DIRECT. Covid-19: the United States is “definitely coming out” of the “total pandemic phase,” says Dr. Fauci

Follow live the events of the day :

8 a.m. South Korea is revamping its healthcare policy. As of today, the authorities will only provide care to covided patients aged 60 and over or suffering from underlying conditions. Medical kits including an oxygen saturation meter, a thermometer and a fever remedy – previously available to all patients undergoing home care – will now only be distributed to priority groups. Those who have mild or non-existent symptoms will have to purchase these items at their own expense. If their condition worsens, they will be treated in specific clinics.

7:45 a.m. In Rhode Island, the mask goes to school. The US state announced that as of Friday it is no longer mandatory to wear a mask indoors. Except… in schools, where it remains mandatory until March 4. Whether to keep it or not will then be the individual authority of each school district, depending on the epidemiological situation.

7:35 a.m. India burned less gasoline. India’s fuel consumption fell 3.7 percent in January after hitting a nine-month high in December. Diesel, which accounts for 40% of consumption, fell by 8.4% compared to January last year. Anti-Covid restrictions in several states have affected mobility and industrial activity.

7:25 a.m. Several American states are organizing the end of the mask. After New York State, Rhode Island, Illinois and Washington State announced the end of the mask. In Washington State, everyone had to wear it from the age of 5. Gov. Jay Inslee announced it would no longer be mandatory outdoors on Feb. 18. He will give a date next week for wearing the mask indoors.

7:15 a.m. The United States is certainly “coming out” of the “total pandemic phase”. This is what the eminent Dr Anthony Fauci tells the Financial Times. “As we move out of the total Covid pandemic phase, which is certainly the case, these decisions will increasingly be made at the local level rather than centralized or imposed,” he said of states that drop the mask indoors. “There is no way to eradicate this virus,” Fauci warned. “But I hope that we are looking at a time when we will have enough people vaccinated and enough people protected by a previous infection so that the restrictions of Covid will soon be a thing of the past”.

7 a.m. The New Zealand protest has tense locals. In 48 hours, the antivax rally (read below) pushed the inhabitants to the limit. “The streets of the city are blocked, shops and businesses have had to close, people feel threatened and intimidated by some protesters,” Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told Radio New Zealand. Residents of the capital complained that they were being targeted because they were wearing protective masks, and several shops near the Parliament were forced to close because their employees were asking to check sanitary passes. “The police recognise people’s right to protest but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t unfairly affect the general public,” Wellington Police commander Corrie Parnell had warned.

6:50 a.m. Clashes in New Zealand. For the past three days, antivax have been gathered near the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, echoing the “convoy of freedom” that is heckling Canadians and swarming around the world, including France. They challenge the vaccination requirement for people working in the health, law enforcement, education and defense sectors. This morning, the police wanted to dismantle the impromptu encampment that had set up. Despite the warnings, protesters scuffled with police officers. The provisional death toll is 50 arrests.

6:40 a.m. Faced with new restrictions, Hong Kong is testing itself. The number of contaminations and the low collective vaccination have prompted the authorities in Prochina to take new, very strict measures. Gatherings of more than two people are prohibited, and for the first time more than two families will not be able to gather at home. All religious buildings and hairdressing salons are also closed.

6:30 a.m. In Mexico. 24,898 new infections were recorded yesterday, as well as 743 deaths.

6:20 a.m. Consequences of the Canadian protests. Ford Motor and Toyota Motor companies announced on Wednesday that they were halting some of their production due to the protests in Canada. The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Canada to Detroit, the historic heart of car manufacturing in the United States, is blocked, while ordinarily 40,000 people and thousands of tons of cargo pass through this way.

6:10 a.m. Pediatric vaccination is accelerating in the USA. The US government plans to roll out Covid vaccines for children under the age of 5 as early as February 21, according to a document from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

6 a.m. Hello and welcome to this live. If you want to follow the news of Covid and its consequences, in France and elsewhere, stay connected.