driving a surge in covid cases and hospitalizations and omicron will only add fuel to the fire. we re already seeing impact in some areas. long lines for covid tests have been forming across new york city as americans try to balance holiday plans with covid safety. we need to flood the system with testing. we need tests available for anyone who wants them particularly when we re in a situation like right now where people are going to be gathering even though they are vaccinated and boosted it is going to be a tough few weeks to months as we get deeper into the winter. we are also seeing the impact of the latest surge in other ways. on sunday u.s. senators elizabeth warren and cory booker both announcing they tested positive for the virus. both say they are experiencing only mild symptoms. we have a team of reporters spread out across the u.s. cnn s natasha chen is in los angeles where officials say they re seeing covid cases
eve, christmas day, the day after christmas, new year s eve, and new year s day when four are permitted. previous coronavirus measures have been unpopular with violent protests erupting in november. this weekend police clashed with small groups of protesters as thousands of people demonstrated in brussels and there were protests in london, paris, and germany. many european countries are considering reimposing new covid-19 restrictions. the threat of omicron much greater than the pockets of discontent. italian media reporting the government could soon make masks mandatory outdoors and require negative tests for vaccinated people to enter crowded public venues. denmark is set to close cinemas, theaters, and museums and will limit the numbers of people in stores and shops. one resident said it is a bleak way to end the year. seeing all of the countries slowly starting to shut down, some of them even completely shut down.
ten more countries have been added to israel s red no fly list. foremost among them the united states and canada but also germany, belgium, hungary, italy, morocco, portugal, switzerland, and turkey. that means israelis are now barred or will be once it is fully approved from flying to those countries and any israelis returning from them will have to go into seven days quarantine including the first of those in a designated quarantine hotel. they will be released to home isolation after they get a negative pcr test and sign an agreement promising to allow authorities to track their movements. the reason that more countries are being added to this red list is to reduce the number of imported cases of omicron. they account for the majority of the now 175 omicron cases identified in israel. the country has a further 380 cases that are highly suspicious of being omicron. prime minister naftali bennett in a news conference sunday evening saying the fifth wave is
it is a little bit depressing. no country wanting a lockdown before christmas but omicron may make further restrictions unavoidable. cnn, rome. still to come on the program u.s. senator joe manchin says he won t vote for the build back better plan. the president s top legislative priority. details of the swift and angry reaction from democrats in washington coming up. also why one expert on foreign civil wars believes the u.s. might be closer to its own such war, closer than you would like to think. we ll be right back. this is how we shine.
home in what they are calling virtual wards as medical experts warn almost 50,000 health care workers in england could be sick with covid by christmas day. irish health officials say nearly 52% of new infections there are the omicron variant. it has taken less than two weeks for omicron to become dominant in ireland with germany requiring its citizens and residents returning from the uk to quarantine for two weeks germany adding the uk to its travel red list on saturday. thousands gathered in brussels to protest the government s covid restrictions there. in october belgium imposed rules requiring people to show covid passes to enter bars and restaurants. while the types of protests continue in parts of europe, the netherlands has imposed one of the toughest lock downs on the