France and Germany report surge in Covid-19 cases
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that coping with the coronavirus will become more challenging in the coming autumn and winter months.
She agreed a wave of new measures with the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states yesterday designed to combat rising case numbers in Germany blamed mainly on summer travel and private parties.
The measures include a minimum fine of €50 for anyone caught without a face mask in places where wearing one is compulsory, a ban on large events until the end of the year and new quarantine rules for travellers.
“We will have to live with this virus for a long time to come. It is still serious. Please continue to take it seriously,” Ms Merkel warned.
More than 24.4 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 828,455 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Germany has fared relatively well in its battle to contain the virus so far but like many other European countries has seen a new surge in cases in recent weeks.
It reported 1,571 new cases today, bringing the total to 239,507, according to the Robert Koch disease control institute.
The country has so far recorded 9,288 deaths
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for better co-ordination on travel restrictions among European Union member states.
In Paris, authorities made a last-minute u-turn on a new requirement for universal mask wearing, exempting cyclists and joggers.
Face coverings are now compulsory in the city and near suburbs with a fine of €135 for non-compliance.
Yesterday, official data showed 6,111 confirmed new cases in 24 hours countrywide, a record number since the end of France’s coronavirus lockdown in May.
The Paris region is one of 21 French departments on a map of red zones with active virus circulation.
Masks were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites.
Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz predicted a return to “normal” next year after a challenging autumn and winter because of the pandemic.
He said the government would decide next week whether to further tighten measures to rein in rising numbers of infections.
He did not say what these measures could be but that the government’s goal was to try to avoid another strict lockdown after the one in March to curb the pandemic.
Last month, Austria re-introduced mandatory face mask use in supermarkets, food stores, post offices and bank branches – in addition to public transport and pharmacies.
Amsterdam ends ‘experiment’ with mandatory face masks
The city of Amsterdam said it was ending an experiment with mandating the use of face masks in crowded public spaces as a way to slow the spread of coronavirus, as the peak of the tourism season has passed.
The city, bucking national guidelines that only require masks on public transportation, had introduced mandatory masks in tourist areas on 5 August.
Social distancing requirements remain in place in the city, which remains a virus hotspot, and nationally.
US surpasses 180,000 virus deaths
The United States has reported more than 180,000 deaths due to Covid-19, according to Johns Hopkins University’s real-time tracker.
The US added 931 new virus deaths in 24 hours, the Baltimore-based university reported last night, bringing the total death toll to 180,527.
An additional 42,859 new cases brought the overall caseload to 5,860,397.
The US is by far the hardest-hit country in the world in terms of both number of cases and deaths.
At least 2,101,326 have recovered from the virus in the country.
The number of new Covid-19 cases in the US has dropped in recent weeks, but the country is far from out of the woods, with case numbers varying vastly by region.
Meanwhile, India has reported a record daily jump of 77,266 coronavirus infections, taking its total to 3.39 million, as cases surged across the country, data from the federal health ministry showed.
India has reported the highest single-day caseload in the world every day since 7 August, a Reuters tally showed, and is the third-most affected country behind only the US and Brazil.
Deaths in the same period went up by 1,057, taking the total toll to 61,529.
Japan, eyeing Olympics, lines up half-billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine
Japan is making an aggressive move to grab enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate its population four times over, a push the government hopes will instill confidence that it can host a delayed summer Olympics next year.
Like other rich countries, Japan is signing multiple deals because some of the vaccines could fail in clinical trials or require more than one dose, an approach some experts consider prudent.
A government spokesman said Japan was working with Olympic organisers on how to go ahead with the Games, tying the effort to the need to secure a vaccine.
The various companies “will probably be able to produce a vaccine between the end of this year and next March,” the spokesman told Reuters in an interview this week. “There are a lot of considerations, but we want to hold the Olympics at all costs.”
Japan is on track to have 521 million doses of five different vaccines in 2021, compared with a population of 126m. Recent deals include global arrangements with such drug makers as Pfizer and AstraZeneca, as well as local deals.
“You have to bet evenly to avoid getting nothing,” the director at Japan’s National Institute of Public Health said.
