New Coronavirus News from 4 Jan 2023

Japan to Step Up Border Curbs on Visitors From China on Jan. 8 [Bloomberg, 4 Jan 2022]

By Isabel Reynolds and Ryotaro Nakamaru

Japan will require more stringent Covid-19 testing from Sunday on visitors coming from China, risking further irritating its neighbor as it tries to prevent a sharp increase in cases that could put new strains on its medical system.

Arrivals from the Chinese mainland will be required to undergo a quantitative antigen test or a PCR test, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference Wednesday. He added those who come on a direct flight from the Chinese mainland would be required to provide proof of a negative test.

German doctor jailed after giving fake exemptions to people who didn't want to wear masks [Express, 4 Jan 2022]

By CATHERINE MEYER-FUNNELL

The doctor in Weinheim handed out over 4,000 medical exemptions to people she had not examined during the pandemic.

A medical practitioner in southern Germany has been imprisoned and ordered to pay a €28,000 (£24,700) fine after she gave out thousands of exemption notes to people who didn't want to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 58-year-old woman has also been banned from practising for three years after the court found she had not met nor examined the patients she had issued them to.

Her actions were said to be "more reminiscent of a sale than a medical procedure".

The doctor cannot be named for legal reasons, as in Germany those convicted of less serious crimes or crimes with lessened public interest are entitled to anonymity.

The woman's legal team argued in court that masks were harmful to human health and claimed she had acted out of ethical reasons.

Lawyer Beate Bahner told broadcaster ARD outside the courthouse: "There are things that you don’t need to examine. If you take away my ability to breathe you don’t need a physical check-up to confirm that."

She added that her client intended to appeal the decision.

This is the second time such a case has been heard in a German court, as last November a doctor in Bavaria was given a one year sentence and ordered to pay a €50,000 (£44,000) fine for giving mask exemption notes to children.

Other doctors have been fined for giving patients fake mask exemptions or falsifying vaccine passports.