We’re closing this blog now but you can follow all the developments in the pandemic at our new blog here:
Summary
- Keir Starmer called on the UK government to impose a national circuit breaker lockdown of at least two weeks in England as the death toll from Covid-19 soared to a four-month high. In a significant escalation, the Labour leader said the prime minister Boris Johnson had “lost control of the virus” and must take urgent action to impose a near-total shutdown across the country over the October half-term. Full story here.
- The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki tested negative for Covid-19. Morawiecki went into quarantine after he had contact on Friday with a person who has tested positive. A government spokesman said the prime minister had no coronavirus symptoms and continued to fulfil his duties.
- Dutch bars and restaurants ordered to close to stem surge in coronavirus cases. The Dutch government announced the new round of measures on Tuesday as the number of cases in this country surged in recent weeks to a daily record of nearly 7,400.
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Italy announces new restrictions. Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday imposed new restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, sports and school activities in an attempt to slow a surge in novel coronavirus infections.
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UK reports 143 new deaths from Covid-19, highest daily figure since June. This brings the UK death total to 43,018. There had been a further 17,234 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK on Tuesday. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 634,920.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus. The 35-year-old is said to be “doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation”, with no further positive tests reported in the squad before Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday.
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Russia’s regulator has granted approval for a trial of its controversial Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine on people aged over 60. In August Russia approved the vaccine for use after less than two months of human testing, including a dose administered to one of Vladimir Putin’s daughters.
- Hospitals in Paris could have up to 90% of intensive care beds packed with Covid-19 patients as soon as next week. The warning came from the healthcare system’s chief as France braces for new measures to slow a surge in cases.
- Ireland’s government offered more support on Tuesday to those hit hardest by some of Europe’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions. The budget stimulus package was described as “unprecedented in the history of the state” by Reuters.
- Russia reports record daily coronavirus cases and deaths. On Tuesday, the country’s coronavirus crisis centre said 13,868 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall number of infections to 1,326,178.
Brazil registered another 10,220 confirmed cases of Covid-19 over the last 24 hours and a further 309 reported deaths, the nation’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
The country has now registered 5,113,628 total confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 150,998 total reported deaths, the second highest death toll in the world after the United States.
Stormont has commenced a late-night meeting amid mounting expectation Northern Ireland may be facing the prospect of a circuit-break lockdown.
The meeting got under way just after 9.30pm for talks on how to tackle spiralling Covid-19 infection rates in the region.
Assembly members have been told to be on standby for a late-night sitting of the legislature to be briefed on any measure that might be agreed by the Executive.
Ministers are debating whether to trigger a circuit-break lockdown, potentially for four weeks, that would see all pubs and restaurants closed. Schools could close for an extended period within that four weeks, potentially for a fortnight.
It comes as, separately, Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called on the UK government to “follow the science” and impose a national circuit breaker lockdown of at least two weeks in England as the death toll from Covid-19 soared to a four-month high.
It marked a significant escalation, with Starmer saying the prime minister Boris Johnson had “lost control of the virus” and must take urgent action to impose a near-total shutdown across the country over the October half-term.
He suggested the shutdown, one week of which would coincide with schools’ planned half-term break, could also be used to upgrade the UK’s beleaguered test-and-trace system.
Starmer also suggested schools could remain open but non-essential offices and all hospitality businesses would close, though he said they must be compensated by the Treasury.
More on that story here:
The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has tested negative for Covid-19, the government’s spokesman said on Twitter on Tuesday evening.
Earlier on Tuesday a government spokesman said Morawiecki went into quarantine after he had contact on Friday with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19, adding the prime minister had no coronavirus symptoms and continued to fulfil his duties.
Stevie Wonder has released two new singles appealing for unity amid the challenges of systemic racism and the coronavirus pandemic, and said he would donate 100% of the proceeds of one of them to the non-profit Feeding America.
“Where Is Our Love Song” and “Can’t Put It In the Hands of Fate,” are songs Wonder, 70, said he had started writing years ago about romantic relationships but was inspired to give them a different twist by the tumultuous events of the past year.
“If I can do anything to use the gift of song to help to feed people, to share my love ... it is my joy,” the singer-songwriter told a video news conference, referring to “Where Is Our Love Song.”
“In these times, we are hearing the most poignant wake-up calls and cries for this nation and the world to, please, heed our need for love, peace and unity,” he said.
The 25-time Grammy winner said on Tuesday that “Can’t Put It In the Hands of Fate” was inspired by street protests against social injustice, the search for a coronavirus vaccine and the right to vote.
“Where Is Our Love Song” was written in response to “all the confusion and hate, all the east versus west, left versus right” in contemporary America, he said.
“Where Is Our Love Song” – Out Now.https://t.co/6rO9gVRhJq pic.twitter.com/0BTkFVIojr
— Stevie Wonder (@StevieWonder) October 13, 2020
Canadian children can go trick-or-treating on Halloween despite being in the middle of a second wave of Covid-19, the country’s top health officials say, as long as they practice physical distancing, wear masks and wash their hands.
In Canada, as in the United States, Halloween brings armies of children dressed in spooky costumes out onto the streets in search of candy and maybe a fright or two.
For parents, this year’s Halloween is truly a scary prospect, however, as coronavirus case numbers climb. Canada recorded 975 new infections on Monday, and the prime minister warned last week that the country is at a “tipping point” in its battle against a second surge.
“We can have Halloween... It’s possible to give and receive candy safely,” Dr Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, told a news conference on Tuesday.
“There are some really interesting ideas where people are handing out treats on the end of a hockey stick,” added Dr Theresa Tam, the chief medical officer. “Pre-packaging your treats so people are not rummaging in a bowl of candies is actually important.”
More tips, like equipping the kids with small bottles of hand sanitiser, will be posted on the health ministry’s website, she said.
Health experts agree it is important to have “some degree of normality” during the pandemic, Tam said, but added that staying outdoors, physical distancing and wearing masks that “could turn into part of your costume” are necessary.
Cumbrian police have warned Scots not to cross the border on Saturday to watch the Old Firm match in bars and pubs there after several bars and pubs were contacted by Scottish football fans hoping to visit.
Celtic and Rangers supporters and venues have been warned ahead of the match that the rule of six will be strictly enforced by Cumbria Police.
Pubs, bars and restaurants across central Scotland are closed for a two week period, while those elsewhere in Scotland can only serve alcohol outdoors until the 10pm curfew.
Superintendent Matt Kennerley said:
We understand restrictions on licensed premises in Scotland might offer the temptation to travel south of the border to visit our pubs and bars - but anybody breaching rules here does face a fine.
He highlighted Scottish government advice which says people should not travel outside their local health board area.
Summary
- Dutch bars and restaurants ordered to close to stem surge in coronavirus cases. The Dutch government announced the new round of measures on Tuesday as the number of cases in this country surged in recent weeks to a daily record of nearly 7,400.
