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Coronavirus live news: WHO reports record global cases; 250,000 in Manila to return to lockdown
Coronavirus live news: WHO reports record global cases; 250,000 in Manila to return to lockdown
(32 minutes later)
Cases rise by over 230,000 worldwide in 24 hours; Florida cases increase by record total for a US state; Brazil cases near 2m
Cases rise by over 230,000 worldwide in 24 hours; Florida cases increase by record total for a US state; Brazil cases near 2m
If, like me, you’re an asthmatic making slightly less regular use of your ventolin than you were before the arrival of coronavirus, you may be interested by Menna A. Farouk’s report from Cairo, where Egypt’s government is proposing an attempt to maintain sharp improvements in air quality by permanently banning late-night shopping and dining.
With cases surging in Latin America, the continent on Monday had officially declared a total of 144,758 deaths, passing the 144,023 recorded in the United States and Canada. The region now stands second only to Europe, where 202,505 people have died.
Boris Johnson has urged the public in England to wear masks in shops as an “extra insurance policy” against the coronavirus, and said the government would issue fresh guidance on the issue this week.
The prime minister said the evidence “has been growing” on the effectiveness of wearing masks in public spaces, after coming under pressure to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in England in line with the more stringent guidance in Scotland.
He told Sky News the government would be looking at the scientific evidence and “saying more in the next few days”.
“The scientific evidence of face coverings, and the importance of stopping aerosol droplets; that’s been growing,” Johhnson said. “So I do think that in shops it is very important to wear a face covering.”
Read the full story here:
If, like me, you’re an asthmatic making slightly less regular use of your ventolin than you were before the arrival of coronavirus, you may be interested by Menna A Farouk’s report from Cairo, where Egypt’s government is proposing to maintain sharp improvements in air quality by permanently banning late-night shopping and dining.
Farouk’s report for the Thomson Reuters foundation notes:
Farouk’s report for the Thomson Reuters foundation notes:
You can read that report in full here.
You can read that report in full here.
There have been just 11 recorded coronavirus deaths in Sri Lanka - but one week after schools in the country reopened, they were ordered to close again on Monday after a surge in new cases. The education ministry said that the situation would be reviewed next week.
There have been just 11 recorded coronavirus deaths in Sri Lanka – but one week after schools in the country reopened, they were ordered to close again on Monday after a surge in new cases. The education ministry said the situation would be reviewed next week.
The country has reported just 2,617 cases, AFP reports, but army chief Shavendra Silva said nearly half the 1,100 residents and staff at a drug rehab facility near the capital had tested positive in the past week, and some visitors may also have been infected.
The country has reported 2,617 cases, AFP reports, but army chief Shavendra Silva said nearly half the 1,100 residents and staff at a drug rehab facility near the capital had tested positive in the past week, and some visitors may also have been infected.
Sri Lanka’s ruling party on Sunday called off its rallies ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections and postponed the re-opening of the international airport, which was planned for early August. It also suspended a repatriation programme that has brought 12,000 home from overseas.
Sri Lanka’s ruling party on Sunday called off its rallies ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections and postponed the reopening of the international airport, which was planned for early August. It also suspended a repatriation programme that has brought 12,000 Sri Lankans home from overseas.
Hi, this is Archie Bland taking over for the rest of the day. Earlier we reported that a single-day record of 162 new deaths had been reported in the Philippines; now AFP says that an official in Manila has said that about 250,000 will return to lockdown in an attempt to stall the infection rate. From AFP’s story:
Hi, this is Archie Bland taking over for the rest of the day. Earlier we reported that a single-day record of 162 new deaths had been reported in the Philippines; now AFP says that an official in Manila has said that about 250,000 will return to lockdown in an attempt to stall the infection rate. From AFP’s story:
The order is expected to take effect on Wednesday or Thursday. The Philippines has the second highest number of infections in Southeast Asia, with more than 57,000 cases and 1,599 deaths.
The order is expected to take effect on Wednesday or Thursday. The Philippines has the second highest number of infections in Southeast Asia, with more than 57,000 cases and 1,599 deaths.
That’s all from me Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time .
That’s all from me Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time .
Children wearing face masks in Beijing, China, where only a handful of new cases of the virus have been reported, all of them brought in from outside the country.
Children wearing face masks in Beijing, China, where only a handful of new cases of the virus have been reported, all of them brought in from outside the country.
You can find the Coronavirus UK map, on the latest deaths and confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK here.
You can find the Coronavirus UK map, on the latest deaths and confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK here.
Islamic religious students wearing face masks and socially distanced attend their final examinations in Karachi, Pakistan.
