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Coronavirus live news: more new cases in China as parts of Europe ease restrictions Coronavirus live news: more new cases in China as parts of Europe ease restrictions
(32 minutes later)
Boris Johnson’s plans for UK labelled vague and divisive; China records new cases in Wuhan and Shulan; New Zealand to move to level 2 restrictionsBoris Johnson’s plans for UK labelled vague and divisive; China records new cases in Wuhan and Shulan; New Zealand to move to level 2 restrictions
In a televised address on Sunday night, Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo extended a ban on public gatherings until at least the end of the month, writes Emmanuel Akinwotu, the Guardian’s West Africa correspondent. Men’s blood has higher levels than women’s of a key enzyme used by the new coronavirus to infect cells, the results of a European study showed on Monday, Reuters reports.
Addo’s address primarily set out to defend the government’s easing the lockdown three weeks ago, amid fierce criticism. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is found in the heart, kidneys and other organs. In Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, it is thought to play a role in how the infection progresses into the lungs.
Since Ghana’s measures were eased, cases of Covid-19 in the country have accelerated, doubling in the last week to 4,263. Twenty-two people have lost their lives with 378 now recovered. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, also found that widely prescribed drugs called ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) did not lead to higher ACE2 concentrations and should therefore not increase the Covid-19 risk for people taking them.
On Saturday there were almost a thousand new cases announced by the government. The rate of infections has fuelled worries that the relaxed measures have caused the virus to spread further. In what is still technically an election year, political criticisms of the government have also grown more intense. ACE inhibitors and ARBs are widely prescribed to patients with congestive heart failure, diabetes or kidney disease. The drugs account for billions of dollars in prescription sales worldwide.
Former president John Mahama, a candidate against Akufo-Addo’s re-election, tweeted on Saturday: “From 3,091 to 4,012 #COVID19 cases within 24 hours. Government is certainly failing the people of Ghana.” “Our findings do not support the discontinuation of these drugs in Covid-19 patients,” said Adriaan Voors, a professor of cardiology at the University Medical Centre (UMC) Groningen in the Netherlands, who co-led the study.
In the president’s address the following day, he indirectly responded, “I know some political actors would want you to believe that the new numbers represent a failure on our part, do not begrudge them.” The Covid-19 pandemic has infected more than 4 million people worldwide and killed almost 277,000, according to a Reuters tally. Death and infection tolls point to men being more likely than women to contract the disease and to have severe or critical complications if they do.
The government insists that its fairly robust testing and tracing measures, allow them to track the spread with precision, and focus measures on specific locations, rather than lockdown entire cities. So far, 160,000 tests have been administered in Ghana, one of the highest totals in Africa. Kosovo’s caretaker prime minister has said he is in self-isolation after an official in his government “had close contact” with someone who tested positive for coronavirus, according to AFP.
A sharp rise in cases was partly due to a backlog of tests Addo said, which has now been cleared. Many recently confirmed cases were not new infections. Clusters of cases were being tightly traced, such as 533 infections at a fish processing factory which he said were all linked to one individual. Albin Kurti made the announcement on his Facebook page, saying he would stay in his apartment until test results were available for the official from the ministry of European integration who had contact with the infected person.
Health officials in Ghana feel the larger case numbers, among the highest in Africa, are largely a result of its more comprehensive and widespread testing campaign, relative to other countries. Yet each new rise in cases casts the lockdown in a more critical light. “Today is the first day when I will not go to work at the prime minister’s office,” the 44-year-old wrote.
With tight restrictions on movement and early moves to shut down public activities, Kosovo has so far prevented a widespread outbreak of Covid-19 among its population of 1.8 million.
According to government figures, 884 infections have been detected and 28 people have died from the disease.
South Korea has pushed back its reopening of schools by a week as health authorities try to isolate virus carriers and trace their contacts after finding dozens of coronavirus infections linked to clubgoers, the Associated Press reports.
Before discovering the new transmissions, the country had relaxed social distancing guidelines amid what had been a slowing caseload and scheduled the reopening of schools, starting with high-school seniors on Wednesday.
But the vice-minister for education, Park Baeg-beom, said in a briefing on Monday that the school openings for high-school seniors would be pushed back to next Wednesday.
Local education authorities including Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of Seoul’s education office, had earlier called for the government to postpone the reopening of schools, raising concerns that children could be exposed to larger infection risks.
