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Case numbers surge in Europe and America, while Australia maintains success
That’s where I’ll leave you for now. Thanks for sticking with me.
Let’s recap on the developments of the past 24 hours.
- The global death toll climbed above 1.3 million and more than 53 million have been infected worldwide by Covid-19, as the virus runs rampant through America and Europe.
- In Australia, the news is much better. The state of Victoria again recorded no new cases and no new deaths for the 16th consecutive day. Victoria’s death toll from coronavirus remains at 819, while the total number of deaths from Covid-19 in Australia is 907. Australia’s two other most populous states, NSW and Queensland, also recorded no new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases.
- Ten people have died after a fire broke out in a Covid-19 intensive care ward in Romania, as prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into events. The blaze, which was “most likely triggered by a short circuit”, spread through the ward at Piatra Neamt Regional Emergency hospital on Saturday afternoon, critically injuring seven people.
- 462 more people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the U.K, raising the official death toll to 51,766. This number is up from 376 on Friday, government data shows. In Bristol, police made 14 arrests after protesters defied a ban on an anti-lockdown rally. One of the arrested men was Jeremy Corbyn’s brother, vision appears to show.
- Record high case numbers were recorded in Russia and Ukraine. Russia reported 22,702 new infections and 391 deaths. Ukraine registered 12,524 new cases. Poland recorded a record new 548 deaths and 25,571 cases. The record number of deaths takes Poland’s toll above 10,000.
- Iran has announced strict new lockdown restrictions from next Saturday, after recording 452 deaths, a near record. President Hassan Rouhani said non-essential businesses and services will be shut and cars will not be allowed to leave or enter Tehran and 100 other towns and cities
-
Lebanon has started a new two-week lockdown after coronavirus infections crossed the 100,000 mark. Beirut’s roads were largely empty and police checkpoints were set up at several locations.
-
Greece and Austria have set out plans to tighten lockdown restrictions. Austria is planning to impose a full lockdown from Tuesday. Greece has announced the closure of nurseries and primary schools until the end of November as its death toll surpassed 1,000.
Updated
New South Wales reports zero locally-acquired cases
The Australian state of New South Wales has just released its latest Covid-19 data.
It has again recorded no new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The state has reported nine cases in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, which brings the total in NSW to 4,306 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
NSW conducted 17,226 tests reported, a slight increase on the prior day.
The state’s health authorities are warning residents not to drop their guard.
With the weather becoming warmer and people starting to attend more social gatherings, NSW Health is calling on the community to maintain the COVID safe behaviours that have been key to stopping the spread of the virus. Though there have been no locally acquired cases in NSW in recent days, now is not the time to drop our guard. Everyone needs to continue to be alert to the ongoing risk of transmission of COVID-19, to keep practising physical distancing and good hand hygiene, and most importantly to get tested and isolate if they feel unwell.
Just back to Victoria, Australia, momentarily. The premier Daniel Andrews has flagged he will make an announcement on the wearing of masks next Sunday.
That announcement could include allowing individuals who are walking alone to take masks off until they come into contact with others.
That’s not for today. We will hopefully have a bit more to say about masks next week.
The German government has released a tongue-in-cheek ad hailing an unlikely hero in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic: the humble couch potato.
AP reports:
The 90-second video posted online Saturday begins with an elderly man recalling his ‘service’ to the nation back when he was just a young student “in the winter of 2020, when the whole country’s eyes were on us.”
“I had just turned 22 and was studying engineering,” he continues, “when the second wave hit.”
With violins stirring at viewers’ heart strings, the setting switches to a scene of the narrator as a young man.
“Suddenly the fate of this country lay in our hands,” he says. “So we mustered all our courage and did what was expected of us, the only right thing. We did nothing.”
“Days and nights we stayed on our backsides at home and fought against the spread of the coronavirus,” the narrator continues. “Our couch was the front line and our patience was our weapon.”
The ad ends with a government message that “you too can become a hero by staying at home.”
Germany imposed fresh restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 at the start of November, shutting restaurants, bars and gyms, and setting limits on the number of people who can meet in public and private settings.
Greg Hunt also repeated the federal government’s call for all Australian states and territories to open their borders by Christmas.
What we do want to see is the borders open overwhelmingly by Christmas, we’d like to see all of them open, we know that [Western Australia] has a little bit further to go. But there is no advice from the Commonwealth chief medical officer that any state or territory should be closed to any other state or territory.
Updated
Australia’s federal health minister Greg Hunt has just spoken in Canberra. He was asked about Australia’s efforts to return stranded citizens from abroad.
He says Australia is exploring “green lanes” with other nations, an arrangement already in place with New Zealand. Green lanes are agreements that allow travel without quarantine.
Hunt:
We have the green lane with New Zealand and there’s the potential for other green lanes for countries where the medical advice is that they are considered overwhelmingly safe for bringing people to Australia without quarantine. That is something that will be used cautiously and carefully.
He said Australia was working to begin to return international students also. But he said that would not be done in a way that displaces returning citizens.
The prime minister has been absolutely clear that he would not detract from the ability to bring Australians home.
The Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is speaking about the state’s continued success at containing Covid-19.
Andrews says Victoria has now recorded 16 days without a new case. That’s a remarkable turnaround for the state, easily the worst hit jurisdiction in Australia.
Andrews:
Since yesterday, that 16 days with no new cases in our state. We have now received results from 3,398,653 tests since the beginning of the pandemic. That’s 8323 tests since yesterday. I want to thank those 8300 people are going and getting tested the day before. Getting tested is the critical thing. That allows us to have a complete picture, or at least the most complete picture of where this virus is, and to put a public health response around your family and then protect every family across the state, so we are very grateful and we say thank you to each and every one of those people. If there is one thing that people take away from the current positive news the notion of more than a fortnight now with no extra cases, the biggest and most important take to every single Victorian is, if you have symptoms, even the mildest symptoms, please go and get tested and get tested quickly.
Hi everyone,
It’s Christopher Knaus here, I’ll be live blogging the latest Covid-19 developments for the next little while.
Just staying with Australia, for the moment.
A key problem facing the nation is the repatriation of stranded Australians abroad. The education minister has just made an announcement about a related issue: how to return international university students to the nation.
Education minister Dan Tehan has instructed states and territories to draw up plans for the return of international students, while staying within their quarantine caps.
Tehan spoke to Sky News a little earlier:
Our priority is returning Australians and that will continue to be the case especially in the lead up to Christmas
But we have asked state and territory governments to submit plans to us as to how they can bring in international students back.
The loss of international students has crippled Australia’s university sector, which is estimated to have lost up to 12,000 jobs.
Updated
Hello everyone, I am off now. My colleague Christopher Knaus will be taking over the blog, so best to direct any tips his way.
New South Wales contact tracers rush to track Kiwi travellers
From Australian Associated Press:
New South Wales contact tracers are racing to reach 455 travellers to Australia from New Zealand after a positive case was confirmed in Auckland.
Those who have arrived in NSW from New Zealand since 5 November have been sent a message with NSW Health advice and are being contacted and alerted about a number of venues of concern in Auckland.
