From lockdown to opening borders: how countries go through the “omicron” wave

The Omicron strain was first identified at the end of November 2021 in southern Africa. The WHO called it a "cause for concern". Soon a number of countries, including Israel and Japan, imposed restrictions on entry into the country. On January 13, WHO announced a record number of daily infections for the entire pandemic - 3.4 million in the world. That same week, the organization warned that the coming months would be difficult. 

Netherlands: Christmas lockdown

Initially, it was assumed that the omicron strain was first detected in the Netherlands on November 28 in passengers who arrived in the country from South Africa. However, later it was found in samples taken earlier - on November 19 and 23. Whether the people who passed these tests visited South Africa is unknown. The Netherlands, against the backdrop of the spread of "omicron", announced a general lockdown from December 19 to January 14. All shops, except for grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, bars, fitness clubs and beauty salons, cultural and sports institutions have stopped working. In early January, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus per day reached record levels. Daily mortality has also risen, but has not reached past peaks, which were recorded at the beginning of the pandemic and last winter.