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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand and the Prepare dinner Islands say they plan to have a journey bubble in place early subsequent 12 months, which is able to enable folks to fly between the 2 nations with out going into quarantine.
The association would symbolize the primary journey bubble that New Zealand has agreed to since closing its borders when the coronavirus first hit earlier this 12 months.
New Zealand has moved cautiously on restarting worldwide journey after stamping out group unfold of the virus. Australia is at present permitting many New Zealanders to reach with out going into quarantine however that association isn’t but reciprocal.
The Prepare dinner Islands, with a inhabitants of solely about 10,000, is self-governing however has shut ties to New Zealand underneath a free-association association, and its economic system depends on New Zealand vacationers.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— US permits emergency COVID-19 vaccine in bid to finish pandemic
— As he rails on election, Trump largely mum on toll of virus
— Demoralized health workers battle as virus numbers surge
— Hours earlier than t he Food and Drug Administration approved the primary COVD-19 vaccine late Friday, a high-ranking White Home official informed the company’s chief he may face firing if the vaccine was not cleared by day’s finish, two administration officers say.
— Some Individuals are actually falling sick with COVID-19 after celebrating Thanksgiving with folks outdoors their households. Well being officers are warning folks to not make the identical mistake throughout this month’s celebrations.
— Drugmakers Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline say their potential COVID-19 vaccine gained’t be prepared till late subsequent 12 months as they search to enhance the shot’s effectiveness in older folks.
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Observe AP’s protection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported one other 950 coronavirus circumstances, its largest every day enhance for the reason that emergence of the pandemic, as fears develop about overwhelmed hospitals within the higher capital space.
The figures launched by the Korea Illness Management and Prevention Company on Saturday introduced the nation’s caseload to 41,736, after well being officers added greater than 8,900 circumstances within the final 15 days alone. Six COVID-19 sufferers died previously 24 hours to convey the dying toll to 578.
Many of the new circumstances got here from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan space, the place well being staff have struggled to trace transmissions popping up from nearly in every single place, together with hospitals, long-term care services, eating places, saunas, faculties and military items.
Infections had been additionally reported in different main city facilities, together with Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan and Daegu, a southeastern metropolis that was the epicenter of the spring outbreak.
The federal government had eased its social distancing restrictions to the bottom tier in October regardless of specialists warning a couple of viral surge throughout colder climate, when folks spend longer hours indoors.
Officers restored some restrictions in current weeks, akin to shutting nightclubs and permitting eating places to offer solely deliveries and takeouts after 9 p.m., and may very well be compelled to clamp down on financial exercise additional.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun mentioned South Korea could need to elevate social distancing restrictions to the very best stage, which features a ban on gatherings of greater than 10 folks, faculty closures, a halt to to skilled sports activities and requiring firms to have most of their workers earn a living from home.
President Moon Jae-in in a Fb message apologized for his authorities’s failure to comprise the outbreak regardless of months of measures that damage the economic system. He pleaded for vigilance, saying the nation was going by way of its “final disaster earlier than the arrival of vaccines and therapy.”
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — An outbreak of 77 coronavirus circumstances in Santa Clara County has been traced to an unlawful youth basketball match held final month in Placer County.
Officers say those that examined constructive attended the occasion Nov. 7 and eight at Courtside Basketball Heart in Rocklin. They included 39 middle- and highschool gamers, three coaches and 35 further contacts.
An extra 17 circumstances outdoors Santa Clara County even have been traced to the match.
The California Division of Public Well being has initiated an enforcement investigation involving the match operator.
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SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico well being officers say one other 43 folks have died as a result of COVID-19 problems.
The quantity launched Friday is among the many highest every day dying tolls for the state in current weeks.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham mentioned her prayers are with those that have misplaced family members and she or he urged folks to abide by the state’s public well being restrictions.
Officers additionally reported a further 1,849 confirmed circumstances, bringing the statewide whole for the reason that pandemic started to 116,565.
New Mexico is making ready subsequent week to obtain its first spherical of vaccine doses. Officers say they are going to be delivered to frontline well being care staff.
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. has given the ultimate go-ahead to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, marking what may very well be the start of the top of an outbreak that has killed almost 300,000 Individuals.
Pictures for well being staff and nursing residence residents are anticipated to start within the coming days after the Meals and Drug Administration on Friday approved an emergency rollout of what guarantees to be a strongly protecting vaccine from Pfizer and its German accomplice BioNTech.
Preliminary doses are scarce and rationed because the U.S. joins Britain and several other different nations in scrambling to vaccinate as many individuals as attainable forward of winter. It’s going to take months of labor to tamp down the coronavirus that has surged to catastrophic ranges in current weeks and claimed 1.5 million lives globally.
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JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing what he calls a unprecedented response to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economic system.
