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Coronavirus live news: full lockdown recommended for Madrid; new record cases in Netherlands Coronavirus live news: full lockdown recommended for Madrid; new record cases in Netherlands
(32 minutes later)
Spanish government calls for Madrid lockdown; Netherlands records worst day for new cases; cases in Reykjavík linked to two French visitorsSpanish government calls for Madrid lockdown; Netherlands records worst day for new cases; cases in Reykjavík linked to two French visitors
Spain’s cumulative tally of confirmed coronavirus infections have risen by 12,272 on Friday from the previous day to 716,481, health ministry data shows. That includes 4,122 diagnosed in the last 24 hours, but these daily figures tend to end up much higher after retroactive updates of the infection tally, having exceeded 10,000 cases a day for most of last week.
The total number of Covid-19 fatalities reached 31,232 from the 31,118 reported on Thursday. The daily number of deaths is now around their highest levels since early May, but is still well below the nearly 900 seen in late March.
It is the question scientists around the world are trying to answer: How long can the coronavirus survive in the tiny aerosol particles we exhale? In a high-security lab near Bristol, entered through a series of airlock doors, scientists may be weeks from finding out.
On Monday, they will start launching tiny droplets of live Sars-CoV-2 and levitating them between two electric rings to test how long the airborne virus remains infectious under different environmental conditions. Prof Denis Doorly, an expert in fluid mechanics at Imperial College London, who is not involved in the research, said:
When it opened in Brussels 31 years ago, many said a tourist attraction about European integration would never work. Now Mini-Europe – a collection of miniature landmarks and probably the only theme park in the world dedicated to the European Union – is closing its doors.When it opened in Brussels 31 years ago, many said a tourist attraction about European integration would never work. Now Mini-Europe – a collection of miniature landmarks and probably the only theme park in the world dedicated to the European Union – is closing its doors.
Earlier this month, owner and director, Thierry Meeùs, announced he had failed to reach agreement with landlords Brussels Expo, despite promising “major investment”. In a statement released last week, he said the Covid-19 crisis had “spared no one”, leaving him no other choice but to close on 31 December 2020.Earlier this month, owner and director, Thierry Meeùs, announced he had failed to reach agreement with landlords Brussels Expo, despite promising “major investment”. In a statement released last week, he said the Covid-19 crisis had “spared no one”, leaving him no other choice but to close on 31 December 2020.
Belgian media have since reported that the park, which includes the Eiffel Tower, Mount Vesuvius and the Acropolis modelled in exacting detail, could move outside Brussels. The nearby towns of Louvain-La-Neuve and Waterloo have been touted as possibilities.Belgian media have since reported that the park, which includes the Eiffel Tower, Mount Vesuvius and the Acropolis modelled in exacting detail, could move outside Brussels. The nearby towns of Louvain-La-Neuve and Waterloo have been touted as possibilities.
Cases are surging in the UK, new figures suggest, with 1 in 300 people in Wales, and 1 in 500 people in England, thought to have had Covid between 13 to 19 September.Cases are surging in the UK, new figures suggest, with 1 in 300 people in Wales, and 1 in 500 people in England, thought to have had Covid between 13 to 19 September.
Meanwhile, one in 300 people are thought to have had Covid in Northern Ireland between 6 to 19 September.Meanwhile, one in 300 people are thought to have had Covid in Northern Ireland between 6 to 19 September.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics, which surveys infections in the community, come as the latest R figure from the government is revealed to be between 1.2 and 1.5 for both England and the UK, with the number of new infections growing by between 4% and 8% every day.The figures from the Office for National Statistics, which surveys infections in the community, come as the latest R figure from the government is revealed to be between 1.2 and 1.5 for both England and the UK, with the number of new infections growing by between 4% and 8% every day.
But the scientists behind the R value warn the number does not reflect today’s situation, noting the value is based on data collected over the previous three weeks or so – meaning the current situation could be even more concerning that the figures suggest.But the scientists behind the R value warn the number does not reflect today’s situation, noting the value is based on data collected over the previous three weeks or so – meaning the current situation could be even more concerning that the figures suggest.