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Italy announces new restrictions. Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday imposed new restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, sports and school activities in an attempt to slow a surge in novel coronavirus infections.
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UK reports 143 new deaths from Covid-19, highest daily figure since June. This brings the UK death total to 43,018. There had been a further 17,234 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK on Tuesday. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 634,920.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus. The 35-year-old is said to be “doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation”, with no further positive tests reported in the squad before Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday.
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Russia’s regulator has granted approval for a trial of its controversial Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine on people aged over 60. In August Russia approved the vaccine for use after less than two months of human testing, including a dose administered to one of Vladimir Putin’s daughters.
- Hospitals in Paris could have up to 90% of intensive care beds packed with Covid-19 patients as soon as next week. The warning came from the healthcare system’s chief as France braces for new measures to slow a surge in cases.
- Ireland’s government offered more support on Tuesday to those hit hardest by some of Europe’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions. The budget stimulus package was described as “unprecedented in the history of the state” by Reuters.
- Russia reports record daily coronavirus cases and deaths. On Tuesday, the country’s coronavirus crisis centre said 13,868 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall number of infections to 1,326,178.
Here’s a write up from Reuters on the Netherlands’ partial lockdown:
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday the Netherlands must return to a “partial lockdown”, including the closure of bars and restaurants, as the country battles to control the coronavirus in one of Europe’s major hotspots.
“Today we are announcing new and weighty measures and in fact we are going to a partial lockdown,” Rutte said in a nationally televised news conference at which he announced that bars and restaurants will be closed excepting for takeaway or delivery. Alcohol sales in the evening will also be banned.
Rutte said that the measures will go into effect on Wednesday for a period of two weeks. They also include making the wearing of cloth masks mandatory for people 13 years and older in indoor spaces. Gatherings of more than 30 people are banned nationwide.
The number of cases in this country of 17 million has surged in recent weeks to a daily record of nearly 7,400 on Tuesday. It now has one of the highest per capita infection rates worldwide.
French health authorities on Tuesday reported 12,993 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, up on Monday’s 8,505, but still sharply down from Saturday’s record of 26,896 and Sunday’s 16,101, Reuters reports.
The seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out weekly data reporting irregularities, stood above the record 17,000 level for the second day running, at 17,816.
Dutch bars and restaurants to close to stem surge in coronavirus cases
The Dutch government announced a new round of measures to slow the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday, according to a report by Reuters, which includes:
- Ban on alcohol sales after 8pm
- Limit on the size of social gathering
- Bars and restaurants to close
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said the measures will go into effect from Wednesday.
This partial lockdown will last four weeks, the Dutch health minister said.
Updated
The number of people claiming temporary Irish jobless benefits will increase by up to 115,000 if the government imposes stricter Covid-19 restrictions across the country, the public expenditure department forecast on Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
Ireland last week shut indoor restaurant and pub service for at least three weeks when it moved all counties up to Level 3 of the five-step confinement plan. That resulted in a rise in Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) recipients to 228,858 from 205,593 seven days earlier.
The increase was in the middle of the range forecast by the public expenditure department for Level 3 measures. It projected 100,000 to 115,000 extra people would claim the payment if Level 4 curbs were imposed, closing all but essential retail.
Level 5 restrictions, which would ban outdoor retail and dining, would result in 140,000 to 167,000 extra claimants compared to the current number of recipients.
The opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a two to three-week “circuit-breaker” lockdown in England in an effort to bring coronavirus cases down.
Speaking at a press conference, he said:
Three things are now clear.
The government has not got a credible plan to slow infection. It has lost control of the virus.
And it is no longer following scientific advice.
Updated
Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday imposed new restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, sports and school activities in an attempt to slow a surge in novel coronavirus infections.
Reuters reports:
The latest steps marked the second time in a week that the government has toughened its measures, though overall they remain less severe than those in other European countries such as Britain and Spain, where infection rates are far higher.
“We must avoid plunging the country into a general lockdown, the economy has started to move fast again,” Conte told a news conference.
The government decree, which will take effect within 24 hours and be valid for 30 days, bans parties in restaurants, clubs or in the open air and strongly recommends that people do not hold parties in their homes or host more than six guests at any time.
Weddings and other ceremonies can be attended by no more than 30 people.
US senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday the coronavirus aid package the Senate will take up next week will be “roughly” $500 billion.
Reuters reports:
McConnell said the bill will include funding for schools and the Paycheck Protection Program that has helped small businesses during the pandemic. He said it would also have liability protections for businesses and organisations that are sought by Republicans but opposed by Democrats.
Updated
The UK’s £12bn test and trace programme “is having a marginal impact” in reducing Covid-19 transmission, according to a recent analysis.
But which countries got it right? Peter Beaumont looks at the success and failures of track and trace across the world.
For more UK-specific coronavirus news, you can follow Andrew Sparrow’s daily politics blog.
Updated
UK reports 143 new deaths from Covid-19, highest daily figure since June
There had been a further 17,234 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 634,920.
A further 143 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday. It is the highest daily figure since June, as parts of the country were facing tougher social distancing restrictions under a new three-tiered alert system. This brings the UK death total to 43,018.
Updated
After that news that Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19 there have been no further positive tests reported in the Portigal squad before Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday.
The BBC broadcaster and former England striker, Gary Lineker, is meanwhile among among those commenting on the news:
News in that @Cristiano has tested positive for Coronavirus. I’m sure he’ll see it off as comfortably as he does defenders. 🤞🏻
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 13, 2020
Ronaldo had played in both of Portugal’s matches so far during the international break.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward started against Spain in Lisbon, coming off late on during the second half of the goalless draw, and then played all of the Nations League A3 fixture against France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Russia’s regulator has granted approval for a trial of its controversial Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine on people aged over 60, according to the RIA news agency.
In August Russia approved the vaccine for use after less than two months of human testing, including a dose administered to one of Vladimir Putin’s daughters.
The announcement that Russia was pushing ahead with large-scale manufacture and mass immunisation before so-called “phase 3” testing was greeted with criticism from experts who described the Russian approach as reckless and unethical, saying it risked exacerbating rather than helping manage the pandemic.
The WHO said the vaccine should not be produced until it had completed phase 3 trials.
More than 2 million people in England on an official shielding list, considered vulnerable to Covid because of their health, will be advised to take precautions and follow social distancing as cases surge, but most will not be told to stay home.
The announcement by the UK government’s Department of Health and Social Care was strongly condemned by patients groups, who argued that the government was doing too little to support those at most risk. Blood Cancer UK called the advice “ludicrous”, while Kidney Cancer UK said they were being asked to choose between their livelihoods and their health.
