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Coronavirus live news: South Yorkshire goes into tier 3 restrictions, Polish president tests positive Coronavirus live news: South Yorkshire goes into tier 3 restrictions, Polish president tests positive
(32 minutes later)
Tory MP Ben Bradley agrees with tweet saying free school meals money goes to ‘crack den and brothel’; EU fights second waveTory MP Ben Bradley agrees with tweet saying free school meals money goes to ‘crack den and brothel’; EU fights second wave
Malaysia reported 1,228 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a record daily jump since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of cases to 25,742.
The health ministry also said seven new deaths had also been recorded.
Recent data has highlighted the struggle authorities around the world face in bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control, as the US reported 80,000 infections in a single day, France extended a curfew to two-thirds of its citizens and Germany’s death toll passed 10,000.Recent data has highlighted the struggle authorities around the world face in bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control, as the US reported 80,000 infections in a single day, France extended a curfew to two-thirds of its citizens and Germany’s death toll passed 10,000.
The World Health Organization had earlier warned of an exponential rise in infections that threatened health systems’ ability to cope.The World Health Organization had earlier warned of an exponential rise in infections that threatened health systems’ ability to cope.
But populations weary of social isolation and economic hardship have pushed back against fresh restrictions to slow the resurgent virus’ spread. There were clashes overnight in Naples between Italian police and hundreds of protesters.But populations weary of social isolation and economic hardship have pushed back against fresh restrictions to slow the resurgent virus’ spread. There were clashes overnight in Naples between Italian police and hundreds of protesters.
Covid-19 has become a central election issue in the US ahead of the presidential election on 3 November. Donald Trump promised attendees at a Florida rally on Friday that “we’re going to quickly end this pandemic, this horrible plague”.Covid-19 has become a central election issue in the US ahead of the presidential election on 3 November. Donald Trump promised attendees at a Florida rally on Friday that “we’re going to quickly end this pandemic, this horrible plague”.
Joe Biden matched Trump’s vow to make a vaccine available free to all who want it “whether or not you’re insured” and said the Republican incumbent has “given up” on controlling the outbreak.Joe Biden matched Trump’s vow to make a vaccine available free to all who want it “whether or not you’re insured” and said the Republican incumbent has “given up” on controlling the outbreak.
Johns Hopkins University had earlier reported 79,963 new US cases in 24 hours, a record, although the number of daily deaths has remained broadly stable since the beginning of autumn at between 700 and 800.Johns Hopkins University had earlier reported 79,963 new US cases in 24 hours, a record, although the number of daily deaths has remained broadly stable since the beginning of autumn at between 700 and 800.
Minister may be forced to close schools in England to older children if coronavirus cases continue to increase at the current rate, a scientist has said. Ministers may be forced to close schools in England to older children if coronavirus cases continue to increase at the current rate, a scientist has said.
Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the original lockdown in March, said the NHS would soon be unable to cope unless the spread of the disease was stemmed.Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the original lockdown in March, said the NHS would soon be unable to cope unless the spread of the disease was stemmed.
He said there were 8,000 people in hospital with coronavirus - around a third of the peak earlier this year - and that numbers were continuing to rise. “It is a worrying situation,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.He said there were 8,000 people in hospital with coronavirus - around a third of the peak earlier this year - and that numbers were continuing to rise. “It is a worrying situation,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“If the rate of growth continues as it is, it means that in a month’s time we will above that peak level in March and that is probably unsustainable.“If the rate of growth continues as it is, it means that in a month’s time we will above that peak level in March and that is probably unsustainable.
“We are in a critical time right now. The health system will not be able to cope with this rate of growth for much longer.”“We are in a critical time right now. The health system will not be able to cope with this rate of growth for much longer.”