The country’s elementary, middle and high schools have been providing remote learning since April.
Sunday’s presidential election in Poland had a record low turnout of 0%, Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, reports.
The vote was not officially cancelled but polling stations stayed closed, leading to a strange ghost election after weeks of legal wrangling over whether or not it should go ahead.
The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has been accused of rolling back democratic norms in recent years, tried to hold the election despite the challenges of voting in times of Covid-19.
The PiS-allied incumbent, Andrzej Duda, was the firm favourite to win, and the opposition accused the government of trying to push through the vote now to make it easier for him to win in the first round. Up until Wednesday evening, the government insisted a postal vote would go ahead.
In a televised address on Sunday night, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, extended a ban on public gatherings until at least the end of the month, writes Emmanuel Akinwotu, the Guardian’s West Africa correspondent.
Addo’s address primarily set out to defend the government’s easing of the lockdown three weeks ago, amid fierce criticism.
Since Ghana’s measures were eased, cases of Covid-19 in the country have accelerated, doubling in the last week to 4,263. Twenty-two people have died and 378 have recovered from the virus.
On Saturday there were almost a thousand new cases announced by the government. The rate of infections has fuelled worries that the relaxed measures have caused the virus to spread further. In what is still technically an election year, criticism of the government has grown more intense.
The former president John Mahama, a candidate against Akufo-Addo’s re-election, tweeted on Saturday: “From 3,091 to 4,012 #COVID19 cases within 24 hours. Government is certainly failing the people of Ghana.”
In the president’s address the following day, he indirectly responded: “I know some political actors would want you to believe that the new numbers represent a failure on our part, do not begrudge them.”
The government insists that its fairly robust testing and tracing measures allow it to track the spread with precision and focus restrictions on specific locations rather than entire cities. So far 160,000 tests have been administered in Ghana, one of the highest totals in Africa.
Addo said a sharp rise in cases was partly due to a backlog of tests, which had now been cleared. Many recently confirmed cases were not new infections. Clusters of cases were being tightly traced, such as 533 infections at a fish processing factory which he said were all linked to one individual.
Health officials in Ghana feel the larger case numbers, among the highest in Africa, are largely a result of its more comprehensive and widespread testing campaign relative to other countries. Yet each new rise in cases casts the lockdown in a more critical light.
Sweden has reported 348 new cases of coronavirus, as the country begins to see a downward trend in new infections despite having eschewed the kinds of strict lockdowns seen elsewhere in Europe.Sweden has reported 348 new cases of coronavirus, as the country begins to see a downward trend in new infections despite having eschewed the kinds of strict lockdowns seen elsewhere in Europe.
The latest figures from Sweden’s public health authority pushed the total number of cases in the country to 26,670. So far 3,256 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, with 31 new deaths reported on Monday.The latest figures from Sweden’s public health authority pushed the total number of cases in the country to 26,670. So far 3,256 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, with 31 new deaths reported on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, the head of Sweden’s civil contingencies agency admitted authorities could have acted “a little faster” to contain the spread of coronavirus among vulnerable people. Earlier on Monday the head of Sweden’s civil contingencies agency admitted authorities could have acted “a little faster” to contain the spread of coronavirus among vulnerable people.
In a radio interview, Dan Eliasson said that “when major crises occur, you will always look at it afterward. So comes the question, did we react fast enough?”In a radio interview, Dan Eliasson said that “when major crises occur, you will always look at it afterward. So comes the question, did we react fast enough?”
His comments come after Health Minister Lena Hallengren last month told Swedish television that “we failed to protect our elderly. That’s really serious and a failure for society as a whole. We have to learn from this.” Last month the health minister, Lena Hallengren, told Swedish television that “we failed to protect our elderly. That’s really serious and a failure for society as a whole. We have to learn from this.”
Swedish media in recent weeks have reported cases where retirement homes have seen a large death toll with staff continuing to work despite a lack of protective gear or despite exhibiting symptoms and potentially infecting residents. In recent weeks Swedish media have reported cases of large death tolls at retirement homes where staff were continuing to work despite a lack of protective gear or despite exhibiting symptoms.
Some retirement homes also have been seen shortage of staff because employees either have refused to work and have been encouraged to stay home even with mild symptoms. Some retirement homes have faced shortages of staff because employees have refused to work or have been encouraged to stay home with mild symptoms.
