Africa lost almost $55bn due to coronavirus: Live updates

• Brazil goes beyond 60,000 deaths from the infection after recording more than 1,000 deaths over the last 24 hours, the nation’s health ministry said.

• The United Nations Security Council has actually all embraced a resolution requiring an “immediate cessation of hostilities” for at least 90 days in key conflicts consisting of Syria, Yemen, Libya, South Sudan and Congo to take on the coronavirus pandemic.

• Italy’s hard-hit northern area of Lombardy represented significantly over half of the nation’s latest confirmed 187 coronavirus cases – raising the overall to 240,760 nationwide. The Ministry of Health likewise reported 21 new deaths, raising to 34,788 the overall of recognized deaths.

• Near To 10.7 million individuals around the globe have actually been diagnosed with the coronavirus, over 5.6 million have actually recuperated, and more than 517,000 have passed away, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates.

Thursday, July 2

19: 05 GMT – Spain to hike taxes to balance out effect of infection crisis

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said financial reform was “inescapable” if Spain was to deal with the economic crisis activated by the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to tax hikes, notably for larger companies.

Sanchez likewise pledged 9.0 billion euros ($101 billion) for Spain’s areas to strengthen the public health system, which was stretched to the maximum by the epidemic which claimed more than 28,300 lives.

18: 30 GMT – French coronavirus death toll rises

The variety of deaths in France from the brand-new coronavirus has actually risen by 14 from the previous day to 29,875, the country’s health department stated.

The number of individuals in health center fell by 188 to 8,148 and the variety of people in extensive care systems fell by nine to 573, with both numbers continuing weeks-long sags.

18: 15 GMT – Argentine ex-president Menem back in health center with breathing difficulties

Former Argentina president Carlos Menem was confessed to healthcare facility once again struggling with breathing difficulties, family sources told the local press.

It is just three days since Menem, who was president from 1989-99, was discharged after two weeks in healthcare facility receiving treatment for a serious pneumonia.

He was checked for coronavirus however that came back unfavorable.

18: 10 GMT – Bangladesh shuts jute mills, lays off 25,000 workers

Bangladesh shut its loss-making jute mills and laid off 25,000 employees, stating the state-owned plants might not take on the private sector.

Jute, a vegetable fibre spun into coarse threads, grew in appeal over the past years after a long decline, as it ended up being an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags.

But the state-run factories struggled to create earnings and take on some 250 smaller, personal mills that employ 300,000 workers.

The choice came as the impoverished country fought with the coronavirus, which terribly hit export-oriented clothing factories when global brand names cancelled or withheld orders.

17: 26 GMT – “Really little danger” that animals can contaminate owners

There is ‘really little threat’ that pets can infect their owners with COVID-19, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated.

Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, informed a Geneva news conference that felines, ferrets and “even tigers” have actually been contaminated with the disease.

” There is very little danger from domestic animals due to the fact that there was some concern about domestic animals becoming a source of infection,” she said.

16: 45 GMT – Florida reports surge in daily cases

Florida has actually reported 10,000 brand-new confirmed coronavirus cases for the very first time.

That everyday number is 6 times higher than the daily record less than a month earlier. The state also reported 67 deaths for the second time in a week.

The seven-day average for daily deaths is now back over 40, a 30 percent boost from 2 weeks ago. The state’s death rate peaked at 60 per day in early May and decreased to 30 by mid-June.

16: 30 GMT – Swiss limit entry from 29 nations

Travellers to Switzerland from 29 countries will from July 6 need to sign up with the authorities and enter into self-isolation to prevent a renewal of the coronavirus, the government stated.

The list consists of the United States, Sweden, Brazil and Russia, which have actually been designated as countries with a high risk of infection.

Visitors who have actually hung around in the called countries in the previous 14 days should alert the Swiss authorities right away on arrival and after that go into quarantine for 10 days, the government stated.

15: 45 GMT – Plane chief says can save 3,500 jobs if Berlin, Paris offer handouts

European airplane builder Airplane stated it could conserve as much as 3,500 jobs in Germany and France if federal government help is upcoming, out of 15,000 layoffs prepared worldwide over the coronavirus’ impact.

