The Latest: Philippine capital sets restrictions amid surge

The Philippine capital placed two villages and two hotels on lockdown and police have renewed warnings against kissing and other “public display of affection” after a new surge in coronavirus infections

Virus Outbreak Germany (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine capital placed two villages and two hotels on lockdown Thursday and police have renewed warnings against kissing and other “public display of affection” after a new surge in coronavirus infections.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said police would not allow people to go in and out of their houses and the two hotels during the three-day lockdown and violators would be forced into 14-day quarantine. Isolated residents would be given food boxes, and medical workers and other authorized personnel would be exempt.

Other cities in the capital reimposed lockdowns in several neighborhoods and longer night curfews after detecting new infections.

National police chief Debold Sinas said a ban on “public display of affection” like holding hands and kissing would be strictly enforced again due to infection spikes. Violators would be reprimanded, he said.

Authorities have blamed public complacency a year into the pandemic for the surge in COVID-19 cases, specifically in metropolitan Manila.

The Department of Health has reported more than 603,000 COVID-19 cases, with 12,545 deaths. The totals are the second highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill

— Biden will use his first prime-time address since taking office to steer the nation toward hope in the midst of the pandemic

— Brazil’s hospitals are faltering as a highly contagious coronavirus variant tears through the country

— As pandemic enters 2nd year, voices of resilience emerge

— New Zealand is pushing for nations to end tariffs on masks, syringes and other supplies needed to battle the pandemic

— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Organizers say a veteran Iditarod musher was removed from the race after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

The organizers say Gunnar Johnson, 52, of Duluth, Minnesota, was withdrawn from the event at the McGrath, Alaska, checkpoint Wednesday.

Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordman, working with epidemiologist Dr. Jodie Guest, made the decision to remove Johnson, who is asymptomatic, based on the rules set in the race’s COVID-19 mitigation plan.

The organizers say Johnson is incredibly disappointed and felt his dog team looked great. Johnson had 14 dogs racing with him. After the positive test, Johnson was removed from the checkpoint area and taken off the trail.

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea will vaccinating elders in long-term care settings against the coronavirus this month after authorities approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for adults 65 years old and older.

The decision by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was based on encouraging data from England and Scotland that the vaccine lowered hospitalizations and death rates in the age group.

South Korea delayed approving the AstraZeneca vaccine for people older than 65 when it began its vaccination campaign last month, citing insufficient laboratory data. But health experts accused the government of risking the safety of people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

The country will be chiefly dependent on locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines during the first months of its vaccination campaign.

The KCDC says some 376,000 workers and residents older than 65 at long-term care hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities and rehab centers will begin receiving the shots this month.

About 35% of the country’s COVID-19 deaths by the end of 2020 were linked to these long-term care facilities.

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ATLANTA — Georgia will expand COVID-19 vaccine criteria starting Monday to everyone 55 and older, plus younger adults who are overweight or have serious health conditions, making more than two-thirds of Georgians who are 16 and older eligible for vaccination.

Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement Wednesday as Georgia continued to post worst-in-the nation vaccination rates, raising questions about the effectiveness of the state’s efforts to put shots in arms.

“We will continue to encourage all eligible Georgians not to wait to get their dose,” Kemp said.

Georgia has only given 17.5% of its overall population at least one dose, the worst in the nation, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The same data show Georgia has administered the lowest share of doses delivered among states, with more than one-third of doses still awaiting injection.