More from Africa: Zambia reports no new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours!More from Africa: Zambia reports no new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours!
The World Health Organization’s regional office for Africa says that more than 63,000 cases of coronavirus were confirmed across the continent as of Monday morning.The World Health Organization’s regional office for Africa says that more than 63,000 cases of coronavirus were confirmed across the continent as of Monday morning.
So far African countries have reported 2,283 deaths associated with Covid-19, it adds. Fears of a widespread outbreak in Africa have so far failed to materialise, although there are suggestions that numbers of infections and deaths linked to the virus could be underestimates due to relatively limited testing.So far African countries have reported 2,283 deaths associated with Covid-19, it adds. Fears of a widespread outbreak in Africa have so far failed to materialise, although there are suggestions that numbers of infections and deaths linked to the virus could be underestimates due to relatively limited testing.
The latest coronavirus figures from Iran appear to show a trend towards increased transmission is continuing in the country, with 1,683 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the highest daily figure since 11 April, writes Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.The latest coronavirus figures from Iran appear to show a trend towards increased transmission is continuing in the country, with 1,683 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the highest daily figure since 11 April, writes Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.
At the same time the number of deaths reported by the Iranian health ministry was 45, the lowest number since the early days of the outbreak two months ago. A total of 6,685 Iranians have died.At the same time the number of deaths reported by the Iranian health ministry was 45, the lowest number since the early days of the outbreak two months ago. A total of 6,685 Iranians have died.
Deaths tend to lag behind infections which should suggest the death toll will rise again in the coming days although it is possible that improved testing means those lightly infected are showing up in the official figures. The recent incline in the number of infections has lasted about a fortnight.Deaths tend to lag behind infections which should suggest the death toll will rise again in the coming days although it is possible that improved testing means those lightly infected are showing up in the official figures. The recent incline in the number of infections has lasted about a fortnight.
It came as the Iranian government continued to lift restrictions with the move justified by pointing to the number of provinces that are now coming out of the crisis. Religious places, restaurants and hairdressers are all due to open gradually after Ramadan subject to health protocols. Many mosques opened at on FridayIt came as the Iranian government continued to lift restrictions with the move justified by pointing to the number of provinces that are now coming out of the crisis. Religious places, restaurants and hairdressers are all due to open gradually after Ramadan subject to health protocols. Many mosques opened at on Friday
But two provinces Tehran and Khuzestan a province bordering Iraq are suffering badly. The province is being put in effective quarantine for a week with the authorities blaming locals for failing to follow guidelines.But two provinces Tehran and Khuzestan a province bordering Iraq are suffering badly. The province is being put in effective quarantine for a week with the authorities blaming locals for failing to follow guidelines.
The total numbers infected in Iran since the outbreak began is 109,286, and the Iran government is unofficially projecting fewer than 10,000 will die.The total numbers infected in Iran since the outbreak began is 109,286, and the Iran government is unofficially projecting fewer than 10,000 will die.
Iranian opposition groups dispute the official figures and say the number of deaths is already close to 40,000.Iranian opposition groups dispute the official figures and say the number of deaths is already close to 40,000.
The supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confidently tweeting at the weekend that the outbreak had shown the failure of the west. He tweeted “Western civilisation’s failure in their global trial of combating coronavirus is obvious and quite visible. The West and westernised people do not want this failure to be seen. However it is necessary to study and speak about the various dimensions ands reasons for failure.”The supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confidently tweeting at the weekend that the outbreak had shown the failure of the west. He tweeted “Western civilisation’s failure in their global trial of combating coronavirus is obvious and quite visible. The West and westernised people do not want this failure to be seen. However it is necessary to study and speak about the various dimensions ands reasons for failure.”
Such remarks – turning treatment of the disease into a test of rival ideologies – are hardly likely to encourage the Iranian medical authorities to challenge the official figures.Such remarks – turning treatment of the disease into a test of rival ideologies – are hardly likely to encourage the Iranian medical authorities to challenge the official figures.
Our US-focused coronavirus liveblog has just got going in the past half an hour. If you are interested in more coverage from the country then take a look.Our US-focused coronavirus liveblog has just got going in the past half an hour. If you are interested in more coverage from the country then take a look.
