PARIS, Aug 7, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in
the coronavirus crisis:
– India: two million milestone –
The South Asian giant’s official case tally hits two million,
doubling in three weeks as the pandemic sweeps into smaller cities and
rural areas.
A record daily jump of more than 60,000 fresh infections has been
recorded, according to health ministry data, making India only the
third country to surpass the two million milestone after the United
States and Brazil.
– US: three-month high –
Daily coronavirus deaths in the US surge to a three-month high of
over 2,000. The last time the country recorded more than 2,000 deaths
in 24 hours was on May 7.
– More than 715,000 dead –
The pandemic has killed at least 715,343 people worldwide since it
surfaced in China late last year, according to a tally from official
sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Friday.
At least 19.1 million cases have been registered in 196 countries
and territories.
The United States has recorded the most deaths with 160,104,
followed by Brazil with 98,493, Mexico with 50,517, Britain with
46,413 and India with 41,585 fatalities.
– More lockdowns in Spain –
Spanish authorities order about 32,000 people into lockdown in the
central riverside town of Aranda de Duero. The movements of residents
will be restricted to the absolute minimum and they will be barred
from entering or leaving the town.
It is the latest in a series of fresh local lockdowns in Spain,
including in the Basque Country, and the regions of Catalonia and
Aragon.
– Germany shuts two schools –
Just days after schools in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western
Pommerania became the first to reopen full time after the summer
break, some 800 students are forced to head home from the Goethe
Gymnasium in Ludwigslust after a teacher tests positive.
Separately, 100 pupils from a primary school in Rostock district
are placed under quarantine for two weeks after a pupil is confirmed
infected.
– ‘Stand firm’ –
France’s health minister urges citizens to “stand firm” and wear
their face masks even in the midst of a heatwave. The country’s virus
figures are trending upwards, with the number of people testing
positive rising by 30 percent per week, double the rate of increase in
testing.
– No climate silver lining –
The unprecedented fall in greenhouse gas emissions from lockdowns
during the pandemic will do “nothing” to slow climate change without
systemic change in how the world powers and feeds itself, an
international team of researchers say.
– Action for Bollywood seniors –
Bollywood actors and crew aged over 65 will be allowed to resume
shoots, an industry official says, after a court in Mumbai overturns
restrictions limiting the presence of older people on film sets.