NSW Health said in a statement no passengers arriving in Sydney from New Zealand on Friday evening reported having visited the locations and none had symptoms.
“Airlines will ascertain if passengers have attended these venues before they leave New Zealand and if they have, they will be not allowed to travel,” the department said.
NSW has now gone a week without a locally transmitted virus case but health authorities are still urging the community to keep getting tested.
NSW will reopen its border with Victoria on 23 November. The southern state has recorded more than two weeks of consecutive zero-transmission days.
Updated
Australian state of Victoria records no cases and no deaths for 16th day
For the 16th straight day in a row, Victoria is reporting a “donut day” – that is, a day with no coronavirus cases or deaths.
It comes after the state tested 8,323 people.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases, 0 lives lost and 0 cases with an unknown source. Three active cases remain. There were 8,323 test results received – thanks to all who were tested #EveryTestHelps https://t.co/eTputEZdhs#StaySafeStayOpen#COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/ZdsQ7toFtA
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 14, 2020
Victoria’s death toll from the virus remains at 819, while the total number of deaths from Covid in Australia is 907.
Victoria has just three active cases of Covid.
On Sunday, Allan Cheng, the deputy chief health officer, described the stretch of zero-case days as “about as good as it can get” but warned “there may still be the potential for hidden trains of transmission out there”.
“And then obviously the potential for an incursion of cases from outside, from New Zealand or NSW.”
The state government is pushing for more testing in Hume and Wyndham.
Covid restriction in Victoria are set to ease further next Sunday, when contact sport will resume across the board, 50 people will be allowed to attend outdoor public gatherings, 10 people will be allowed to visit homes, and 100 people will be able to attend wedding and funerals.
The border to South Australia will reopen on 1 December and to NSW on 23 November.
Guardian Australia staff and Australian Associated Press
Updated
French police broke up a house party that was attended by at least 300 people outside Paris on Saturday, describing the event as being “in total disdain for health rules”.
Cette nuit, à #JoinvilleLePont, les 👮♂️ sont intervenus pour une soirée dans un pavillon.
— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) November 14, 2020
300 personnes présentes, dans un mépris total des règles sanitaires, ont été évacuées.
➡️ Plainte des 👮♂️ pour violences, les "convives" mécontents leur ayant, de plus, lancé des bouteilles... pic.twitter.com/xAePKYbWsJ
Daily newspaper Le Parisien said police had to throw special grenades as intermediate weapons to break up the gathering in Joinville-le-Pont and escape.
Authorities appealed to everyone who went to get tested quickly, as it emerged that at least one person at the party was infected with coronavirus.
France is in the grips of a second lockdown, with hospitals having to delay some operations to tend to Covid patients because they are so stretched.
Updated
An unexpected 10% rise in the five-day moving average of new coronavirus cases in Ireland threatens to reverse a recent sharp drop in the incidence rate of the disease, the country’s chief medical officer has warned.
Following the re-imposition of stringent nationwide curbs, such as travel restrictions and the closure of non-essential retail last month, the 14-day infection rate more than halved to 130 cases per 100,000 people.
The R rate also fell by more than half to 0.6 last month, leading health officials to predict cases were on track to fall below 100 per day by the time constraints are due to end on 1 December.
However, infections have begun to tick up since then and the five-day moving average rose to 392 from 354 after the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) reported 456 new cases on Saturday.
In a statement, Tony Holohan, chief medical officer, said:
We have seen higher numbers in recent days than we expected based on the encouraging trends of the last three weeks. We are concerned that this progress is at risk. NPHET will continue to monitor the situation closely over the coming days.
Updated
Ten people die in hospital fire in Romania
Romanian officials say a fire at a hospital treating Covid-19 patients has killed 10 people and critically injured seven others, the Associated Press reports.
The blaze spread through the intensive care ward designated for people with Covid-19 patients at the public hospital in the northern city of Piatra Neamt, said Irina Popa, the spokeswoman for the local Emergency Situations Inspectorate.
She said all of the people who died or were injured in Saturday’s fire except one were hospital patients.
Romanian health minister, Nelu Tataru, told local media the fire was “most likely triggered by a short circuit.”
Prosecutors said they would open an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, the country’s most deadly since 2015, when a night club in the capital Bucharest burned down and 65 people died.
Piatra Neamt is about 353 kilometers (219 miles) north of Bucharest.
Updated
A “critical incident” has been declared at two Lincolnshire hospitals following a surge in coronavirus patients within a week.
The number of patients with Covid-19 at Lincoln County and Boston Pilgrim has risen from 56 on 6 November to 175.
The facilities, which are now operating at the highest alert level, are cancelling training and study leave for non-clinical time, documents seen by the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service indicate.
In a statement sent to the BBC, Mark Brassington, deputy chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
We have declared a critical incident at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, and Lincoln County Hospital. The incident is being managed internally with support from our partners and patients should continue to attend appointments unless contacted directly. Some areas are either closed to new admissions or have restricted access. This is compounded by challenges with staffing due to a lack of availability of colleagues due to a number of factors.
Updated
More than a billion Indians celebrated Diwali on Saturday despite mounting fears over a resurgence in Covid-19 infections, especially in Delhi, the capital.
Here is more on how the Hindu festival of lights has adapted to the pandemic here:
Updated
Vitamin D could be used as a way to prevent and treat coronavirus, with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, asking health advisers to produce new guidelines on its use.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which sets NHS clinical guidelines, told the Guardian:
Nice and PHE received a formal request to produce recommendations on vitamin D for prevention and treatment of Covid from the secretary of state for health and social care, Matt Hancock, on October 29.
UK government asks public health experts to produce fresh recommendations on the use of vitamin D for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus as plans are drawn up to send supplements to shielders and elderly https://t.co/muJuMCjJKs
— Mattha Busby (@matthabusby) November 14, 2020
Updated
Italy has registered 37,255 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry announced on Saturday, down from 40,902 on Friday.
The ministry also recorded 544 Covid-related deaths, down from 550 the day before, Reuters reports.
The northern region of Lombardy, centred on Italy’s financial capital Milan, remained the hardest hit area on Saturday, reporting 8,129 new cases against 10,634 on Friday.
Updated
Sixteen people have been arrested after hundreds of protestors attended an anti-lockdown demonstration in Liverpool city centre.
Merseyside police said they had taken the action because people were breaching public order and coronavirus rules that prohibit mass gatherings.
ARRESTS | 25 people have now been arrested in #Liverpool city centre for public order offences and breaches of Coronavirus regulations. A further male has been arrested after a police officer was assaulted. Please read our statement about why it's so important people stay home: pic.twitter.com/XcLXXLpuPH
— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) November 14, 2020
Police have now introduced a dispersal zone within the city centre and south Liverpool until Sunday.
Updated
462 further Covid-linked deaths registered in the UK
In the UK, 462 more people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the official death toll to 51,766.
This number is up from 376 the previous day, according to government data.
There were 26,860 people in the UK that tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, down from 27,301 on Friday.
