Germany agrees new COVID restrictions, Yellen says pandemic could be here for a while

People take coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests at a pop-up sidewalk testing site in New York, U.S., December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/file photo

BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Germany agreed new COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday and the United States prepared to do the same, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Omicron variant showed the pandemic could be around for "some time".

The new variant is spreading across the globe, with countries including the United States, India and France reporting their first cases and investors rattled by the prospect that it could hurt the global economic recovery.