drivers operating on a logistics route that has become key since Britain’s exit from the European Union, Ireland’s transport minister has said.

“They have indicated that they are looking for… anyone coming into France from Ireland would have to have” a PCR test, Irish Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told RTE radio, referring to a type of Covid-19 test that can take several days.

“They may go further. What they are looking at is the possibility that hauliers… would require an antigen test,” Ryan said, referring to another type of Covid-19 test that can give results in minutes.

The Michelin Guide will tomorrow reveal its annual pick of France’s top restaurants despite criticism over its decision to hold the awards while establishments remain closed in the Covid-19 pandemic.

But three-star chefs can rest easy after Michelin said none will be demoted as the health crisis rages, the AFP news agency reports.

The industry bible’s boss Gwendal Poullennec defended inspections that led to 57 new stars overall, even though restaurants remain shuttered after lockdowns imposed last spring and again since October.

“It’s an important decision to support the industry, despite the current situation and perhaps even because of the situation,” Poullennec told AFP.

“All the establishments that have kept their star this year or won one are restaurants that fully deserve it,” he said.

Michelin has drawn fire for bestowing its verdicts as chefs rack up losses while adapting their menus for takeaway or deliveries – and food fans have little chance of booking tables anytime soon, with or without face masks.

The rival Best 50 list, based in Britain, cancelled its 2020 ranking last year, while France’s La Liste said this month that instead of rankings it would honour innovative chefs who have persevered amid the pandemic.

Michelin called off the lavish gala ceremony that was to be held in Cognac, southwest France – the first time outside Paris – and instead will announce the 2021 winners in a YouTube broadcast from the Eiffel Tower.

Michelin was challenged on social media about how the results would be formulated

A leading British epidemiologist has criticised the UK government’s “pretty lax” approach to quarantining foreign arrivals and contacts of coronavirus cases, as ministers pledged to “beef up” checks.

Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said that if there is a quarantine policy it should be made “as effective as you possibly can”.

The Sunday Times reported that ministers were considering introducing quarantine hotels and using technology to ensure people isolate, amid concern over new strains of coronavirus arriving from overseas.

But Prof Edmunds told Times Radio: “If you’re going to have quarantine then you should probably make it as effective as you possibly can.”

“Ours has been rather lax, not just for visitors coming into the UK the vast majority of whom do not have covid but we’ve also been rather lax with our quarantine of individuals who have been in direct contact with a case; indigenous cases. We’ve been pretty lax about that.”

That’s it from me, Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time. Handing back now to my colleague Ben Quinn.

Lebanon finalised a deal with Pfizer on Sunday for 2.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine amid surge in infections that has overwhelmed the country’s health care system, Associated Press reports.
The doses are to arrive in Lebanon starting early February, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The government’s statement said the Pfizer vaccines will be complemented with another 2.7 million doses from the U.N.-led program to provide for countries in need. It gave no date for when those doses are expected to arrive but said the agreement was signed in October.

People in Wales have been urged to stick to coronavirus lockdown rules as the “significant task” of vaccinating adults continues.

Dr Eleri Davies, incident director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said people should adopt the “same mindset” for the current lockdown as they did in March 2020.

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, Dr Davies said: “Vaccinating the adult population of Wales, to protect people from severe disease, is a significant task and the vaccine will take time to reach everyone

“The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for some time and we must continue to follow the advice on keeping Wales safe.”

It comes following criticism of the Welsh government over the past week for vaccinating fewer people in proportion to its population than the other home nations.

The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee heard on Thursday that the ratio of people receiving the first dose of the vaccine per 100,000 was 3,215. This compared to 3,514 in Scotland, 4,005 in England and 4,828 in Northern Ireland.

In the UK, half of all over-80s have been vaccinated against coronavirus, health secretary Matt Hancock has Tweeted.

Restrictions are “possible” next winter if other countries don’t reach sufficient vaccination levels, a UK leading scientist has warned. Imperial College’s Prof Azra Ghani told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday:

It is possible. We are very much hoping that the vaccine will enable us really to go back to as normal a life as possible but we have to remember that the virus is still circulating globally and even if the UK is fully vaccinated, it is likely that we will get importations continue and that’s why it is also incredibly important that we support wider efforts to ensure vaccination is available to all countries.”

She said that cases in the UK are coming down:

We have started to see a small decline in cases in some areas and that certainly is positive news that the current restrictions that are in place are having the effect that we hoped.”

Asked if the restrictions which have brought this drop in cases are the national lockdown or previous Tier 4 rules, she said:

Both will have had some effect in slowing the growth in cases. The most important thing that we’re seeing now is actually a decline in case numbers and that’s what we really need to accelerate as far as possible because it is of course saving people’s lives and avoiding unnecessary illness for all of these individuals who have been infected.”

She also warned that the vaccine rollout may need to ramp up further:

We have obviously exceeded levels of around two million a week that we were initially aiming for and the hope is that the most vulnerable will be protected in the near term. We have to remember that once we get towards springtime, we also have to give those second doses out so essentially the numbers will need to double to ensure that people become fully protected.”