on the defense against the variant, which is considered by government scientists to be between 40% to 80% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain.In some provinces of Thailand, a ban on indoor dining and gatherings of more than 20 people was announced.
Israel reinstated an indoor mask mandate, and officials in Los Angeles County are strongly recommending the same. More than 1 million people in Sydney again went into lockdown this weekend.
And the variant is responsible for 90% of all new infections in the U.K., which just recorded the most new coronavirus infections since early February.The World Health Organization has also urged vaccinated people around the world to "be appropriately cautious" when it comes to transmitting.