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Emergency declared in Ottawa
Ottawa has been under siege since January 28 when the truckers entered the city, under the banner of Freedom Convoy 2022.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian capital of Ottawa as a protest by truckers’ camping there entered its eleventh day on Monday.
The emergency was declared in a brief statement from city mayor Jim Watson on Sunday. The decision was taken “due to the ongoing demonstration”.
“Declaring a state of emergency reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” the statement added.
It has been under siege since January 28 when the truckers started rolling into the city, under the banner of Freedom Convoy 2022 with the stated objective of remaining in Ottawa till the government removed restrictions such as a vaccine mandate on truckers plying between Canada and the United States. They also oppose other Covid-19 related measures such as lockdowns.
While the truckers have shown no sign of vacating Ottawa, Watson also called upon the government to step in. In an interview with the outlet CTV, he said there was a need for “some kind of mediation to get this situation resolved because it’s now spreading all across the country”.
After attacking the demonstrators last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been silent and remains at an undisclosed location in the National Capital Region, for reasons of security. On Monday, police threatened to clamp down after facing criticism for lack of action that has crippled the national capital. In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said it continues to “advise demonstrators not to enter Ottawa, and to go home”.
China locks down 3.5mn near Vietnam border
A Chinese city of 3.5 million near the border with Vietnam was on lockdown on Monday after more than 70 coronavirus cases were discovered there over the past three days.
Officials in the city of Baise in the southern Guangxi region announced on Sunday that no one would be allowed to leave the city, while residents of some districts would be confined to their homes. “Citywide traffic controls will be implemented,” vice-mayor Gu Junyan said.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister tested positive for Covid-19 when he arrived in Beijing last week to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games and had to cut short his stay.
Prime Minister James Marape was immediately given medical treatment, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Monday.
HK residents raid supermarket shelves
Hong Kong residents crowded supermarkets and neighbourhood fresh food markets on Monday to stock up on vegetables, noodles and other necessities after a record number of Covid-19 infections in the city and transport disruptions at the border with mainland China.
Australia to reopen borders on February 21
Australia will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated tourists from February 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday, ending some of the world’s strictest and longest-running pandemic travel restrictions.
New Honduras president tests positive for Covid
Xiomara Castro, who last month became the first woman to win the presidency of Honduras, said on Sunday that she was infected with Covid-19. “The result of the PCR (test) yesterday (Saturday) was negative, today’s is positive,” she announced on her Twitter account.
Hard-hit Iran on Monday registered more than 100 new deaths from Covid-19 over a 24-hour period as the aggressive Omicron variant spreads in the country, state TV reported.
