Turkey's daily cases double from level in early June – latest updates

Daily Turkish cases double from early June level

The number of new coronavirus cases in Turkey rose to 1,562 in the last 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed on Sunday, almost double the level to which they had fallen in early June when Ankara lifted travel restrictions and reopened facilities. 

"The number of recoveries fell below the number of new cases. We are moving away from the target," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned.

“Our weak point is unwary optimism. Let’s be prudent optimist," he urged the public.

The daily number of cases had been below 1,000 from late May until last Friday, hitting a low of 786 on June 2. 

In the last 24 hours, 15 people died, bringing total fatalities to 4,807, the ministry data showed.

There have been a total 178,239 cases of Covid-19 in Turkey.

Egypt to reopen all airports on July 1

Egypt will reopen all its airports on July 1, the civil aviation minister said on Sunday, after suspending regular international flights in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

He said foreign tourism would be limited to resorts in three coastal provinces, after the government said on Thursday it would reopen Egypt's main seaside resorts for international flights and foreign tourists from July 1.

Travellers from countries with high rates of coronavirus infections, based on World Health Organization assessments, need to be tested before coming to Egypt, the ministers said.

France has scored its 'first victory' against virus

President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France has marked its first victory in the fight against the coronavirus, even if the struggle is not over.

He said that all of mainland France, including Paris, would go into a "green zone" of a lower state of alert starting Monday, meaning that cafes and restaurants in the French capital can open in full and not just on terraces.

France emerged out of a strict eight-week lockdown on May 11.

Italy faces two new virus outbreaks

Total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy rises by 346 to 236,651 with the death toll of 44 on Sunday.

The outbreak reappeared at the weekend outside a Rome squat with 15 new cases while health workers insist it is under control. 

A second outbreak was far bigger and occurred at a hospital on the western edge of Rome, with 109 cases and five deaths.

The northern region of Lombardy, where the outbreak was first identified, remains by far the worst affected of Italy's 20 regions, accounting for 244 of the 346 new cases reported on Sunday.

Pakistan says infections will peak at more than a million cases

Pakistan's planning minister warned on Sunday that the number of coronavirus cases in the country could double by the end of June and peak at more than a million infections just a month later.

Authorities have ramped up testing but this nonetheless remains limited, so real numbers are thought to be higher. 

One neighbourhood in Islamabad have been already locked down after tracking 200 confirmed coronavirus cases in just one day on Friday. Hospitals across Pakistan say they are at or near capacity, and some are turning Covid-19 patients away.

Pakistan currently has confirmed nearly 140,000 cases of Covid-19, with the death toll approaching 2,700. 

Europe reopens many borders but not to Americans, Asians

Europe is taking a big step toward a new normality as many countries open borders to fellow Europeans after three months of coronavirus lockdowns. 

But tourists from the US, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East will have to wait to visit Europe.

Europe is expected to start opening up to some visitors from elsewhere next month, but details remain unclear. Europe’s reopening won’t be a repeat of the chaotic free-for-all in March when panicked, uncoordinated border closures caused traffic jams that stretched for miles. 

"My appeal to all those who travel: Enjoy your summer vacation — but enjoy it with caution and responsibility," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. 

"In the summer holidays, we want to make it as difficult as possible for the virus to spread again in Europe."

Thousands disobey lockdown to attend raves in England

Thousands of people defied coronavirus restrictions to attend two illegal raves in Manchester in northern England, where one man died from a suspected drug overdose, police said on Sunday. 

Around 4,000 people gathered for one of the Saturday night events where a 20-year-old man died of the suspected overdose, according to Greater Manchester Police. 

Another 2,000 turned out for a second party which saw three separate stabbings, the force said.

Putin says Russia dealing better with virus than US

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised interview Sunday that Russia has been more successful in dealing with the coronavirus than the United States.

He contrasted the situations in the two countries, saying in Russia, "We are exiting the coronavirus situation steadily with minimal losses, God willing, in the States it isn't happening that way."

Regions are gradually lifting lockdown restrictions and Moscow has reopened non-essential shops and hairdressers.

Beijing confirms eight new cases 

Beijing city confirmed eight new cases in the first seven hours of June 14, a city official said on Sunday.

Beijing health official Pang Xinghuo said at a second press conference that these eight cases are all linked to Xinfadi market, a major food wholesale market in the city's southwestern Fengtai district.

All 43 cases in Beijing reported in the previous three days were also linked to the market.

Iran daily virus deaths exceed 100 for first time in 2 months

Iran reported over 100 new deaths in a single day for the first time in two months.

In televised remarks, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 107 Covid-19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, raising the overall toll to 8,837.

Malaysia reports eight new cases, one more death

Malaysia reported eight new cases on Sunday, taking the total to 8,453 infections.

The health ministry also reported one more death, raising the total number of fatalities from the outbreak to 121.

