Chicago opens restaurants, some bars with limits

CHICAGO — Restaurants and certain bars across Chicago and suburban Cook County have opened their doors to customers for the first time since late October after winning approval Saturday from Illinois health officials.

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A health worker of Rocket Testing, conducts a test at the COVID-19 testing site at the Hawthorn Mall parking lot in Vernon Hills, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. A new drive-up rapid COVID-19 testing facility has opened in Vernon Hills. Rocket Testing, which currently has seven locations in the Chicago area. No appointment is necessary, and test can remain in the car while people wait, according to the Rocket Testing Facebook page. The test takes just minutes, and results are typically available in 15 minutes. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

With the city and county moving up to Tier I of the state’s coronavirus mitigation plan, restaurants and bars that serve food can seat customers indoors at 25% capacity or 25 people per room, whichever is less.

Tables will be limited to no more than four people indoors or six people outdoors, and tables must be spaced 6 feet apart. Indoor service will be limited to a maximum of two hours and bars and restaurants must close by 11 p.m.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

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A COVID-19 testing site sign is seen at the Hawthorn Mall parking lot in Vernon Hills, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. A new drive-up rapid COVID-19 testing facility has opened in Vernon Hills. Rocket Testing, which currently has seven locations in the Chicago area. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Immigrant wariness a hurdle for U.S. vaccine efforts. UK doctors urge government to review policy of delaying 2nd virus vaccine shot for 12 weeks. Hong Kong in lockdown to contain the coronavirus. Mexico president OKs states acquiring vaccines. French doctors suggest way to slow virus spread: Don’t talk on public transportation. Life in the Chinese city of Wuhan has some normalcy a year after deadly pandemic erupted there. ___

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People look at a painting by Italian street artist TvBoy named “The three Vaccines” depicting The Three Graces by Italian painter Raphael in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Although health authorities believe that the surge of coronavirus infections is waning, the rate of contagion has shot to over three times the extreme risk level, dangerously straining the health system. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pledged in his inaugural address to level with the American people, and the message from his first three days in office has been nothing if not grim and grimmer.

He has painted a bleak picture of the country’s immediate future dealing with the coronavirus, warning Americans that it will take months, not weeks, to reorient a nation facing a historic convergence of crises.

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Hispanic farm workers wait in line to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Mecca, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The farmworkers who got their shots are among the millions of immigrants around the United States, who advocacy groups warn may be some of the most difficult people to reach during the largest vaccination campaign in American history. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The dire language is meant as a call to action, but it is also a deliberate effort to temper expectations. The U.S. is trying to roll out its vaccination program, with issues of slow production and distribution.

The U.S. leads the world with 24.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 415,000 deaths.

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MILAN — Italian premier Giuseppe Conte is pledging legal action not only against Pfizer but any pharmaceutical company that doesn’t meet its coronavirus vaccine commitments.

Conte says delays announced by a second company, AstraZeneca, were “worrying” and if confirmed would mean that Italy would receive an initial delivery of 3.4 million doses instead of the agreed 8 million.

Conte says the “the slowdown in deliveries constitute serious contractual violations that produce enormous damages to Italy and other European countries, with direct repercussions on the lives and health of citizens and on our socio-economic fabric, already badly tested by a year of the pandemic.”

He pledged Italy would take every legal recourse “as we are already doing with Pfizer-Biontech.”

Italy is under tiered restrictions and intensive care wards have surpassed the threshold for alarm in five regions.

On Saturday, 13,000 new cases and 488 deaths were recorded by the Health Ministry. Italy’s death toll of 85,000 is the second highest in Europe and sixth highest in the world.

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MADRID — Spain’s top military commander has been forced to resign after he and other high-ranking officers violated established protocols and received the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of time.

Spain’s defense ministry confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that Minister Margarita Robles had accepted the resignation of Chief of Staff Gen. Miguel Ángel Villarroya.