Data from the Covid Symptom Study app, a project led by researchers at King’s College London, has also shown an surge in infections:Data from the Covid Symptom Study app, a project led by researchers at King’s College London, has also shown an surge in infections:
Tim Spector, professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said cases were rising at an alarming rate:Tim Spector, professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said cases were rising at an alarming rate:
Moscow hospitals have been instructed to free up hundreds of beds for Covid-19 patients in response to a sharp acceleration in case numbers, Reuters reports citing four medical sources.Moscow hospitals have been instructed to free up hundreds of beds for Covid-19 patients in response to a sharp acceleration in case numbers, Reuters reports citing four medical sources.
Dozens of hospitals in the Russian capital were designated as special coronavirus centres when the pandemic struck in March but returned to treating other patients as it ebbed over the summer. Now some are reverting to Covid-only mode or partially reopening for Covid, the sources said.Dozens of hospitals in the Russian capital were designated as special coronavirus centres when the pandemic struck in March but returned to treating other patients as it ebbed over the summer. Now some are reverting to Covid-only mode or partially reopening for Covid, the sources said.
“This is a really big second wave,” a medic at the Kommunarka hospital, one of Moscow’s main coronavirus centres, told Reuters.“This is a really big second wave,” a medic at the Kommunarka hospital, one of Moscow’s main coronavirus centres, told Reuters.
After the highest number of patients since the start of the outbreak were admitted to the hospital on Thursday, it was working at 120% of normal capacity, the source said.After the highest number of patients since the start of the outbreak were admitted to the hospital on Thursday, it was working at 120% of normal capacity, the source said.
Household visits must soon be banned for London’s 9 million residents, Sadiq Khan has urged the prime minister, warning that a 43% fall in testing in the capital risks masking the severity of the virus’s spread.Household visits must soon be banned for London’s 9 million residents, Sadiq Khan has urged the prime minister, warning that a 43% fall in testing in the capital risks masking the severity of the virus’s spread.
The mayor of London spoke to the Guardian as the government announced the city had been placed on the “watchlist” of areas at risk from tougher restrictions. “It’s obviously bad news that London is an area of concern. But the good news is that finally the government will pull their finger out and give us additional support,” Khan said.The mayor of London spoke to the Guardian as the government announced the city had been placed on the “watchlist” of areas at risk from tougher restrictions. “It’s obviously bad news that London is an area of concern. But the good news is that finally the government will pull their finger out and give us additional support,” Khan said.
He said the number of Covid tests carried out each week in London had fallen 43% between mid-August and mid-September as other areas were prioritised, despite the period coinciding with schools, universities and offices starting to reopen.He said the number of Covid tests carried out each week in London had fallen 43% between mid-August and mid-September as other areas were prioritised, despite the period coinciding with schools, universities and offices starting to reopen.
Mexico has signed a commitment agreement to buy potential Covid-19 vaccines through the World Health Organisation’s global Covax plan, the country’s foreign minister has said.Mexico has signed a commitment agreement to buy potential Covid-19 vaccines through the World Health Organisation’s global Covax plan, the country’s foreign minister has said.
The plan aims to deliver at least 2bn doses of vaccines by the end of next year. Reuters quotes the government minister, Marcelo Ebrard, as saying:The plan aims to deliver at least 2bn doses of vaccines by the end of next year. Reuters quotes the government minister, Marcelo Ebrard, as saying:
The Czech Republic will tighten restrictions on public activities and gatherings next week as the country struggles with a surge in infections, the country’s health minister Roman Prymula has said.The Czech Republic will tighten restrictions on public activities and gatherings next week as the country struggles with a surge in infections, the country’s health minister Roman Prymula has said.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the nation has reported 243.8 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days; the fastest pace in Europe except for in Spain.According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the nation has reported 243.8 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days; the fastest pace in Europe except for in Spain.
The “R” number showing how many people are likely to get infected by one person with the virus has dipped to roughly 1.4 from around 1.6 last week but still indicates exponential growth, Prymula said. He told a televised press conference:The “R” number showing how many people are likely to get infected by one person with the virus has dipped to roughly 1.4 from around 1.6 last week but still indicates exponential growth, Prymula said. He told a televised press conference:
A second wave of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands is “very worrying” and will require new restrictive measures, then Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has said. Reuters quotes him as saying:A second wave of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands is “very worrying” and will require new restrictive measures, then Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has said. Reuters quotes him as saying:
Johnson & Johnson has signed a manufacturing deal for its coronavirus vaccine candidate with Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing Inc, the company has said.Johnson & Johnson has signed a manufacturing deal for its coronavirus vaccine candidate with Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing Inc, the company has said.
