US reopening plans halted
Global infections from the novel coronavirus have surpassed 10 million as the rate of new cases surges.
One million new cases were recorded in only six days, according to the AFP count, just as countries start to unwind punishing lockdowns that have devastated their economies and thrown millions out of work.
The worldwide death toll from the disease that first emerged in China about six months ago is also nearing 500,000 as fears grow of a full-blown second wave.
The United States, the hardest hit country, has surpassed 2.5 million cases alone, as efforts to reopen the world's economic powerhouse were set back by a jump in new infections in states such as Florida.
Infections are also up in some other parts of the world that have reopened, with Europe now registering over 2.6 million.
China yesterday imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people in a province surrounding Beijing to contain a fresh coronavirus cluster.
Beijing city official Xu Hejian told reporters that the situation was "severe and complicated," warning that the city needed to continue tracing the spread of the virus.
The tension between reopening battered economies -- efforts pushed in the US by President Donald Trump -- and public health is a source of debate in nearly every country.
On Saturday alone the US recorded more than 43,000 new cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. US deaths now exceed 125,000, approximately one-quarter the world total of almost 499,000.
Across the Atlantic, the EU on Saturday pushed back a decision on a list of "safe countries" from which travellers can visit Europe -- a list which could exclude the US.
In India, densely populated cities have been particularly hard hit. The country set a daily record Saturday with 18,500 new cases and 385 deaths. Total infections are at 509,000, with more than 15,600 deaths.
In the Middle East, the governor of Bethlehem announced that the Palestinian city would temporarily close due to rising infections.
Iran, which has struggled to curb its outbreak even as it gradually lifted restrictions from April, has launched a mask-wearing campaign.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had warned Saturday that Iran's economic problems would worsen if the coronavirus spreads unchecked.
The disease also continues to rampage through Latin America, with Peru topping 9,000 deaths Saturday.
Brazil -- the second hardest-hit country after the US -- recorded 990 deaths on Saturday, the highest toll in the world that day, while Mexico recorded the second highest at 719.
'EXPLOSION' IN FLORIDA
In the US state of Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has conceded there has been an "explosion" in new cases.
On Saturday the "Sunshine State" notched 9,585 cases in 24 hours, a new daily record.
The average age of people infected has dropped sharply -- to 33 from 65 two months ago. Young people frustrated by months of confinement have poured back to the state's beaches, boardwalks and bars, often without masks and seemingly unconcerned about social distancing.
Miami announced beaches will close over the July 4 holiday weekend and bars are also shutting their doors.
With Trump struggling to lift his re-election bid off the ground ahead of November, the campaign confirmed that events featuring Vice President Mike Pence in Arizona and Florida next week have been postponed "out of an abundance of caution."
Trump had faced a backlash after insisting on a rally in Oklahoma a week ago despite virus concerns.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered some areas to reinstate stay-at-home orders, while San Francisco announced a "pause" in its reopening.
Texas -- among the first US states to reopen -- also shut down its bars.
Australia's Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state's premier said yesterday.
The country's second-most populous state had 49 new cases yesterday, its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of double-digit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections, reports Reuters.
"Much like a bushfire, putting this out is challenging," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told a press conference, alluding to wildfires at the end of last year that burnt through vast swaths of the country.
The virus has also thrown world sports into turmoil. Pakistan's cricket board announced it would leave 10 players off its tour of England after they tested positive.
Comments