Islamic religious students wearing face masks and socially distanced attend their final examinations in Karachi, Pakistan.
The UK’s National Trust charity has reopened a small number of its houses to visitors for the first time since they all closed due to lockdown.
The UK’s National Trust charity has reopened a small number of its houses to visitors for the first time since they all closed due to lockdown.
By the end of the week, a total of seven properties will be open in England and Northern Ireland. All visitors - including members - must book their day out in advance to restrict numbers and ensure social distancing guidelines are followed, the charity said.
By the end of the week, a total of seven properties will be open in England and Northern Ireland. All visitors - including members - must book their day out in advance to restrict numbers and ensure social distancing guidelines are followed, the charity said.
Today, Barrington Court in Somerset, Kingston Lacy in Dorset, Lyme in Cheshire, Oxburgh in Norfolk and Petworth in West Sussex all reopened.
Today, Barrington Court in Somerset, Kingston Lacy in Dorset, Lyme in Cheshire, Oxburgh in Norfolk and Petworth in West Sussex all reopened.
The Argory in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, will welcome visitors from Wednesday and Packwood in Warwickshire will follow on Friday. Limited tickets for the following week will go on sale every Friday, according to the charity’s website.
The Argory in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, will welcome visitors from Wednesday and Packwood in Warwickshire will follow on Friday. Limited tickets for the following week will go on sale every Friday, according to the charity’s website.
More than 130 gardens and parklands have been gradually opened by National Trust since last month.
More than 130 gardens and parklands have been gradually opened by National Trust since last month.
The facilities were originally shut in March as the government implemented strict social distancing measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
The facilities were originally shut in March as the government implemented strict social distancing measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
Russia on Monday reported 6,537 new cases of Covid-19, taking its overall tally to 733,699, the fourth largest reported in the world.
Authorities said 104 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 11,439.
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said on Monday the Olympic Games must go ahead next year as a symbol of world unity in overcoming coronavirus.
Japan has not seen an explosive outbreak as suffered in some other places but a recent increase in cases in Tokyo, which accounts for more than a third of its more than 20,000 total, has fanned worries about a second wave of infections.
The 2020 Olympics were scheduled to start this month but were postponed.
Koike has pledged to win public support for the Games, although a media survey showed a majority think they should be cancelled or postponed again.
“I want to host them as a symbol of the world coming together to overcome this tough situation and of strengthened bonds among humankind,” Koike told Reuters in an online interview.
She declined to specify a deadline for deciding if the Games could go ahead.
Turkmenistan has recommended that residents wear masks because of “dust” even as the government insists the country is Covid-19 free.
The announcement came after a World Health Organization delegation arrived in the Central Asian country last week for a 10-day mission examining the response to the pandemic.
Turkmenistan is one of a handful of countries yet to declare coronavirus cases, AFP reports.
In a statement published by the state information agency, the health ministry said people should wear masks because of “high concentrations of dust” in the air.
“It is strongly recommended that everyone use personal protective equipment to protect the upper respiratory tract,” the ministry said.
It also asked residents to maintain social distancing of at least 1 metre but gave no explanation.
Officials also asked Turkmens not to stand too close to air conditioners after spending time outside, where summertime temperatures regularly exceed 40C (104F).
North Macedonia holds its first parliamentary election under its new country name this week, with voters heading to the polls during an alarming spike of coronavirus cases in the small Balkan nation, the Associated Press reports.
The country has been run by a caretaker government since January following the resignation of prime minister Zoran Zaev after the European Union failed to set a date for North Macedonia to begin accession talks. Parliament elected a temporary government consisting of members of both main parties, with the sole aim of organizing the election.
Opinion polls in the run-up to Wednesdays vote indicate a close race between coalitions led by the former governing Social Democrats and the centre-right opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.
Special provisions have been made for those quarantined due to the virus. They can vote today with electoral officials and medical teams taking the ballot boxes to their homes. Of the roughly 5,000 people quarantined, just over 700 have registered to vote. Prisoners, the elderly and the ill vote on Tuesday.
The caretaker government handled the coronavirus outbreak relatively well until May, imposing a lockdown that kept the number of infections and deaths low. But after authorities eased restrictions and opened the borders, North Macedonia saw an increase in new cases and deaths that have placed it among the most badly affected European nations in terms of the number of deaths and confirmed cases per capita.
With more than 8,000 infected people and about 380 deaths in this country of around 2 million people by Sunday, the pandemic and its devastating economic consequences have become the main election issue.