His warning came as South Yorkshire became the latest region to enter the tightest Tier 3 restrictions in England following Liverpool city region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire.His warning came as South Yorkshire became the latest region to enter the tightest Tier 3 restrictions in England following Liverpool city region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
Ferguson said it would be another week or two before it became clear whether the stricter measures would have an impact on case numbers. He said the restrictions on households mixing should have a significant effect, but that further action may also be needed.Ferguson said it would be another week or two before it became clear whether the stricter measures would have an impact on case numbers. He said the restrictions on households mixing should have a significant effect, but that further action may also be needed.
Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, home to about 2 million people, will close nightclubs and discos on Sunday for two weeks in an effort to contain a surge in coronavirus infections straining its health system.Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, home to about 2 million people, will close nightclubs and discos on Sunday for two weeks in an effort to contain a surge in coronavirus infections straining its health system.
Speaking on national BTV television on Saturday, the city’s mayor, Yordanka Fankakova, also urged Sofia universities to switch to online education and appealed to businesses to let as many employees as possible work from home.Speaking on national BTV television on Saturday, the city’s mayor, Yordanka Fankakova, also urged Sofia universities to switch to online education and appealed to businesses to let as many employees as possible work from home.
“The situation is Sofia is becoming increasingly alarming. We have a new increase in infections and of people who need hospital treatment. This is straining the hospitals,” she said.“The situation is Sofia is becoming increasingly alarming. We have a new increase in infections and of people who need hospital treatment. This is straining the hospitals,” she said.
Hello everyone and thanks for following the Guardian’s live feed today. I am keeping you up to date with all the news on coronavirus from around the globe. Please do email or message me if you want to share thoughts, comments or news tips.Hello everyone and thanks for following the Guardian’s live feed today. I am keeping you up to date with all the news on coronavirus from around the globe. Please do email or message me if you want to share thoughts, comments or news tips.
Twitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.comTwitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
In the UK, Prof Neil Ferguson has said a decision about whether restrictions on households mixing should be relaxed over Christmas will be a “political judgment” .In the UK, Prof Neil Ferguson has said a decision about whether restrictions on households mixing should be relaxed over Christmas will be a “political judgment” .
“It risks some transmission and there will be consequences of that. Some people will die because of getting infected on that day,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “But if it is only one or two days the impact is likely to be limited. So that is really a political judgment about the cost versus the benefits.”“It risks some transmission and there will be consequences of that. Some people will die because of getting infected on that day,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “But if it is only one or two days the impact is likely to be limited. So that is really a political judgment about the cost versus the benefits.”
Indonesia reported 4,070 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 385,980, official data from the country’s Covid-19 taskforce shows.Indonesia reported 4,070 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 385,980, official data from the country’s Covid-19 taskforce shows.
It also reported 128 new deaths, taking the total to 13,205, and 4,119 people recovered from the virus on Saturday, bringing the total to 309,219.It also reported 128 new deaths, taking the total to 13,205, and 4,119 people recovered from the virus on Saturday, bringing the total to 309,219.
Wales’ firebreak lockdown should bring the R value - the number of people each coronavirus case infects - below one, health minister Vaughan Gething has said.Wales’ firebreak lockdown should bring the R value - the number of people each coronavirus case infects - below one, health minister Vaughan Gething has said.
Gething told BBC Breakfast the 17-day period would be followed by a set of national measures to control the spread of Covid-19.Gething told BBC Breakfast the 17-day period would be followed by a set of national measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
Asked about economists warning that the lockdown could cost the Welsh economy more than £500m, Mr Gething said: “It’s not just about the direct costs within the firebreak, when we know there will be a challenge and loss in economic activity.Asked about economists warning that the lockdown could cost the Welsh economy more than £500m, Mr Gething said: “It’s not just about the direct costs within the firebreak, when we know there will be a challenge and loss in economic activity.
“It’s about saving a much greater loss if we need to have longer, deeper, more sustained measures.”“It’s about saving a much greater loss if we need to have longer, deeper, more sustained measures.”
The Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has tested positive for coronavirus and is subject to quarantine but is feeling good, presidential minister Blazej Spychalski announced on Saturday.The Polish president, Andrzej Duda, has tested positive for coronavirus and is subject to quarantine but is feeling good, presidential minister Blazej Spychalski announced on Saturday.