Updated
A further 304 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital, NHS England has announced.
The patients were aged between 21 and 100 years old and all except nine had known underlying health conditions.
The dates of death range from 10 September to 13 November 2020.
NHS England provided this regional breakdown:
East of England - 12
London - 14
Midlands - 77
North East & Yorkshire - 79
North West - 87
South East - 17
South West - 18
Updated
Hello, my name is Yohannes Lowe. I’ll be taking over the blog now up until midnight. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter with any news tips between then.
Updated
Austria will introduce a national lockdown on Tuesday in a bid to bring its soaring coronavirus infections under control, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has confirmed (see earlier).
Non-essential shops will close and the current curfew from 8 pm to 6 am. will be expanded into an all-day requirement to stay at home, with specific exceptions such as shopping for essentials or exercise, Kurz said.
People should work from home wherever possible, he added. The lockdown is due to last almost three weeks.
Kurz said the measures had become necessary because Austria has seen 550 new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants in the past week, a level 11 times greater than what authorities said would be sustainable.
“If we don’t react massively, then there’s a great risk that the numbers will continue to rise or stay at a high level,” Kurz told reporters in Vienna.
„Ich weiss, dass diese Massnahmen einschneiden sind“. #sebastiankurz zu hartem #lockdown bis 6.12. #Oesterreich #bleibtgesund #CoronaVirusAT #Coronakrise pic.twitter.com/nZ78n2iIPt
— Markus Rosch (@MarkusRosch) November 14, 2020
Updated
Summary
Here’s a summary of the latest developments:
- Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has announced stricter lockdown restrictions from next Saturday. Non-essential businesses and services will be shut and cars will not be allowed to leave or enter Tehran and 100 other towns and cities. Iran announced 452 Covid deaths – a near record.
- Police have made 14 arrests after protesters defied a ban on an anti-lockdown rally in Bristol, in England. Those arrested included Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers, according to video footage.
- Lebanon has started a new two-week lockdown after coronavirus infections crossed the 100,000 mark. Beirut’s roads were largely empty and police checkpoints were set up at several locations.
-
Russia and Ukraine have both reported record highs in daily cases. Russia has reported a record daily number of 22,702 new infections and 391 deaths. Ukraine registered 12,524 new cases.
- Poland has reported a record 548 new coronavirus deaths, taking the country’s total above 10,000. Poland also reported 25,571 new cases.
- Greece and Austria have set out plans to tighten lockdown restrictions. Austria is planning to impose a full lockdown from Tuesday. Greece has announced the closure of nurseries and primary schools until the end of November as its death toll surpassed 1,000.
-
The development of an effective vaccine should not make people complacent about the spread of coronavirus in England, a government adviser has warned. Prof Susan Michie warned that the country was entering a “very challenging” fortnight.
- A group of religious leaders has launched a legal challenge against the decision to close churches for public worship in England and Wales during the second lockdown. More than 100 church leaders are seeking a judicial review of the decision by the UK government to ban people from worshipping together in England.
Updated
Police have made 14 arrests after protesters defied a ban on an anti-lockdown rally in Bristol, in England.
Avon and Somerset police warned officers would take action if an event organised by Stand Up Bristol went ahead.
Despite the warning, about 200 people gathered on College Green before marching through the city centre.
The force said 14 arrests had been made, including one for assaulting an officer.
Fourteen arrests have so far been made during today's demonstration.
— ASPolice Bristol (@ASPBristol) November 14, 2020
We recognise the right to freedom of expression but protests aren't currently allowed.
COVID-19 is deadly and the restrictions are in place to prevent its spread.
We continue to urge people to go home.
Read the latest on the Bristol protests here:
Updated
Johnson & Johnson and the US Department of Health and Human Services have expanded an agreement to support the next phase of Covid vaccine research and development, the company has said.
Under the agreement the company will commit $604m and the department will commit about $454m to support the phase 3 trial.
It will evaluate J&J’s vaccine candidate as a single dose in up to 60,000 volunteers worldwide, the company said in a statement.
Updated
The US set yet another daily record for new coronavirus cases on Friday, with more than 184,000, while Donald Trump promised imminent distribution of a vaccine – except to New York, which he threatened to leave out for political reasons – and the president-elect, Joe Biden, pleaded with Americans to follow basic mitigation measures.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 184,514 new cases were recorded on Friday, up from 153,496 on Thursday. More than 10.7 million cases have been recorded in total and more than 244,000 people have died. Deaths are also increasing: 1,431 were reported on Friday, the highest toll in 10 days, though more than a thousand less than the highest such toll, from April.
At the White House, in his first remarks since losing the election to Biden, Trump said he expected a vaccine developed by Pfizer to receive emergency use authorisation “extremely soon”, and to be available to the general population by April.
Read more here:
Updated
A Conservative councillor in Edinburgh has apologised for a trip to the Canaries during the pandemic, the Scotsman reports.
Callum Laidlaw admitted that his holiday contradicts local guidance.
Travel is permitted to the Canary Islands, but Scottish government guidance urges against any non-essential travel outside of a level 3 area such as Edinburgh.
Updated
The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has cleared his newly appointed police chief of any violation of rules when he celebrated his birthday in May during one of the world’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns, Reuters reports.
In a national address on Saturday, Duterte defended Debold Sinas, promoted this week to national police commander, and noted his appointee’s achievements despite a social media stir over perceived special treatment.
Sinas had led anti-drug operations in which thousands of people were killed.
“If he has [committed] any offence, he is pardoned already. I do not see any wrongdoing with moral implications and malice,” Duterte said, adding that Sinas was not at fault for having been thrown a surprise party.
Sinas has been under investigation by the justice ministry for celebrating his birthday with fellow officers in May despite coronavirus curbs and at a time when police were arresting thousands of people for quarantine violations.
He has apologised for “causing anxiety to the public”.
It was not immediately clear if Duterte’s comments meant those investigations were no longer active.
Updated
The latest coronavirus figures from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been published.
Scotland announced 1,118 new cases, following a 1,357 rise in cases reported on Friday. There were 36 new deaths, compared with 56 deaths reported on Friday.
1,079,372 people in Scotland have been tested for #coronavirus
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) November 14, 2020
The total confirmed as positive has risen by 1,118 to 80,135
Sadly 36 more patients who tested positive have died (3,280 in total)
Latest update ➡️ https://t.co/bZPbrCoQux
Health advice ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6Qu pic.twitter.com/y2ZUVRUVJ4
In Wales, where a “firebreak” lockdown ended on Monday, Public Health Wales has reported another 20 deaths from coronavirus and a further 933 cases.
The rapid COVID-19 surveillance dashboard has been updated.
— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) November 14, 2020
💻https://t.co/zpWRYTbM6P
📱https://t.co/HSclxqgUsP
Read our daily statement here: https://t.co/u6SKHyIY46 pic.twitter.com/LSeRib2H3q
In Northern Ireland, 1o more deaths were announced and a further 511 cases.