His resignation comes after online news site El Confidencial Digital reported that Villarroya and other top brass had broken national protocols for Spain’s vaccination strategy, which currently only allows nursing home residents and medical workers to receive shots. Several public officials have jumped the vaccine queue in recent weeks, including a regional health chief for southeast Murcia, who also resigned.

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FILE – In this Jan. 22, 2021 file photo medical staff members walk between traffic cones at a mass COVID-19 vaccination site set up in the parking lot of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif. Five weeks into its vaccination program, California still doesn’t have nearly the supply to meet demand and there’s growing angst among residents over the difficulty to even get in line for a shot. Social media is awash with people seeking or giving tips on how to maneuver through the system. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska health officials say they are considering moving up teachers on the state’s vaccine list as more students have restarted in-person instruction.

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FILE – In this Dec. 30, 2020 file photo, a healthcare worker receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the N-1 military base in Mexico City, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Mexico will start vaccinating teachers and other school personnel in Campeche, one of the country’s 32 states this weekend with an eye toward resuming in-person classes there as early as late next month, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

A top vaccine official with the state Department of Health and Social Services made the announcement.

The state has prioritized health care workers, seniors 65 years or older and long-term care residents and staff.

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A young woman wearing a face mask enters a subway station in Lisbon, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Portugal’s COVID-19 surge is continuing unabated, with a new record of daily deaths, hospitalizations and patients in intensive care. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Teachers 50 years or older, residents that have two or more high-risk health conditions and other essential workers will be prioritized next.

State officials say conversations about vaccinating teachers are happening both in Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office and among a scientific and medical advisory committee that helped develop the state’s vaccine policy.

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MECCA, Calif. — Advocacy groups are heading into farm fields in California to bring vaccines and information to migrant laborers in Spanish and other languages.

Some immigrants in the country illegally may fear that information taken during vaccinations could be turned over to authorities and not seek out vaccines. Those who speak little or no English may find it difficult to access shots.

These challenges are particularly worrying for Latino immigrants, who make a large portion of the workforce in industries where they have a significant risk of exposure.

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More than a dozen ambulances queue waiting to hand over their COVID-19 patients to medics at the Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Portugal’s COVID-19 surge is continuing unabated, with a new record of daily deaths, hospitalizations and patients in intensive care. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

In California’s sprawling Riverside County, home to a $1.3 billion agriculture industry, a health care nonprofit went to a grape farm to register workers for vaccine appointments. The Desert Healthcare District and Foundation also shares information about the virus and how to get tested on WhatsApp in Spanish.

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Residents attend an exhibition on the city’s fight against the coronavirus in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. A year after it was locked down to contain the spread of coronavirus, the central Chinese city of Wuhan has largely returned to normal, even as China continues to battle outbreaks elsewhere in the country. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network has used a Spanish-language radio show on social media to share information.

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PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — A multipurpose arena in Prescott Valley will be the latest large venue in Arizona to become a COVID-19 vaccination site.

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State Sens. Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, right, and Robert Myers, R-North Pole, wait for their colleagues to arrive for the of the Alaska state Senate on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. (Peter Segall/The Juneau Empire via AP, Pool)

Cottonwood-based Spectrum Healthcare on Monday will open an appointment-only site called “Vaccination Station” inside Findlay Toyota Center, a 5,100-seat facility that has hosted events including basketball games, rodeos, concerts and ice shows. The Daily Courier reports that Spectrum plans to administer shots to as many as 1,000 people daily.

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Rose-ringed parakeet squabble over an apple left on wooden railing next to a sign urging social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic in Kensington Gardens, London, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The parakeets are a feral non native species thought to originate from escaped pets. There are thought to be over 30,000 parakeets in the wild in Britain. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Pima County already opened a drive-through vaccination site in Tucson at Kino Sports Complex. The state plans to open a site at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 1.

