Due to COVID, British Columbia has ordered closures.

Because of the omicron coronavirus variety, the Canadian Pacific Coast province of British Columbia is closing bars, nightclubs, and gyms.

Bars, nightclubs, gyms, fitness centers, and dance studios will have to close at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, and all seated events will be reduced to 50% capacity. Weddings and other indoor parties are being canceled.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said Tuesday that the risk posed by omicron is “fundamentally different” from that of other variations, and that it infects persons who have been vaccinated or have had COVID-19 more easily.

She claims the province is experiencing “explosive breakouts,” in which a significant number of people are exposed at once. A rise in instances has also been observed among people aged 18 to 35.

Because of a record number of coronavirus cases, the French-speaking province of Quebec declared Monday that bars, movies, gyms, and spas will be closed.

WHAT’S GOING ON ELSEWHERE TODAY:

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the NHL will withdraw from the Winter Olympics after coronavirus outbreaks hampered the regular-season schedule.

As a result, the men’s hockey event at the Olympics will be held for the second year in a row without NHL players.

The individual talked to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the NHL’s decision to leave Beijing had not yet been made public.

The league notified the players’ association on Tuesday that it would retain its right to withdraw from the Olympics due to a major disruption to the season, and the union would not appeal the decision, according to the source.

— By Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND — Gov. Larry Hogan announced $100 million in emergency financing Tuesday in response to a spike in coronavirus hospitalizations in Maryland. The money will be used to increase hospital and nursing facility personnel, as well as expand testing, treatments, and vaccines.

“We are entering another key stage in the fight against COVID-19,” Hogan stated, “as I have been warning for the previous few weeks.”

Hogan also said that the Maryland National Guard will be sent to provide support personnel in order to extend testing locations and hours.

According to Hogan, the emergency assistance includes $50 million to stabilize hospital personnel and another $50 million to extend COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination availability in hospitals and nursing homes. According to him, the state will also pay $30 million for schools to purchase testing resources.

Hogan made the news via video, since he is working from home after testing positive for the coronavirus on Monday. He claimed he was merely suffering from cold-like symptoms, which he attributed to the vaccine. He encouraged others to follow suit.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Because there are fewer police officers, medics, and other first responders to handle the crowds, New Orleans is limiting parade routes for the 2019 Mardi Gras season, officials said Tuesday.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city canceled Mardi Gras parades this past February, and the 2020 parade throngs are thought to be a significant reason that New Orleans was an early pandemic hotspot.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell remarked, “The great news and the best news is that Mardi Gras is returning to the city of New Orleans and to the world in 2022.”

Weeks of Carnival season parades will culminate on Fat Tuesday, March 1.

“If things go wrong in our city,” Cantrell added, “we may have to rethink our preparations for Carnival and Mardi Gras.” She is certain, however, that the city will survive the omicron variety, flu season, and the holiday season.

New Orleans is a national leader, she noted, with 80 percent of its citizens completely immunized.

LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) – The last Nebraska community that required masks is removing the requirement.

A health order requiring indoor masks will expire at the end of the day Thursday, according to Lincoln Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez.

During the delta surge in August, the county reintroduced the mask requirement. According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, no other city or county in the state has imposed masks in indoor venues in the last four months.

Lopez said the county had achieved “important progress” in fighting the infection over the last year, thanks in part to the vaccination. Masks are “highly” advised at schools and at indoor sporting events, theaters, and group gatherings inside, including church and faith-based services, she noted, even if they are not required.

LIMA (Peruvian capital) — Despite few recorded instances, some Latin American countries are beginning to reimpose coronavirus restrictions in order to prevent the spread of the omicron variety over the holiday season.

Ecuador and Peru set capacity limits in public spaces such as restaurants and movie theaters on Tuesday. More than 60% of the population in both countries has been fully immunized.

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Peruvian authorities closed land borders to visitors and imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. To fly or board an intercity bus inside the country, everyone over the age of 18 will need to produce documentation of being completely vaccinated.

The omicron variation has been officially documented in 12 occurrences in Peru.

In neighboring Ecuador, officials have halted large-scale events and announced that anyone over the age of 12 will be required to provide a vaccination card in order to visit government buildings. The capacity of restaurants and movie theaters will be limited to 50%.

The omicron variation has been documented in 22 occurrences in Ecuador.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — The state’s first verified case of the omicron COVID-19 strain was discovered Tuesday, according to Oklahoma health officials.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health hasn’t said where the case came from or whether the person was vaccinated.

“Oklahoma was one of the last states to confirm omicron’s presence. According to federal health experts, omicron is now the most common coronavirus strain in the United States, accounting for 73 percent of illnesses last week.

SEATTLE – Because of mounting concerns about the fast spreading omicron variant, University of Washington authorities said Tuesday that they will use remote learning during the first week of the winter quarter in January.