“The president yesterday was tested for the presence of coronavirus. The result turned out to be positive. The president is fine. We are in constant contact with the relevant medical services,” Spychalski said on Twitter.“The president yesterday was tested for the presence of coronavirus. The result turned out to be positive. The president is fine. We are in constant contact with the relevant medical services,” Spychalski said on Twitter.
Duda’s infection comes as the country imposed new restrictions on Saturday to curb the spread of the illness. Poland faces a surge in the COVID-19 epidemic, with new infections hitting a daily record of 13,632 on Friday.Duda’s infection comes as the country imposed new restrictions on Saturday to curb the spread of the illness. Poland faces a surge in the COVID-19 epidemic, with new infections hitting a daily record of 13,632 on Friday.
Duda, 48, holds a mainly ceremonial role but has the power to veto legislation. He is an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.Duda, 48, holds a mainly ceremonial role but has the power to veto legislation. He is an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Russia has reported 16,521 new coronavirus cases and 296 deaths in the past 24 hours, up from 17,340 new cases and 283 deaths the previous day.Russia has reported 16,521 new coronavirus cases and 296 deaths in the past 24 hours, up from 17,340 new cases and 283 deaths the previous day.
The Czech Republic reported 15,252 new cases for 23 October, the highest daily tally. Deaths rose by 126 to 1,971.The Czech Republic reported 15,252 new cases for 23 October, the highest daily tally. Deaths rose by 126 to 1,971.
In the UK, Sheffield city region mayor Dan Jarvis has said he will not hesitate to seek additional government support for South Yorkshire after the region entered the strictest Tier 3 coronavirus controls.
Jarvis said a 41 million funding package had been secured after a “tough” process of negotiation and he had won an agreement from ministers to keep the situation under review.
“The scale of the challenge is very significant,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “We are acutely aware of the pressures our NHS is under, not least because winter hasn’t bitten yet, so we are looking very carefully at what we need to do.
“But if there is a requirement for more resource - whether it is economic support or it is other measures of assistance from the Government - I won’t hesitate to go back and ask for them.”
Morning all from London, where it is 8am (BST). I am taking over the coronavirus live feed, bringing you all the latest information on the virus from around the world. Please do keep in touch with me while I work, by sharing any comments or news tips.
Twitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
That’s where I will leave you for now, but never fear Sarah Marsh is here to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
The Czech Republic recorded 15,252 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, the country’s highest ever daily increase.
It also recorded 126 deaths overnight, bringing the death toll to 1,971.
The Czech Republic managed to escape the first wave of Covid-19 relatively unscathed, with case numbers rarely rising above 200 a day prior to September, but has been hit extremely hard as Europe battles a resurgence in the virus.
Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has tested positive for coronavirus but is feeling good, the presidential minister Blazej Spychalski announced on Saturday.
“The president yesterday was tested for the presence of coronavirus. The result turned out to be positive. The president is fine. We are in constant contact with the relevant medical services,” Spychalski said on Twitter.
Duda’s infection comes as the country faces a surge in the Covid-19 epidemic, with new infections hitting a daily record of more than 13,600 on Friday.
Duda, 48, holds a mainly ceremonial role, but has the power to veto legislation. He is an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
From Saturday, more restrictions to curb the spread of the virus are due to come into force in Poland, including a two-week shutdown of restaurants and bars.
The health ministry reported 153 coronavirus deaths on Friday, taking the total toll to 4,172.
The Conservative MP Ben Bradley has been accused of “stigmatisation of working-class families” over a tweet that labelled the free school meals programme as “20 cash direct to a crack den and a brothel”.
Bradley replied to the post, which was by another user. The MP wrote: “That’s what FSM vouchers in the summer effectively did ...”
The deputy leader of Labour, Angela Rayner, said:
MPs rejected a campaign, started by the Manchester United player Marcus Rashford, to offer free school meals for local children during half-term. A vote on the measures was backed by Labour and made its way to parliament this week but it was defeated by 322 votes to 261.