The Department of Health #COVID19 dashboard has been updated with latest data.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) November 14, 2020
511 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Sadly, a further 10 deaths have been reported (2 of the deaths were outside the 24 hour period). https://t.co/YN16dmGzhv pic.twitter.com/PqYmbH1VM4
Updated
The death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed 1,000 in Greece after a further 20 people succumbed to the virus.
Most of the victims are believed to be in northern Greece, which soaring infection rates have made the country’s hardest hit area.
In its daily briefing on Friday, the public health organisation, EODY, announced that 38 more people had died from the disease, bringing the total number of fatalities to 997. Most had underlying illnesses and were aged over 70, it said.
The death toll climbed as Greece edged closer to comprehensive lockdown after the education minister announced that nurseries and elementary schools would join other educational institutions in remaining closed until the end of November. “It’s important to emphasise that the measures are of a purely precautionary nature,” Niki Kerameus told a press conference earlier on Saturday.
To date a total of 69,675 coronavirus cases have been registered in Greece. The vast majority have been confirmed since the summer, when epidemiologists announced the arrival of the pandemic’s second wave.
Amid the surge, growing numbers of doctors have expressed concern over the ability of the nation’s fragile health system to deal with coronavirus patients. In Thessaloniki, Greece’s northern metropolis, fears of overstretched intensive care wards buckling under pressure have mounted in recent days.
In a bid to stem the spread of transmissions, the government has tightened restrictions (see earlier).
Updated
Supporters of Donald Trump are expected to stage a rally in Washington today, in support of the president’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him in key battleground states.
Follow the latest on the rally and the battle against coronavirus in the US here:
Updated
Families of care home residents in England have described the launch of a government pilot scheme to increase visits as “too little too late”.
On Friday night, the government announced that family and friends of people living in care homes would receive access to regular testing to allow them to visit their loved ones. The pilot scheme will begin in 20 care homes across Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall on Monday, with plans to expand the policy to other regions by Christmas.
While the move offers long-awaited progress for care home visitation rights, for some families, it has come too late.
Maureen Abson’s father, a navy veteran with advanced vascular dementia who lived in a care home in Lancashire, died on Wednesday, aged 81. Abson described the pilot scheme as “ridiculous”.
Read more here:
More than 60 leading UK retailers have warned that if shops are not allowed to trade before Christmas many will never reopen.
In a letter to the Times, reposted by the British Retail Consortium, they pointed to a Sage paper which found that the closure of non-essential retail would have minimal impact on the transmission of coronavirus.
It says:
With less than two weeks to go until the Chancellor’s Spending Review it is vital that retailers get the clarity they need over the future. Christmas is fast-approaching and half of retail has been forced to shut – depriving these stores of around £2 billion per week in sales.
November and December account for over a fifth of all retail sales and if all shops are not allowed to reopen by the start of December, many stores may never reopen putting hundreds of thousands of retail jobs at risk. A continued period of retail closure will see more shuttered high streets and many more job losses at the heart of the festive season.
Government reports have noted that the closure of shops would have a minimal impact on the transmission of Covid. Retailers have invested hundreds of millions in making their stores Covid-secure, keeping both customers and staff safe.
Updated
A north London gym owner is facing a £67,000 fine from his local council after refusing to close during England’s second national lockdown, saying he felt staying open was the “right thing to do socially, morally and scientifically”.
Andreas Mishli, 34, said he finally shut his Zone Gym in Wood Green on Wednesday after police blocked customers from entering his premises.
Haringey council is now seeking to obtain a closure order through the courts which it intends to enforce.
The gym owner told the PA Media news agency: “I couldn’t actually find a reason why to not keep it open, other than there was legislation in place.
“It felt like the right thing to do socially, morally and scientifically.”
Updated
Germany is set to pay out €22bn of coronavirus relief aid during the first half of 2021, as the country looks to shield companies and self-employed people from the brunt of the financial impact of the country’s second wave.
Separately, Germany’s November coronavirus aid package to compensate firms affected by lockdown measures will come to €14bn, sources close to the matter said. The government had initially expected to pay out €10bn this month.
The new relief measures can grant companies up to €200,000 a month to cover fixed costs such as rent, while sole traders can get up to €5,000.
It comes as new daily coronavirus cases in the country hit a record of 23,542 on Friday amid reports that its partial lockdown could be extended beyond the end of the month.
Updated
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has said there have been 4,622 excess deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in England between the start of the pandemic and mid-October.
Amid the second coronavirus wave that has seen England lock down until early December, the charity urged people not to delay seeking treatment.
The BHF attributed a number of potential factors to the rise in deaths, including:
- People putting off seeking care for fear of “putting pressure” on the NHS.
- People delaying seeking care for worrying symptoms for fear of contracting Covid-19 in health settings.
- Delays to surgeries and routine heart care.
Updated
Hello, I’ll be taking over the blog for the next hour while Matthew Weaver takes a break. You can get in touch with me via Twitter DM or email with any news tips or suggestions for coverage. Thanks!
Updated
Lebanon has started a new two-week lockdown after coronavirus infections crossed the 100,000 mark in a country where hospital capacity has become saturated, AFP reports.
The capital’s roads were largely empty and police checkpoints had been set up at several locations, while the seaside promenade, often thronging on weekends, was deserted. The airport, however, remains open, as do essential businesses.
Under the measures announced, only cars with certain number plates were allowed on the roads. A night-time curfew is to come into force from 5pm
Lebanon, with a population of around 6 million, has been recording some 11,000 coronavirus infections on average each week, the health ministry said on Thursday.
The number of coronavirus cases surged following the explosion at Beirut’s port on 4 August which killed more than 200 people, and overwhelmed hospitals with 6,500 wounded.
The new restrictions are set to last until 30 November 30 but the authorities have said they could be extended, as they fear the health system would not be able to cope with many more cases needing intensive care.
“The situation is critical and getting worse,” Said al-Asmar, a pulmonologist at the main public hospital in Beirut dealing with Covid-19 cases, warned on Friday.
Sometimes, “patients need intensive care, but we have to leave them in accident and emergency,” the doctor at the Rafik Hariri Hospital told AFP.
Updated
Iran will impose stricter restrictions from next Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani has said on state television as the country announced a near record rise in daily deaths.
@HassanRouhani : New #COVID19 restrictions to be placed as of Nov 21 https://t.co/nagkvsJT8l pic.twitter.com/wc2w0J3j8Q
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) November 14, 2020
The toughest measures – classified by health officials as “red” or level 3 – will be imposed in the capital, Tehran, and about 100 other towns and cities, Reuters reports.
Non-essential businesses and services will be shut and cars will not be allowed to leave or enter, the deputy health minister, Alireza Raisi, said in a televised media briefing.
Iranian health officials have devised a colour-coding system that denotes the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“The goal is not to shut down people’s businesses, but we have to set limits,” Raisi said.
Some 150 towns and cities are rated “orange” or level 2, he said. In these, one-third of employees can go to work whereas in 155 towns where the rating is “yellow” or level 1 two-thirds of the workforce can work from their workplaces.
“Shutdowns are not limited to jobs, but also include universities, schools and training centres,” Rouhani said. “In the red and orange cities, training will take place remotely.”