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Residents attend an exhibition on the city’s fight against the coronavirus in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. A year after it was locked down to contain the spread of coronavirus, the central Chinese city of Wuhan has largely returned to normal, even as China continues to battle outbreaks elsewhere in the country. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Arizona has the worst infection rate in the country with 1 in every 141 residents diagnosed with the coronavirus in the past week.

The Department of Health Services on Friday reported 8,099 new cases and 229 more deaths. That increased the state’s confirmed pandemic totals to 708,041 cases and 12,001 deaths.

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MEXICO CITY — Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has given state governors permission to acquire coronavirus vaccines on their own.

With coronavirus infections and COVID-19 deaths at record highs in recent days, the federal government hasn’t received enough vaccine for the country’s 750,000 front-line medical workers.

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FILE – In this Jan. 21, 2021 file photo a medical staff member prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, Calif. Five weeks into its vaccination program, California still doesn’t have nearly the supply to meet demand and there’s growing angst among residents over the difficulty to even get in line for a shot. Social media is awash with people seeking or giving tips on how to maneuver through the system. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

So state governors have been calling for permission to obtain vaccines on their own, and the president said Friday they can do so as long as they inform federal officials and use only approved vaccines.

Also, López Obrador announced Mexico plans to start vaccinating teachers and other school personnel in one of the country’s 32 states this weekend with an eye toward resuming in-person classes there in late February.

Officials reported more than 21,000 confirmed infections Friday, a day after the country listed a record 22,339 cases. Deaths related to the virus in the previous 24 hours reached 1,440.

Mexico ranks No. 4 in deaths with more than 147,000, behind the U.S., Brazil and India.

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LISBON, Portugal — Portugal’s medical agency says it has identified the first case in the country of the new coronavirus variant believed to have originated in South Africa.

The agency says the new variant was found in a South African resident of Lisbon. Medical authorities have already suggested a massive surge in infections is from the spread of a variant identified in southeast England.

Portugal’s hospital COVID-19 wards and ICUs are on average around 90% full. Daily deaths reached a new record for a fifth day in a row at 234 on Friday, bringing the total to 9,920 in a country of 10.3 million.

The country also faces the challenge of holding a general election on Sunday.

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LONDON — A leading politician in Wales has resigned from a senior post after he and colleagues had a drinking session inside the Welsh parliament buildings while pubs and bars are closed during a coronavirus lockdown.

Paul Davies says he was stepping down as leader of the Welsh Conservatives “for the sake of my party, my health and my own conscience.”

Another Welsh Conservative lawmaker, Darren Millar, was quitting as the party’s chief whip.

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A Hispanic farm worker receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Mecca, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The farmworkers who got their shots are among the millions of immigrants around the United States, who advocacy groups warn may be some of the most difficult people to reach during the largest vaccination campaign in American history. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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PARIS — French doctors have new advice to slow the spread of the virus: Stop talking on public transport.

The French Academy of Doctors issued guidance saying people should “avoid talking or making phone calls” in subways, buses or anywhere in public where social distancing isn’t possible. Masks have been required since May, but travelers often loosen or remove them to talk on the phone.

Other French experts are urging more dramatic measures — notably a third lockdown.

France’s hospitals hold more COVID patients than in October, when President Emmanuel Macron imposed a second lockdown. Virus patients occupy more than half of the country’s intensive care beds.

Infections in France are gradually rising this month, at more than 20,000 per day. France currently has the longest virus curfew in Europe, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and restaurants and tourist sites have been closed since October.

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FILE – In this Sept. 22, 2020 file photo, Venezuelan healthcare workers with Doctors Without Borders attend to COVID-19 patients at the Peréz de León II Hospital, a public hospital in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela. The monitoring of vaccine distribution from the Roman Catholic church and civil society groups is key after the Venezuelan government broke an agreement reached last June with the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO, to jointly combat the virus, said Miguel Pizarro, a humanitarian aid coordinator for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

The government has so far sought to avoid a full new lockdown. Protests are expected around France on Saturday against virus-related layoffs and to support those arrested for holding a techno rave party despite virus restrictions.

