Netherlands reimposes strict lockdown and UK won't rule out new measures over Omicron
CNN
The Netherlands entered a strict new lockdown Sunday due to fears over the Omicron coronavirus variant, and the UK's health minister wouldn't rule out further restrictions, as Europe braces for a surge in Covid-19 infections over the usually busy festive period.
Indoor gatherings in the Netherlands will now be limited to a maximum of two guests per household until at least mid-January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday. That number is extended slightly around Christmas and New Year's Eve to four guests.
Non-essential shops, hospitality venues and cultural institutions will also be closed, while schools will remain shut until at least January 9.
Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.