As the numbers of cases, hospital admissions and deaths rise, those on the former shielding list have been anxious to know whether they should stay in their homes as they did in the spring. The “clinically extremely vulnerable” group includes people with conditions affecting the immune system, certain cancers and organ transplant recipients.
Staying with footballers for a moment, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss his country’s Nations League game against Sweden tomorrow.
The Juventus forward is “doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation,” the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) said in a statement.
Ronaldo tweeted this photo yesterday, days after playing in matches against France and Spain.
Unidos dentro e fora do campo! 🇵🇹👏🏽👊🏽 #todosportugal pic.twitter.com/4bQSUIPm2m
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 12, 2020
A Manchester United footballer was caught speeding at more than 100mph in the second week of the Covid-19 lockdown in England, a court has been told.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a 22-year-old right-back, was stopped by police as he drove into London on the M1 on 1 April, after his £90,000 G-wagon Mercedes had been clocked by a speed gun at 104mph, London’s Evening Standard newspaper reports.
Wan-Bissaka was given six penalty points on his licence and a £600 fine by magistrates.
Updated
Hospitals in Paris could have up to 90% of intensive care beds packed with Covid-19 patients as soon as next week, the healthcare system’s chief warned today as France braces for new measures to slow a surge in cases.
“It’s inevitable,” Martin Hirsch, the head of the 39 hospitals in Paris and its suburbs, told the Parisien newspaper.
“By around 24 October, there will be a minimum of 800 to 1,000 Covid patients in intensive care, representing 70 to 90% of our current capacity,” he said.
The prospect puts more pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, who is widely expected to announce tighter restrictions in a prime-time TV interview on Wednesday night.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now while Aamna takes a break.
Updated
Relatives of care home residents in England are to be designated as key workers so they can be tested regularly for Covid-19 and continue to visit loved ones.
The plans, initially a pilot project, with no details about how they would be rolled out, were announced to MPs on Tuesday by the care minister, Helen Whately. They are a win for families and charities that have been calling for months for relatives to be given the same key worker status as staff.
Along with testing, the single designated relative would be trained in the use of PPE, she said, although she was unable to give a date for when the pilot would begin.
Organisations including Dementia UK and the Alzheimer’s Society have been calling for such a move, arguing in a letter to the government in July that the care given by family members was essential to dementia patients’ wellbeing. Social distancing restrictions had contributed to a “hidden catastrophe” in care homes, which had been closed to non-essential visitors since March, they said.
Ireland’s government offered more support on Tuesday to those hit hardest by some of Europe’s toughest Covid-19 restrictions in a budget stimulus package that it said was “unprecedented in the history of the state”.
Reuters reports:
Like other countries, Ireland has spent aggressively to contain the pandemic crisis with billions of euros in emergency jobless benefits, wage subsidies and business loan guarantees, turning last year’s budget surplus into a forecast deficit of 6.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2020.
It also faces the prospect of a disruption of trade with neighbouring Britain if progress is not made rapidly on a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union single market, which Ireland belongs to.
With the damage to the state finances not as bad as feared, Ireland will spend big again next year, setting aside 3.4 billion euros in a Brexit and Covid-19 recovery fund, cutting the VAT cut for the hospitality sector to 9% from 13.5% and extending a commercial rate holiday.
Updated
Politicians in Germany are urging their government to extend this year’s Christmas holidays by several weeks in order to shield people in family bubbles for as long as possible and delay the risk of super-spreader events at schools in the new year.
Christoph Ploß, a delegate for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from Hamburg, told Bild newspaper that students could be better protected from the virus if the Christmas break were to be delayed “by two to three weeks”. The summer holidays could be shortened in turn, the conservative politician suggested.
Another CDU delegate, Stephan Pilsinger, proposed extending the Christmas break even further, by up to four weeks.
Germany has seen a surge of infection numbers with the onset of the cold season, with the country’s disease control agency recording 4,122 new infections over the last 24 hours.
Sweden registered 2,203 new coronavirus cases in the last four days, health agency statistics showed on Tuesday, taking the country’s total to 100,654 since the start of the pandemic.
Reuters reports:
Sweden has shunned lockdowns, leaving most schools, restaurants and businesses open throughout the pandemic.
Sweden registered five new deaths since Friday, taking the total to 5,899 deaths. Sweden’s death rate per capita is several times higher than Nordic neighbours but lower than countries like Spain, Italy and the UK that opted for lockdowns.
Updated
Dutch register more than 7,000 coronavirus cases in new daily record
The Netherlands reached a new record in daily coronavirus cases, hitting nearly 7,400 infections in 24 hours, data released on Tuesday showed.
Reuters reports the government is preparing to announce new social restrictions at a press conference with Prime Minister Mark Rutte at 1900 local time (1700GMT).
The International Monetary Fund has scaled back its estimate of the hit to the global economy from Covid-19 this year but warned that the final bill for the pandemic would total $28tn (£21.5tn) in lost output.
In its flagship world economic outlook, the IMF said a stronger than expected performance in the second and third quarters meant it believed global output would fall by 4.4% in 2020 compared with the 5.2% drop forecast during the summer.
But the Washington-based organisation said rising infection rates in some emerging market economies had forced it to pare back its estimate of the rebound in 2021 from 5.4% to 5.2%. The gap between rich and poor countries was growing, it added.
Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s economic counsellor, described Covid-19 as the worst crisis since the Great Depression, and said the pandemic would leave deep and enduring scars caused by job losses, weaker investment and children being deprived of education.
Health editor Sarah Boseley has written an explainer for the brewing controversy around the UK’s government decision not to ignore Sage, a committee of scientific experts, advice to impose a “circuit breaker” lockdown on 21 September.
Lockdowns may aid economic recovery by helping to reduce coronavirus infections, leading to a short and sharp downturn, but they disproportionately harm women and young people, according to the International Monetary Fund.
In its world economic outlook, released on Tuesday evening, the IMF called for policies targeted at women and young people to prevent “widening inequality” as a result of the Covid-19 recession.
The intervention follows widespread criticism of Australian prime minister Scott Morrison government’s budget for leaving women behind, with few gender-specific measures in its package of business tax concessions and hiring credits targeted at workers aged under 35.
The IMF update projected a “less severe though still deep recession” in 2020 due to quicker emergence from lockdowns in May and June, with global growth down 4.4%, and a strong bounce back in 2021, with global growth up by 5.2%.
In Australia, the IMF report provides some support for the budget’s very optimistic assessment that growth will rebound by 4.25% in 2021 after falling 3.7% in 2020.
The IMF projected in 2021 Australia’s economy will grow by 3%, without taking account of the $98bn of new spending and foregone revenue in the budget, and unemployment will reach 7.7%.
More than 2 million people who shielded during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK have been given new advice on what to do depending on the Covid alert level in their area.