Michigan-based GRAM will manufacture the healthcare conglomerate’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, which is being developed with part funding from the US government, and provide finished vials, Reuters reports.Michigan-based GRAM will manufacture the healthcare conglomerate’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, which is being developed with part funding from the US government, and provide finished vials, Reuters reports.
J&J launched a late-stage trial of its experimental single-shot Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week and said its expects results of the trial by year end or early next year.J&J launched a late-stage trial of its experimental single-shot Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week and said its expects results of the trial by year end or early next year.
Hi, I’m Aamna and I’ll be taking over the liveblog while Kevin has a break. If you want to get in contact, you can email me on aamna.mohdin@theguardian.comHi, I’m Aamna and I’ll be taking over the liveblog while Kevin has a break. If you want to get in contact, you can email me on aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com
The UK government has been continuing to source medical gloves used as PPE by frontline healthcare workers from a manufacturer in Malaysia repeatedly accused of forcing its workers to endure “slave-like conditions” in its factories, the Guardian can reveal.
Top Glove, the world’s biggest producer of rubber medical gloves, has faced multiple allegations of exploitation from migrant workers mostly from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
Lockdown conditions were recommended for the whole of Madrid. The Spanish government said the whole of the capital should be covered by restrictions. But the regional government refused, saying only selected districts should be locked down.
South Korea said it would impose tighter restrictions during the Chuseok autumn holiday weeks. People traditionally reunite with families during the period, flagging the risks of new clusters of infections.
The UK borrowed £35.9bn in August in an effort to tackle the economic fallout, official figures showed. It means the national debt hit a record £2.024tn at the end of that month – £249.5bn more than the same time last year – according to the Office for National Statistics.
A cluster of about 100 cases in Iceland were traced back to two French tourists who refused to isolate. The country’s chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason said the pair arrived in mid-August and were instructed to remain in isolation after testing positive.
The global death toll passed 980,000 on Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. With the number of deaths confirmed daily averaging more than 5,000, it looks likely the toll will pass 1 million within days. There are 32m cases worldwide.
The virus is continuing to mutate throughout the course of the pandemic, according to new research, with experts believing it is probably becoming more contagious. The study did not find that mutations of the virus had made it more lethal or changed its effects.
India’s coronavirus case tally surged to 5.82 million after it recorded 86,052 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed on Friday.India has regularly been confirming daily case numbers above 80,000 since late August, according to Johns Hopkins University. A total of 1,141 people died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the ministry said, taking mortalities to 92,290, which is a relatively low 1.6% of all cases.
Brazil cancelled its carnival parade, which usually takes place in February, for the first time in 100 years. Rio’s League of Samba Schools, LIESA, announced that the spread of the coronavirus had made it impossible to safely hold the traditional event.Rio’s authorities are yet to announce a decision about the carnival street parties that also take place across the city. But its tourism promotion agency said in a statement to the Associated Press on 17 September that without a coronavirus vaccine, it was uncertain when large public events could resume.
In Europe, the pandemic is worse now than at the March peak in several member countries, the European Union warned, as governments reimpose drastic measures. New infections are soaring once again, prompting the bloc’s disease control agency to flag seven countries of “high concern”. The EU’s health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, said in “some member states, the situation is now even worse than during the peak in March”.
The Netherlands has recorded its worst day for new cases, confirming 2,777 new ones in the past 24 hours, according to health authority data. That made Friday the second consecutive day to rank as the nation’s worst after 2,544 cases were recorded on Thursday.
The rise is part of a broader second wave that began in late August. The prime minister Mark Rutte has said the public should regain a sense of urgency about following social distancing rules to slow the virus’s spread, and the government will order regional measures as needed. Schools and bars remain open, with masks required only on public transportation.
Hundreds of people have protested against tough new measures in the French city of Marseille.
Reuters reports that crowds gathered outside the city’s commercial tribunal to denounce an order from Paris that restaurants and bars close for two weeks from Saturday, arguing the move was disproportionate to the risk and would devastate the local economy.
Some proprietors said they would defy the order, amid signs of mounting public frustration across France at the reimposition of restrictions on public life after a resurgence of the country’s epidemic. Jean-Pierre Cotens, owner of the 13 Coins bar, said:
Restaurateur Bernard Marty said:
The labour minister Elisabeth Borne has said the government would cover the fixed costs of bars and restaurants during the shutdown. Partial unemployment schemes would guarantee employees receive their full salary, she added.
