Spain, Portugal face new limits despite vaccine success

By JOSEPH WILSON and ARITZ PARRA
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) —  Despite vaccination rates that make other governments envious, Spain and Portugal are facing the hard truth that these winter holidays won’t be a time of unrestrained joy. The reason is the new omicron variant that has been running rampant across Europe. Portugal on Tuesday announced a slew of new restrictions over Christmas and the New Year, making working from home mandatory and shutting discotheques and bars from Saturday night due to omicron. That’s despite 87% of the Portugal’s population being fully jabbed. Spain, too, is feeling COVID-19 pressures on its hospitals and some Spanish officials are keen to take more action before it’s too late.