The government has said:
- For tier 1 (medium alert level): People should strictly observe social distancing, meet others outside where possible, limit unnecessary journeys on public transport and work from home where possible. People should still go to work and children should still attend school. This is on top of restrictions for everyone to only meet in groups of up to six people.
- For tier 2 (high alert level): People should reduce the number of different people they meet outside, avoid travel except for essential journeys, work from home where possible and reduce the number of shopping trips made or go at quieter times of the day. People can still go to work if they cannot work from home and children should still attend school. This is on top of restrictions for everyone to not meet other households indoors, unless part of a support bubble, and to only meet in groups of up to six people outdoors.
- For tier 3 (very high alert level): People should work from home, in general stay at home as much as possible, and avoid all but essential travel. People should significantly reduce shopping trips, and if possible use online delivery or ask people in their household, support bubble or volunteers to collect food and medicines. People in these areas are encouraged to still go outside for exercise, and can still go to school and to work if they cannot work from home.
Ministers have said none of the alert levels in place would automatically trigger a warning for those who had shielded before to do so again and stay home at all times.
Read more below.
Germany must agree on nationwide rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent infections from getting out of control, the premier of Bavaria said on Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
Speaking ahead of a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states on Wednesday, Markus Soeder said the next four weeks would be crucial for whether Germans could celebrate a relaxed Christmas.
“We must now set the course jointly, otherwise there is a danger that it could get out of control,” he told a news conference following a meeting of Bavaria’s cabinet.
Compulsory mask-wearing should be extended to more public places, such as lifts, while celebrations should be smaller and better controlled, Soeder said.
Iran’s coronavirus death toll rose by 254 to 29,070, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The number of confirmed cases increased to 508,389 in the hardest-hit Middle Eastern country, Reuters reports.
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 4,108 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours.
Updated
Norway will provide a vaccine against Covid-19 free of charge to its citizens as part of the country’s national vaccination programme, the government said on Tuesday.
Reuters reports:
Norway, which is part of the European single market but is not a member of the European Union, said in August it would get access to the vaccines that the EU obtains via deals negotiated with pharmaceuticals companies.
“We want as many people as possible to get the offer of receiving a safe and effective vaccine. This is why vaccination will be free of charge,” prime minister Erna Solberg said in a statement.
Russia on Tuesday reported its highest daily coronavirus fatalities since the start of the pandemic, with 244 deaths in the past 24 hours, but said it had no plans to reintroduce a lockdown.
The country on Tuesday also reached a record number of new daily infections, at almost 14,000.
Russia is the fourth worst-hit country in the world by number of infections - behind the US, India and Brazil - with a total of more than 1.3 million cases.
The head of the country’s health watchdog Anna Popova said:
Despite the fact that we see these figures are growing, in Russia we are not talking about shutting down the economy, halting activity or business.
We do not see the sense in doing this.”
Restaurants, theatres and nightclubs in Russia are open, though Moscow has asked businesses to ensure a third of their employees are working from home. Mask-wearing has increased in Moscow in recent weeks, as police impose fines for non-compliance with rules on public transport.
Russia imposed a strict lockdown in the spring but the Kremlin this week said it could be more “flexible” in its response to the virus because of better treatment options and more hospital beds.
Moscow, the worst-hit area in the country, has built temporary facilities to treat Coronavirus patients.
But local media have reported that hospitals in other regions are already at capacity, and are having to turn away suspected Covid cases and people with other illnesses.
Russia meanwhile is pushing ahead with the rollout of the controversial “Sputnik V” vaccine, which president Vladimir Putin announced in August was approved for use, before it had passed the final stage of clinical trials.
Alexander Ginzburg, the head of the Moscow research institute that developed Sputnik V, said on Tuesday that 70 percent of the Russian population could be vaccinated within the next year.
Brazilian researchers have detected a correlation between support for the country’s science-denying president, Jair Bolsonaro, and higher levels of Covid-19 infection and death.
A study produced by academics from Rio’s federal university reportedly found that areas that voted more heavily for Bolsonaro in the 2018 election had been more severely affected by the epidemic.
Proportionally there was an 11% increase in coronavirus cases and a 12% increase in fatalities for every 10% more votes for Bolsonaro, the study found, according to the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.
“One conclusion might be that the president’s ambiguous rhetoric leads his supporters to more frequently display risky behaviour – such as showing less respect for confinement instructions and the use of masks – and to suffer the consequences as a result,” it said of what researchers called ‘the Bolsonaro effect’.
One of the authors, João Luiz Maurity Sabóia, told the newspaper the correlation was probably caused by “the stance of the president, who trivialized the use of masks and the disease, calling it a ‘bit of a flu’”.
Bolsonaro has faced domestic and international condemnation for his handling of the global health emergency, which has killed more than 150,000 Brazilians.
On Monday night, Bolsonaro’s former health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, accused his former boss of taking “a conscious decision” to play down Covid-19 for political gain.
Updated
Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has gone into quarantine after he had contact with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19, Reuters reports.
Morawiecki said in a video posted on social media:
I found out that on Friday I had contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19. As a result of that and in accordance with sanitary procedures I am going into quarantine.
I am in constant contact with my colleagues and the government is working normally.
It is unclear if Morawiecki will participate in the European Union summit on Thursday and Friday.
Updated
Germany’s population has contracted slightly for the first time in nearly a decade because immigration shrank as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, official data showed Tuesday.
AP reports:
Some 83.1 million people lived in Germany at the end of June, with the population declining by 40,000, or 0.05%, in the year’s first half, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
The last decline was in the second half of 2010. Since then, the population had increased steadily – most sharply in the second half of 2015, when the influx of migrants to Europe caused an increase of 717,000 people.
The statistics office pointed to a sharp decline in net immigration starting in March, when the pandemic hit Europe, and lasting through May – a period that accounted for a population decline of 59,000.
Most countries shut down public life and many, including Germany, largely shut their borders. In June, the country’s population grew by 4,000, still much lower than the 14,000 seen a year earlier.
Updated
Hello, I’m Aamna and I’ll be taking over the blog for the rest of the day. If you want to get in touch, you can email me (aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com) or message me on Twitter (@aamnamohdin)
Netherlands set for new restrictions as cases surge
A new round of social restrictions will be announced by the Dutch government on Tuesday evening, including the possible closure of cafes and restaurants, as the Netherlands battles to control the coronavirus in one of Europe’s major hotspots.
The number of cases in the country of 17 million has surged in recent weeks to a daily record of nearly 7,000 on Monday. It now has one of the highest per capita infection rates worldwide.
Prime minister Mark Rutte’s government has been loth to re-impose tougher restrictions that could hurt a fragile economic recovery, but has come under pressure from health experts to take action to prevent overloading the healthcare system.
Rutte and the health minister Hugo de Jonge, who have both warned restrictions would follow if conditions did not improve, are scheduled to give a televised news conference at 19.00 local time (1700 GMT).
