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☆ COVID wave past its peak in many parts of China - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Many parts of China are already past their peak of COVID-19 infections, state media reported on Tuesday, with officials further downplaying the severity of the outbreak despite international concerns about its scale and impact. One official was quoted as saying nearly 90 million people had already been infected in Henan province. On Tuesday, a Health Times compilation of reports from local government officials and health experts across the country, suggested the COVID wave may be past its peak in many regions. Yin Yong, acting mayor of Beijing, was cited as saying the capital was also past its peak. Separately in the state-run China Daily, a prominent health official said the percentage of severe cases remained unclear.

☆ Some restaurant workers could see big wage growth in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The restaurant industry was already struggling with a labor crunch before the pandemic turned the problem into a full-blown crisis . More than half of U.S. states will hike their minimum wage this year , but some restaurant workers could see even bigger gains in 2023. If California's government has its way, average hourly pay for restaurant workers could soar in 2023. And it's unlikely that restaurant workers will see any wage gains on the federal level this year. President Joe Biden has expressed support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and the elimination of the tipped wage, which allows employers to pay workers as little as $2.13 an hour.

The aviation industry, battered by years of pandemic curbs, has also been critical of the decisions to impose testing on travellers from China. China reported five new COVID deaths in the mainland for Thursday, bringing its official virus death toll to 5,264, one of the lowest in the world. Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways (0293.HK) said on Thursday it would more than double flights to mainland China. Except for airplane wastewater testing by Malaysia and Thailand for the virus, the region's 11 nations will treat Chinese travellers like any others. As many as 76% of Chinese travel agencies ranked Southeast Asia as the top destination when outbound travel resumed, according to a survey released in December by trade show ITB China.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid hits milestone in Oilers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Barzal is on a career-best, five-game goal streak, and he has six goals and two assists during that span. Vancouver goaltender Collin Delia made 30 saves, while Elias Pettersson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ilya Mikheyev each collected two assists. Ty Smith also scored for Pittsburgh, which lost its sixth straight game, just one off matching its longest losing streak of the season. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Martin Fehervary and Garnet Hathaway also scored, Dylan Strome had three assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves. Washington has won a franchise-record seven straight road games and is 7-0-2 in its past nine games overall and 12-2-3 in its past 17.

☆ Factbox: China to reopen borders, including with Hong Kong, after 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - China will reopen its borders on Sunday, including with its special administrative region of Hong Kong, after nearly three years of COVID-19 closures and restrictions. Travellers from both Hong Kong and China must obtain a negative COVID test result and log it online within 48 hours of departure. Hong Kong and the neighbouring Chinese city of Shenzhen have launched an online booking system for travellers to reserve a slot. China will from Sunday resume issuing tourist and business visas for mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macau. Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong, Bernard Orr and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

China reported one new COVID-19 death in the mainland for Wednesday, compared with five a day earlier, bringing its official death toll to 5,259. Chinese health officials have said only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure in patients who had the virus are classified as COVID deaths. The methods for counting COVID deaths have varied across countries since the pandemic first erupted in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. British-based health data firm Airfinity has estimated about 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from COVID. TESTING WASTEWhile countries try to get more information on the extent and severity of China's outbreak, several have imposed requirements on travellers from China to be tested for COVID.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization officials met Chinese scientists on Tuesday amid concerns over the accuracy of China's data on the spread and evolution of its outbreak. China reported five new COVID-19 deaths for Jan. 3, compared with three a day earlier, bringing the official death toll to 5,258, very low by global standards. British-based health data firm Airfinity has said about 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from COVID. Bookings for international flights from China have risen by 145% year-on-year in recent days, the government-run China Daily newspaper reported, citing data from travel booking platform Trip.com. But there are signs that an increase in travel from China could further spread the virus abroad.