Updated
Iran’s health ministry has announced that a near daily record of 452 more people have died from Covid in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s death toll to to 41,034.
Saturday’s increase in fatalities is just below the record 461 deaths announced on Friday. So far, every day this month Iran has recorded more than 400 new deaths from the virus.
Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari also announced 11,203 new cases of infections.
#Iran’s Health Ministry Spox, Lari announced on Saturday:
— IranGov.ir (@Iran_GOV) November 14, 2020
🔷Total number of #COVID19 patients recovered: 552,747
🔷Total number of infected cases: 749, 525
🔷Total number of death toll: 41,034
In the past 24 hours:
🔷New cases tested positive: 11,203
🔷New death toll: 452 pic.twitter.com/6YWrjruLiR
Updated
Summary
Here’s a round-up of the latest developments:
- Russia and Ukraine have both reported record highs in daily cases. Russia has reported a record daily number of 22,702 new infections and 391 deaths. Ukraine registered 12,524 new cases.
- Poland has reported a record 548 new coronavirus deaths, taking the country’s total above 10,000. Poland also reported 25,571 new cases.
- Greece and Austria have set out plans to tighten lockdown restrictions. Austria is planning to impose a full lockdown from Tuesday. Greece has announced the closure of nurseries and primary schools until the end of November.
-
The development of an effective vaccine should not make people complacent about the spread of coronavirus in England, a government adviser has warned. Prof Susan Michie, warned that the country was entering a “very challenging” fortnight.
- A group of religious leaders has launched a legal challenge against the decision to close churches for public worship in England and Wales during the second lockdown. More than 100 church leaders are seeking a judicial review of the decision by the UK government to ban people from worshipping together in England.
-
According to Johns Hopkins University, the world had its worst day of the pandemic on Friday. It noted that the deaths of 11,617 more people dead were announced and more than 666,000 new cases recorded in 24 hours.
- Donald Trump has insisted his administration would not order a lockdown despite rising infection rates and more than 100,000 new cases being recorded daily for the past seven days. The pandemic has killed more than 240,000 people in the US.
Updated
Higher education experts in the UK are warning that the government may use the coronavirus crisis to turn struggling universities into polytechnics and cut student numbers.
Ministers have appointed a board for the government’s “higher education restructuring regime”, which has been set up to help universities in financial trouble. Some academics are calling it an “economic hit squad”.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that about 13 universities risk going bankrupt during the pandemic, because their already weak finances make it harder for them to weather losses in their teaching, commercial and research revenue. In May, the government refused pleas from Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ body, for a £2bn bail-out package for universities. Instead, struggling universities can now seek a loan from its shadowy new “restructuring regime”.
Read more here:
Updated
Austria is planning to impose a full lockdown from Tuesday, a draft and summary of a government decree seen by Reuters has revealed.
The current 8pm to 6am curfew will move to an all-day lockdown with non-essential shops closing, the text said.
Secondary schools have already switched to distance learning, but schools for younger ages that are still open will do the same while providing childcare when necessary.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was due to hold a news conference outlining new restrictions in the face of surging infections on Saturday afternoon.
Updated
The government in Greece has announced the closure of nurseries and primary schools until the end of November, tightening a nationwide lockdown after a spike in cases, Reuters reports.
Greece has fared better than many other European countries in tackling the coronavirus, mainly due to an early nationwide lockdown imposed weeks after the pandemic broke out in February.
A gradual increase in infections since early October has forced authorities to reimpose restrictions and order a second nationwide lockdown, which expires at the end of November and includes a night curfew.
On Saturday, the government tightened the measures further, closing primary schools and nurseries from Monday for two weeks until the end of the lockdown period. Distance learning has already been implemented in secondary schools and universities.
Greece registered 3,038 new coronavirus cases on Friday. On Thursday, it recorded 3,316 new infections and 50 deaths, the highest daily tolls recorded during the pandemic so far.
Updated
Malaysia has reported 1,114 new coronavirus cases, raising the total to 46,209 infections.
The health ministry also recorded two new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities from the pandemic to 306.
COVID-19, 14 Nov 2020
— Noor Hisham Abdullah (@DGHisham) November 14, 2020
Jumlah discaj baru: 803
Jumlah kumulatif: 33772 (73.1%)
Jumlah kes baru: 1114
Jumlah kumulatif: 46209
Jumlah kes aktif: 12131
Kes tempatan: 1112
Kes import: 2 (1 WN, 1 BWN)
Jumlah kematian: 2
Jumlah kumulatif: 306 (0.7%)
Kes di ICU:103
Pt intubated:43 pic.twitter.com/iO9ZOjr7Rs
Officials in Lanzhou, western China, have said coronavirus has been detected on the packaging of a batch of shrimp imported from Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports.
The Lanzhou municipal health commission said in a statement on its website that it had found one positive sample on Friday on the inner packaging of imported frozen shrimp from Saudi Arabia that had passed through customs in the coastal city of Tianjin.
The cold storage plant in Lanzhou where the case was discovered had been temporarily closed, all employees of the plant had been tested, all food involved was sealed and the whereabouts of all food sold had been determined, the statement said.
The commission said the shrimp had been purchased by Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products, entered the country on 21 October and reached Lanzhou on 8 November.
The positive sample in Lanzhou follows the detection of the virus on the packaging of a batch of Brazilian beef in Wuhan on Friday, and on Argentinian beef samples in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces this week.
The World Health Organization says the risk of catching Covid-19 from frozen food is low, but China has repeatedly sounded alarms after detecting the virus on imported food products, triggering disruptive import bans.
Updated
Record daily death toll in Poland
Poland has reported a record 548 new coronavirus deaths, taking the country’s total above 10,000.
Poland reported 25,571 new cases, lower than THE record 27,875 recorded on 7 November.
The health ministry said that as of Saturday, Covid-19 patients occupied 22,320 hospital beds and were using 2,126 ventilators, out of 35,182 and 2,805 available, respectively.
📊 Dzienny raport o #koronawirus. pic.twitter.com/XbS7TD3OaD
— Ministerstwo Zdrowia (@MZ_GOV_PL) November 14, 2020
Updated
Dominic Cummings’ lockdown journeys in the north-east “stank”, a Tory backbencher had admitted after supporting the UK prime minister’s former chief aide at the time.
Crispin Blunt said Boris Johnson should not have supported Cummings after his controversial trips to Durham and Barnard Castle were exposed by the Guardian and the Daily Mirror.
Blunt was not one of the 45 backbenchers who called for Cummings to go at the time, but speaking on Times Radio he admitted his behaviour “gravely undermined” the government’s message on coronavirus.
Interviewed a day after Cummings left Downing Street with immediate effect, Blunt was asked if the PM was right to back the adviser. He said:
With the benefit of hindsight, no. However, you’ve got to make a call about what is seen to be fair and proper in the circumstances and Boris made a call on that.
I happened to agree with him [Cummings] because I saw his behaviour as being consistent with what we were trying to do, and what he was trying to do for his family was consistent with trying to protect the wider public and doing the right thing for his family. That is an individual issue.