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A man repeats aloud the name of Pedro Miguel Infante Vilchez, 80, who died from COVID-19, while walking to his burial at the “Martires 19 de Julio” cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

France has registered 72,647 confirmed virus-related deaths.

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LONDON — Britain’s main doctors’ organization says it is concerned about the U.K.’s decision to give people a second dose of coronavirus vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by manufacturers and the World Health Organization.

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COVID-19 patients inside the ICU of the new Nurse Isabel Zendal Hospital in Madrid, Spain, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. On Friday 22, one in five hospital beds and over 37% of ICU beds are now devoted to treating coronavirus patients in Spain. With several regions reporting Friday new daily records of infections, some regional governments are toughening their response. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The U.K., which has Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people a first dose of the vaccine as quickly as possible. So far almost 5.5 million people have received a first dose of either a vaccine made by Pfizer or one developed by AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca has said it believes a dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its jab after such a long gap.

The British Medical Association urged England’s chief medical officer to “urgently review” the policy for the Pfizer vaccine. It says there was “growing concern from the medical profession regarding the delay of the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine as the U.K.’s strategy has become increasingly isolated from many other countries.”

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Piazza Venezia Square is reflected in the window of a closed coffee bar following COVID-19 restriction measures, in Rome, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Italy was the first country in the West to be hit by COVID-19 and still has one of the highest death tolls in the world at nearly 85,000. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pfizer says its second dose should take place 21 days after the first. The WHO says the second shots of coronavirus vaccines can been given up to six weeks after the first.

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HONG KONG — Thousands of Hong Kong residents were locked down in their homes Saturday in an unprecedented move to contain a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the city.

Authorities said 16 buildings in the city’s Yau Tsim Mong district would be locked down until all residents were tested. Residents would not be allowed to leave their homes until they received test results.

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A 2 Euro coin dedicated to the healthcare professions as a tribute for their commitment to the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, is seen at the Italian state mint, in Rome, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The commemorative coin, depicting a doctor holding a medical record and a doctor or nurse with a stethoscope, reading above the word “GRAZIE” (thank you), will be printed in three million copies by June 22nd and is intended for ordinary circulation. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained,” the government statement said.

The restrictions, which were announced at 4 a.m. in Hong Kong, were expected to end within 48 hours, the government said.

Hong Kong has been grappling to contain a fresh wave of the coronavirus since November. Over 4,300 cases have been recorded in the last two months, making up nearly 40% of the city’s total.

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WUHAN, CHINA — A year ago, a notice sent to smartphones in Wuhan at 2 a.m. announced the world’s first coronavirus lockdown, bringing the bustling central Chinese industrial and transport center to a virtual standstill almost overnight. It would last 76 days.

Early Saturday morning, however, residents of the city where the virus was first detected were jogging and practicing tai chi in a fog-shrouded park beside the mighty Yangtze River.

Life has largely returned to normal in the city of 11 million, even as the rest of the world grapples with the spread of the virus’ more contagious variants. The scourge has killed more than 2.1 million people worldwide.

Traffic was light in Wuhan but there was no sign of the barriers that a year ago isolated neighborhoods and confined people to their housing compounds and even apartments.

Wuhan accounted for the bulk of China’s 4,635 deaths from COVID-19, a number that has largely stayed static for months. The city has been largely free of further outbreaks since the lockdown was lifted on April 8, but questions persist as to where the virus originated and whether Wuhan and Chinese authorities acted fast enough and with sufficient transparency to allow the world to prepare for a pandemic.

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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte speaks during his final address at the Senate prior to a confidence vote, in Rome, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte fights for his political life with an address aimed at shoring up support for his government, which has come under fire from former Premier Matteo Renzi’s tiny but key Italia Viva (Italy Alive) party over plans to relaunch the pandemic-ravaged economy. (Roberto Monaldo/ Lapresse via AP)