Australia to deport Djokovic as Omicron halts Grammy Awards

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the same rules apply to all travellers and that Novak Djokovic couldn't provide evidence to support why he should be granted exemptions from vaccine mandates on international arrivals.

Australia vowed to deport tennis world number one Novak Djokovic on Thursday after he failed to meet stringent pandemic entry requirements, as Omicron's relentless march forced organisers to cancel the Grammys and Sundance Film Festival.

The vaccine-sceptic Serb failed to provide evidence of double vaccination or a medical exemption when he landed to defend his Australian Open crown, prompting authorities to cancel his visa and hold him at the airport overnight. 

Djokovic said he had received a medical exemption to play in the Australian Open before departing for Melbourne, sparking fury among Australians who have endured harsh restrictions since the heavily mutated Omicron variant entered the country.

Infections in China have reached a high not seen since March 2020 although they remain low by international standards -- with 189 cases reported on Thursday. 

Videos of the woman sitting on a plastic stool outside the Gaoxin Hospital surrounded by a pool of blood went viral on social media, with Chinese authorities later saying they had punished the officials involved.  

The surge took place in Okinawa, which hosts most of the US forces in Japan, with the region's governor blaming the rise on clusters first seen among US troops.

- Virus hits entertainment -

Citing "uncertainty" surrounding the new coronavirus variant, the Recording Academy indefinitely postponed the music awards, while Sundance organisers said the festival would go virtual.

In Latin America, Brazilian health authorities approved vaccines for children aged five to 11 as case numbers rise.

Europe has also struggled to contain Omicron, the most transmissible Covid-19 variant to date, with official data showing one in 15 people in England were infected with the virus in 2021's final week. 

In Italy, the government said it would make vaccination mandatory for anyone over 50 -- nearly half the population -- to combat surging infections.  

The runaway numbers in Europe and North America led Hong Kong on Wednesday to impose a flight ban on eight countries including Australia, Canada, France, Britain and the United States. 

India recorded more than 90,000 new infections overnight while financial capital Mumbai saw its highest daily count yet in the pandemic.

"Systems will be overwhelmed, your house will be overwhelmed," V.K. Paul, a doctor working with the government on its coronavirus response, told a press conference on Wednesday.

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