(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand police launched their biggest effort yet to dislodge anti-mandate protesters from parliamentary grounds in Wellington, while the prime minister of neighboring Australia has been infected with Covid-19. 

Japan is easing its border controls, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority told banking executives that it will lobby the city’s government to halve quarantine time in the financial center.

The U.K. will remove the mandate for those working in health and social care to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Separate reports said New York will soon end its main contact-tracing program and Los Angeles County will likely soon end its universal indoor mask mandate. 

Key Developments:

  • Virus Tracker: Cases exceed 437 million; deaths top 5.9 million
  • Vaccine Tracker: More than 10.8 billion doses administered
  • Coronavirus Daily: Are you ready for normal life?
  • Hong Kong’s isolation plan crumbles as infections soar
  • Hong Kong deaths among worst on at-risk elderly

New Zealand Moves Against Protests (7:30 a.m. H.K.)

After more than three weeks of protests, hundreds of police officers began to tow vehicles and remove tents from streets surrounding parliament buildings early Wednesday, clashing with demonstrators and hauling some away in handcuffs. 

Some police were in riot gear and there were reports they used pepper spray, while police said protesters were armed with pitchforks and homemade wooden shields. At least 20 arrests have been made, and residents were urged to avoid the area.

Inspired by the blockade in Ottawa, the protest against vaccine mandates and other curbs has seen streets blocked and turned the area around parliament into a tent village complete with food, massage and yoga tents.

Japan May Further Open Up (7:20 a.m. H.K.)

Japan’s government plans to further ease border controls for foreign students, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing unidentified officials. That would see foreign students excluded from the 5,000-person daily cap on arrivals. 

Japan yesterday announced an easing of some of the developed world’s most stringent virus border measures, but the the cap on arrivals is so low it will take months to clear the backlog of roughly 370,000 visa-holders waiting for entry.

New York to Reduce Contact-Tracing (7:15 a.m. H.K.)

New York City will end its main contact-tracing program for the coronavirus next month because of a new federal recommendation, the New York Times reported, citing a city official. 

The move also comes in response to widespread vaccination and a slump in infections.

Los Angeles may Ease Mask Mandate (7:05 a.m. H.K.)

Changes in federal face-covering guidance mean Los Angeles County will likely lift its universal indoor mask mandate on Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer also announced plans to relax some vaccine-verification rules. 

Vaccines Kept Protecting Kids After Omicron (1 p.m. NY)

Covid-19 vaccines protected children and adolescents from severe disease even after the immune-evasive omicron variant emerged, according to findings from U.S. government reports.

After omicron became dominant in the U.S. late last year, protection against infection and urgent care visits declined for 5- to 17-year-olds who’d received primary inoculations, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Tuesday. However, vaccinated children and teens were still less likely to get infected than their unvaccinated peers, the agency said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

U.K. Revokes Mandatory Vaccines Rules (12:15 p.m. NY)

U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he’ll remove the requirement that those working in health and social care be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting March 15.

The announcement on Tuesday follows a public consultation on revoking the rules, which had threatened to force thousands of unvaccinated health-care workers out of their jobs.

Australia PM Morrison Has Covid (10:25 a.m. NY)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has tested positive for Covid-19, he said on social media. “I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” Morrison said. He is isolating at home in Sydney.

Lobbying for Shorter Quarantine (5:35 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s banking regulator told finance executives that it’s lobbying the government to shorten the strict hotel quarantine placed on incoming travelers, to prop up confidence in the city’s status as a financial hub. 

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority told a group of banks that it will start engaging with the government to reduce the hotel quarantine to 7 days from 14 days, followed by another week of isolation from home, people familiar said.

Hong Kong’s Record Death Rate (4:46 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong’s Covid-19 fatality rate is now the highest in the developed world. The financial hub averaged eight deaths per 1 million people in the 10 days through Monday, the most among advanced economies, according to Bloomberg calculations based on Johns Hopkins University data. 

Hong Kong reported a record of 117 new deaths Tuesday. Most of the fatalities during the current wave have been elderly people, and 91% of those who died weren’t double vaccinated, according to government data released Sunday. 

 

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