The omicron threat and new closures loom over the holidays in Europe and the US.

The Netherlands came under a new shutdown on Sunday, while the possibility of further COVID-19 restrictions before the Christmas and New Year holidays loomed over several European countries as the omicron variant spread rapidly.

In the United States, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci urged people traveling to visit loved ones to get boosters and to always wear masks in crowded public spaces.

He said omicron is “taking the world by storm” and that traveling will increase the risk of infection even among vaccinated people. Since the beginning of the month, COVID cases in the United States have risen 50%, according to a Reuters tally..

Dutch urban centers showed bleak images after the country put in a sudden blockade that ruined people’s Christmas plans.

The Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the move Saturday night, ordering all but essential stores to close., as well as restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, museums and other public places from Sunday until at least January 14.

Omicron, a highly contagious variant first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, has spread around the world and has been reported in 89 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The entity said that omicron cases double in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission.

While the Netherlands has shut down much of public life to prevent its healthcare system from being overwhelmed, several European governments are considering additional restrictions, at a time when companies are counting on people spending more than usual on purchases, entertainment and travel.

COVID infections are on the rise in 64 of 240 countries and territories tracked by Reuters, with 12 nations registering more cases than at any time during the pandemic, including the UK.

Sajid Javid, Britain’s health minister, on Sunday refused to rule out the possibility that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government will impose further restrictions before Christmas.

He said the government is taking the “sobering” advice of its scientists seriously and is watching the data closely.

Johnson faces trouble after a series of scandals and missteps, and more than 100 of his conservative lawmakers this week voted against the latest government action to address what it had warned would be a “tidal wave” of omicron cases. .

In Italy, the government is considering new measures to prevent an increase in infections during the holiday periodlocal newspapers reported Sunday.

After meeting with ministers on December 23, Prime Minister Mario Draghi could order that people who have been vaccinated must also present a negative test to access crowded places, including nightclubs and stadiums, the daily Corriere della Sera reported.

German health minister Karl Lauterbach ruled out a closure on the Christmas season on SundayBut he warned that a fifth wave of COVID-19 could no longer be stopped, adding that he saw mandatory vaccination as the only way to end the pandemic.