More Covid-19 lockdowns in Europe amid resurge – latest updates

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

More Covid-19 lockdowns in Europe amid resurge

Austria and Greece will become the latest European nations to impose spirit-crushing curbs to combat the surge, with a deadly terrorist attack in Vienna ahead of a partial lockdown compounding the misery.

The virus has infected over 46 million people worldwide, with more than 1.2 million deaths, and the acute outbreaks in Europe and America are sparking further alarm about the state of the already devastated global economy.

Austria's cases in recent weeks have surged well past the levels recorded in the spring, forcing the government to impose a curfew between 8 pm and 6 am starting Tuesday until the end of November.

Hungary closes bars, imposes night-time curfew

Hungary will close bars and entertainment venues and impose a night-time curfew from midnight until 5am to curb a fast spread of virus infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Orban said the government has introduced a "special legal order" as of midnight. However, schools remain open as well as shops, and restaurants.

 Dutch to shut museums, cinemas, zoos

The Netherlands will tighten its partial virus lockdown with museums, cinemas, zoos and other public places to close for two weeks, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

"It is not going badly but it is not going well. The numbers of cases must go down faster," Rutte told a press conference. "That is a difficult message... but there is no other way."

France reports more than 850 daily deaths

French health authorities reported 36,330 new virus infections over the past 24 hours, well below the 52,518 record set on Monday, but the 854 daily death toll linked to the disease was the highest since April 15.

That tally was double Monday's 416 figure and the total number of fatalities now stands at 38,289

The cumulative number of cases now totals 1,502,763, the fifth-highest in the world.

1,817 more patients recovered in Turkey

Turkey registered 2,343 more novel virus patients over the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data.

The country's overall tally now stands at 382,118, the ministry said.

Some 1,817 more patients recovered over the past day, raising the tally to 328,824, while the death toll rose by 79 to reach 10,481.

A total of 146,247 more tests were carried out across the country, bringing the total to over 14.4 million.

Turkey reintroduces restrictions to curb virus spread

Turkish President Erdogan announced measures to be reintroduced to stem the spread of virus, with several public places to close earlier.

Hairdressers, wedding halls, swimming pools, astroturfs, theatres, cinemas, concert halls, and similar places will close at 1900 GMT, Erdogan told a news conference in the capital Ankara following the Cabinet meeting at the presidential complex.

The restrictions will also apply to cafes and restaurants, however, they will be allowed to offer food for takeaway after 1900 GMT.

Algerian president tests positive for virus

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has tested positive for virus, but his condition is gradually improving as he receives treatment in a German hospital, the presidency said.

Algerian authorities had previously said Tebboune was in Germany for medical checks when he flew there last week, after saying people in his administration had the virus.

Italy reports 353 deaths, highest since early May

Italy reported 353 virus-related deaths, the highest daily figure since May 6 and up from 233 on Monday, the health ministry said.

Some 28,244 new virus infections were recorded over the past 24 hours, up from 22,253 on Monday. 

France to transfer patients to Germany

France is planning to transfer virus patients to Germany for treatment within days as some hospitals creak under the pressure from spiking virus cases, a hospitals federation said.

Some patients in the heavily affected northern region of Hauts-de-France will moved to Germany as well as other parts of France, said Frederic Valletoux, president of the FHF hospitals federation.

The move comes as the government appeared to consider re-imposing a night curfew in Paris, in addition to the current confinement measures, to make it harder to skirt lockdown rules.

Hertha Berlin player Torunarigha tests positive

German soccer club Hertha Berlin says defender Jordan Torunarigha has tested positive for the virus.

Hertha says Torunarigha is in isolation and hasn’t displayed any symptoms.

Torunarigha had been training on his own because of an ankle injury which has kept him out of action since September. Hertha next plays Augsburg on Saturday.

Torunarigha is the third Bundesliga player to have tested positive in two days. Bayern Munich said defender Niklas Süle would miss its Champions League game against Salzburg following a positive test.

Sweden registers 10,177 new cases since Friday

Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 10,177 new virus cases, recorded since its previous update on Friday, Health Agency statistics showed.

Cases in the Nordic country, which does not publish updated virus data over the weekend and Mondays, have risen sharply in recent weeks, repeatedly hitting daily records last week.

