Coronavirus: Paris to shut all bars next week amid maximum alert

All bars in Paris are to close from Tuesday after the French capital was put on maximum sanitary alert in its continuing bid to curb Covid-19, according to the prime minister’s office.

French authorities have made the move following a significant rise in the number of coronavirus cases, the office said on Sunday.

The highest alert level implies additional restrictive measures for public places that will be detailed in a news conference on Monday, it said.

The new restrictive measures will be implemented from Tuesday and will last 15 days, it added.

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Also on Sunday evening, the British government reported 22,961 Covid-19 cases compared to 12,872 a day earlier, which was already a record daily figure for the country.

Meanwhile, coronavirus infections in Russia hit a new record on Sunday, with the government reporting more than 10,000 new confirmed cases for the first time since mid-May.

The 10,499 new cases reported on Sunday take the country’s total to more than 1.2 million.

Russia currently has the fourth largest caseload in the world and has so far reported more than 21,000 deaths.

The Russian authorities insist there are no plans to impose a second lockdown in the country, which has lifted most of the virus-related restrictions imposed in the spring.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that another lockdown is not currently being discussed.

At the same time, in Moscow, which reported more than 3,000 new cases on Sunday in the biggest surge in months, officials have recommended the elderly to self-isolate at home and have extended forthcoming school holidays by a week.

On Thursday, Moscow's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, also ordered employers to have at least 30 per cent of their staff working from home.

India

India has registered 75,829 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, a day after the death toll passed 100,000.

The Health Ministry raised the country's confirmed total to more than 6.5 million on Sunday and said at least 101,782 people have died of Covid-19.

India is still registering the highest number of daily cases globally but, with the recovery rate at more than 83 per cent, the number of those cured has passed 5.5 million, the Health Ministry said.

India also has a low fatality rate of 1.56 per cent, which is nearly half the global one.

The Health Ministry credited increased testing in the country for a sustained low death rate — India has carried out nearly 79 million tests so far, according to official data.

The country is preparing to reopen cinemas and entertainment parks with limited capacity from October 15th, in an effort to revive the economy.

Health experts warn the move has the potential for the virus to spread during the forthcoming religious festival and winter season.

South Korea

Meanwhile, South Korea reported 64 new cases of the coronavirus, the fourth straight day its increase was below 100, possibly reflecting the fewer number of tests conducted during one of the biggest holidays of the year.

The figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Sunday took the national caseload to 24,091, including 421 deaths.

Thirty-eight of the new cases were reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the centre of a viral resurgence since August.

Health workers have struggled to track transmissions tied to churches, hospitals, schools and offices.

Seventeen of the new cases were linked to international arrivals, mostly from other Asian countries such as the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh.

There are concerns that infections could rise in coming weeks because of increased travel during the five-day Chuseok harvest holiday that continued throughout Sunday.

Australia

In Australia, the premier of Victoria called on citizens to "stay the course" after large groups flooded beaches and parks at the weekend in defiance of strict lockdown regulations.

The state, emerging from a major winter spike in coronavirus cases, relaxed lockdown regulations last weekend but still allowed only five people from up to two households to congregate outside.

Many ignored those regulations on Saturday and crowded parks and beaches, causing Premier Daniel Andrews to remind Victorians not to be selfish and maintain social distancing.

Victoria reported only 12 new coronavirus cases and one death on Sunday, well down on the peaks of winter.

“We are so, so close,” Mr Andrews said. “Let’s not any of us do anything that might undermine the very positive numbers. Once we get them low, we can keep them low and we can open up again if we don’t do anything silly or anything selfish right now.”

He said the situation in Victoria is “delicately poised” as the state moves toward further easing of lockdown rules.

“It’s sunny, yes, and people love to go to the beach when it’s sunny, but there’s a global pandemic on,” he said.

“Surely, there’s a greater urge to see this thing, to defeat it and to have a normal summer and have a Covid normal Christmas and 2021.” – AP