FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Several Chinese cities went on high COVID-19 alert as the Lunar New Year holiday travel season started on Monday, requiring travellers to report their trips days before their arrival, as the Omicron variant reached more areas including Beijing.

Several Chinese cities went on high COVID-19 alert as the Lunar New Year holiday travel season started on Monday, requiring travelers to report their trips days before their arrival, as the Omicron variant reached more areas including Beijing. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of the news. EUROPE

* The United Kingdom is drawing up plans under which people will not be legally bound to self-isolate after catching COVID-19, The Telegraph reported. * Thousands of protesters packed Amsterdam's streets on Sunday in opposition to the government-imposed COVID-19 measures and vaccination campaign as virus infections hit a new record.

* Credit Suisse Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio has resigned after flouting COVID-19 quarantine rules. * Over a thousand people marched in Budapest protesting against COVID-19 inoculation at a rally organized by the far-right Our Homeland Movement.

* Austria's government proposed setting the minimum age for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations against COVID-19 at 18 and rolling out the program in stages from Feb. 1. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended donning "the most protective mask you can" while stopping short of advocating nationwide usage of N95 respirators. * Hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes in protests demanding a switch to remote learning.

* High demand for groceries combined with soaring freight costs and Omicron-related labor shortages are creating a new round of backlogs at processed food and fresh produce companies, leading to empty supermarket shelves at major retailers across the United States. * Peru's Health Minister Hernando Cevallos has called on COVID-19 vaccine companies to extend expiration dates past the current three months to reduce the risk of losing doses.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left the door open for Novak Djokovic to compete at next year's Australian Open despite the tennis superstar facing an automatic three-year ban from entering the country.

* Beijing will require travelers to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival in the Chinese capital, as the city readies to stage the Winter Olympics next month. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Israel's cabinet approved additional state aid to help bail out airlines suffering another pandemic blow with the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the finance and transportation ministries said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* India's Gennova Biopharmaceuticals is working on an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine candidate that could be ready in a month or two, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Share markets were choppy as a slew of Chinese economic data confirmed the deadening effect of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending, prompting Beijing to again ease monetary policy. * China's economy rebounded in 2021 from its pandemic-induced slump helped by robust exports but weak consumption at the year-end and a property slowdown point to cooling momentum and the need for more policy support.

* Frantic oil buying driven by supply outages and signs the Omicron variant won't be as disruptive as feared has pushed some crude grades to multi-year highs, suggesting the rally in Brent futures could be sustained a while longer, traders said.