UK might be able to change quarantine rules for travellers-Sunak

Britain's government is looking at options for its two-week quarantine for people entering the country and might be able to make changes to the rules, finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday.

"We all want to see travel open again, of course we do, andl ike everything else we want to make sure we have the right measures at the right time informed by the science and everything else that we have to consider," Sunak told BBC television.

"We are looking at all options to ensure that that is possible and people have got suggestions about how we might be able to open up some travel corridors over time and so the transport secretary is actively looking at all of those options."

The government has come under heavy pressure from the travel industry and other sectors over the quarantine policy which it introduced last week. Airlines said it will hammer jobs and tourism.

Spain to open borders to EU Schengen countries on June 21 - reports

Spain will open its borders to countries in the European Union's Schengen area on June 21, except for Portugal where the border will open on July 1 as previously announced, Spanish media including El Pais news paper and Ser radio station reported.

The Spanish government had previously said it would allow foreign tourists to enter Spain on July 1 without self-quarantining, apart from the Balearic Islands which could start receiving tourists on Monday as part of a test programme.

Indonesia reports 857 new cases, 43 more deaths

Indonesia reported 857 infections and 43 more deaths, taking the total number of cases to 38,277 and fatalities to 2,134, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

Yurianto said 755 more patients had recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 14,531.

Indonesia has tested 322,933 people for the virus as ofSunday

Philippines reports 539 new cases, 14 new deaths

The Philippines reported 539 more infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 25,930.

The Department of Health also recorded 14 additional fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,088.

One duplicate case was removed from the total number of infections reported as of June 13, it added.

UK will look at two-metre distancing rule urgently - Sunak

Britain's government will review its two-metre social distancing rule as a matter of urgency a sit tries to help the country's economy recover from a 25%collapse after the onset of the coronavirus crisis, finance minister Rishi Sunak said.

Sunak said progress in tackling the spread of Covid-19 meant the country was able to take a "fresh look" at the two-metre rule which many employers have said will make it harder for them to get back up to speed after the coronavirus lockdown.

Russia reports 8,835 new cases, 119 deaths 

Russia reported 8,835 new cases, bringing the number of infections nationwide to 528,964.

The authorities said 119 people had died from the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 6,948. 

Tokyo confirms 47 new cases

Tokyo confirmed 47 new infections, the country's Asahi television reported, the highest since the government lifted the state of emergency nationwide in late May.

The daily figure was also the highest since May 5, the broadcaster said.

Of these 47 cases, said Jiji news agency, 18 were working at a club which provides male drinking companions for women.

Beijing should expand nucleic acid testing for coronavirus – govt spokesman

Beijing should expand the scope of nucleic acid testing for the virus in and the scope of sampling in the Chinese capital, a city government spokesman said.

He told a news conference Beijing has entered an"extraordinary period" after the city reported a record 36 confirmed new cases of the virus for Saturday. 

China Southern Airlines flight from Dhaka to Guangzhou suspended

A China Southern Airlines flight from Dhaka to Guangzhou will be suspended for four weeks from June 22 due to concerns about Covid-19 infections, China's aviation regulator said.

Seventeen passengers on a June 11 flight from the Bangladeshi capital to the southern Chinese city tested positive for the coronavirus, meeting the conditions for a "circuit breaker" suspension of the service, the Civil Aviation Administration of China in a statement.

China reported 19 new confirmed cases involving travelers from overseas for June 13, with 17 of them arriving in Guangdong province.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 247 to 186,269 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 247 to 186,269, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by six to 8,787.

China records 57 new cases

China reported 57 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily figure since April, as concerns grow about a resurgence of the disease.

The National Health Commission said 36 of those were domestic infections in the capital Beijing, where a new cluster of infections has prompted lockdowns in several residential neighbourhoods.

Brazil registers 850,514 confirmed cases

Brazil has registered 850,514 confirmed cases of the virus and the total death toll reached 42,720, the Ministry of Health said.

Brazil registered 21,704 new cases over the last 24 hours and 892 deaths.

US reports 2,038,344 cases in total

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,038,344 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 22,317 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 711 to 114,625.

Algeria to further relax restrictions

Algeria will further relax its coronavirus lockdown, easing a curfew, allowing public transport to resume in the cities and reopening some more businesses, the government said.

The government will end the curfew in 19 provinces and shorten it in the remaining 29, including in the capital Algiers, the prime minister's office said.

It said buses and taxis in urban areas will also resume services with a limited number of passengers. Taxi drivers are ordered to take one client only.

Some businesses such as clothing and shoe shops, car rentals and hair salons will reopen. The government last week allowed the reopening of business such as men's barbershops and cattle markets.

Egypt confirms highest daily rise of cases and deaths

Egypt on Saturday confirmed 1,677 new coronavirus cases and 62 deaths, the health ministry said, the highest daily increase for both counts.

In total, the Arab world's most populous country has registered 42,980 cases including 1,484 deaths, the ministry said in a statement.