Bradley said the context of his tweet “wasn’t as clear as I’d thought it was”.
More than a million people in South Yorkshire are now living under the strictest coronavirus rules in England after the region moved into the tier 3 controls as health officials battle to stem the spread of the disease.
The region joined Liverpool city region, greater Manchester and Lancashire on the highest alert level for England with the new rules kicking in on Saturday at 12.01am.
Meanwhile, talks were continuing between the government and local leaders in Nottinghamshire, with parts of the county expected to enter tier 3 on Wednesday. And the council in Warrington in Cheshire – where many residents commute to Manchester and Liverpool – has confirmed that it will be moving to tier 3 on Thursday.
It means households will be banned from mixing except in parks and other open spaces while pubs and bars will have to close unless they serve meals.
Three more areas – Coventry, Stoke and Slough – have now also moved into tier 2, the second highest alert level.
It came as Wales began a two-week national “firebreak” at 6pm on Friday evening with a return to the “stay at home” message of the initial lockdown in March. In Scotland, the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has set out a five-tier series of controls that will come into force on 2 November if they are approved next week by the Holyrood parliament.
In England, ministers have said they hope the latest measures will suppress the virus sufficiently to enable families to spend Christmas together.
Thailand reported one more locally transmitted case of the coronavirus on Saturday, after confirming five domestic infections last week.
The new patient is a 57-year-old French woman in the southern province of Surat Thani who tested positive for the virus a few days after she had completed a 14-day quarantine, the country’s coronavirus taskforce said.
The patient’s husband and child tested negative, health officials said.
Earlier in the week five people in the town of Mae Sot, on the border with Myanmar, tested positive, and in September a prison inmate in the Bangkok area tested positive.
Before these six cases, Thailand reported its first confirmed local transmission in more than 100 days on 3 September. In total, Thailand has reported 3,731 cases of the virus and 59 deaths.
Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services has put out its daily press release, which gives us a bit more clarity on exactly where those seven cases came from.
In his daily press conference, the premier, Daniel Andrews, suggested that one remaining case is being investigated as a possible reinfection, but is more likely to be someone who has recovered from Covid-19 but is still shedding the virus.
The AFP has provided this wrap of the current Covid-19 situation in Europe:
The European Union’s disease control agency has joined frantic health workers to sound the alarm over a coronavirus surge across the continent, as the World Health Organization warned of an “exponential” rise in infections.
Even countries that avoided severe outbreaks during Europe’s first wave of contagion in the spring have watched their case numbers surge, with Germany’s death toll passing 10,000 on Saturday.
Governments have reintroduced containment measures to slow the renewed spread of the virus in nations that only weeks earlier believed they had triumphed over the crisis.
But populations weary of social isolation and economic hardship have pushed back against fresh restrictions, including overnight clashes in Italy’s hard-hit Naples between police and hundreds of protesters.
After Spain became the first European country to officially record a million Covid-19 cases earlier in the week, the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said on Friday the real number of infections was likely more than triple that number.
France followed Spain past the million-case milestone on Friday while Germany hit a fresh daily record of nearly 15,000 new cases, with health authorities urging the public to follow social distancing measures.
Urgent new restrictions on daily life have come into effect in several nations, with France extending a curfew to cover 46 million people.
Wales entered a full lockdown on Friday evening, a day after Ireland shut down, while Poland adopted a nationwide “red zone” lockdown mandating the partial closure of primary schools and restaurants.
Only Sweden, which famously refused to lock down earlier this year, continued to stick to its guns despite a rise in cases.
Belgium has seen one of Europe’s deadliest per capita outbreaks and has found itself suffering some of the highest second-wave infection rates in Europe.
“We’re losing. We’re overwhelmed. We’re bitter,” said Benoit Misset, the head of the intensive care unit at the University hospital in the city of Liege, where several of his staff are having to work despite being positive – if asymptomatic – themselves.