While many of its European neighbours imposed compulsory restrictions, the Dutch have largely stuck to recommended guidelines, including on mask wearing and travel.
Among the most severe measures expected to be announced on Tuesday evening are the closure of cafes and restaurants and an evening ban on alcohol sales, national broadcaster NOS reported, citing government sources.
Team sports for people aged over 18 will be halted, using public transport limited to essential travel only and home gatherings restricted to three people per household, the NOS report said.
The measures will be imposed for an initial period of two weeks, the NOS said.
Updated
Russia reports record daily coronavirus cases and deaths
Russia has reported record daily increases in coronavirus cases and deaths.
On Tuesday, the country’s coronavirus crisis centre said 13,868 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall number of infections to 1,326,178.
The previous record of 13,634 new cases was registered on Sunday.
Russia also reported a record daily rise of 244 deaths from the virus, bringing the official death toll to 22,966.
Updated
China’s 56-day streak without new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases has been broken after officials reported six infections in the eastern coastal province of Shandong on Tuesday. For weeks, China had only seen imported cases of the virus, a cause for celebration as residents returned to work and began travelling again.
All six cases were linked to the Qingdao chest hospital in the coastal city of Qingdao, best known for the beer of the same name.
On Monday, authorities in Qingdao had reported nine new cases also linked to the hospital, prompting a citywide effort to test all 9 million residents by the end of this week. By Monday, more than 200,000 close contacts connected to the hospital had been tested, all with negative results. As of Tuesday, more than 3 million people in the city had been tested.
The new cases come after an estimated 637 million people travelled across the country, visiting families and tourist destinations during the eight-day holiday known as “golden week”. Qingdao, popular for its seafood and beaches, had more than 4.4 million visitors.
The National Health Commission has deployed a team to Qingdao while other cities have begun imposing new restrictions on travel to the area. Health officials in Beijing told residents not to travel to Qingdao unless absolutely necessary and ordered those who have been recently to undergo a nucleic acid test. Schools in Beijing are also asking families to report any recent travel to Qingdao.
Updated
Ahead of a French cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss further measures to control the coronavirus pandemic, a minister has said the government could not rule out imposing curfews on cities such as Paris.
“Everything is being examined. Nothing can be excluded,” Marlène Schiappa told LCI television, after another minister also hinted the government could take such a move.
Updated
Also in the UK, the government has warned it may have to impose even stricter measures if the second wave of coronavirus accelerates in high-risk areas.
On Monday, prime minister Boris Johnson introduced a three-tier system in England, with Liverpool and surrounding Merseyside placed in the highest level – meaning that pubs will be forced to close – to curb a surge in cases.
“The message that we did deliver to those leaders in Merseyside was that we need to take these steps, we probably even need to go further but that we want to design those steps jointly between ourselves and local government,” housing secretary Robert Jenrick said on Tuesday morning.
Updated
The unemployment rate in the UK rose to 4.5% between June and August amid the economic fallout from the pandemic, official data shows.
An estimated 1.5 million people were unemployed during the period, 209,000 more than a year earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The employment rate in June to August was down 0.3 percentage points on the previous three months, while unemployment was up 0.4 percentage points. The economic inactivity rate was unchanged https://t.co/VJV2eagePA pic.twitter.com/dWxsyWYzBA
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) October 13, 2020
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today.
Here’s brief bit of joy in the form of a story about what Nobel prizes are like in a time of coronavirus:
A small story about having your neighbour wake you up in the middle of the night to tell you you've won the Nobel prize https://t.co/1BNxXBZiht
— Helen Sullivan (@helenrsullivan) October 13, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause a record 7% decline in global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2020, but governments are not doing enough to prevent a rapid rebound, according to an influential report.
Carbon dioxide emissions from energy use are expected to fall to 33.4 gigatonnes in 2020, the lowest level since 2011 and the biggest year-on-year fall since 1900 when records began, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its annual world energy outlook:
Updated
This is an interesting visualisation by independent web developer Dan Goodspeed, using New York Times data, of the rise and fall and (and rise) of cases in US states this year – showing whether states are mostly Democrat (shades of blue) or Republican (shades of red).
The chart of states with the highest number of infections turns mostly red by October:
This is a really crazy visualization pic.twitter.com/km36MFCXxx
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) October 12, 2020
Updated
Summary
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it has temporarily paused its Covid-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials due to an unexplained illness in a study. The participant’s illness is being reviewed and evaluated by an independent data and safety monitoring board as well as the company’s clinical and safety physicians, it said in a statement.
- US President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19 and he is not infectious to others, the White House physician said on Monday. In a memo released by the White House, Dr Sean Conley said Trump had tested negative on consecutive days using an Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW antigen card. He said the negative tests and other clinical and laboratory data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication”.
- As Donald Trump declared himself “immune” at his Florida rally, a new case study published in The Lancet revealed a 25-year-old man in Nevada was infected with coronavirus twice this year. This is the first confirmed case of reinfection in the US. The two infections in this one patient occurred six weeks apart. Reinfections are rare – there are only five such cases documented worldwide. But much is still unknown about how or why this happens.
- Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said the president Donald Trump’s campaign team should take down an advertisement that draws on a public statement Fauci made that he says is being used out of context. Fauci also said ahead of the Trump rally in Florida on Monday night, that holding large rallies is “asking for trouble”.
- Joe Biden told a drive-in rally in Ohio that Donald Trump ‘turned his back on you’ during the pandemic and its economic fallout. Biden questioned why Republicans had time for supreme court hearings but no time to come to an agreement with House Democrats on another economic relief package to help individuals, businesses and city and state governments.
- New Zealand has recorded its 18th consecutive day of no new cases of Covid-19 spread in the community, health officials said on Tuesday. All 39 active cases of the virus in New Zealand were diagnosed in travelers returning to the country, who remain in quarantine facilities run by the government. One imported case was reported on Tuesday, in a traveler who had entered New Zealand from the United States on 8 October.
- South Korea reported 102 new coronavirus cases as of Monday midnight, marking a triple-digit increase in six days, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Tuesday. Daily infections had fallen largely into the double-digit range in the past two weeks, which led the government to relax some rules on social distancing this week.
- The Czech government will order bars, restaurants and clubs to close from Wednesday until 3 November and shift most schools to distance learning as it puts new measures in place to curb the fast spread of Covid-19 cases in the country. Public gatherings will also be limited to six people, alcohol consumption in public spaces will be banned, and masks will be required at public transport stops.
- France reported a three-month high in ICU patients. Health authorities said the number of people treated in intensive care units for Covid-19 surpassed the 1,500 threshold on Monday, for the first time since 27 May, raising fears of local lockdowns in the country.
- In France, prime minister Jean Castex has urged people to limit gatherings in their homes but said he “cannot regulate” them. He added that the battle against the virus will last “several months more, I think”.
