Japan declares a state of emergency in Tokyo
On Thursday, Japan’s Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, declared a state of emergency in Tokyo as the country’s COVID-19 cases continue to rise. In a news conference, Suga said, “This global infectious disease has exceeded our imagination and it’s becoming a severe fight… We need to ask people to have a limited lifestyle.” The state of emergency, which is said to be in place until Feb. 7, includes early closures of restaurants and bars, limited attendance at events and a request for residents to refrain from non-urgent outings.
Filomena blankets Spain with snow
On Thursday, snowstorm Filomena presented parts of central Spain with heavy snowfall, “leading to serious disruptions by mid-Friday,” according to ABC News. Parts of central Spain, including Madrid, received more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall, accumulating over eight inches of snow. Due to the snow, 270 roads were closed and over 40 flights were delayed or canceled.
Sweden passes law allowing COVID-19 lockdowns
On Friday, Sweden’s parliament passed an emergency law “empowering the government to impose coronavirus-related lockdowns,” according to the Washington Post. The Swedish law went into effect on Sunday, permitting the government to have specific restrictions for both specific locations and activities. Sweden decided to pass this law as the world enters a new stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, where some countries are creating vaccines while others are battling surges.
Iran bans imports of U.S. and U.K. COVID-19 vaccines
Iran’s highest political and religious authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, banned the imports of U.S. and U.K. COVID-19 vaccines on Friday, stating they are “forbidden.” According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, Khamenei says “he does not ‘trust’ the two countries.” The U.S. has developed two COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna and Britain has developed AstraZeneca. With that, Khamenei said Iran would be obtaining vaccines from “other reliable places.” Other countries like China and Russia have also developed vaccines.