The authority that sets the rules of the French language has decreed that Covid-19 is a feminine noun, according to an AFP report.The authority that sets the rules of the French language has decreed that Covid-19 is a feminine noun, according to an AFP report.
In French, every noun has a gender, with, for example, bread – “pain” – referred to with the masculine article “le” and beer – “bière” – referred to with the feminine “la”.In French, every noun has a gender, with, for example, bread – “pain” – referred to with the masculine article “le” and beer – “bière” – referred to with the feminine “la”.
Now l’Academie Francaise has proclaimed “Covid-19” is a feminine noun and urged an end to what has become the widespread practice in France of referring to it as masculine.Now l’Academie Francaise has proclaimed “Covid-19” is a feminine noun and urged an end to what has become the widespread practice in France of referring to it as masculine.
“The use of the feminine would be preferable,” the Academie Francaise said in a directive published on its website under the category “faulty use”.“The use of the feminine would be preferable,” the Academie Francaise said in a directive published on its website under the category “faulty use”.
“It is perhaps not too late to give this acronym back the gender it should have.”“It is perhaps not too late to give this acronym back the gender it should have.”
The “Office quebecois de la langue francaise” also recommends its feminine use, and the Royal Spanish Academy has issued similar guidance, citing the same grammar rationale.The “Office quebecois de la langue francaise” also recommends its feminine use, and the Royal Spanish Academy has issued similar guidance, citing the same grammar rationale.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan passed 30,000 on Monday, after 1,476 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan passed 30,000 on Monday, after 1,476 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The latest increase brings the total number of people found infected with the virus to 30,941, of whom 667 have died and 8,212 have recovered. The country’s has so far conducted 277,698 tests.The latest increase brings the total number of people found infected with the virus to 30,941, of whom 667 have died and 8,212 have recovered. The country’s has so far conducted 277,698 tests.
The most affected province is Punjab, with 11,568 cases, followed by Sindh, which has 11,480.The most affected province is Punjab, with 11,568 cases, followed by Sindh, which has 11,480.
The Cannes film festival appears to have halted any plans for a physical edition for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is aiming to sponsor screenings at other festivals and cinemas of the films that would have been selected for the festival, Andrew Pulver, the Guardian’s film editor, reports.The Cannes film festival appears to have halted any plans for a physical edition for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is aiming to sponsor screenings at other festivals and cinemas of the films that would have been selected for the festival, Andrew Pulver, the Guardian’s film editor, reports.
In an interview with Screen, the Cannes artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, said he “could never have imagined” something like the cancellation of the festival, which was originally due to start tomorrow and was “overcome with a great sense of melancholy and nostalgia”.In an interview with Screen, the Cannes artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, said he “could never have imagined” something like the cancellation of the festival, which was originally due to start tomorrow and was “overcome with a great sense of melancholy and nostalgia”.
He added:He added:
The festival announced in April that it had been forced to call off its event in its traditional mid-May slot, after restrictions by French government effectively banned mass gatherings until mid-July at the earliest. However, tentative suggestions that a postponed version could be mounted later in the year appear to have been abandoned. Cannes has also appeared to resist calls to go down the digital route and construct a “virtual” festival online.The festival announced in April that it had been forced to call off its event in its traditional mid-May slot, after restrictions by French government effectively banned mass gatherings until mid-July at the earliest. However, tentative suggestions that a postponed version could be mounted later in the year appear to have been abandoned. Cannes has also appeared to resist calls to go down the digital route and construct a “virtual” festival online.
Frémaux said that, at the beginning of June, Cannes would announce a list of films that would have screened in the 2020 festival. Then, Frémaux said, “the aim is to start organising events in cinemas” – what he termed “Cannes hors les murs”, or “Cannes outside the walls”.Frémaux said that, at the beginning of June, Cannes would announce a list of films that would have screened in the 2020 festival. Then, Frémaux said, “the aim is to start organising events in cinemas” – what he termed “Cannes hors les murs”, or “Cannes outside the walls”.
Authorities in South Korea are struggling to contain a new coronavirus outbreak linked to the capital’s nightclub district as a backlash against the country’s gay community increases, prompting fears LGBT people will fail to get tested out of fear of being outed, Nemo Kim in Seoul reports.