North Macedonia is one of the poorest countries in Europe with a per-capita GDP of about $6,100. More than 1.8 million people are eligible to vote at nearly 3,500 polling stations. About 2,000 domestic and 130 international observers will monitor the process.
Masks are compulsory during voting, and a 2-metre distance must be kept from election officials. Authorities are assuring voters the process will not endanger their health.
In the UK, Heathrow’s passenger numbers were down 95% year-on-year in June, with 350,000 people travelling through the airport.
Its North America and Africa markets reported the biggest declines, according to latest figures.
Across all destinations, the number of flights was down 82% as demand for travel remained low due to the coronavirus pandemic. Demand for inbound travel was “immediately” hit when the UK government’s quarantine policy came into force on 8 June.
Total passenger numbers for the first half of the year were 60% down on the same period in 2019.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye told PA Media: “Travel corridors were a great first step and now we need to go further to protect jobs and kick-start the economy, by allowing healthy passengers to travel freely between the UK and the rest of the world.
“We’re ready to pilot a testing system on arrival for passengers from ‘red’ countries as an alternative to quarantine, but even better would be to test passengers before they get on a plane.
“This requires a common international standard for testing, which the UK government could take a global lead in setting up.”
India has reported a surge in unsafe abortion during the pandemic. Low priority for reproductive health during lockdown has left millions unable to access contraception or safe terminations.
The place that seemed like the last in the world capable of containing the virus – Dharavi slum in Mumbai – has been hailed as a success story by the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, writes Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi.
Speaking recently about countries that had done well in the pandemic, Dr Ghebreyesus included Dharavi as an example of how, even where the outbreak was intense, it could be brought under control.
“Even in Dharavi, a densely packed area in Mumbai, a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus,” he said.
The largest slum in Asia at one point looked as though it might become a charnel house. A million people live in a 2.5-kilometre area. Its population density offers perfect conditions for the virus to rip through. Infections rose inexorably.
But last week, the slum started reporting a single-digit rise in Covid-19 cases, while in the rest of Mumbai, the worst affected city in India, the spread showed no sign of ebbing. On Sunday, only five positive cases were recorded.
Experts say a combination of measures flattened the curve. A strict lockdown was enforced. Although this caused great hardship and loss of income, residents cooperated. They voluntarily closed tiny shops or tobacco booths where people might have congregated.
The alleys and lanes were constantly sanitised. Health workers, doctors and nurses were present 24/7 to screen and test. Masks and sanitisers were freely provided. Since home quarantine was impossible in such congested living conditions, nearby hostels, schools and stadiums were turned into quarantine centres.
Fever clinics were set up so that residents could be screened and cases detected early, before they could infect others, a measure that proved faster than testing. Community kitchens provided free meals as no one was able to go out and earn a living.
Dharavi’s total number of cases stands at around 2,400. The city authorities believe it can be a model for Indian cities, including the capital New Delhi, struggling to stop new infections.
Here’s a handy explainer on the restrictions in Australia within Victoria and the border closures with NSW and other states.
Heart scans of coronavirus patients in hospital have revealed a range of abnormalities that can disrupt the ability to pump blood and in severe cases lead to a life-threatening failure in the organ.
Doctors at Edinburgh University examined ultrasound scans known as echocardiograms from more than 1,200 patients in 69 countries and found heart problems in 55%, with one in seven exhibiting signs of “severe abnormalities”.
The scans found damage to the ventricles – the two main chambers of the heart – in more than a third of the patients, while 3% had experienced heart attacks and a further 3% had inflamed heart tissue. The majority had no known heart disease before the scans were done.
Bookings at Kenya’s wildlife reserves have plummeted as a result of the pandemic.
According to the tourism ministry, the sector has lost $750m this year – roughly half of the total revenue in 2019.
In places such as the Maasai Mara, local people are facing economic disaster with cancellations from crucial markets such as China, Europe and the US.
“We were fully booked in June but now we have zero bookings. Nothing. It’s terrible,” said Jimmy Lemara, 40, the manager of an eco-lodge in the private Ol Kinyei conservancy, told AFP.
Kenya has announced international flights will resume on 1 August, but the high season is already lost.
At Talek, a town at one of the entrances to the Maasai Mara national reserve, local people are hoping for better days soon.
“Since December, work has been extremely low, and now we’re in survival mode hoping to make 150 to 200 shillings ($1.4 to $1.9) a day, to be able to buy a meal,” Ibrahim Sameri, 38, whose small mechanic workshop can generate up to $30 a day in the high season, told AFP.
Nalokiti Sayialel, 45, who normally sells bead necklaces and bracelets to tourists passing through, said:“It’s been three months that I haven’t sold anything.”