The politics of it obviously absolutely stank and once it had been alighted upon by people it was a very bad example and it gravely undermined, obviously because of the huge attention it received, trust in the government’s policy.
Updated
In the US, President-elect Joe Biden has set up a 13-member coronavirus advisory board that will play a high-profile role in helping the Biden-Harris administration contain the coronavirus pandemic in the US as it enters its deadliest phase so far.
“Failure is not an option here,” Dr Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota and a member of the advisory board, told the Guardian. “We have to do whatever we can to reduce the impact of the virus on our society.”
The high-powered board, which includes a former US surgeon general, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, leading virologists and experts in bio-defence and the health of marginalised populations, is an about-face from the Trump administration.
Read more here:
Updated
Turkmenistan’s long-time leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has insisted his reclusive country had no coronavirus cases, state media reported on Saturday, even as he opened a new hospital for infectious diseases, Agence France-Presse reports.
Berdymukhamedov hailed the country’s “big achievement” in avoiding the pandemic, in comments reported by the state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan.
“As a result of the preventive measures taken, no cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in the country to date,” Berdymukhamedov said.
Hardline Turkmenistan and North Korea are among fewer than a dozen countries yet to declare a single coronavirus case. The other countries are Pacific island nations.
The Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu all declared their first cases in recent weeks but have avoided community transmission.
Berdymukhamedov’s virus-free claim is his first since a visit in July by a World Health Organization delegation prompted the government to implement a national lockdown.
Dissident-led media based in Europe have reported an explosion of coronavirus cases, but their websites are banned in the country, where there is no free press or political opposition.
The WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, recommended during her visit that the government adopt measures “as if Covid-19 were already circulating”, but stopped short of publicly doubting the government’s virus-free boast.
The hospital opened by Berdymukhamedov has a 200-bed capacity and can treat “viral hepatitis, infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract … and diseases transmitted by airborne droplets,” Neutral Turkmenistan reported.
The hospital’s equipment includes mechanical ventilators manufactured by the Swedish medical technology company group Getinge, according to the report.
Updated
Family and friends of people living in care homes in England will get access to regular testing to allow them to visit their loved ones, the government has said.
A pilot scheme will launch on Monday in 20 care homes across Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall. But the plan will be rolled out to other regions before Christmas, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The tests – offered to one family member or friend for each resident – could put an end to “heartbreaking” restrictions on visits, when used in combination with other protective measures, such as PPE.
The health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, said:
I know how heartbreaking restricting visits to care homes has been, not only for residents – many of whom will feel disoriented and confused by the situation – but also their loved ones who aren’t able to simply hug each other to support them in this difficult time.”
By respecting social distancing and staying at home as much as possible we will help reunite families and friends with loved ones in care homes as quickly as possible.
Read more here:
Updated
A group of religious leaders has launched a legal challenge against the decision to close churches for public worship in England and Wales during the second lockdown, PA reports.
More than 100 church leaders are seeking a judicial review of the decision by the UK government to ban people from worshipping together in England. They are also challenging the Welsh government’s similar ban during its 17-day “firebreak” which ended earlier this month.
The leaders claim the restrictions on public worship breach article 9 of the Human Rights Act on freedom to express religious beliefs.
They also suggest the government failed to ascertain the extent to which leaving churches open for public collective worship would risk contributing to the spread of Covid-19.
Pastor Ade Omooba, who is leading the legal challenge, said:
We have been left with no alternative but to pursue a judicial review on this crucial issue and at this significant moment for the freedom to worship in church in this country.
We call on the government to recognise the vital importance of church ministry and the principle of church autonomy from the state.
The legal action follows the introduction on 5 November of the second lockdown, which prevents people gathering for public worship. Churches can still hold funerals, broadcast acts of worship and facilitate individual prayer.
Before the second lockdown, more than 1,500 church leaders signed an open letter urging Boris Johnson not to go ahead with the gathering ban.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, a former bishop of Rochester, said:
Church leaders recognise the seriousness of this pandemic, and that the government need to take the best scientific advice about the measures that are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, especially to vulnerable groups. This task has to be held in tension with the ancient liberties of the church which have been won through hard struggle over the course of our history.
These liberties include freedom of belief, expression and worship.
The principle of the freedom of worship needs to be maintained and churches have been assiduous in maintaining safety in buildings and among worshippers.
There is widespread unease among many church leaders about the lack of evidence and consultation regarding the ban on collective worship.
Church leaders see collective worship, not as an optional extra, but as vital to the mental and spiritual health of believers, especially for the lonely and vulnerable.
Updated
Ukraine sees record rise in infections, as health minister tests positive for Covid-19
Like its neighbour Russia, Ukraine has also registered a record rise in Covid infections.
Maksym Stepanov, its health minister, announced 12,524 cases in the past 24 hours, up from 11,787 reported on Friday.
Ukraine has registered a record-breaking 12,524 new COVID-19 cases as of 9 a.m. on Nov. 14, bringing the total number of cases in the country since the start of the pandemic to 525,176. https://t.co/QBk0rzi6a3
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) November 14, 2020
Stepanov also revealed on Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19 “despite being careful and following all safety rules”.
He said the new cases had taken the total number of confirmed infections to 525,176, with 9,508 deaths.
“This is a war, every day the virus takes the lives of Ukrainians,” Stepanov told a televised briefing.
The daily infection tally began rising in September, leading the government to decide to impose a national lockdown at weekends to try to curb the spread of the virus.
But authorities in some cities have said they would ignore the government’s order as they seek to avoid worsening the economic situation in the regions.
The prime minister, Denys Shmygal, said on Friday the government decision was binding, and Stepanov said the measures could help to preserve the country’s medical system.
Updated
News about the development of a potential vaccine should not make people complacent about the continuing spread of the virus in England, as the country enters a crucial fortnight, a government adviser has said.
Prof Susan Michie, part of the Covid-19 behavioural science team, a sub-group of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the next two weeks would be “very challenging”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “I think the next two weeks is going to be absolutely crucial. Partly because of the weather, partly because I think the promise of a vaccine may be making people feel complacent.”
She warned: “The vaccine is very unlikely to come in until the end of the year, or beginning of next year. And that’s going to make no difference to the current second wave.”
In a plea to the public, she added:
Everybody has to really get all their resolve together to really pay attention to resisting any urges to break the rules on distancing, on visiting households; really pay attention to keeping indoor spaces ventilated, keeping surfaces and hands disinfected. Because that will maximise the chance that on 2 December, we’re in a position where we don’t have to continue the lockdown and, better still, to be in a position where they can spend Christmas and winter holiday times with loved ones rather than being isolated.
One thing that is quite hopeful, is if you look at the data for Wales, and for Northern Ireland, in both cases really severe restrictions actually has brought the transmissions down. Now whether that will continue is another question.
Updated
Russia reports record daily cases
Russia has reported a record daily number of 22,702 new coronavirus infections, taking the national tally to 1,903,253.
