Defense Ministry Denies Thailand’s Unfounded Allegations Over Landmine Incident | Cambodian Government Responds to Thailand’s Diplomatic Actions Amid Border Tensions | PM: Cambodian Armed Forces Courageously Defending Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity | Cambodian Condemns Thailand's Aggressive Military Operations in Border Tension Areas | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Aggression, Urges Immediate Withdrawal | Cambodian Ministry of National Defense Releases Timeline of Border Clashes on July 24, 2025 | Thailand Launches Airstrikes on Cambodian Military Targets, Prompting Regional Anxiety | Cambodian Army Asserts Right to Self-Defence Following Thai Incursion | Hun Sen Commands Military Operations Alongside Prime Minister Hun Manet, Denies Reports of Fleeing, Says Spokesperson | Cambodian Military Claims Control of Ta Krabey, Ta Moan Thom Temples Amid Border Clashes | PM Hun Manet Urges Calm and Respect Amid Ongoing Border Clashes with Thailand | Government Spokesperson: Thailand Using Landmine Allegations as Pretext for Invasion | Border Conflict Escalates: Cambodian and Thai Forces Continue Clashes as of 6 PM | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military for Violating World Heritage Site, Calls for Immediate Action | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Attacks and Cluster Bombing on Border Areas, Vows Firm Response | BREAKING: Heavy Thai Assault on Ta Moan Thom Temple as Cambodian Forces Resist Fiercely | US Calls for Immediate End to Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict | TOP NEWS: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, As ASEAN Chair, Urges Cambodia and Thailand to Consider Ceasefire | UN Urges Restraint as Tensions Mount at Thailand-Cambodia Border | Thailand Seeks Diplomatic Solutions Amid Escalating Border Clashes with Cambodia; Cambodia Condemns Airstrikes | Nation Unites in Humanitarian Effort: Blood Donation Drive Supports Emergency Preparedness Amid Border Tensions | Thailand Rejects International Mediation in Ongoing Cambodia Border Conflict | Cambodia Reports Intensified Thai Attacks and Condemns Use of Cluster Munitions in Urgent Third Briefing of the Day | Cambodia Responds Firmly as Day Two of Border Skirmishes Unfold | BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister Hun Manet Clarifies Cambodia’s Position on Ceasefire Proposal Amid Border Tensions | BREAKING NEWS: Cambodia Denounces Thailand’s Military Actions as Violations of Sovereignty and International Law | UN Urges Restraint as Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Displace Thousands; Security Council Holds Emergency Meeting | Cambodia Confirms Troops Still Holding Mount Trop as Thailand Cannot Raise Flag on Sovereign Territory | Cambodia and Thailand Clashes Enter Third Day as Casualties Rise to 33 |
Defense Ministry Denies Thailand’s Unfounded Allegations Over Landmine Incident | Cambodian Government Responds to Thailand’s Diplomatic Actions Amid Border Tensions | PM: Cambodian Armed Forces Courageously Defending Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity | Cambodian Condemns Thailand's Aggressive Military Operations in Border Tension Areas | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Aggression, Urges Immediate Withdrawal | Cambodian Ministry of National Defense Releases Timeline of Border Clashes on July 24, 2025 | Thailand Launches Airstrikes on Cambodian Military Targets, Prompting Regional Anxiety | Cambodian Army Asserts Right to Self-Defence Following Thai Incursion | Hun Sen Commands Military Operations Alongside Prime Minister Hun Manet, Denies Reports of Fleeing, Says Spokesperson | Cambodian Military Claims Control of Ta Krabey, Ta Moan Thom Temples Amid Border Clashes | PM Hun Manet Urges Calm and Respect Amid Ongoing Border Clashes with Thailand | Government Spokesperson: Thailand Using Landmine Allegations as Pretext for Invasion | Border Conflict Escalates: Cambodian and Thai Forces Continue Clashes as of 6 PM | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military for Violating World Heritage Site, Calls for Immediate Action | Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Attacks and Cluster Bombing on Border Areas, Vows Firm Response | BREAKING: Heavy Thai Assault on Ta Moan Thom Temple as Cambodian Forces Resist Fiercely | US Calls for Immediate End to Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict | TOP NEWS: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, As ASEAN Chair, Urges Cambodia and Thailand to Consider Ceasefire | UN Urges Restraint as Tensions Mount at Thailand-Cambodia Border | Thailand Seeks Diplomatic Solutions Amid Escalating Border Clashes with Cambodia; Cambodia Condemns Airstrikes | Nation Unites in Humanitarian Effort: Blood Donation Drive Supports Emergency Preparedness Amid Border Tensions | Thailand Rejects International Mediation in Ongoing Cambodia Border Conflict | Cambodia Reports Intensified Thai Attacks and Condemns Use of Cluster Munitions in Urgent Third Briefing of the Day | Cambodia Responds Firmly as Day Two of Border Skirmishes Unfold | BREAKING NEWS: Prime Minister Hun Manet Clarifies Cambodia’s Position on Ceasefire Proposal Amid Border Tensions | BREAKING NEWS: Cambodia Denounces Thailand’s Military Actions as Violations of Sovereignty and International Law | UN Urges Restraint as Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Displace Thousands; Security Council Holds Emergency Meeting | Cambodia Confirms Troops Still Holding Mount Trop as Thailand Cannot Raise Flag on Sovereign Territory | Cambodia and Thailand Clashes Enter Third Day as Casualties Rise to 33 |

