Photo: Credit Reuters/A general view of ambulances and staff outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 5, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley
LONDON — Britain has recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections in a day for the first time since late June. Government statistics say 1,062 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the 24 hours until 9 a,m. Sunday. The last time the number was over 1,000 was on June 26.
Britain has seen a gradual rise in coronavirus infections since it began lifting lockdown restrictions in mid-June. The government has put the next stage of reopening, which had been due to take effect Aug. 1, on hold for at least two weeks. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus continues to decline, as does the daily number of deaths. Eight new COVID-19 fatalities were reported Sunday.
Britain’s official coronavirus death toll stands at 46,574, the highest in Europe.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— US tops 5 million confirmed virus cases, to Europe’s alarm
— Brazil makes grim milestone — 100,000 deaths from COVID-19
— New Zealand marks 100 days of virus elimination
— The glamorous French Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez is now requiring face masks outdoors. The move, which began Saturday, threatens to sober the mood in a place renowned for high-end, free-wheeling summer beach parties.
— One Spanish town as turned to deploying special police units whose job it is to enforce health regulations meant to check a surge in the coronavirus.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
ATHENS, Greece — Greek authorities have announced a record daily number of 203 new coronavirus cases, with one death. The total number of cases is now 5,623, with 212 deaths. Beginning Monday and ending August 31, everyone must wear a mask in all retail places, as well as all modes of transport, other than private cars, the government has decided. People attending church must also do so, though priests are not required to wear masks in church.
ROME — Italy’s tally of daily new COVID-19 cases leaped higher on Sunday, with 463 cases, according to Health Ministry figures. Many of the latest cases have been found in young people returning from vacations abroad.
Italy’s day-to-day new caseload had previously soared far above 500 confirmed infections, but the number had dropped to 347 on Saturday, more in line with numbers of the past few weeks. For months, the region with by far the most daily new coronavirus infections had been Lombardy, the northern region where Italy’s outbreak erupted in February. On Sunday, Lombardy had 71 new cases, barely outstripping several other regions, including Emilia-Romagna with 69, Tuscany with 61 and Veneto with 58.
While in the first weeks of the outbreak in Italy, only one of every 83 infections occurred in persons 18 years old or younger, now one of every eight confirmed cases occurs in that age bracket. With two deaths registered on Sunday, Italy’s known death toll stood at 35,205. Italy’s overall count of known infections in the pandemic stands at 250,566.
LONDON — The number of British companies planning to cut staff numbers in June was five times higher than in the same month a year earlier, in an ominous sign of COVID-19’s economic impact.
Figures obtained by the BBC show that 1,778 companies informed the government of plans to cut a total of 139,000 jobs. A year earlier the figure was 345 companies announcing a total of 24,000 job losses. Businesses are required to inform the Insolvency Service if they plan to cut 20 or more jobs. During the pandemic the government has been paying the salaries of almost 10 million furloughed workers. Economists are predicting a surge in unemployment when that program ends in October.
The U.K. economy shrank by more than 20% in the first half of 2020, and despite some signs of recovery the Bank of England says the economy will end 2020 9.5% smaller than it started the year.
Source: Associated Press