The authorities also reported 391 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the official death toll to 32,834. The daily increase in deaths is slightly down on the 439 fatalities announced on Friday.
В России выявили 22 702 случая заражения коронавирусом за сутки. Это новый максимум с начала пандемии:https://t.co/DCGHF7NcQd
— ТАСС (@tass_agency) November 14, 2020
Коэффициент распространения коронавируса в России составил 1,03.#coronavirus #коронавирус #ТАССтатистика_коронавирус pic.twitter.com/PyS5BPP92K
This is Matthew Weaver taking on the global coronavirus blog from London. If you have any tips about the pandemic in your part of the world, please let me know: matthew.weaver@theguardian.com.
Updated
A new circus company in the Czech capital that was eager to perform is doing five-minute shows on a stage behind a window, Associated Press reports.
With all of Prague’s theatres shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, La Putyka Circus adapted a practice that restaurants are using to stay in business.
The circus invited spectators to watch its acts through a street-side “window of culture”, mimicking the takeaway windows some eateries opened while they were prohibited from serving customers at tables.
The troupe did 10 performances on Tuesday and another 10 on Wednesday, each an original that differed from the others. Jugglers, acrobats and other company members remained inside the theatre, with a wall separating them from their audience.
“This performance is for people addicted to live culture,” La Putyka’s director, Rosta Novak, said. “So they can get their dose of live culture, and then they can go back to their big cities, homes or jobs.”
Confirmed coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic rose for over two months to record levels, but the numbers have started declining again. The health minister is expected to seek an extension of the state of emergency that enables the government to keep its public health measures in place.
Public gatherings of more than two people are banned in the Czech Republic, if they are not family members. Along with theatres and restaurants, schools and many other venues are closed to contain the recent surge in reported infections.
Updated
The rise in the youth unemployment rate caused by the coronavirus pandemic is terrible news for Britain’s young adults – and could have a lifelong impact on their financial security, wiping out a large portion of their pension benefits.
Figures prepared exclusively for Guardian Money reveal how only a few years outside the workforce can have a dramatic effect on a person’s chances of building up a pension.
Read more here:
In case you missed it, this is the lay of the land around Europe (with a sprinkling of New York) from earlier today.
We mentioned earlier that the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison had changed his travel itinerary next week, but still planned on heading to Japan.
Perhaps he should stop in here for a bowl of ramen?
Updated
I’ve seen a few people make this point, but it is incredibly stark:
More people are in quarantine in the White House than there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all of Australia. Just let that sink in.
— Chelsea Hetherington (@chelsea_hetho) November 14, 2020
Updated
News broke earlier about North Dakota’s governor issuing a mandate for strict new Covid-19 restrictions in the state.
Oregon’s governor made similar orders today, as case numbers in the United States continue to surge.
Updated
It’s been a muted start to Diwali celebrations in India, with smog and Covid-19 combining to keep locals at home.
OK, this might be a few days old, but it’s still a wonderful read and provides a great insight into the state of play in the UK, and what could be to come:
Updated
Not strictly Covid-19 related (though everything sort of has something to do with the pandemic yes?) but there is expected to be clashes in Washington DC on Saturday (US time).
Trump supporters will be voicing their concerns about the election result, and counter protestors are vowing to meet them head on. More here from the Washington Post.
Updated
Here is how Western Australia’s daily newspaper marked the reopening of the state’s borders:
The front page of tomorrow's The West Australian pic.twitter.com/fTcKebssXi
— Anthony De Ceglie (@AnthDeCeglie) November 13, 2020
Updated
Here’s what the prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, released on Thursday regarding those travel plans, which changed today at the request of Papua New Guinea:
Next week I will hold important meetings with two of Australia’s closest friends in Tokyo on 17-18 November, and Port Moresby on 18-19 November.
This will be my first meeting with the new Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Mr Suga Yoshihide. I’m honoured to be the first foreign leader to visit Japan to meet with Prime Minister Suga following his appointment.
Our relationship with Japan over the past few years has gone from strength to strength. We are Special Strategic Partners, and we work closely together on trade, security, defence and technology issues. I look forward to continuing to deepen that partnership.
Japan will play an important role in our economic recovery from Covid-19. I hope we can chart a course for the reopening of travel, and discuss ways to deepen our trade ties worth $86 billion, including under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.
On the way back to Australia I plan to take the opportunity to see my friend the Hon James Marape MP, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, our closest neighbour.
We will continue our discussions about advancing our many shared regional and global objectives, ahead of a formal bilateral visit I hope to make next year.
Australia, Japan and Papua New Guinea have managed the coronavirus incredibly well, and I am confident the precautions in place during this travel will minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
I will be strictly following health advice and quarantine requirements when I return to Australia, as will staff and officials accompanying me, RAAF attendants and pilots, and media.
I look forward to hearing from Prime Minister Suga and Prime Minister Marape about their experiences in responding to Covid-19 and discussing ways to work together towards a stable, peaceful and resilient Indo-Pacific.”
Updated
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s first trip overseas during the pandemic has been changed slightly, after political strife in Papua New Guinea led to him cancelling that leg of the trip.
The PM was contacted by his PNG counterpart, James Marape, earlier today and asked to delay the trip, according to multiple reports.
Scott Morrison has cancelled his trip to Papua New Guinea. A spokesman for the PM says James Marape called him and asked him to postpone. Not surprising - the political chaos in Port Moresby right now made the visit impossible
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) November 14, 2020
Marape had come under fire from the opposition, who felt the Morrison visit had been designed as a distraction from domestic issues.
Morrison was still expected to travel to Japan next week.
Updated
The governor of North Dakota, which now has one of the worst rates of coronavirus cases of any US state, has issued a mandate regarding mask wearing and dining restrictions.
The decision is a significant reversal from Doug Burgum, who had resisted pressure for such a mandate for several weeks, according to reporters from the New York Times.
“Our doctors and nurses heroically working on the front lines need our help and they need it now,” Burgum said in a statement.
Quite the development tonight in North Dakota:
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) November 14, 2020
Gov. Doug Burgum, who has for weeks resisted a mask mandate while case numbers have surged to worst-in-the-nation levels, just issued a mandate at 10 p.m. on a Friday night. Plus dining restrictions + more.https://t.co/7Nvrbr7MsQ pic.twitter.com/rylLmwvGMT
Updated
That’s all from me. Handing over now to my colleague Nino Bucci who’ll guide you through the next few hours of our live coronavirus coverage.
Stay safe. Wash your hands and don’t touch your face.
Hundreds flood into Western Australia after hard border lifts
More than 300 people drove across the border into Western Australia on the first morning after the state’s hard border closure was lifted.
About 1,300 people were also expected to arrive at Perth airport on Saturday on 11 flights after the seven-month border lockout was lifted at midnight on Friday.
AAP reports that by mid-morning, 205 people had crossed into WA from South Australia at Eucla and 97 had travelled through Kununurra from the Northern Territory.
People from NSW and Victoria will have to self-quarantine for 14 days and have a coronavirus test on day 11.
But AAP reported all travellers will be asked to complete an online declaration and will be screened, including a temperature check, when they arrive.