WHO Urges Travelers to Wear Masks as New COVID Variant Spreads

LONDON, - Countries should consider recommending that passengers wear masks on long-haul flights, given the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Tuesday.

In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant was detected in small but growing numbers, WHO and Europe officials said at a press briefing.

Passengers should be advised to wear masks in high-risk settings such as long-haul flights, said the WHO's senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, adding: "this should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission".

XBB.1.5 - the most transmissible Omicron subvariant detected so far - accounted for 27.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ended Jan. 7, health officials have said.

It was unclear if XBB.1.5 would cause its own wave of global infections. Current vaccines continue to protect against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death, experts say.

"Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing" and if action is considered, "travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner," Smallwood said.

That did not mean the agency recommended testing for passengers from the United States at this stage, she added.

Measures that could be taken include genomic surveillance, and targeting passengers from other countries as long as it does not divert resources from domestic surveillance systems. Others include monitoring wastewater around points of entry such as airports.

NEW VARIANT

XBB.1.5 is another descendant of Omicron, the most contagious and now globally dominant variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. It is an offshoot of XBB, first detected in October, itself a recombinant of two other Omicron subvariants.

Concerns about XBB.1.5 fuelling a fresh spate of cases in the United States and beyond are on rising amid a surge of COVID cases in China, after the country pivoted away from its signature "zero COVID" policy last month.

According to data reported by the WHO earlier this month, an analysis by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed a predominance of Omicron sublineages BA.5.2 and BF.7 among locally acquired infections.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Tuesday issued recommendations for flights between China and the European Union including "non-pharmaceutical measures to reduce the spread of the virus, such as mask-wearing and testing of travellers, as well as monitoring of waste water as an early warning tool to detect new variants."

The agencies recommend "random testing may also be carried out on a sample of arriving passengers" and "enhanced cleaning and disinfection of aircraft serving these routes."

Last week, the EU's Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR), is a body made up of officials from the EU's 27 governments, also recommended all passengers on flights to and from China should wear face masks and random testing of passengers arriving from China.

Many scientists - including from the WHO - believe China is likely under-reporting the true extent of its outbreak.

The WHO is aware that the case-definition of what counts as a COVID-19 death in China is narrow and "not necessarily the case definition that WHO has recommended countries adopt," said Smallwood.

More than a dozen countries - including the United States - are demanding COVID tests from travellers from China.


Source Reuters


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