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Saturday 18 July 2020 21:42
Follow the latest updates on the pandemic
Boris Johnson‘s hope to deliver normality in time for Christmas is an “enthusiastic approach that is premature” because the community infection rate is too high, a public health professor has said.
Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said social distancing could only be removed if there were no coronavirus cases across the UK.
And England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said social-distancing measures will need to stay in place until a vaccine or highly-effective treatment is discovered.
Meanwhile the Department of Health said it was pausing daily death statistics while it investigated statistical flaws which could have inflated the figure.
Follow the latest updates
Coronavirus infects dozens of babies amid surge in cases in Texas
Dozens of babies have contracted the coronavirus in one Texas county alone, officials said, as the state continued to hit record numbers of daily deaths.
Health officials made the grim announcement as the state reported a record 174 new coronavirus deaths on Friday, numbers that are expected to climb further still. It was the third consecutive day the state recorded more than 100 deaths.
“We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces County that have all tested positive for Covid-19,” said Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces County.
Protesters call for resignation of Israeli PM
Israeli police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence as protests mounted against him over alleged corruption and his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Hit by high unemployment, a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and reimposed coronavirus curbs, Israelis have taken to the streets in almost daily demonstrations against the government.
Public anger has been compounded by corruption alleged against Netanyahu, who went on trial in May for bribery, fraud and breach of trust – charges he denies.
In Jerusalem, hundreds gathered outside the prime minister’s residence and then marched through the streets, calling for Netanyahu’s resignation as police used water cannons to disperse the crowds. At least two people were arrested, police said.
In Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, thousands gathered at a rally by the beach, demanding better state aid to businesses hurt by coronavirus restrictions and to people who have lost jobs or have been put on unpaid leave. Unemployment presently stands at 21 per cent.
Reuters
The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Saturday, with the total rising by 259,848 in 24 hours.
It beat the record set on Friday of 237,743.
The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report.
Deaths rose by 7,360, the biggest one-day increase since 10 May.
Scotland sees biggest daily rise in coronavirus cases in almost one month
Deputy first minister warns jump in positive cases shows there is ‘danger still out there’
Scotland has recorded its biggest daily rise in confirmed coronavirus cases in almost a month after easing lockdown restrictions earlier this week.
Data from the Scottish government released on Saturday showed 21 new cases over a 24-hour period – the highest number since 21 June, when 26 positive test results were recorded.
Police in Barcelona are limiting access to some of the city’s beaches because sunbathers are ignoring regulations amid a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Police on Saturday impeded more people for entering the beach and asked others to disperse.
Catalan health authorities reported over 1,200 new cases on Saturday from the preceding 24 hours. The new outbreaks have forced regional officials to announce the prohibition of gatherings of over 10 people that went into effect Saturday.
Barcelona and other areas of the surrounding northeast Catalonia region have experienced the largest outbreaks in Spain since the European country ended a strict three-month nationwide lockdown.
Associated Press
The Blue Jays have been denied approval by the Canadian government to play in Toronto amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Allowing MLB games in Toronto would have meant frequent back-and-forth travel to the US, where Covid-19 cases are surging.
The team had been given clearance by city and provincial governments to play regular-season games at Rogers Centre and was awaiting approval from Canada’s federal government.
“Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians’ health and safety. As a result, Canada will not be issuing a National Interest Exemption for the MLB’s regular season at this time.”
Parisians heading to the opening of Paris Plages, the yearly transformation of sections of the Seine river into man-made beaches, were met with a new attraction on Saturday: Covid-19 test centres.
A series of indicators across the country, including in the French capital, have suggested the virus could once again be gaining momentum. Authorities are pushing an aggressive testing policy to avoid a return to the peaks seen from March to May.
“At Paris-Plages people have got the time and they really want to know whether they have been sick … and there are those who need a certificate to travel on some airlines to go on holiday,” said Muriel Prudhomme, a doctor and deputy at the town hall’s health department.
The artificial beaches on the banks of the Seine in central Paris and the Bassin de la Villette, a man-made lake in the northeast of the city, have been a raging success since they were launched by Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe in 2002.