So far about 3,000 people have applied online to return to WA since the system went live late on Friday night.
The police assistant commissioner, Paul Steel, said the processes were needed to keep Covid-19 at bay.
Don’t expect that you can just get off an aircraft and walk through. This is the new Covid normal. This is what we are doing to keep our community safe.
We make no apologies for that because the state expects that their authorities will be doing what they can to keep Covid out.
We’ll be as efficient and effective as we can.
WA has been closed to the rest of the nation for seven months, including to West Australians who were denied entry for compassionate reasons.
The quarantine rules for NSW and Victoria will only be removed once they go at least 28 days with no community spread, as all other jurisdictions have achieved.
Updated
Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases has reported 22,461 new cases on Saturday morning, with 178 more deaths.
Reuters reports the tally puts Germany’s number of confirmed cases at 775,556 with 12,378 deaths.
Saturday’s daily increase is slightly lower than the record 23,542 cases reported on Friday – the highest number of cases reported in the European country since the start of the pandemic.
The country is in a partial lockdown that could be extended, with Christmas markets, traditional parades and carnival season all cancelled, while more than 300,000 school pupils are in quarantine along with about 30,000 teachers.
Updated
The prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, has been taking part in a virtual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) from the cabinet room in Canberra.
Morrison said on Friday he would be discussing Australia’s role in the regional recovery from Covid-19 at the summit, and at a virtual East Asia Summit also taking place today.
Updated
Queensland reports two new coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine
Queensland has reported two new cases of coronavirus – both detected in people currently in hotel quarantine.
The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said both infections were acquired overseas.
Saturday 14 November – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 13, 2020
• 2 new confirmed cases
• 9 active cases
• 1,185 total confirmed cases
• 1,290,412 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,171 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/uEX0oam9ZB
Updated
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has said she will sue if US president Donald Trump carries through with a veiled threat to withhold distribution of any coronavirus vaccines from the state.
You can read more on this at the Guardian’s just closed US politics live blog:
Updated
In Sydney, two police officers were hurt and three people were arrested after officers broke up a party in a unit earlier this morning that broke the state’s coronavirus rules.
Updated
South Korean case numbers start to rise
Daily infections of Covid-19 in South Korea are starting to creep higher and have gone above 200 for the first time since September, Reuters is reporting.
The country also introduced fines for people not wearing masks in public places on Friday as it reported 205 new cases, with 166 of those being caught domestically.
People caught without masks in public venues, including nightclubs, malls, theme parks and hair salons, face fines of up to 100,000 won (US$90, A$124), while the operators of those places could pay up to 3 million won in fines.
Updated
Mexico and China have both just reported their latest case numbers of the coronavirus.
Reuters reports that Mexico’s health ministry confirmed that Friday saw 568 coronavirus deaths, bringing the country’s total to 97,624.
There were 5,558 new cases, pushing the official total to 997,393 cases. Health officials there have said previously the actual numbers are likely much higher.
AP has reported that Mexico City will order bars closed for two weeks after the number of people hospitalised for coronavirus rose to levels not seen since August.
Mainland China reported 18 new cases for 13 November, up from eight cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority reported on Saturday. All new cases had originated overseas.
The total of confirmed cases in mainland China stands at 86,325, and the death toll is unchanged at 4,634.
Updated
Victoria reports 15th day with no new cases
Victoria has reported its 15th consecutive day with no new cases of coronavirus and no deaths.
But it is always worth remembering just how bad things were in Victoria not too long ago.
On 4 August the state recorded 687 new cases and three days later there were 6,767 active infections. A month ago, on 14 October, there were 123 active cases in the state.
Now there are three active cases.
AAP reports comments made earlier today by the state’s health minister, Martin Foley, who said said the health department had removed 515 cases from its tally of mystery cases after establishing links to known infections. He said:
As case numbers have come down over the past few weeks, the DHHS ... has created and tested an algorithm that has identified some additional 515 historical cases that are connected to close contacts, or established outbreak.
The deputy chief health officer, Allen Cheng, said the reclassified cases are mainly from July and August. He said:
It’s important to correct the record so that we can analyse the data correctly, and make sure we have learnings for next time.
Cheng said the state’s run of zero cases was “about as good as it can get”.
Victoria’s death toll from the virus stands at 819, with the national figure at 907.
Updated
A little more on the update from NSW, where no new cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours but four new cases have been recorded in people in hotel quarantine.
Health authorities in the state test sewage outflows for virus traces, and tests from Wednesday turned out positive for the Rouse Hill area that is a catchment for 120,000 people.
So anyone living in the areas listed here and showing any symptoms at all are being asked by NSW Health to get tested.
Quakers Hill, Castle Hill, Annangrove, Kellyville, Box Hill, Kenthurst, Glenhaven, The Ponds, Rouse Hill, North Kellyville, Kellyville Ridge, Beaumont Hills, Stanhope Gardens, Baulkham Hills, Glenwood, Bella Vista, Parklea, Acacia Gardens and Norwest.
Australia’s ABC has reporters talking to people who are crossing the Western Australia border that opened at midnight on Friday after being shut for seven months.
There are two main road checkpoints where people are moving through to work, see friends and be reunited with family.
The Victoria Highway takes people from the Northern Territory to WA in the north, and the Eyre Highway crosses the South Australia border in the south.
In the north, a police officer a few minutes ago told the ABC that 46 people had crossed since midnight.
In the south, about 35 people were waiting at the border for the restrictions to lift at midnight, the ABC reported.
One driver at the South Australia checkpoint said he was heading to meet his new grandson, who he had never met because of the border closure.
Any arrivals into WA from people who have been in NSW or Victoria will have to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Good morning, afternoon or evening. Graham Readfearn here in Australia taking you through the next several hours of live coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic.
It has been a grim 24 hours globally, with more than 666,000 cases recorded in one day.
That stands in sharp relief when writing here from Australia where restrictions are being lifted and community transmission appears under control. All seven new cases reported on Friday were overseas arrivals.
Here’s a summary of where things are at:
- According to Johns Hopkins University, the world had its worst day of the pandemic with 11,617 more people dead and more than 666,000 new cases recorded in 24 hours.
- Western Australia opened its border at midnight, with cars streaming in. Arrivals from New South Wales and Victoria will need to self-quarantine for 14 days, but people from other states can enter freely.
- Some 455 people who arrived on flights from New Zealand since 5 November are being contacted by health authorities in NSW after concerns of a mystery case in Auckland.
- Victoria on Saturday recorded its 15th consecutive day with no new cases or deaths. NSW also recorded no local cases on Saturday.
- Donald Trump gave his first press conference since losing the US election, saying his administration would not order a lockdown despite rising infection rates and more than 100,000 new cases being recorded daily for the past seven days. The pandemic has killed more than 240,000 people in the US.
- Trump said a vaccine would ship in a few weeks to vulnerable people. Governors in Oregon and New Mexico ordered partial lockdowns.
- Liverpool FC’s talisman striker Mohamed Salah has tested positive for coronavirus.
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