In order to track illnesses, the university informed students, employees, and professors that most classes will be held online from Jan. 3 to Jan. 9.

Several other institutions around the country, including DePaul, Harvard, and Stanford, are taking similar actions in response to the variation.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia — West Virginia will use $48 million in federal stimulus cash to actively recruit and train nurses over the next four years, citing a nursing shortage caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday.

Last year, over 1,700 nurses declined to renew their state licenses, according to Justice. According to him, 68 percent of those who left the field stated they were “simply plain exhausted” and “pushed to the very limit” by the pandemic’s strains.

Nursing programs at three universities will be expanded next autumn, according to the Republican governor. The money comes from the $126 million left over from the federal CARES Act that the state has yet to spend.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – When kids return from winter break, the Anchorage School Board has reversed the superintendent’s decision to make masking optional, and will instead retain the present mask requirement in place until at least Jan. 15.

The rapid growth of the omicron form of COVID-19 was mentioned by board members as the reason for the action.

Masks will be optional in the school system starting Jan. 3, according to Superintendent Deena Bishop. She noted low transmission rates in the school district and municipality in a letter to parents.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada health officials are tracking increases in key coronavirus readings, including over 3,800 new COVID-19 cases in Clark County in the previous week.

Since the outbreak began, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 6,400 people in the Las Vegas area, accounting for 77 percent of the more than 8,300 people who have perished nationwide.

Since Monday, the Southern Nevada Health District reported 974 new cases and 15 deaths in Clark County, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. Three additional cases of the fast-spreading omicron variant were confirmed by state health officials on Monday, including two in Las Vegas and nearby Clark County. Since the first omicron case was discovered last week, Nevada has seen five more.

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — The death toll in Rhode Island has topped 3,000, forcing Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee to order state flags to be flown at half-staff at all governmental facilities and buildings as a solemn show of respect.

“We’ve lost 3,000 mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandparents, friends, and neighbors who will be missed — especially during this holiday season,” McKee said in a statement Tuesday.

He advised the unvaccinated to be vaccinated, the vaccinated to get booster shots, and everyone to wear a mask in public.

Flags will be flown at half-staff until Wednesday evening.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – BARCELONA, SPAIN – Despite vaccination rates that would make other governments jealous, Spain and Portugal are confronting the harsh reality that, with the new omicron variety spreading like wildfire, the winter holidays will not be a season of unbridled joy.

Portugal approved a series of additional restrictions for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, including requiring workers to work from home and closing discotheques and pubs beginning Saturday night. Until at least January 9, a negative test result is required to enter cinemas, theaters, sporting events, marriages, and baptisms.

For Christmas and New Year, Portugal will implement special procedures, such as requiring a negative test result to attend restaurants and public events.

Due to the omicron strain, which is spreading across Europe, this is happening despite nearly 87 percent of Portugal’s population being completely vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Catalonia, which includes the northeastern metropolis of Barcelona, is preparing to be the first Spanish area to impose such restrictions. Catalonia accounts for one out of every four people hospitalized in Spain with COVID-19.

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel should begin delivering a fourth coronavirus vaccine shot to defend against the fast-spreading omicron variety, according to a government advisory group of health specialists.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on Tuesday that health officials had already begun preparations.

People over the age of 60 and health-care employees will be the first to benefit from the initiative. However, based on previous vaccination campaigns, it could soon spread to other parts of the population.

The campaign, which is currently awaiting bureaucratic permits, is likely to begin in the coming days, according to Bennett’s office.

Early this year, Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its citizens, and over the summer, it conducted the world’s first booster program.

CHICAGO (CBS) — As the quickly spreading omicron variant drives a jump in COVID-19 infections, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday that the nation’s third-largest city will require confirmation of coronavirus immunization at restaurants, bars, gyms, and other indoor locations.

The regulation, according to Lightfoot, will go into effect on Jan. 3 and will apply to facilities where food and beverages are provided, including as sports and entertainment events, as well as fitness centers. It does not apply to customers who order takeout and stay at a restaurant for less than 10 minutes.

According to Lightfoot, the step is essential due to an increase in cases and hospitalizations, with numbers in Chicago approaching those seen when immunizations were available. She stated that Chicago is reporting over 1,700 instances each day, up from about 300 just a few weeks ago.

Illinois recorded 12,330 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the largest daily total in almost a year. The omicron form is responsible for a large portion of that growth, raising fears of a winter spike.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Due to rising COVID-19 infections and the emergence of the extremely contagious omicron variant, which has quickly become the dominant version of the virus in the United States, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reinstated a mask requirement inside stores and other businesses in the city on Tuesday.

A second offense of failing to wear a mask indoors might result in a fine of $50. Last month, Bottoms relaxed the previous mask ban.