Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Kuwait has told its citizens in the UK to return home because of a “significant and unprecedented” rise in coronavirus cases there.
The UK reported a daily record of 189,846 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, far more than during previous waves.
Kuwait's embassies in Italy, Spain, Germany, Ukraine and France issued similar advice, the Kuwait News Agency reported.
“The embassies stressed the necessity of abiding by Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry’s call to citizens to adjourn travel and not leave Kuwait at present for their safety amid unstable health conditions in Spain, Germany and Italy, as well as other countries,“ the report said.
The embassies issued a warning that lockdowns and other restrictions could be imposed in western countries as the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus strain continues to spread.
Kuwait has begun to offer a third, or booster, dose of the coronavirus vaccine free of charge to people over the age of 50, without the need to make an appointment first.
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A member of staff walks through a ward for Covid-19 patients at King's College Hospital in London. PA -
A sign urging residents to wear face masks in Nottingham. People who have tested positive for the coronavirus will now be able to leave home on day seven if they have two negative tests. AP -
A waiter cleans a table at an empty restaurant in London. Authorities are still urging people to stay at home amid fears over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Reuters -
Passengers wearing Santa hats sit on the top deck of a tour bus as they view the Christmas lights in central London. AFP -
Nurses work at a desk surrounded by Christmas decorations in a ward for Covid-19 patients at King's College Hospital. PA -
Empty tables outside a restaurant in the Seven Dials district of London. Covid-19 infections have surged in recent days, authorities say. AFP -
People receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at a temporary clinic set up in the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. AFP -
Shoppers stroll through Carnaby Street in London. AP -
People, most of them without masks, skate around the Christmas tree at the Natural History Museum in London. Reuters -
Health workers speak with a patient inside a vaccination centre in Liverpool. AFP -
Tourists cross Westminster Bridge in London. AP -
A sign outside the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, which has been forced to close its doors for a week due to staff shortages related to coronavirus. PA -
Commuters at a quiet Waterloo Station in south London. PA