Poland can expect further increases in coronavirus infections until mid-October, its president Andrzej Duda has said during a visit to the Vatican.
Poland reported 1,587 new infections on Friday; the worst nominal daily increase since the start of the pandemic in March. In total, the nation of 38 million people has registered 84,396 infections, including 2,392 deaths. Duda told reporters:
Some 51 out of 186 crew members on a European Union naval vessel have tested positive, the EU’s Irini military mission has said, adding that the infections were discovered following routine testing.
The mission operates in the Mediterranean to stop arms from reaching warring factions in Libya, enforcing an embargo imposed by the UN security council to stop military clashes and facilitate the peace process in the North African country.
The Margottini frigate is docked in the southern Italian port of Augusta for logistic reasons after 15 days of activity at sea, the mission said. The majority of those who tested positive were Italian. Irini said it would now repeat the test for all the personnel on board to check whether there were even more infections.
For the past decade, Yusuf Iswahyu has ferried Indonesian children in his yellow bus to and from their schools. But, with many shut now, the 29-year-old has now signed up alongside other drivers to take patients infected with the virus to an emergency hospital in Jakarta.
His bus has a screen to shield him and he wears protective equipment, but that does not stop him feeling apprehensive – especially after contracting the disease during an earlier stint transporting healthcare workers. Yusuf, who has stayed away from his hometown of Cirebon on Java island since the pandemic began to cut the risk of infecting his family, told Reuters:
Indonesia reported its biggest daily rise of cases on Friday – the third consecutive such daily total – and the capital is the epicentre of the new outbreak.
The hospital where Yusuf ferries his charges was converted from the athletes’ village built for the 2018 Asian Games and it is where he himself became a patient in May.
It is one of several state-appointed facilities where Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan has ordered those infected to be isolated, even if they do not have acute symptoms.
The world’s fourth most populous country has struggled to stem a rise in transmission for months, with 266,845 confirmed cases and a death toll of 10,218; one of the worst in Asia.
Iran’s death toll rose by 207 to 25,222 on Friday, with the total number of identified cases spiking to 439,882, a health ministry spokeswoman has said.
It was the highest single-day death toll since the ministry registered 216 deaths on 1 August. Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 3,563 new cases were identified in the last 24 hours in Iran, the country hardest-hit by the pandemic in the Middle East.
Iran’s health officials have voiced alarm over a surge in infections, urging the nation to respect health protocols to control the spread of the disease.
On Thursday, Illa warned that “difficult weeks” lay ahead for Madrid and that a concerted effort was needed to stop the spread of the virus in Spain’s hardest-hit region. But he also said that it was up to the regional government to accept or reject the central government’s recommendations.
To date, Spain has logged 704,209 Covid cases – 133,206 of them diagnosed over the past two weeks – and 31,118 deaths.
In an article published in the Lancet this week, a team of experts compared the lockdown exit strategies of nine different countries and found that Spain, like the UK, had struggled to implement an effective “find, test, trace, isolate and support system” before lockdown restrictions were eased over the summer.
In Spain – far and away the worst affected western European country, with a total of more than 700,000 cases – there has been more disunity and contradictory messaging from the central government and the regional government of Madrid.
Despite pledging to work together to improve the dire situation in and around the capital, the national and regional governments are favouring different strategies for tackling the surge in Madrid.
On Friday, the regional government rejected the central government’s calls for a city-wide return to lockdown, instead announcing that another eight areas in the region would be put into the partial lockdown already in force across 37 zones. When the order comes into effect next week, more than a million people in the region will only be allowed to enter and exit their home zones on work, educational, legal or medical grounds.
Public and private gatherings have been limited to six people and parks closed. The restrictions are being applied, among other considerations, to areas where there are more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.
But, in a parallel press conference, Spain’s health minister urged more drastic action, saying that cities with more than 500 cases per 100,000 people should go into lockdown. As of Thursday evening, the Madrid region had recorded 746.15 cases per 100,000 people over the preceding fortnight.
Illa also recommended an end to all unnecessary movement across the city, a ban on people eating and drinking at counters in bars and restaurants, and that the capacity at outside terraces be reduced to 50%.