December 26 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Brett McKeehan, Zamira Rahim, Ed Upright and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 4:15 p.m. ET, December 26, 2020
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7:33 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Australian golf legend Greg Norman has been hospitalized in the US with coronavirus

From CNN's Paul Gittings

Greg Norman competes during the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando on December 20.
Greg Norman competes during the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando on December 20. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Australian golfer Greg Norman has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to a post on his Instagram account.

The 65-year-old posted a photo of himself with medical equipment in the background, wearing a facemask with the logo of the NFL team Pittsburgh Steelers.

Norman won the 1986 and 1993 British Opens, spent over 300 weeks at the top of the world golf rankings and is nicknamed the "Great White Shark."

This sums it all up. My Christmas Day," he wrote.

In a post peppered with expletives, Norman said he wanted to "get this [virus] behind us never to experience it again."

He had been quarantining at his home in Jupiter, Florida after developing mild symptoms earlier in the week although an earlier Covid-19 test taken on Tuesday had proved negative.

Norman competed in last week’s PNC Championship in Orlando with his son Greg Jr., finishing in a share of ninth place.

8:07 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Travelers from South Africa face additional virus test in South Korea

From CNN’s Jake Kwon in Seoul

Medical staff swab samples for the coronavirus from a foreign passenger at a virus testing booth outside Incheon international airport in Seoul, Korea on April 1.
Medical staff swab samples for the coronavirus from a foreign passenger at a virus testing booth outside Incheon international airport in Seoul, Korea on April 1. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

South Korea will require additional coronavirus tests for travelers from South Africa before they can be released from 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country, the government said in a press release Saturday.

If a traveler from South Africa tests positive for the coronavirus, the government will conduct additional testing for the new variant spreading in the UK, the Disease Control and Prevention Agency added in the statement.

A similar variant to the one identified in the UK has been discovered in South Africa, where scientists say it is spreading quickly along coastal areas.

On Wednesday, South Korea suspended flights from the UK until December 31 due to concerns over the new variant. It also suspended the issuance of quarantine exemptions at South Korean consulates in the UK.

All travelers from the UK must undergo 14 days of quarantine and take an extra coronavirus test.

8:07 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Four people diagnosed with UK Covid-19 variant in Spain

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Lisbon

A passenger checks flight information on a board in the departures hall at Madrid Barajas airport, in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, December 24.
A passenger checks flight information on a board in the departures hall at Madrid Barajas airport, in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, December 24. Paul Hanna/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Four people in Madrid have been diagnosed with the Covid-19 variant detected in the UK earlier in the month, the health advisor for the region, Antonio Zapatero, said during a press conference on Saturday. 

According to Zapatero, one of the infected people arrived from the UK and was diagnosed on Thursday.

The three others are members of their family, who went to the hospital after exhibiting symptoms. 

“The situation of the confirmed patients is [not] serious,” Zapatero said, urging caution but also asking people to remain calm. 
“We know this variant is more transmissible, but it does not cause a more severe reaction.”
“There are other three suspected cases whose test results should be ready Tuesday or Wednesday,” Zapatero added.

The UK variant has an unusually large number of mutations -- 14 changes and 3 deletions in its genetic code that impact the building blocks of its proteins, according to the US CDC.

Scientists advising the UK government have made a preliminary estimate that this variant could be up to 70% more effective at spreading than others. 

5:28 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Beyoncé will donate $500,000 to people affected by eviction crisis

From CNN's Alaa Elassar

Beyoncé will offer $5,000 in grants to help people facing foreclosures or evictions due to the housing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

People can apply for the grants beginning January 7, 2021, the singer announced on her website Tuesday. Grants will be sent out to the 100 people selected in late January.

"Beyoncé is continuing her heart of support and helping where needed most. Phase Two of the BeyGOOD Impact Fund will now help those impacted by the housing crisis," a news release on the singer's website reads.

"The housing moratorium is set to end on December 26th, resulting in mortgage foreclosures and rental evictions. Many families are impacted, due to the pandemic that resulted in job loss, sickness and overall economy downturn," the release said.

An estimated 9.2 million renters who have lost income during the pandemic are behind on rent, according to an analysis of Census data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Read more:

8:07 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

The best-laid plans were ruined by the pandemic — even for Vladimir Putin

Analysis from CNN's Nathan Hodge

Russia's President Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting of the Russian Defence Ministry Board at the National Defence Control Centre in Moscow, on December 21.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting of the Russian Defence Ministry Board at the National Defence Control Centre in Moscow, on December 21. Alexei Nikolsky/TASS/Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin began 2020 with a surprise, sweeping his entire government aside on January 15 after unveiling a raft of constitutional reforms.

