The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed cases of Covid-19 rose to 44,798, up 148 on the previous day, the government said on Saturday.
Iran’s president calls for ban on weddings
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for big gatherings such as weddings and wakes to be banned to stem a rise in coronavirus infections, but insisted the country’s economy had to stay open.
Shortly after Rouhani’s televised speech, a police official in Tehran announced the closure of all wedding and mourning venues in the capital until further notice.
Iran has been gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, but has recently reported a sharp rise in the infection rate.
The death toll rose by 188 over the previous 24 hours to 12,635, while the total number of diagnosed cases reached 255,117, up by 2,397 during the same period, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV.
Coronavirus recoveries approach 200,000 in Turkey
Turkey saw 1,016 more cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 211,981, the Health Ministry data showed.
The country’s death toll from the virus rose to 5,344, with 21 daily fatalities reported.
The rate of cases’ turning into pneumonia is decreasing in Turkey, said Fahrettin Koca. Over 193,000 patients have been recovered from the disease, he said.
Croatia makes face masks compulsory
Croatia said that wearing face masks will be obligatory in most closed public spaces from next week as the number of Covid-19 cases keeps rising.
The national civil protection directorate said that from Monday face masks will be obligatory for both employees and clients in shops, and also for employees in bars, restaurants and other places where there is close contact with customers. The use of face masks on public transport was made compulsory several weeks ago.
The number of new infections reached 140 in the country, the highest recorded so far in a single day. Most cases are in the capital Zagreb and in east of the country.
Florida’s Disney World reopens
“The Most Magical Place on Earth” has reopened after nearly four months with new rules in place to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The reopening comes as a huge surge of Floridians have tested positive for the new coronavirus in recent weeks. In past 24 hours, there were about 10,000 new cases reported, according to state statistics. Many cities and counties around the state have recently reinstated restrictions that had been lifted in May, when cases seemed to drop.
Disney’s new rules include mandatory masks and social distancing.
More cases in Syria
At least two doctors in Syria’s opposition-held northwest have been infected with the coronavirus.
The new infections raise the number of confirmed cases to three in the area, where health care facilities have been devastated by years of civil war, and where testing has been limited due to scarce resources.
Observers fear the virus could spread easily in Idlib province, a concern compounded as Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, moved at the UNSC to reduce cross-border aid from Turkey.
Serbia police detain 71 over virus protests
Serbian police detained 71 people after clashes during the fourth night of anti-government protests against the Serbian president that were initially sparked by his plans to reintroduce a coronavirus lockdown.
Fourteen policemen were injured in the rioting Friday evening when hundreds of right-wing demonstrators tried to storm the parliament building in downtown Belgrade, police director Vladimir Rebic said.
Among the detained is a former parliament member and one of the leaders of the violent protesters, pro-Russian far-right politician Srdjan Nogo.
Bollywood megastar Bachchan hospitalised
Bollywood veteran megastar Amitabh Bachchan, 77, has tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to hospital on Saturday in his hometown of Mumbai, he said on Twitter, calling for those close to him to get tested.
“I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital,” Bachchan wrote, saying his family and staff had already been tested and were awaiting their results.
India cases pass 800,000 with record daily jump
India’s coronavirus cases have passed 800,000 with the biggest spike of 27,114 cases in the past 24 hours, causing nearly a dozen states to impose a partial lockdown in high-risk areas.
The new confirmed cases took the national total to 820,916. The health ministry on Saturday also reported another 519 deaths for a total of 22,123.
A surge in infections saw the cases jumping from 600,000 to more than 800,000 in nine days. The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at more than 62 percent.
Eight of India’s 28 states, including the worst-hit Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and New Delhi, account for nearly 90 percent of all infections.
WHO official cites AIDS as a guide
Healthcare systems worldwide need to upgrade to control disease transmission and cope with large numbers of sick people during the coronavirus pandemic as well as future outbreaks, the head of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program warned on Friday.
Dr Michael Ryan of WHO, speaking during a video panel session organized by the International AIDS Society, said world leaders grappling with the current pandemic “need to take a leaf out of the HIV/AIDS activist book” and make sure access to healthcare is equitable and evidence-based.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has not yet peaked in many parts of the world, has exposed weaknesses and left billions of people without reliable and affordable access to essential health services, he said.