Sweden registered 31 new deaths, taking the total to 5,969 during the pandemic. Sweden's death rate per capita is several times higher than Nordic neighbours but lower than some larger European countries, such as Spain and Britain.

Strict Irish curbs put 85,000 people temporarily out of work

Around 85,000 more people have claimed temporary virus jobless benefits since Ireland moved to the highest level of restrictions to fight the virus two weeks ago, fewer so far than the 150,000 estimated by government, data showed.

The limiting of restaurants to takeaway service and closure of non-essential retail pushed claims to almost 330,000 from 244,153 before the six-week measures were introduced on October 22, far below a peak of 600,000 during a stricter lockdown in May.

Swedish PM warns pandemic situation "very serious"

Virus cases are increasing fast in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said as he announced stricter recommendations for another three regions.

"We have a very serious situation," Lofven told a news conference. "More and more intensive care beds are now being used to treat viruspatients. The respite we got this summer is over."

He also said parties at restaurants would be limited to eight people.

Hundreds of thousands in quarantine in Germany 

Hundreds of thousands of people in Germany are in quarantine because they have tested positive for the virus or have come into contact with someone who has virus, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Spahn, giving his first news conference since recovering from virus, said he felt humbled by his experience and was grateful that he had not been hit by more serious symptoms.

Bahrain allows Sinopharm vaccine candidate use in frontline workers

Bahrain has granted emergency approval for the use of a Chinese virus vaccine candidate currently in phase III trials on frontline workers, state news agency BNA said.

The vaccine candidate, nearing the end of phase III trials in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain and Jordan, is a partnership between Sinopharm's China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42).

Tourist arrivals to Spain slump

The number of foreign visitors to Spain plunged during the first nine months of the year, official data showed, with the pandemic freezing a once-booming tourism sector.

Between January and September 16.8 million foreigners arrived in Spain, the world's second-most visited country, a drop of around 75 percent over the same time last year, national statistics institute INE said.

Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, imposed a strict nationwide lockdown in March that was only fully lifted in late June and paralysed its key tourism sector.

Lebanon mulls new virus lockdown

Lebanon, mired in economic turmoil deepened by the Beirut port blast three months ago, is weighing a second nationwide lockdown to stem a surge in virus cases.

"Today we're at a very dangerous crossroads," said caretaker health minister Hamad Hassan, warning that hospitals are running out of intensive care beds.

"We're approaching a disastrous situation," he was quoted as saying Sunday by the official National News Agency.

Germany faced more than 400,000 daily cases without action

Germany would have faced more than 400,000 new daily virus cases by Christmas if the pace of infections had been allowed to continue, a senior health official said, a day after a new partial lockdown was introduced.

"The (new) measures can brake the spread of the virus," said Lars Schaade, Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute, the leading authority in Germany on the virus.

India sees over 38,000 new cases

India recorded 38,310 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its tally to 8.27 million, health ministry data showed.

It was the ninth straight day that infections numbered fewer than 50,000, as cases have dipped from a September peak, but experts warn the current season of festivals could lead to another spike.

Deaths rose by 490, carrying the toll to 123,097, the ministry said on Tuesday.

Iran reports record 8,932 new cases

Iran has reported a record daily total of 8,932 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the overall figure to 637,712 for detected infections in the Middle East's worst-hit country, the Health Ministry said.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state television on Tuesday that 422 patients had died in the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 36,160.

Malaysia adds 1,054 new cases

Malaysia's health ministry reported 1,054 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 34,393 infections.

The Southeast Asian country also recorded 12 new fatalities on Tuesday, raising the death toll from the pandemic to 263. 

Indonesia sees 102 deaths

Indonesia reported 2,973 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 418,375, data from the country's health ministry showed.

It also reported 102 additional deaths on Tuesday, taking the total number of fatalities to 14,146.

The Indonesia Medical Association (IDI) said earlier on Tuesday that 161 doctors, including nine dentists, had died from the virus in the March-October period.

Ukraine reports record cases

Ukraine registered a record 8,899 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday, up from the Oct. 30 high of 8,312.

Total infections stood at 411,093 by Tuesday with 7,532 deaths. 

