Heavy floods continue to affect eight Malaysianstates for the third day, killing 14 people and partially submerging several towns and villages. (BBC News)
GermanChancellorOlaf Scholz and 16 state premiers agree to tighten the restrictions beginning on December 28, including limiting the number of people in private gatherings to 10 and banning spectators at large-scale musical, sporting and cultural events due to concerns related to the spread of the Omicron variant. (Deutsche Welle)
Prime MinisterAntónio Costa announces that nightclubs and bars will be closed and all people will work from home for at least two weeks beginning on December 25 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. There will also be capacity restrictions at shops and people will require a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter events. (Bloomberg)
The Swedishgovernment announces that several new measures will begin on December 23, including limiting the number of people at private gatherings to 50, requiring the use of a vaccination pass for public events with a capacity of more than 500 people, and recommending work from home where possible, due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)
The European Commission announces a binding proposal that will make the EU Digital COVID Certificate only valid for travel within the European Union for nine months without a booster dose after a person's primary vaccination schedule in order to standardize different travel requirements in the member states. The new rules will be mandatory for all 27 EU member states beginning on February 1. (RFI)
The Health ministry recommends that Israelis over the age of 60 years and healthcare workers should receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the world's first country to administer a fourth dose of the vaccine. The move is welcomed by Prime MinisterNaftali Bennett. (Sky News)
Thailand reinstates its mandatory hotel quarantine for all incoming foreign travellers and suspends the "sandbox" program for places other than Phuket after the country reported its first locally transmitted case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (Rappler)
Argentina reports 9,336 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily total in 4 months, thereby bringing the nationwide total of cases to 5.4 million. (IProfesional)
New Zealand postpones a phased reopening of the border for quarantine-free travel to the end of February in order to strengthen the country's defence against the spread of the Omicron variant. (The Guardian)
California GovernorGavin Newsom announces that healthcare workers will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose in order to keep their "fully vaccinated" status, becoming the second state to impose such mandate. (NBC News)
Three inmates in Japan are executed by hanging, marking the first executions in the country in nearly two years. One inmate was the perpetrator of a 2004 mass stabbing in which he killed seven of his relatives. (Euronews)