☆ China state media plays down COVID wave severity before WHO meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The World Health Organization on Friday urged China's health officials to regularly share specific and real-time information on the COVID situation. The agency has invited Chinese scientists to present detailed data on viral sequencing at a meeting of a technical advisory group scheduled for Tuesday. The European Union has offered free COVID vaccines to China to help contain the outbreak, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. China has rejected criticism of its COVID data and said any new mutations may be more infectious but less harmful. Data on Tuesday showed China's factory activity shrank at a sharper pace in December as the COVID wave disrupted production and hurt demand.

☆ China state media plays down severity of COVID wave before WHO meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ COVID travel curbs against Chinese visitors 'discriminatory' -state media
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Global spending by Chinese visitors was worth more than $250 billion a year before the pandemic. China's official death toll of 5,247 since the pandemic began compares with more than 1 million deaths in the United States. UK-based health data firm Airfinity said on Thursday around 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from COVID. Airfinity expects China's COVID infections to reach their first peak on Jan. 13, with 3.7 million cases a day. China has said it only counts deaths of COVID patients caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure as COVID-related.

☆ Factbox: COVID rules for travellers from China around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Countries are imposing or considering imposing curbs on travellers from China amid a COVID-19 surge there after authorities relaxed "zero-COVID" rules. Below is a list of new regulations for travellers from China. INDIAThe country has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travellers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, the health minister said. JAPANJapan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from mainland China. Milan's main airport, Malpensa, had already started testing passengers arriving from Beijing and Shanghai.

☆ Factbox: COVID rules for travellers from China rolled out around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Several places around the world have imposed curbs on travellers from China amid a COVID-19 surge after Beijing relaxed strict "zero-COVID" measures. Below is a list of rules for travellers from China:UNITED STATESThe U.S. will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travelers from China beginning on Jan. 5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Americans should also reconsider travel to China, Hong Kong and Macau. JAPANJapan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from mainland China. COUNTRIES MONITORING SITUATIONAUSTRALIAThe country said it was making no change to its rules around allowing travellers from China in.

China has said it only counts deaths of COVID patients caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure as COVID-related. The holiday travel rush is expected to last for 40 days, from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15, the Ministry of Transport said this week. China's official death toll of 5,246 since the pandemic began compares with more than 1 million deaths in the United States. The United States, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan said they would require COVID tests for travellers from China. Omicron was still the dominant strain in China, Chinese health officials said this week.

☆ One dead in big pileup on Chinese bridge shrouded in fog
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 28 (Reuters) - One person was killed on Wednesday when more than 200 vehicles were involved in a pile-up on a bridge in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou in heavy fog, rescuers and the CCTV state broadcaster reported. Full of people here, I don't think we can get off the bridge," one person can be heard saying in one video clip. Visibility in many areas was less than 500 metres on Wednesday morning and down to 200 metres at times, the meteorological service said. Rescuers said more than 200 vehicles had slammed into each other, media reported. CCTV reported that cars travelling in both directions over the bridge, a major crossing of the Yellow River, were involved in numerous crashes.

[1/3] An empty road is pictured at Shanghai Central Business District (CBD) as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 23, 2022. Subway trains in Beijing and Shanghai were packed, while some major traffic arteries in the two cities jammed with slow-moving cars on Monday as residents commuted to work. An annual Christmas market held at the Bund, a commercial area in Shanghai, was also crowded over the weekend. Crowds thronged the winter festive season at Shanghai Disneyland and Beijing's Universal Studios on Sunday, queuing up for rides in Christmas-themed outfits. The city of Qingdao, in the eastern Shandong province, has estimated that up to 530,000 residents were being infected each day.

☆ Mainland China reports no new COVID deaths for Dec 25 -China CDC
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - China reported no new COVID-19 deaths in mainland for Dec. 25, the same a day earlier, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday. Deaths in China stand at 5,241. Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese academic database fined by antitrust watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has fined China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) 87.6 million yuan ($12.6 million) for abusing a "dominant market position", the watchdog said on its website on Monday. SAMR launched an antitrust investigation into the Chinese academic database in May. ($1 = 6.9601 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Sophie Yu and Bernard Orr Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China health commission stops publishing daily COVID figures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the record surge of infections, the NHC had reported no COVID deaths nationwide for four consecutive days before halting the data release. China narrowed its definition for reporting COVID deaths, counting only those from COVID-caused pneumonia or respiratory failure, raising eyebrows among world health experts. British-based health data firm Airfinity last week estimated China was experiencing more than a million infections and 5,000 deaths a day. After COVID cases were breaking daily records in late November, the NHC this month stopped reporting asymptomatic infections, making it harder to track cases. The World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID hospitalisations since Beijing eased its restrictions.

