RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil has become the latest country to bar flights from the United Kingdom in a bid to prevent contagion from a new strain of the coronavirus. The government announced in an extra edition of the country's official gazette released late Wednesday that it is temporarily prohibiting flights either originating in the U.K. or passing through. The government also is suspending authorization for foreigners who have been in the U.K. in the preceding 14 days from boarding Brazil-bound flights. The new rules take effect Friday. ___ THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: Cheer will be in short supply this pandemic-stricken Christmas, as many face isolation, grief, job fears and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant. No Christmas Day driving in Peru. Lebanon's nightclubs are open, but no dancing. Such is the global mish-mash of coronavirus measures. Freight from Britain and passengers  have started arriving in France after the country eased a two-day blockade over a new virus variant. France is springing elderly residents  from care homes, but some families agonize if time with elderly relatives is worth the risk. President Donald Trump  has threatened to torpedo Congress' massive COVID-19 relief package, demanding changes fellow Republicans have opposed. ___ HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: MEXICO CITY — Mexico now has more people hospitalized for COVID-19 than it saw at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in late July. The Health Department says 18,301 people are in hospitals across Mexico being treated for the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus. That is 0.4% more than in July. Mexico City is the epicenter of the current wave of infections and 85% of its hospital beds are in use. The state of Morelos, just south of the capital, became the fourth of Mexico's 32 states to declare a 'red' alert, which will lead to a partial lockdown and the closure of non-essential businesses starting Thursday. Medical personnel will be first in line Thursday when vaccinations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine begin Thursday in Mexico City. ___ DENVER — Colorado's prison system has begun vaccinating its workers as the coronavirus continues to spread in its facilities. Corrections department spokesperson Annie Skinner said Wednesday that frontline health care workers are the focus of the vaccination effort in state prisons. But she adds that other prison workers have also received shots to avoid wasting any doses whenever there is some left over. Skinner says other prison workers to be vaccinated so far include those who guard prisoners who are hospitalized and those who transport inmates. She did not immediately have a tally of how many prison workers have received the shots so far. ___ LIVINGSTON, Calif. -- A California court says a chicken processing plant that saw a deadly coronavirus outbreak must provide its workers with masks and follow a raft of other pandemic health orders. A judge in Merced County on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order sought by a union against Foster Farms. The Livingston facility is one of the world's largest chicken plants and the outbreak there killed nine people and sickened hundreds earlier this year. Foster Farms says it is already following safety rules and repeatedly testing employees for the coronavirus, which has caused serious outbreaks of infections at meatpacking plants nationwide. ___ PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has set Feb. 15 as a target for when more Oregon students, especially elementary level, will return to in-person learning. The governor also announced Wednesday that beginning Jan. 1, the statewide mandatory metrics for schools to reopen will be advisory. She says that 'decisions to resume in-person instruction must be made locally, district by district, school by school.' In an attempt to meet the target date, the governor has directed the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Health Authority to implement several new initiatives, including on-site rapid testing and prioritizing teachers and school staff in the state's next round of coronavirus vaccinations. The agencies will review the current metrics and announce updated guidelines before Jan. 19. ___ TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says the state should stop giving local officials the final say over the response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying 'a patchwork approach' does not work. The governor says she would also like legislators to rewrite a law that allows people exposed to the coronavirus to avoid providing information that would allow health officials to trace their close contacts. The legislature has committed to considering changes in emergency management laws after opening its annual 90-day session Jan. 11. Lawmakers enacted a law in June covering the current pandemic, but its provisions and a state of emergency for the pandemic expire Jan. 26 if lawmakers do nothing. ___ WASHINGTON — U.S. officials say they are on track to deliver 20 million vaccine doses by the first week of January, but how quickly those shots will get into arms isn't clear. In a briefing with reporters Wednesday, Operation Warp Speed official Gen. Gus Perna said states are administering doses at a 'good pace' and are 'immunizing quite a bit of people.' But the chief science adviser for the U.S. vaccine push added that vaccinating people is going 'slower than we thought it would be.' Data from the CDC says about 1 million doses had been administered as of Wednesday morning out of the 9.5 million doses delivered. However, Perna says there is a lag time in reporting the administration of shots. The shipments are for vaccines made by Pfizer and partner BioNTech and Moderna. ___ NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dozens of Tennessee hospitals have stopped taking transfer patients because they are overwhelmed during one of the nation's worst recent outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Wednesday that hospitalizations and deaths continue to be at a 'critical stage' as the state deals with a post-Thanksgiving surge in coronavirus infections. Officials have pleaded with the public not to gather indoors with other households for Christmas and New Year's and to wear masks, which is required in public in some counties at the discretion of local officials. