Daily roundupFriday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Luxembourgish Ministry of Health report that 2,103 new cases of coronavirus were detected over the last 24 hours.

• The government has decided to release the document which will serve as the basis for the debate that will take place in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.

• Ahead of the introduction of the CovidCheck regime at the workplace on Saturday, the testing centres operated by the Luxembourgish military open their doors on Friday.

• https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/1847002.htmlA panel made up of Luxembourg’s medical and scientific experts addressed the press on Friday afternoon, expressing their support for a vaccine mandate for people aged 50 and over. Read the full summary here.

• The president of the National Health Fund (CNS), Christian Oberlé, discussed the upcoming implementation of 3G in the workplace in a new interview with RTL, touching upon concerns that the number of employees on sick leave might skyrocket.

• The latest report from state laboratory LNS found that 74.9% of Covid-19 samples in the week ending 2 January were of the Omicron variant.

• On Friday morning, the researcher, microbiologist, and member of the Covid-19 taskforce was a guest on RTL Radio.

• The two public debates on coronavirus vaccination held in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday will lead to a discussion in the Petitions Committee.
• A panel of doctors addressed the press on Friday afternoon on the topic of mandatory vaccines. Read our ticker translations as they happened here.

And Abroad

• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday he believed the pandemic was “on the way out” because the Omicron variant was less severe, even as the country faces record infections from the highly contagious strain

• As the Omicron variant of Covid-19 sweeps the United States, empty supermarket shelves have become the latest sign of the pandemic‘s ongoing disruption to the country’s supply chains.

• Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will be back to near full strength at resurgent Cologne on Saturday with a host of first-choice players now out of Covid isolation.

• The US Supreme Court delivered a blow to President Joe Biden on Thursday, blocking his Covid vaccination-or-testing mandate for employees of large businesses.

• President Joe Biden negotiated into the evening Thursday with two holdout senators from his own party to try and save his beleaguered voting rights bill on a day that also saw him get a stinging setback on Covid-fighting strategy.

• The UK government on Friday apologised to Queen Elizabeth II, after revelations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s staff broke coronavirus restrictions by partying on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral.

• Chinese exports surged in 2021 on solid global demand as countries reopened from pandemic lockdowns, data showed Friday, bumping its overall trade surplus to a new high and providing a much-needed boost to the stuttering economy, but officials warned of headwinds.

• Australia said Friday it will detain Novak Djokovic this weekend after again stripping him of his visa, in a dramatic setback to the tennis world number one’s goal of winning a record 21st Grand Slam.

• Novak Djokovic- brooding, divisive tennis great with a fiery temper.

• Britain‘s economy has surpassed its pre-pandemic level after recording strong growth in November, official data showed Friday.

• As Covid-19 cases surged in the Philippines in January, Facebook posts shared copies of a local ordinance alongside claims the most populous city in the country has made it mandatory for the public to wear plastic shields on top of face masks “within the city area” Read our Fact Check here.

• Drones sprayed holy water from the Ganges on thousands of Hindu pilgrims on Friday to reduce crowding during a massive festival being held despite soaring Covid cases in India.

• World number one Novak Djokovic had his Australian visa cancelled for a second time Friday over his Covid-19 vaccine status.

• Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open hopes are not quite dead yet but the renewed uncertainty and disruption engulfing the defending champion opens the door for rivals including Rafael Nadal.

• Germany’s economy grew modestly last year, likely shrinking in the final months as the coronavirus pandemic and supply chain issues held back Europe’s industrial powerhouse, official data showed Friday.

• Hong Kong announced a ban on passengers from most of the world transiting through its airport on Friday as Chinaramps up strict anti-virus travel measures ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

• An Italian police union has objected to officers being given pink coronavirus masks, warning they do not go with their uniforms and “risk damaging the institution’s image”.

• A post shared on Facebook in South Africa claims Italian doctors discovered that Covid-19 is not caused by a virus but a bacterium. Read our Fact Check here.

• Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies is suffering from a “slight heart muscle inflammation” as he recovers from Covid-19 and will be sidelined for several weeks, it was revealed Friday.

• The doctor widely credited with helping Novak Djokovic to reach the pinnacle of tennis on Friday criticised Australia for twice cancelling the Serbian star’s visa and detaining him over Covid technicalities, saying he is “super healthy”.