☆ China must raise self-reliance in agricultural technology, Xi says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 25 (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping wants China to accelerate efforts to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology, identifying seed development and core equipment among areas to focus on, state media reported. "It is necessary to keep an eye on the frontiers of the world's agricultural science and technology," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying at the central rural work conference held in Beijing over Friday and Saturday. The President urged China's agricultural sector to "vigourously improve" its science and technology, with more efficient innovation. Xi urged the sector to address issues with innovation, such as the rate of conversion into commercial applications and a lack of cooperation between research teams. Reporting by Dominique Patton, Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's National Health Commission to stop publishing daily COVID figures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Dec 25 (Reuters) - China's National Health Commission, which for the past three years or so has published daily COVID-19 case figures for the country, said it will no longer release such data from Sunday. "Relevant COVID information will be published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for reference and research," the NHC said in a statement, without specifying the reasons for the change or how frequently China CDC will update COVID information. Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SummarySummary Companies COVID infections may peak next week- Chinese health officialChina reports no new COVID deaths for 3rd dayOverstretched health system braces for more severe casesBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 23 (Reuters) - China is expecting a peak in COVID-19 infections within a week, a health official said, with authorities predicting extra strain on the country's health system even as they downplay the disease's severity and continue to report no new deaths. China reported less than 4,000 new symptomatic local COVID cases nationwide for Dec. 22, and no new COVID deaths for a third consecutive day. Authorities have narrowed the criteria for COVID deaths, prompting criticism from many disease experts. Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. NO DATAThe World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID hospitalizations since Beijing lifted its zero-COVID policy.

☆ U.S. must stop 'bullying', suppressing China's development, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The United States must stop suppressing China's development and should not continue the "old routine of unilateral bullying", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In the latest phone correspondence between the two leaders, Wang said the United States must pay attention to China's legitimate concerns, stop curbing and suppressing its development, and not constantly challenge China's red line in a "salami-slicing” way. Biden had raised objections to China's "coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan," which he said undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, and jeopardised global prosperity. Xi called it the "first red line" that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. Reportiing by Beijing newsroon; Writing by Bernard Orr, Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Experts say China could face more than a million COVID deaths next year. Authorities in Sanya on the southern Hainan island have lined up 18 pharmacies to distribute free drugs. mRNA VACCINES FOR GERMANSIn China, only deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting COVID are being classified as COVID fatalities. Germany said it has sent its first batch of BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccines to China to be administered initially to German expatriates. China has nine domestically developed COVID vaccines approved for use.

However, the WHO has said gaps in data might be due to Chinese authorities simply struggling to tally cases. Some estimates predict large numbers of deaths ahead and China has been racing to bolster its health system. Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University who follows the WHO closely, called the missing data "highly suspicious". "It's hard to criticise China when there's other countries that haven't reported COVID cases (at all)," he said. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on.

☆ More women are traveling alone. The hospitality industry is meeting demand with offerings like 'Alonemoons' — no partner required.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When she started traveling alone, she said, the trend was less common and locals were often surprised to see her without a companion. The Solo Female Travelers Club, a 190,000-member social network and tour operator, surveys 5,000 women annually on their habits and opinions. A Gili Lankanfushi representative told Insider six women traveling alone had booked the package in the past 18 months. "I think it's a wonderful, life-affirming experience to be a woman traveling solo and experience the nurturing care you can get from strangers. Meg Jerrard, a cofounder of the Solo Female Travelers Club, recently started a consulting division of her company to help guide other businesses as they reevaluate their offerings and staff in light of growing demand from solo female travelers.

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