Observers were quick to read the fine print: The constitutional overhaul would reset the clock on presidential term limits, potentially extending Putin's hold on power until 2036. A referendum was set for April, and Putin seemed to be coasting toward a presidency-for-life.

What followed instead was an annus horribilis for Russia, and perhaps Putin's most challenging year to date.

As Covid-19 started to spread around the globe, Russia briefly appeared to be on the front foot. The country sealed its border with China, and Putin boasted that the virus was "under control," thanks to what he described as robust early measures to halt the spread of the disease.

But that approach was little more than bluster and spin. Not long after the government announced a nationwide lockdown that began on March 28, it became clear the country was in the grip of a major public health crisis.

Read the full analysis here:

8:07 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Turkey to require coronavirus PCR test result upon arrival

From CNN's Gul Tuysuz

Passengers arrive at Istanbul airport in Turkey on December 21.
Passengers arrive at Istanbul airport in Turkey on December 21. Abidin Mutlu Bozdag/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Turkey will require a negative coronavirus test from air passengers entering the country from December 28, according to the Turkish health minister. 

Travelers entering via sea and land borders will also be required to present a negative PCR test result from December 30.

The test must be carried out within 72 hours of boarding, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a statement Friday.

The measures will be in effect until March 1, the statement said. 

In addition to the coronavirus test, Turkey will also require a mandatory home quarantine for people who have been in the UK, Denmark or South Africa in the previous 10 days, the statement said.

Those passengers will be required to get a coronavirus test on day 7 of their quarantine, and will be allowed to conclude their quarantine if they receive a negative result.  

Turkey has finalized a deal to obtain the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, Koca said in a tweet. The deal includes 550,000 doses to be delivered by early January and 4.5 million doses by the end of March, the tweet added.

8:08 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Norway extends ban on direct flights from UK until December 29

From CNN's Lauren Kent

A view of signage leading to one of the testing centers at Heathrow Airport on December 22, in London, England.
A view of signage leading to one of the testing centers at Heathrow Airport on December 22, in London, England. Joseph Okpako/Getty Image

Norway has extended its ban on direct flights from the United Kingdom until December 29, amid concerns about the new coronavirus variant spreading in Britain, according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson. 

Norway first imposed the flight ban on December 21. It also imposed additional coronavirus testing and tracing measures for travelers arriving from the UK, which will be in effect until January 10, according to a Ministry of Health statement.

"We must ensure that the strain of the virus that has been detected in the United Kingdom is prevented from spreading to Norway insofar as this is possible," Health and Care Services Minister Bent Høie said in the December 21 statement. "This is in line with the advice we have received the Norwegian Directorate of Health."
2:22 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

Japan reports new high in daily infections for third straight day

From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

Tokyo Skytree is pictured after dusk on December 23, in Tokyo, Japan.
Tokyo Skytree is pictured after dusk on December 23, in Tokyo, Japan. Carl Court/Getty Images

Japan detected 3,823 new coronavirus cases on Friday -- setting a new daily record in the country for the third day in a row, the Ministry of Health said Saturday.

Japan also recorded 50 virus-related deaths Friday.

The country's total Covid-19 caseload now stands at 214,259, with 3,165 fatalities.

On Friday, Tokyo also recorded its second-highest number of daily infections so far in the pandemic with 884 cases.

8:08 a.m. ET, December 26, 2020

US testing requirements for UK travelers are like "putting up a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito," experts say

From CNN's Elizabeth Cohen and Michael Nedelman

A view of the Centers for Disease Control headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on April 23.
A view of the Centers for Disease Control headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on April 23. Tami Chappell/AFP

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced testing requirements for travelers arriving from the UK, but research by the agency's own scientists shows the rule may only have a small impact on the spread of the new coronavirus strain. 

Starting Monday in the UK, passengers must have a negative Covid-19 test within three days of boarding a flight to the United States. 

A CDC press release Thursday hailed the new changes. "Today, President Trump is taking another step to protect the health of the American people," the statement said.

But according to researchers on the CDC's Covid-19 response team, testing three days before a flight might not accomplish very much -- only reducing the risk of spreading the virus by 5-9%.

Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, said the new requirement "is like putting up a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito." 

The CDC's order acknowledges that "testing does not eliminate all risk," but when combined with other measures like self-monitoring for symptoms, masks and distancing, "it can make travel safer." 

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