00:53
The toughest restrictions in force in the capital of South Korea
South Korea has reported more than 1,000 coronavirus cases for the sixth day in a row, as the capital area entered strict social distancing restrictions for slow broadcasts.
The 1,100 new cases reported by the Korea Agency for Disease Prevention and Control were the highest ever on a Monday, when the daily increase is typically lower due to reduced testing at weekends.
More than 780 of the cases occurred in the capital Seoul and in nearby Incheon and Gyeonggi provinces, areas where officials have applied the strongest social distancing measures in the country as of Monday.
Private social gatherings of three or more people will be banned starting at 6 pm, nightclubs and churches will be closed, and visitors will be banned from hospitals and nursing homes.
South Korea has added more than 12,100 cases this month alone, raising its burden of cases to 169,146, including 2,044 deaths. Last week, the country set record daily increases for three days in a row through Saturday, when it reported 1,378 new cases.
The viral rise is a worrying development in a country where only 30.4% of a population of 51 million have received their first doses of vaccines.
00:37
England ‘preparing for 1-2 million cases in weeks’
Boris Johnson has said that caution is “absolutely vital” before the abandonment of virtually all formal Covid restrictions as ministers toughen their language amid expectations of rising infection rates.
The Guardian understands that ministers have been told to prepare for at least one to two million new cases of coronavirus in the coming weeks, although the vaccination program means that much smaller proportions of those infected will be hospitalized and die than in previous waves.
The move to the final stage of unlocking on July 19, which will be announced by the prime minister on Monday afternoon, has been heralded as the time for people to trust their own judgment on coronavirus precautions, instead of the official recipes.
The Guardian’s Peter Walker and Ian Sample report:
00:34
Resume
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.
Boris Johnson has said England is “tantalizingly close” to lifting final coronavirus restrictions as it prepared to head to the country on Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, South Korea reported 1,100 new coronavirus cases by July 11, the Korean Agency for Disease Prevention and Control said on Monday, as the country’s toughest anti-Covid restrictions go into effect in Seoul in an attempt. for quelling its worst outbreak.
- Thousands take to the streets of Cuba in protest. Thousands of people joined the protests in Cuba today amid frustrations over the country’s crisis, pandemic restrictions and the government.
- The president of South Africa says that the Covid restrictions will remain, but with some changes. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the country will remain at alert level 4 but with some adjustments and that restaurants and some other places in the country will be allowed to reopen under strict coronavirus protocols.
- New Covid restrictions were introduced in Libya after cases reached a record high. Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said in a decree that cafes must close, weddings and funerals organized with mourners are prohibited and the use of public transport is prohibited for the next two weeks.
- Leading scientists warn that UK government patent protections “threaten the safety” of vaccines. In the UKLeading scientists have warned the government that patent protections on coronavirus vaccines are “threatening the safety” of the vaccination program and could result in further lockdowns.
- England’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned that NHS waiting lists in England could more than double in the coming months to 13 million patients.
- Vaccine Minister Nadim Zahawi He said that despite the expected lifting of all restrictions on July 19, “the public would be expected to wear masks indoors.”
- Nadhim Zahawi rejected suggestions that the gap between vaccine doses in the UK it will be cut in half.
- Israel to start offering a Pfizer booster injection this week to adults with weak immune systems, but the question of whether a third round of injections should be given to the general public was still being considered.
- Thailand’s Ministry of Health has said that more than 600 medical workers received two doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine have been infected with Covid-19
- Libya has registered a record number of coronavirus cases. The National Center for Disease Control announced the registration of 2,854 new cases of the “emerging corona virus”, in addition to 376 recovery cases and 8 deaths.
- Bangladesh has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus deaths, as well as the highest number of cases in a single day. with the health authorities “for fear that the situation will deteriorate even more in the coming weeks.”
- Vietnam reported 1,953 COVID-19 infections on Sunday, a record of daily case numbers.
www.theguardian.com