BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany's 16 state governors will confer Monday to chart the country's way forward in the coronavirus pandemic, and are expected to prioritize the use of PCR tests for those most at risk as the omicron variant fuels a steep rise in infections.

Germany has seen a string of new infection records over the past two weeks as omicron kicks in. On Monday, the national disease control center said 840.3 new cases per 100,000 residents have been recorded over the past week, and 63,393 cases over the past 24 hours. The health minister has said he expects the numbers to peak in mid-February.

On Jan. 7, Scholz and the governors agreed to toughen requirements for entry to restaurants and bars, and decided to shorten quarantine and self-isolation periods.

Scholz told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung ahead of Monday's meeting that “we don't need a change of course.” He added that “it is in any case certainly not appropriate to loosen the rules broadly in the middle of the omicron wave.”

Germany's leaders are expected to agree to limit the use of PCR tests as the fast increase in cases stretches capacity. Priority is expected to be given to health sector employees, older people and others particularly at risk.

Monday's meeting is not expected to discuss in depth the question of a possible universal vaccination mandate, which Scholz supports but has left to parliament to come up with proposals for. Lawmakers are expected to hold a first debate on Wednesday, with various proposals being floated for a full or limited mandate, and one group opposing a mandate.

Although infections are rising fast, that hasn't so far been accompanied by a big increase in hospital admissions. But officials worry that Germany has a high number of unvaccinated older people in comparison with some other European countries.

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BEIJING (AP) — A fresh outbreak in Beijing has prompted authorities to test millions and impose new measures two weeks ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics, even as Chinese officials on Monday lifted a monthlong lockdown on the northern city of Xi’an and its 13 million residents.

Despite falling case numbers, pandemic controls have been stepped up ahead of the Olympics, where all participants must be tested before and after their arrival in Beijing.

In the capital, the 2 million residents of Fengtai district underwent testing following the discovery of more than three dozen cases in the capital. Targeted testing was being conducted at residential communities in six other districts.

The government told people in areas of Beijing deemed at high risk for infection not to leave the city after 25 cases were found in Fengtai and 14 elsewhere. Residents lined up Sunday on snow-covered sidewalks in freezing weather for testing.

The Beijing Municipal Health Commission also said Sunday that anyone who had purchased medicine for fever, cough and other infections within the past two weeks would be required to take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours, the state-owned Global Times newspaper reported.

The Olympics are being held under strict controls that are meant to isolate athletes, staff, reporters and officials from residents. Athletes are required to be vaccinated or undergo a quarantine after arriving in China.

The announcement by the city of Xi'an Monday followed the restart of commercial flights from the city over the weekend. The major tourism center and former imperial capital, famed as the home of the Terracotta Warrior statue army, struggled to get food to some residents in the early days of the lockdown, after people were confined to their homes.

Xi’an has been a cornerstone of the ruling Communist Party’s “zero tolerance” strategy toward COVID-19 that mandates lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing whenever a case is discovered.

Xi’an is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Beijing, where the Olympics open Feb. 4.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will expand rapid testing and shorten quarantines as it reshapes its pandemic response to deal with a faster-than-expected surge in coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.

The plans were announced as the country reported 7,513 new cases of infection on Monday, the third straight day exceeding 7,000 and nearing a one-day high of 7,848 reported in December, when a devastating delta-driven spread spiked hospitalizations and deaths.

Omicron has now replaced delta as South Korea’s most dominant variant after accounting for more than 50% of the infections reported last week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Some experts say the country could be seeing daily jumps of over 10,000 later this week. Transmissions could further accelerate over the Lunar New Year’s holiday break from this weekend through Tuesday, a period when millions of people usually travel around the country to meet relatives.

Starting Wednesday, the quarantine for people who test positive after being fully vaccinated will be reduced from the current 10 days to seven days, KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a briefing.

Fully vaccinated people who come in close contact with virus carriers will no longer be placed under quarantine, but they will be required to report their daily health conditions to officials before receiving a test within six or seven days.

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MOSCOW (AP) — New coronavirus infections in Russia reached an all-time high on Sunday, the third consecutive daily record as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads through the country.

The national coronavirus task force reported 63,205 new infections tallied in 24 hours — a spike of more than 25% since the record set on Friday. The task force reported 679 deaths, similar to other daily death counts in the past week.

The omicron variant has been detected in 64 of the country’s 89 regions and Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova says that authorities expect it to become the dominant variant.

Just about half of Russia’s 146 million people have been fully vaccinated despite the fact that Russia was among the first in the world to approve and roll out a COVID-19 vaccine. In Russia, everyone who received their primary vaccination more than six months ago has been eligible for a booster shot since July.

Gogov.ru, an independent website that tracks vaccinations, estimates that 8.8 million people have also received a booster shot.

Still, daily new infections in Russia have been steadily climbing since Jan. 10.