South Korea had been praised for its innovative efforts to contain the pandemic, going from the second most infected region outside China to having just a handful of cases before the latest outbreak a week ago.
But the increasing number of cases related to nightclubs in Seoul is raising concerns about a possible second wave as well as over the high level of deeply entrenched homophobic attitudes in the conservative society.
Of 35 new cases, 29 were found to be linked to Itaewon, the capital’s gay district, according to officials from the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), bringing the total number of cases related to the clubs to 86.
After Kookmin Ilbo, a local media outlet with links to an evangelical church, reported that businesses visited by an infected man over the long weekend were gay clubs, many other South Korean media followed suit, revealing not only the identity of clientele but also some of their ages and the names of their workplaces.
The media frenzy reached a new level when another infected man was found to have been to an LGBT sauna in Gangnam, prompting a slew of homophobic content in newspapers and online.
Lurid reporting, along with South Korea’s use of the trace and test method, has led to members of the gay community reporting feeling scared to get tested and even suicidal. Officials said 3,112 people who were in the nightclubs were currently not contactable.
Lee Youngwu , a gay man in his 30s, told the Guardian:
Spain’s health ministry reported 123 coronavirus deaths on Monday, the country’s lowest level in seven weeks and down from a peak of 950 in early April, Reuters reports.
The overall death toll from the epidemic rose to 26,744 on Monday from 26,621 on the previous day. The number of confirmed cases rose to 227,436 from 224,390 on Sunday.
It came as about half of Spain’s 47 million people progressed to the so-called Phase 1 of a four-step plan to relax one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns after the government decided that the regions in which they live met the necessary criteria.
In regions that qualify, including most of Andalusia - Spain’s most populous - as well as the Canary and Balearic Islands, bars, restaurants, shops, museums, gyms and hotels were allowed to open, most at reduced capacity.
But Madrid, Barcelona and other cities including Valencia, Malaga and Granada will remain in Phase 0.
Church services resumed with limited capacity and chairs, rather than pews, were spaced out inside for worshippers to keep 2m apart.
Under the lockdown relaxation, up to 10 people can gather together and people are allowed to move freely around their province.
Europe’s largest minority, the Roma people, are being particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic in many countries, because they face a combination of health risks, economic deprivation and increased stigmatisation, reports Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, in Budapest.
Around 80% of Europe’s 10 million Roma live in densely populated neighbourhoods and overcrowded houses, and many do not have access to running water. This means the basic distancing and sanitary measures required to combat the spread of the virus are more difficult. In some countries this has already led to scapegoating of Roma communities as potential illness hotspots.
“This disaster will not only affect the Roma but also mainstream societies, economies, and politics, and heighten inter-ethnic conflict to a level not seen in the last three decades,” according to a recent report by the Open Society Foundations on the impact of coronavirus on Roma in six countries with sizeable communities: Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.
Roma neighbourhoods in Bulgaria and Slovakia have been cordoned off amid fears of the virus spreading. Police checkpoints were introduced outside two large neighbourhoods in Sofia, and people were only allowed to leave the area if they could show a work contract or prove another urgent reason for doing so.
Forty-five more people in Iran have been recorded as dying from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, according to the spokesman for the country’s health ministry.
In a televised statement, Kianoush Jahanpour said said that 1,683 new infected cases have been detected since yesterday, bringing the total number of infections to 109,286.
So far 87,422 people have recovered from the virus, while 6,685 have died and 2,703 are currently in hospital in a critical condition, Jahanpour was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency.
He added that 601,324 tests have so far been carried out in Iran.
Saudi-backed authorities in Yemen have declared Aden an “infested” city after the number of coronavirus cases there rose, Reuters reports.
The Aden-based national coronavirus committee late on Sunday announced 17 new Covid-19 cases, 10 of them in the southern port city, to raise the total count in areas under the Saudi-backed government’s control to 51 with eight deaths.
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which controls Sanaa, the national capital, and most large urban centres, has reported two cases, with one death. The Aden-based government has accused Houthi authorities of covering up an outbreak in Sanaa, an accusation they deny.
The committee said Aden had been declared an “infested city” due to the spread of the coronavirus and other diseases already rife in the country after recent flooding. It said movement from Aden to other regions was barred, except for transport of goods.