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, there were 1,762 new coronavirus cases reported per 100,000 people in Tennessee over the past two weeks, which ranks first in the country for new cases per capita. One in every 111 people in Tennessee tested positive in the past week. ___ PHOENIX — The top doctor for Arizona's largest hospital chain says three Banner Health hospitals in the Phoenix area are operating above capacity as the state confronts a surge in coronavirus cases. Dr. Marjorie Bessel said Wednesday that Banner's Desert, Thunderbird and University hospitals have more patients than they're typically licensed to handle. Systemwide, Banner's intensive care units are at 160% of their typical winter peak, and nearly six in 10 ICU patients have COVID-19. Non-emergency procedures such as cancer surgeries and hip replacements have been canceled at some hospitals to keep beds open for patients battling the coronavirus. ___ BELLINGHAM, Wash. — U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantining in accordance with federal guidelines. In a Tweet Wednesday the Democrat said he received word of the positive test the day before and is not experiencing any symptoms. Larsen said he is 'prepared to vote by proxy in the coming days if the House schedules votes.' He represents Washington's 2nd Congressional District, which is on the northwestern portion of the state and includes the San Juan Islands, Bellingham and Everett. ___ DENVER — Colorado has started vaccinating correctional workers as the state sees a surge of coronavirus cases in its prisons. Department of Corrections spokesperson Annie Skinner says facility workers received COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, with more staffers scheduled to receive initial doses on Wednesday. It wasn't clear whether guards were among the workers being vaccinated yet or if medical workers were getting the shots. Scott Bookman, COVID-19 incident commander, says the doctors and nurses providing clinical care in correctional settings would be part of first phase of vaccine distribution. Bookman said distribution among phase 1A and 1B would be 'fluid' as they update the plan with public health guidance. ___ BOSTON — Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. Charlie Baker announcing $668 million in new state funding. Baker said Wednesday the state will begin rolling out assistance to businesses as soon as next week regardless of what happens with the federal COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress. He says the state effort builds on a program run by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, which awarded nearly $49 million in grants to more than 1,100 small businesses earlier this week. Baker says thousands of applicants that sought but didn't receive those initial funds will now be able to benefit from the new funding. The $668 million will also be used to create a new program targeting industries hit hardest during the pandemic. Baker said the new program will provide grants of up to $75,000 to help businesses cover staffing costs, rent and mortgage payments and debt obligations. ___ PORTLAND, Maine — Public health authorities in Maine said Wednesday it's impossible to know when coronavirus vaccines could reach inmates in the state's prisons and jails because of the limited supply. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine has called on the state to prioritize prisons, jails and detention facilities in its vaccine plans. Maine is in the midst of rolling out coronavirus vaccines to front-line health workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said the state has vaccinated more than 8,000 people so far, but supply constraints make it difficult to plan too far into the future. Jails and prisons have been the site of coronavirus outbreaks in Maine. One, at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, sickened dozens of inmates. ___ NAIROBI, Kenya — South Africa's health minister says the country has seen more than 14,000 confirmed new coronavirus cases in the past day, with a positivity rate of 26%, as overall cases edge toward 1 million. Heath Minister Zwelini Mkhize says the 'alarming rate of spread' of infections is much faster than during the first wave in midyear. His daily report doesn't say how many of the new infections are attributed to the new variant of the virus in South Africa. The country has more than 950,000 confirmed cases, including more than 25,000 deaths. More than 400 people have died in the past day. Mkhize says COVID-19 is 'unrelenting' and urges South Africans to not be complacent as they enter the holiday season, and he warns that the government will have to review restrictions meant to limit the spread of the virus and 'consider further measures.' More than a quarter of the country's infections are in Gauteng province, home of commercial hub Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Around 15,000 residents previously ineligible for pandemic stimulus checks have started receiving payments from the state. The group includes immigrants in the country without work authorization. Officials with the New Mexico Human Services Department said the $465 relief payments began arriving this week via direct deposit or checks. The Legislature allocated $5 million to the fund for those who hadn't received federal payments in April. Agency officials say they were able to identify an additional $2 million on top of that. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues. ___ TRENTON, N.J. — With apologies to Don Henley, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has a message for state residents reminiscent of the Eagles holiday classic song: Please stay home for Christmas. The Democratic governor on Wednesday used his final coronavirus briefing before the holiday to urge residents in New Jersey not to gather with extended family as a means of limiting the spread of the virus. Murphy spoke as New Jersey recorded its first instance since May of back-to-back days when the state death toll from the virus exceeded 100.