Evening roundupTuesday's key coronavirus developments in Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 372 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday from 9,491 tests. There were 10 more deaths.

• A Luxembourgish cohort study shows encouraging participation rates and sees its protocol published in an international peer-reviewed journal.

• In a letter to school administrations, the Ministry of Education gave further specifications on some of the new regulations that are to be implemented in secondary schools. While some are more general, others specifically tackle the pandemic.

• After announcing yesterday that three weeks of new restrictions are set to come into force on Thursday, the opposition parties have already stated that none of them will vote in favour of the law, arguing that they are random and ineffective. Meanwhile, the government coalitionwill vote in favour.

• The government strategy could be finalised by the end of next week to facilitate and put into place a large-scale vaccination campaign. This would also include three initial vaccination centres.

• Police carried out approximately 370 checks in the context of the Covid-19 restrictions over the past week. 220 people were fined for being out and about for no valid reason at night, whereas 15 cafés and restaurants failed to respect closing times.

• The Ministry of Health has confirmed new testing possibilities for children between the ages of 2 and 6, at three locations, with appointment.

And news from abroad

• On Monday, 7,896 new deaths and 593,934 new cases were recorded worldwide. Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the United States with 835 new deaths, followed by Italy with 630 and Poland with 540.

• French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce lighter coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday thanks to a recent drop in new infections, paving the way for shops to reopen swiftly and allow travel for Christmas.

• Russia‘s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is 95 percent effective according to a second interim analysis of clinical trial data, its developers said on Tuesday. The two-dose vaccine will be available on international markets for less than $10 (8.40 euros) per dose, they said, and will be free for Russian citizens.

• Meanwhile, Germany‘s 16 states have agreed to guidelines limiting social contact over Christmas, according to a draft deal released on Tuesday, dashing hopes for large holiday gatherings. The plan could limit groups to 10 people and possibly ban fireworks, too.

• High schools, libraries and swimming pools will be closed and public events banned outright in Helsinki, Finland due to the “worrying” situation, Mayor Jan Vapaavuori told a press conference.

• Travellers to England from abroad could face a shorter spell in quarantine from mid-December, the UK government announced Tuesday in a move welcomed by the battered aviation sector. The isolation period could drop from 14 to 5 days.

• Australia will likely require international arrivals to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face a prolonged quarantine, as officials sketch out what “new normal” virus restrictions may look like.

• Cases of novel coronavirus have been found in mink farms in Poland for the first time, scientists said on Tuesday, following an outbreak in Denmark that led to a mass cull.