His proposal outlined Friday contains about $5,000 in direct funds to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an infrastructure plan he mentioned is meant to create jobs. He says Alaskans and companies are struggling, and now could be the time to behave.
The state’s economic system has been battered by the coronavirusndemic, with tourism and hospitality industries hit exhausting. North Slope oil costs have been under $50 a barrel for a lot of the 12 months.
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SANTA ANA, Calif. — A California decide has ordered a 50% discount within the populations at Orange County jails to guard incarcerated folks from a significant coronavirus outbreak.
Superior Court docket Decide Peter Wilson’s resolution is available in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union that mentioned circumstances on the jails violate the state’s structure and incapacity discrimination regulation.
The county has been ordered to file a plan with the courtroom no later than Dec. 31.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes says his division is “evaluating the order, its impacts and our choices for enchantment.”
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MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s medical security fee has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the coronavirus.
Assistant Well being Secretary Hugo López-Gatell mentioned Friday that Mexico is the fourth nation to take action, behind Britain, Canada and Bahrain.
Mexico is about to obtain 250,000 doses of the vaccine, sufficient for 125,000 folks.
López-Gatel has mentioned that front-line well being staff will get the photographs first. Vaccinations are anticipated to start as quickly as subsequent week.
López-Gatel says the approval “is in fact a motive for hope,” although the preliminary rounds of photographs should not almost sufficient for Mexico’s health-care workforce.
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The U.S. Justice Division is supporting Michigan faith-based faculties of their courtroom problem to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ban on in-person lessons in excessive faculties.
The division’s Civil Rights Division filed an argument in favor of three Roman Catholic excessive faculties and the Michigan Affiliation of Non-Public Faculties. A federal decide in Kalamazoo will hear arguments Monday.
The submitting says faculties and households have a constitutional proper to apply their faith by way of in-person instruction. It cites a current U.S. Supreme Court docket order that barred New York from implementing sure restrictions on spiritual companies in areas hit exhausting by the coronavirus.
Michigan’s well being division argues the instructing restriction is critical to manage the unfold of the coronavirus, particularly after Thanksgiving gatherings.
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. federal company that gives well being care to Native Individuals says it’s anticipating greater than sufficient coronavirus vaccines to guard all of the folks working within the hospitals and clinics that it funds.
The Indian Well being Service was handled very similar to a state for distribution functions. It submitted a plan to vaccinate greater than 2 million Native Individuals and Alaska Natives.
The company expects to obtain 22,425 doses of the Pfizer vaccine subsequent week and 46,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine by the top of the 12 months. These doses will cowl the greater than 44,000 individuals who work at tons of of services which can be receiving vaccine allocations by way of the Indian Well being Service.
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UNITED NATIONS — Eight primarily Western nations are accusing North Korea of utilizing the pandemic “to crack down additional on the human rights of its personal folks,” pointing to reviews of an uptick in executions associated to the coronavirus and strict controls on actions round its capital.
The assertion was issued Friday after the U.N. Safety Council privately mentioned North Korea’s human rights state of affairs. Germany and others had sought an open session however Russia, China and different council members objected.
Seven council members — Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Britain and the USA — joined by Japan criticized North Korea for rights abuses. In addition they mentioned the North Korean authorities’s resolution “to prioritize its weapons packages” is inevitably worsening the impacts of the pandemic on the North Korean inhabitants.”
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas well being officers on Friday reported a one-day file of 55 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and a couple of,770 new confirmed or possible circumstances.
“Now we have as soon as once more reached a grave milestone on this pandemic,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson mentioned in an announcement.
“Whereas we could have hope forward from promising vaccine information, we can’t develop weary over the following few weeks,” he mentioned.
In a statewide tackle Thursday night time, Hutchinson mentioned the state is seeing a surge in circumstances after Thanksgiving and steered Arkansans journey much less for the approaching Christmas vacation and take fast assessments each earlier than and after journey.
The state Division of Well being reported a complete of two,875 deaths as a result of sickness brought on by the virus and 181,624 whole circumstances for the reason that pandemic started.
The well being division reported 1,059 folks hospitalized with the virus.
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WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita health studio’s proprietor and his enterprise are suing Kansas for compensation for being compelled to close down and reopen with restrictions this 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit filed this week in Sedgwick County District Court docket by Ryan Floyd and Omega Bootcamps Inc. argues that the state used his and the enterprise’ personal property “for the good thing about most people” when it and native officers imposed their restrictions. The lawsuit cites a part of the state’s emergency administration regulation that claims folks can pursue claims for compensation in courtroom if their property is “commandeered or in any other case used” by state or native officers.
The Kansas legal professional basic’s workplace declined remark, saying it was reviewing the lawsuit. Gov. Laura Kelly’s workplace didn’t instantly reply Friday to a request for remark.
Copyright 2020 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.
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