- In Spain, the government agreed protocols to establish travel corridors between European states and the Canary and Balearic Islands, both of which rely heavily on tourism and have been hit hard by the Covid crisis. Unemployment in the Balearics has risen by 90% since last year as a result of coronavirus.
- For the second day in a row, Iran has announced the highest single-day death toll from the coronavirus, with 272 new victims, as well as its single-day highest count of new cases, with 4,206.
- Malaysia announced that it will impose some restrictions on movement in its capital city and in the neighbouring state of Selangor from Wednesday, as the country grapples with a fresh surge of cases.
- In China, the city of Qingdao in eastern Shandong province announced plans to test each of its 9 million residents, after six new cases emerged linked to a hospital treating infections in returning international travellers.
- The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, set out a new, three-tiered system for Covid restrictions to “simplify and standardise” rules in England. The city region of Liverpool was immediately put into the “very high” category, with pubs and bars closed and almost all household mixing banned.
Updated
First confirmed case of reinfection in US
As Donald Trump declared himself “immune” at his Florida rally, a new case study published in The Lancet revealed a 25-year-old man in Nevada was infected with coronavirus twice this year.
This is the first confirmed case of reinfection in the US. The two infections in this one patient occurred six weeks apart.
Reinfections are rare – there are only five such cases documented worldwide. But much is still unknown about how or why this happens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently advises that those who have recovered from Covid-19 generally appear to be protected from reinfection for three months – but this newly documented case bucks that expectation.
Australia’s most populous state said on Tuesday it will ease restrictions despite reporting the biggest one-day jump in new Covid-19 cases in six weeks, Reuters reports.
New South Wales said that from 16 October venues that offer outdoor dining will be allowed to have double the number of patrons outside. NSW previously required such venues to ensure four square metres (13 square feet) for each patron.
“We know particularly in our state during this pandemic some of the hardest hit industries have been arts and recreation and hospitality,” NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told reporters in Sydney.
Australia’s federal government hopes easing state restrictions will help revive the country’s ailing economy.
The easing of restrictions comes despite NSW reporting 13 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest one-day rise in infections since 2 September.
Australia has now reported just over 27,000 infections and 899 deaths from the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The bulk of Australia’s infections have been in Victoria state, which is entering its third month of a stringent lockdown.
Victorian authorities have said most of the restrictions will be eased when the average number of daily Covid-19 infections over a two-week period falls below five. The average stood at 10 on Tuesday, threatening to prolong the lockdown.
Covid-19 prompts ‘enormous rise’ in demand for cheap child labour in India
Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Manoj Chaurasia report:
Over 70 children were crammed into a bus, heading from Bihar to a sweatshop in the Indian city of Rajasthan, when the authorities pulled it over. Among the faces half hidden behind colourful masks was 12-year-old Deepak Kumar.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Kumar had been enrolled in grade four at the school in his small district of Gaya in the impoverished Indian state of Bihar. But when Covid-19 hit and the country went into lockdown, the school gates shut across India and have not opened since. With his parents, both daily wage labourers, unable to make money and put food on the table, last month Kumar was sent out to find work:
Podcast: training dogs to sniff out the virus
What does a disease smell like? Humans might not have the answer, but if they could talk, dogs might be able to tell us. Able to sniff out a range of cancers and even malaria, canines’ extraordinary noses are now being put to the test on Covid-19. Nicola Davis hears from Prof Dominique Grandjean about exactly how you train dogs to smell a virus, and how this detection technique could be used in managing the spread of Covid-19.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 4,122 to 329,453, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
The reported death toll rose by 13 to 9,634, the tally showed.
Couples have rushed to get married over China’s national day holiday in the first wedding season since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Months of delayed nuptial celebrations were crowded into the “golden week” holiday, traditionally a popular time for weddings, that ended on Wednesday as hotels, banquet halls and other wedding venues were booked out.
Officials have hailed the holiday that saw 1.4 billion people moving across the country in a bout of so-called “revenge travel” as a sign of effective measures against the virus and the beginning of a consumer-led economic recovery. According to the ministry of culture and tourism, people spent about 466bn yuan ($69.5bn).
China promotes ‘revenge travel’ to boost economy after Covid lockdownsRead more
In Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, 99 couples, many of them frontline medical workers, were wed in a mass outdoor ceremony. The naval airforce of the eastern theatre, based in Ningbo, also held a group wedding of 15 couples:
Reuters reports that US voters have already cast more than 10 million votes for the presidential election on 3 November, significantly outpacing the 2016 figures and suggesting a large turnout, according to data compiled by the US Elections Project.
Here is the full story on Johnson & Johnson pausing its trial:
Johnson & Johnson has paused its Covid-19 vaccine trial due to an “unexplained illness” in a participant, the company confirmed.
The pharmaceutical giant was unclear if the patient was administered a placebo or the experimental vaccine, and it’s not remarkable for studies as large as the one Johnson & Johnson are conducting – involving 60,000 patients – to be temporarily paused:
Voters in Georgia faced hours-long lines on Monday as people flocked to the polls for the first day of early voting in the state, which has developed a national reputation in recent years for voting issues.
Eager voters endured waits of six hours or more in Cobb County, which was once solidly Republican but has voted for Democrats in recent elections, and joined lines that wrapped around buildings in solidly Democratic DeKalb County. They also turned out in big numbers in north Georgia’s Floyd County, where support for Donald Trump is strong.
In Atlanta 👇🏼 https://t.co/xVoMdWkWqa
— melissa block (@NPRmelissablock) October 13, 2020
With record turnout expected for this year’s presidential election and fears about exposure to the coronavirus, election officials and advocacy groups have been encouraging people to vote early, either in person or by absentee ballot:
Keen to appear lively and well after his recent hospitalization for Covid-19, Donald Trump held his first rally since being diagnosed, addressing a packed, largely maskless crowd in Florida – a state he desperately needs to win.
“I feel so powerful,” he boasted to his cheering supporters, 11 days after announcing his infection. “I’ll walk into that audience. I’ll walk in there, I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women – everybody,” he added, his voice still a bit hoarse.
With just weeks to go before election day, and early voting under way, Trump has been eager to return to a full schedule of in-person rallies as he scrambles to hold on to supporters. Polls have his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, ahead by an average of 10.4 points as of Friday. Trump is also losing support from seniors, who are the most vulnerable in a pandemic that has already killed more than 214,000 Americans.
In a frenetic push to solidify support, Trump and his campaign have sought to downplay the threat of coronavirus. The president’s own demonstrations of reckless, maskless bravado appear to be key to that strategy, as Trump characterizes his opponent as frail and confined to his basement:
‘It all ends in tiers’: what the papers say about Johnson’s new Covid rules.
