Netherlands reimposes strict lockdown and UK won't rule out new measures over Omicron
CNN
The Netherlands entered a strict new lockdown Sunday due to fears over the Omicron coronavirus variant, and the UK's health minister wouldn't rule out further restrictions, as Europe braces for a surge in Covid-19 infections over the usually busy festive period.
Indoor gatherings in the Netherlands will now be limited to a maximum of two guests per household until at least mid-January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday. That number is extended slightly around Christmas and New Year's Eve to four guests.
Non-essential shops, hospitality venues and cultural institutions will also be closed, while schools will remain shut until at least January 9.
A CIA assessment circulated among US officials this week concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely judges he can get away without defining a post-war plan — even as the Biden administration has launched a full-court press to pressure him to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.