New Delhi: The Covid story still has no end in sight, as the virus continues to wreak havoc across the globe. The latest global count for total cases and casualties stands at more than 1.05 crore cases and more than 2.2 lakh deaths.
Here, we offer five interesting stories to keep you up to date about the virus.
Today, there’s a report on how dog theft has increased in Britain amid the pandemic and how English football team Liverpool has been denied entry into Germany for a Champions League match.
Football team Liverpool denied entry into Germany
Football team Liverpool has been denied entry into Germany for a Champions League match scheduled for 16 February because of strict coronavirus protocols reports The Daily Sabah.
UEFA Champions League regulations decree that Leipzig RB, the German football club playing Liverpool, must find a way of hosting the first leg match or risk forfeiting it. Leipzig’s CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has said the club would find an alternative location for the match.
Under new German rules, travellers from countries hit by the new UK variant cannot enter the country and sports professionals aren’t an exception to this rule.
Germany has reported 22,65,536 coronavirus cases and 60,885 deaths so far.
Dog theft on the rise in Britain
The United Kingdom has seen a surge in demand for pets amid the pandemic, which has also led to increased theft of dogs, reports Al Jazeera.
Wayne May, from DogLost, an organisation that tries to reunite missing canines with their owners using its online database, told Al Jazeera that he has seen a 250 per cent rise in dog thefts in the country since late March.
Meanwhile, adoptions have increased in Britain, the country of dog lovers, and the price of dogs, especially popular breeds like spaniels, bulldogs, pugs and poodle crossbreeds, has skyrocketed.
The UK has reported 38,92,459 coronavirus cases and 1,10,250 deaths so far.
New Zealand resumes taking refugees
New Zealand has opened its doors to refugees a year after its borders were shut due to the pandemic, reports The Guardian. Up to 35 refugees are set to arrive in February while 210 are expected to enter the country by 30 June.
All arriving refugees will be have a 14-day isolation period in government managed facilities.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government had increased the country’s refugee intake from 1,000 people a year to 1,500, starting from July 2020. These were put on hold in last March in the wake of the pandemic, barring a few emergency cases.
New Zealand has reported 2,315 coronavirus cases and 25 deaths so far.
Hundreds of Saudi shops, food outlets closed or fined
Hundreds of shops, food outlets or commercial premises in Saudi Arabia have either been closed or fined for breach of Covid precautionary measures, reports Arab News.
Health and safety officials from municipalities have been carrying out checks to ensure rules meant to help prevent the spread of the virus are followed. The need for these rules was prompted by a sharp rise in Covid cases.
As many as 174 establishments were closed in Asir province, which lies in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia, 14 were closed in Qassim, a province in the heart of the country, and five commercial outlets and a coffee shop were shut in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
Saudi Arabia has reported 3,69,248 coronavirus cases and 6,389 deaths so far.
What else we are reading:
Where South America’s race for coronavirus vaccines stands: CNN
WA Premier defends five-day lockdown over single case: The Age
Also read: When will Covid end? In 7 years at today’s vaccination rates
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