“The administrative and political situation in Aden is also hampering efforts to combat the coronavirus and this should be remedied so relevant entities can carry out their duties,” the committee said on its Twitter account.
A five-year war has shattered Yemen’s health system, pushed millions to the brink of famine and divided the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is community transmission of the virus in Yemen, with the disease spreading undetected among a population with some of the lowest levels of immunity to disease compared with other states.
Testing capabilities are inadequate but the WHO has also urged local authorities to transparently report confirmed cases.
Hi this is Damien Gayle taking the reins on the blog now for the next eight hours, with the latest coronavirus developments from around the world.
As usual, I’m keen to hear your input. If you have any tips, suggestions or ideas for things we could be covering from your part of the world, please do drop me a line, either via email to damien.gayle@theguardian.com, or via a direct message through Twitter to @damiengayle.
This is Paul MacInnes signing off. Damien Gayle will be taking over till 7pm UK time. Thanks for reading and for your emails too.
India is to reopen parts of its railway network this week, despite an ongoing rise in the coronavirus infection rate in the country.
The government’s railway ministry said it would gradually restart passenger services on Tuesday with 15 trains connecting Delhi to Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other big cities.
“Thereafter, Indian Railways shall start more special services on new routes,” the government said in a statement.
India’s 1.3bn people are currently under lockdown until May 17 and a growing number of politicians and business groups are clamouring for an end to the measures.
An estimated 20m Indians use the railways each day under normal circumstances, and any resumption of services will be essential to restarting the Indian economy.
Figures released by the government on Sunday, however, showed coronavirus infections had jumped by 4,214 to 67,152, the biggest recorded daily rise.
India’s rising numbers of infections are in part the result of increased testing, which has grown from 2,000 tests per day in late March, to 85,000 to 90,000 a day now, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to hold a meeting with state chief ministers later on Monday to determine a path out of the lockdown even as infections spread.
Passengers taking the trains that will start up on Tuesday will have to wear masks and undergo screening at the stations, a government official said.
In Afghanistan, the capital, Kabul, recorded its worst day for coronavirus infections after 161 new cases were reported and the health ministry warned transmission will continue to surge across the war-torn country.The total number of infections in Kabul, which has so far been Afghanistan’s worst affected area, reached 1,257 confirmed cases. Around half of 325 tests in Kabul went back positive today.Wahid Majroh, deputy health minister said out of 709 tests across the country in the past 24 hours, 285 were positive and two patients had died of Covid-19, taking the total number of infections to 4,687 and death toll to 122. There have so far been 574 recoveries.Majroh warned that the country is going toward the peak of the virus and that the number of transmissions “will continue to surge”. He also said the testing capacity of the country will increase. Despite government authorised lockdown in the capital and several other provinces, cities are still crowded and some provinces eased lockdowns on Sunday.
Majroh said there is “a need for people to act responsibly and take the lockdown seriously”. He called on people to stay at home and asked the people to “adapt their life with the coronavirus and observe health guidelines”.
The Afghan government has announced that it has started a plan to distribute bread amongst the country’s poor after around two million Afghans lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The announcement came after at least six people were killed in a protest against unfair distribution of the aid in central Ghor province on Friday.Officials in Kandahar announced over the weekend that governor of Kandahar tested positive as 30 new confirmed cases reported today, pushing the total number of infection to 537 with 12 deaths.
Kandahar governor is the second high profile official in Afghanistan to get infected to Covid-19 after Ferozuddin Feroz, the health minister infected to virus last Thursday. Heath ministry spokesman said Feroz is in good condition.The western province of Herat recorded 7 new cases overnight. Herat borders Iran and first case of Covid-19 confirmed in the province as thousands of Afghan migrants poured back from Iran in February and March, fanning out across the country without being tested or quarantined. Herat is the country’s second worst affected city with 901 confirmed cases.Toward the east, six out of the eight of Sunday’s positive cases in Nangarhar were from province’s prison, said Shah Mahmoud Meyakhil, provincial governor, adding there are 12 other suspected cases are in the prison, 16 new cases confirmed today in Nangarhar.
Meanwhile, the war has intensified as at least six security forces were killed and five others were wounded in a Taliban attack in Laghman province on Sunday night, defense ministry said Monday.
At least 25 civilians were killed and 75 wounded in Taliban attacks over last week, according to country’s National Security Council spokesman.