Boris Johnson’s speech unveiling a tiered system of lockdown measures for England has been greeted on today’s front pages with anger in the worst-affected northern regions and fears of a nationwide lockdown, Graham Russell writes.
Papua New Guinea will fit all foreign workers coming into the country with an electronic ankle monitor for the duration of their Covid-19 quarantine, the government’s pandemic controller has said.
PNG has struggled to control outbreaks in the capital, Port Moresby, and western province, and charter flights carrying foreign workers run the risk of spreading the virus across the country.
PNG is struggling to contain an outbreak in its Western Province, which has porous borders with Indonesia and Australia. Four Papua New Guineans sailed a boat to the Australian island of Saibai last week to visit a resident there, in breach of Covid-19 restrictions, which have blocked informal cross-border travel to curb the pandemic.
Updated
Johnson & Johnson confirms pause in vaccine trial
Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it has temporarily paused its Covid-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials due to an unexplained illness in a study participant, Reuters reports.
The participant’s illness is being reviewed and evaluated by an independent data and safety monitoring board as well as the company’s clinical and safety physicians, it said in a statement.
Stat News reported the pause earlier in the day, citing a document sent to outside researchers running the 60,000-patient clinical trial, which stated that a “pausing rule” had been met, the online system used to enrol patients in the study had been closed and the data and safety monitoring board would be convened.
Updated
South Korea reports 102 new coronavirus cases
South Korea reported 102 new coronavirus cases as of Monday midnight, marking a triple-digit increase in six days, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Tuesday.
Daily infections had fallen largely into the double-digit range in the past two weeks, which led the government to relax some rules on social distancing this week.
Mainland China reported its first locally transmitted Covid-19 infections in nearly two months on Monday, as Qingdao city launched a city-wide testing drive after discovering new cases linked to a hospital designated to treat imported infections.
The National Health Commission said in a statement that a total of 13 Covid-19 infections were reported in mainland China on 12 October, down from 21 a day earlier.
Seven of the new cases were imported infections that originated from overseas, while all six local cases were reported in the eastern province of Shandong, where Qingdao is located.
The last time China reported local Covid-19 transmissions was on 15 August, when a total of four confirmed cases were reported in Xinjiang.
The total number of Covid-19 infections for mainland China now stands at 85,591, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
More from that Stat News report:
Johnson & Johnson emphasized that so-called adverse events — illnesses, accidents, and other bad medical outcomes — are an expected part of a clinical study, and also emphasized the difference between a study pause and a clinical hold, which is a formal regulatory action that can last much longer. The vaccine study is not currently under a clinical hold. J&J said that while it normally communicates clinical holds to the public, it does not usually inform the public of study pauses.
The data and safety monitoring board, or DSMB, convened late Monday to review the case. J&J said that in cases like this ‘it is not always immediately apparent’ whether the participant who experienced an adverse event received a study treatment or a placebo.
Though clinical trial pauses are not uncommon — and in some cases last only a few days — they are generating outsized attention in the race to test vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial paused – report
Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine trial has been paused, Stat News reports, due to “an unexplained illness in a study participant.”
According to Stat news:
A document sent to outside researchers running the 60,000-patient clinical trial states that a ‘pausing rule’ has been met, that the online system used to enrol patients in the study has been closed, and that the data and safety monitoring board — an independent committee that watches over the safety of patients in the clinical trial — would be convened. The document was obtained by STAT.
Contacted by STAT, J&J confirmed the study pause, saying it was due to ‘an unexplained illness in a study participant.’ The company declined to provide further details.
‘We must respect this participant’s privacy. We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important to have all the facts before we share additional information,’ the company said in a statement.
When the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Monday that the American economists Paul Milgrom and Bob Wilson had won the Nobel prize for economics, both men were fast asleep in their beds in Stanford, California.
Eventually the committee managed to get hold of Wilson to tell him the news. But Milgrom was asleep and nobody could contact him. So it was up to Wilson – who happens to be Milgrom’s neighbour – to go to the home of his former student in his pyjamas to relate the happy tidings, that he had won the prize worth US$1m.
Footage from Milgrom’s security camera captured the moment that Wilson arrived in the dead of night to break the news that he had won the Nobel for economics: https://t.co/1BNxXBZiht
— Helen Sullivan (@helenrsullivan) October 13, 2020
In the recording, Wilson and his wife, Mary, walk up to the door, Mary clutching her phone.
“Paul,” says Wilson, ringing the intercom, and knocking several times.
Eventually Milgrom answers: “Hello?”.
“Paul, it’s Bob Wilson. You’ve won the Nobel prize,” he says, with economy and restraint. “And so they’re trying to reach you. But they cannot. They don’t seem to have a number for you.”
New Zealand sees 18th day in a row with no new community cases
Charlotte Graham-McLay reports:
New Zealand has recorded its 18th consecutive day of no new cases of Covid-19 spread in the community, health officials said on Tuesday.
All 39 active cases of the virus in New Zealand were diagnosed in travelers returning to the country, who remain in quarantine facilities run by the government. One imported case was reported on Tuesday, in a traveler who had entered New Zealand from the United States on 8 October.
All returnees must stay for two weeks at the government-run isolation facilities, during which they are tested twice for Covid-19.
It is the country’s second streak of being free from the community spread of Covid-19. New Zealand reported just over 100 days of no domestic transmission of the virus, which ended with an outbreak in the largest city, Auckland, in August.
The last of the coronavirus restrictions on Auckland were removed last week; only strict border controls remain in place.
New Zealand has recorded 1,516 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 25 people have died. No one is currently in hospital with the virus.
Peru has opened the ruins of Machu Picchu for a single Japanese tourist after he waited almost seven months to enter the Inca citadel, while trapped in the Andean country during the coronavirus outbreak.
Jesse Takayama’s entry into the ruins came thanks to a special request he submitted while stranded since mid-March in the town of Aguas Calientes, on the slopes of the mountains near the site, said the minister of culture, Alejandro Neyra, on Monday.
“He had come to Peru with the dream of being able to enter,” Neyra said in a virtual press conference. “The Japanese citizen has entered together with our head of the park so that he can do this before returning to his country”:
Here is a video of Trump’s coronavirus boast:
He'll probably barely lose, but only because he's as high as Jim Jones and threatening to kiss--i.e. to kill--everyone.
— Dan Chiasson (@dchiasso) October 12, 2020
Not exactly a stable foundation for the democracy going forward, if it takes so much to barely defeat this. https://t.co/cy3aDIrkKK
At Trump’s rally in Florida, the US president is boasting about his recovery from Covid-19.
One again, he has made the false claim that he is “immune” to the virus
“I feel powerful,” he said. “I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women and everybody – I’ll give a big, fat kiss.”