Czech Republic reports 225 deaths

The Czech Republic reported 9,241 new coronavirus cases for Nov. 2, and 225 new deaths, data from the health ministry showed on Tuesday.

The tally of infections rose to 350,896 in the nation of 10.7 million people, while deaths stood at 3,654.

The increase in deaths was spread over several days because of reporting issues, however, and was not limited to the past 24 hours.

Russia reports 18,648 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 18,648 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including 5,150 in Moscow, pushing the national tally to 1,673,686 since the pandemic began.

Authorities said 355 people had died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 28,828. 

Germany's cases rise by 15,352

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 15,352 to 560,379, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.

The reported death toll rose by 131 to 10,661, the tally showed.

Brazil registers 8,501 new cases, 179 deaths

Brazil has reported 8,501 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours and 179 deaths.

The South American country has now registered 5,554,000 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 160,253, according to the Health Ministry, in the world's most fatal outbreak outside the United States. 

Panama president isolating after coworker tests positive

Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo has begun self-isolating after a close coworker tested positive for the coronavirus, the presidency said, without revealing the name or position of the person who was infected.

Cortizo has taken two coronavirus tests, which were both negative, but will continue isolating "until he repeats the tests in a few days," the presidency said on Twitter.

China reports 49 new cases vs 24 a day earlier

Mainland China has reported 49 new cases, from 24 a day earlier, the national health authority has reported.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that 44 of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas.

The commission also reported 61 new asymptomatic cases, compared with 30 such cases reported a day earlier. China does not classify symptomless patients as confirmed cases.

The total number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 86,070, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634. 

UK to pilot new mass testing approach in Liverpool

Britain will launch a mass testing pilot scheme in Liverpool this week, offering everyone in the city tests whether or not they have symptoms, in an attempt to find a better way to use testing to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promised a "world-beating" national test-and-trace system earlier this year, but the scheme has disappointed and the government's scientific advisory body said last month its impact on virus transmission was marginal.

The United Kingdom has the highest virus death toll in Europe, and a second national lockdown is due to come into force in England on Thursday.

The government said the Liverpool pilot would start on Friday using PCR swab tests, the default testing method to date, as well as new lateral flow tests aimed at delivering faster results without the need for laboratory processing.

Everyone living or working in the city in northwest England, one of the worst-hit areas in the country will be offered repeat tests at existing sites as well as numerous new sites including care homes, schools, universities, and workplaces.

Argentina expects 10 million doses of Russian vaccine

Argentina is expecting 10 million doses of Russia's main experimental vaccine between December and January, the government has said, as infections continue to climb in the South American country.

The vaccine, known as Sputnik V, is given in two doses and could begin arriving as early as next month, the government said in a news release. The price of the Russian vaccine would be "more or less average" compared with others, President Alberto Fernandez said in the release.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is backing the development and roll-out of the Sputnik V vaccine. Fernandez said talks with RDIF had been going on "for quite some time." Officials including Argentina's deputy health minister had traveled to Russia to review the vaccine's development, the government said.

Portugal's president ponders state of emergency

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has said he was pondering declaring a state of emergency as a preventive measure to fight the spread of the coronavirus at a time when infections are soaring.

Hours after Prime Minister Antonio Costa asked the president to declare the state of emergency, Rebelo de Sousa said in an interview with RTP Television he was considering the request, explaining it would include specific measures to combat the pandemic but not a "total or nearly total" lockdown.

The initial state of emergency, which under Portuguese law is limited to 15 days but can be extended indefinitely in 15-day periods if necessary, was declared in March and lasted six weeks.

It restricted the movement of people and led thousands of businesses to suspend activities, devastating the once-bailed-out economy.

Virus infections hitting rural Kansas counties

A surge in confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas is hitting some of the US state's most rural counties hard and has officials in even urban areas worrying that people aren't following public health advice closely enough.

Of the 20 Kansas counties with the largest number of new cases per 1,000 residents in the past two weeks, all but two have fewer than 10,000 residents, and a dozen of them have fewer than 3,000.

But health officials elsewhere said the virus is also spreading because people are still going to family gatherings such as weddings, baby showers, and barbecues.

The health officer in the state's most populous county of Johnson County in the Kansas City area said 20 percent of its cases since September 1 are people infecting others in their own households.