Along the banks of the river and the Bassin de la Villette, medical teams are now in place at two locations until the end of August offering serological and standard PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests with a capacity to carry out 150 to 200 a day.
“I’m taking all necessary precautions, but there are so many people that don’t seem to care,” said pensioner Nicole Gressier. “I’m going to see my granddaughter who I haven’t seen for nine months, so when I was strolling here I saw it was possible to be tested, so why not?”
Reuters
Offenders housed in hotels and B&Bs during lockdown
More than 140 offenders have been housed in hotels and bed and breakfasts following their release from prison during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it had been using hotels since May for its Conditional Release Date (CRD) accommodation scheme to prevent offenders becoming homeless and sleeping rough during the pandemic.
World is at ‘breaking point’, says UN chief
The United Nations secretary general has said the world is at “breaking point”, as he called for an end to the global inequalities exposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
As he delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture from New York, Antonio Guterres said: “Covid-19 has been likened to an X-ray, revealing fractures in the fragile skeleton of the societies we have built.
“It is exposing fallacies and falsehoods everywhere: The lie that free markets can deliver health care for all, the fiction that unpaid care work is not work, the delusion that we live in a post-racist world, the myth that we are all in the same boat.”
Mr Guterres said developed countries are strongly invested in their own survival and have “failed to deliver the support needed to help the developing world through these dangerous times”.
The UN chief’s address marked what would have been the birthday of former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mr Mandela.
EU leaders fail to agree as ‘grumpy’ budget and coronavirus fund talks enter second day
Agreement between European Union leaders over a record €1.75 trillion (£1.59 trillion) budget deal and coronavirus recovery fund appeared a long-way off as the “grumpy” talks entered their second day, despite some signs of compromise.
After five months of virtual diplomacy, European politicians met face-to-face for the first time during the pandemic, which has seen borders effectively spring into force for the first time in decades as the bloc’s leaders’ calls for unity disappeared unheeded into its widening cracks.
The global death toll from coronavirus is nearing 600,000, with more than 14 million cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.
The World Health Organisation reported a single-day record of new infections: over 237,000. Experts believe that the true numbers are even higher.
Greece: The government has extended its mask requirement to supermarket customers amid concerns over public flouting of social distancing guidelines. A further 19 new cases of coronavirus and no new deaths were confirmed over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,983 cases and 194 deaths.
India: A surge of 34,884 new coronavirus cases took India’s tally to 1,038,716, as local governments reimpose focused lockdowns in several parts of the country. The Health Ministry on Saturday reported 671 confirmed deaths in the past 24 hours for a total of 26,273.
Australia: The state of Victoria reported a marked drop in new COVID-19 infections – down from Friday’s record high of 428 to 217 – a total that Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says was “a relief after yesterday’s numbers.” The Health Department said Saturday that two more Victorians, a man and a woman both aged in their 80s, had died, taking the state’s death toll to 34 and Australia’s national total to 118.
Two further coronavirus-linked deaths have been reported in Ireland, taking the total number of fatalities since the outbreak began to 1,753.
The National Public Health Emergency Team has also reported 21 new confirmed cases of the virus in Ireland.
The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 now stands at 25,750.
Iran estimates country has seen up to 25 million coronavirus cases
Some 25 million Iranian’s have likely been infected with coronavirus, Hassan Rouhani has said, warning that an additional 30 to 35 million more could contract the disease in the coming months, Andy Gregory reports.
The president revealed the unprecedented figure – which would account for nearly a third of Iran’s population – in a televised speech in which he sought to ensure citizens of what is widely believed to be the hardest-hit country in the Middle East were taking the pandemic seriously.
Claiming that the country’s death toll sits at around 14,000, he cited a new study by the Iranian health ministry. Officials have not explained what their estimates are based on and the study has not been made public.
Lockdown restrictions were reimposed in Tehran on Saturday, with authorities placing a one-week ban on religious and cultural functions, closing boarding schools, cafes, indoor pools, amusement parks and zoos.
Twenty-two other cities and towns in the southwestern Khuzestan Province will also see restrictions tightened for three days, including in Behbahan, where police fired tear gas into a crowd protesting over economic hardships on Thursday.