The president has been eager to appear energetic after a recent hospitalisation following his coronavirus diagnosis, repeatedly boasting that he’s “young” at 74 and even claiming, on Fox News that he is a “perfect physical specimen”.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those with mild or moderate coronavirus infections can return to being around others after 10 days, the research on whether or not people can get reinfected is still ongoing.
Biden: Trump 'turned his back on you' in pandemic
Joe Biden told a drive-in rally in Ohio that Donald Trump ‘turned his back on you’ during the pandemic and its economic fallout.
Biden questioned why Republicans had time for supreme court hearings but no time to come to an agreement with House Democrats on another economic relief package to help individuals, businesses and city and state governments.
Trump has alternately called off Covid-19 relief talks, then pushed for a deal. Late last week, the White House expanded its offer to Democrats, but the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said it was unlikely Congress could pass a bill before the election and House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House offer didn’t include enough money.
Trump won Ohio by eight percentage points in 2016, but polls have tightened and it is now a key battleground state in the upcoming election:
More people from black and Asian backgrounds, as well as over-65s, are being urged to volunteer to help ensure potential coronavirus vaccines work for everyone.
Researchers say 270,000 people across the UK have signed up for vaccine studies but thousands more are needed, in particular from groups more vulnerable to Covid.
Just 7% of those who have signed up to NHS registers so far are from minority ethnic groups – half the proportion in the overall population. Of those who have signed up, 11,000 are Asian and 1,200 are black. More people aged over the age of 65 or with chronic diseases are also needed:
Czech government closes bars and schools
The Czech government ordered bars, restaurants and clubs closed from Wednesday and shifted schools to distance learning as it puts new measures in place to curb the fast spread of novel coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.
The Czech Republic is experiencing the strongest surge in Europe when adjusted for population as the number of infections detected since the outbreak began has soared to nearly 120,000, from around 25,000 at the beginning of September.
Hospitals are starting to feel that strain as the number of patients have doubled since the start of October to over 2,000.
The government has been seeking to avoid repeating the strict lockdowns imposed in the spring, which sent the economy into a record contraction. The summer saw a relaxation of restrictions after the country came through the first wave of the pandemic with far fewer cases than western neighbours.
From Wednesday, public gatherings would be limited to six people, alcohol consumption in public spaces would be banned and masks would be required at public transport stops. Takeaway orders will still be available until 8pm.
Schools, expect for pre-schools, would move to online lessons until 1 November – a measure that companies and especially hospitals have worried would affect staffing. This extends distance learning that had already been in place for secondary schools.
The measures will be in place until the start of November, and the government said that while schools would definitely reopen on 2 November, other measures would be relaxed according to the epidemiological situation. The government had already tightened curbs to limit restaurant openings and widen the use of masks.
Fauci says holding large rallies ‘asking for trouble’
Top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci has told CNN, ahead of the Trump rally in Florida on Monday night that holding large rallies is “asking for trouble”.
Dr. Fauci says Pres. Trump resuming in-person rallies is “asking for trouble” and “now is ... a worse time to do that because when you look at what’s going on in the United States it’s really very troublesome. A number of states, right now, are having increase in test positivity” pic.twitter.com/oXovPV7lyk
— CNN (@CNN) October 12, 2020
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNN that Americans should be vigilant, as coronavirus cases tick up in many parts of the country. “We’ve seen that when you have situations of congregate settings where there are a lot of people without masks, the data speak for themselves,” Fauci told CNN. “It happens. And now is even more so a worse time to do that, because when you look at what’s going on in the United States, it’s really very troublesome.”
Trump’s rally crowds have recently flouted masks and social distancing – measures that could slow the spread of the disease. The president has planned to hold rallies in battleground states all weeks, without any new safety precautions.
US President Donald Trump tests negative for Covid
US President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19 and he is not infectious to others, the White House physician said on Monday.
In a memo released by the White House ahead of Trump’s rally in Florida, Dr. Sean Conley said Trump had tested negative on consecutive days using an Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW antigen card.
He said the negative tests and other clinical and laboratory data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication.”
Conley did not specify how many consecutive days Trump had tested negative for.
An update from President @realDonaldTrump’s physician: pic.twitter.com/XTxs2BjImt
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 12, 2020
Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live pandemic coverage with me, Helen Sullivan.
I’ll be bringing you the latest from around the world for the next few hours. You can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci has told CNN, ahead of the Trump rally in Florida on Monday night that holding large rallies is “asking for trouble”.
Meanwhile the World Health Organization has warned that the number of new Covid cases is at its highest level since the start of the pandemic. Speaking at the regular Monday press conference in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organisation’s director general, also called ideas of herd immunity “scientifically and ethically problematic”.
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- US President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19 and he is not infectious to others, the White House physician said on Monday. In a memo released by the White House, Dr. Sean Conley said Trump had tested negative on consecutive days using an Abbott Laboratories BinaxNOW antigen card. He said the negative tests and other clinical and laboratory data “indicate a lack of detectable viral replication.”
- Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said the president Donald Trump’s campaign team should take down an advertisement that draws on a public statement Fauci made that he says is being used out of context. The ad, released last week, discusses Trump’s effort to recover from Covid-19, as well as his administration’s work to address the coronavirus pandemic. The 30-second spot uses older remarks from Fauci in a way that suggests he was praising the president. Fauci said the ad was “unfortunate and really disappointing”.
- The Czech government will order bars, restaurants and clubs to close from Wednesday until 3 November and shift most schools to distance learning as it puts new measures in place to curb the fast spread of Covid-19 cases in the country. Public gatherings will also be limited to six people, alcohol consumption in public spaces will be banned, and masks will be required at public transport stops.
- France reported a three-month high in ICU patients. Health authorities said the number of people treated in intensive care units for Covid-19 surpassed the 1,500 threshold on Monday, for the first time since 27 May, raising fears of local lockdowns in the country.
- In France, prime minister Jean Castex has urged people to limit gatherings in their homes but said he “cannot regulate” them. He added that the battle against the virus will last “several months more, I think”.
- In Spain, the government agreed protocols to establish travel corridors between European states and the Canary and Balearic Islands, both of which rely heavily on tourism and have been hit hard by the Covid crisis. Unemployment in the Balearics has risen by 90% since last year as a result of coronavirus.
- For the second day in a row, Iran has announced the highest single-day death toll from the coronavirus, with 272 new victims, as well as its single-day highest count of new cases, with 4,206.
- Malaysia announced that it will impose some restrictions on movement in its capital city and in the neighbouring state of Selangor from Wednesday, as the country grapples with a fresh surge of cases.
- In China, the city of Qingdao in eastern Shandong province announced plans to test each of its nine million residents, after six new cases emerged linked to a hospital treating infections in returning international travellers.
- The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, set out a new, three-tiered system for Covid restrictions to “simplify and standardise” rules in England. The city region of Liverpool was immediately put into the “very high” category, with pubs and bars closed and almost all household mixing banned.
Updated