Scotland records highest daily new cases in a month
Scotland has recorded a further 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to government figures.
It is the highest number since 21 June, when there were 26 positive test results.
Deputy first minister John Sweeney tweeted: “Thankfully another day of no deaths recorded due to COVID. 21 positive cases however remind us of the danger still out there.”
The lockdown in Scotland was relaxed on Wednesday.
The Department of Health and Social Care says it has paused the publication of the daily coronavirus death statistics while they resolve an error in the way it is measured by Public Health England.
However the government’s “coronavirus dashboard” is still being updated – and it reveals that today’s figure is 40, bringing the UK total to 45,273.
A further 827 people have tested positive for coronavirus, with the UK case total now standing at 294,066.
Government stops publishing daily coronavirus death toll over accuracy concerns
The UK government has halted the publication daily coronavirus death statistics over concerns that “statistical flaws” might be rendering the data inaccurate, Jon Stone reports.
The pause in publication was decided by the Department of Health and Social Care after Health Secretary Matt Hancock ordered a review into figures.
A study by academics published late this week suggested that deaths are subject to “over-exaggeration” because of the way Public Health England measures deaths in England.
A statement on the government’s website read: “The Secretary of State has today, 17 July, asked PHE to urgently review their estimation of daily death statistics.
Revellers clash with riot police trying to break up illegal rave
Bottles, kerb stones and cannisters were all thrown at police as violence flared when officers tried to break up an illegal rave in London, Colin Drury reports.
Two teenagers have been arrested following the clashes near the Woodberry Down estate in Hackney shortly after 11pm on Friday night.
Footage on social media appeared to show party-goers responding furiously as riot units from the Metropolitan Police tried to disperse the gathering. A bicycle was also lobbed at officers, two of whom suffered minor injuries, Scotland Yard said.
It was 4am before the crowds were fully dispersed.
An 18-year-old man was arrested for violent disorder and obstruction, and a 19-year-old was detained for obstruction. By early Saturday afternoon, they remained in custody.
France to enforce wearing of masks in enclosed public spaces
France will enforce mask-wearing in enclosed public spaces including banks, shops and indoor markets from July 20, health minister Olivier Veran has announced, as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of Covid-19 across the country.
The government has accelerated plans to make it compulsory to wear masks after series of indicators have suggested the virus could be gaining momentum, especially in areas in western and southern France that had been relatively spared during the height of the outbreak between March and May.
“From Monday, mask-wearing will be mandatory in closed spaces,” Mr Veran said on Twitter.
“That concerns shops, buildings open to the public, covered markets and banks.”
Coronavirus cases in China’s far west rise by 17
The number of confirmed cases in a new Covid-19 outbreak in China’s far west has risen to 17.
The National Health Commission said Saturday that 16 more cases were identified Friday in the Xinjiang region, on top of a first case the previous day.
The outbreak in the city of Urumqi is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March. The largest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people.
Chinese media say authorities in Urumqi have reduced subway, bus and taxi service and closed off some residential communities. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city.
China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community. The region has long been blanketed with extreme security, which China says is necessary to prevent terrorist activity.
Republican senator criticised for suggesting Hispanic people less likely to wear masks
A Republican senator has come under fire for suggesting Hispanic people in his state are less likely to wear masks and follow social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic, Conrad Duncan reports.
Thom Tillis, the junior senator for North Carolina, said during a virtual town hall on Tuesday that he had concerns about “less consistent adherence” with public health guidelines among the Hispanic population.
“Just wear the mask out of respect,” Mr Tillis said, in an audio clip posted online by Democratic super PAC American Bridge.
“Now I will tell you I’m not a scientist and I’m not a statistician, but one of the concerns that we’ve had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44 per cent of the positive cases, and we do have some concerns that in the Hispanic population we’ve seen less consistent adherence to social distancing and wearing a mask.”
However, a Pew Research Centre study published in June showed 74 per cent of Hispanic adults polled said they wore masks in stores all or most of the time, compared to 62 per cent of white adults polled.
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