” We might protect approximately 500 tasks if the German federal government supported us through its program to establish hydrogen drive for airplanes. Lengthening shorter hours schemes to 24 months might save 1,500 more,” chief executive Guillaume Faury told news weekly Der Spiegel, adding that 1,500 posts might likewise be conserved in France.

15: 00 GMT – Brazil tops 60,000 deaths

Brazil surpassed 60,000 coronavirus deaths, the Ministry of Health said, mentioning a recent wave of contamination in southern and midwestern areas of the nation.

An overall of 1,038 extra deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, taking the general number of fatalities to 60,632, the ministry stated.

The variety of deaths in the south and the midwest regions grew by 37 percent and 36 percent, respectively, in the epidemiological week ended last Saturday, the ministry included, in contrast to setbacks seen in the North and Southeast and a pattern of stability in the Northeast.

14: 20 GMT – Serbia reports new spike of coronavirus cases

Serbia reported 359 brand-new coronavirus infections and six deaths, marking a new spike within a relentless upward trend which has actually required the return of some limitations on public life.

The country had actually appeared to be on the edge of bringing the Covid-19 epidemic to a close, with the number of brand-new cases in the low double-digits in late May and early June.

However since then new break outs have actually struck Belgrade and the town of Novi Pazar, where the health care system rapidly became overloaded.

Infection numbers began to rise after the government fully relaxed restrictions, even becoming the first European country to allow viewers at football matches, with one game drawing a crowd of more than 20,000 people.

13: 40 GMT – Britain will alleviate coronavirus quarantine for some countries

Britain will be reducing the quarantine steps for air travellers, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, adding that more details of plan will be launched this week.

” As we set out earlier today … we will be reducing health procedures at the border by allowing guests showing up from specific countries and territories to be excused from self-isolation requirements,” the spokesman told reporters, adding that the details would come this week.

The federal government stated on Friday it would ditch a 14- day quarantine duration for people getting here from nations it considers to be lower risk for COVID-19, however has as yet not listed the countries that would include.

12: 25 GMT – Novak and Jelena Djokovic test negative

Tennis gamer Novak Djokovic and his better half, Jelena, have checked negative for the coronavirus ten days after revealing they had actually contracted the illness.

” Novak Djokovic and his partner Jelena are unfavorable for COVID-19 That was revealed by the outcomes of the PCR tests that both had in Belgrade,” his media group stated in a statement.

The top-ranked gamer checked favorable for the virus after playing in an exhibition series he arranged in Serbia and Croatia amid the pandemic.

Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki likewise contracted the infection after playing in the exact same matches.

12: 10 GMT – Ireland: Masks to end up being obligatory

People in Ireland will need to wear face coverings in shops starting from July 10, says Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

#Breaking Using face coverings will end up being obligatory in shops in Scotland from July 10, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said pic.twitter.com/aNWNDbvIwu

— PA Media (@PA) July 2, 2020

11: 36 GMT – Africa lost almost $55 bn in travel and tourist: AU

African nations have actually lost practically $55 bn in travel and tourist revenues in three months due to the pandemic, the African Union commissioner for facilities and energy has actually stated.

Amani Abou-Zeid told a press conference the air industry will be considerably impacted, including that: “Some airlines in the continent will not make it post-COVID-19”

11: 07 GMT – New infection spike in Japan’s capital

Tokyo has verified 107 brand-new coronavirus infections, its greatest day-to-day tally in two months, but Japan’s primary cabinet secretary has stated there is no need to reintroduce a state of emergency situation.

” It’s truly undesirable that it is increasing somewhat. I ‘d like to ask all Tokyo residents and everybody at businesses for their cooperation to prevent that,” stated the city’s Guv Yuriko Koike.

10: 44 GMT – England plans to reopen schools

UK Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson has unveiled his strategy to resume schools to all students in September.

To name a few measures, students will be divided into separate groups, called “bubbles”, to limit contact and to much better isolate brand-new infections. Schools need to consider asking students in different bubbles to follow different start and finish times but break times and free durations might be cut to ensure this does not decrease mentor time.

At present, only some trainees in specific year groups and the children of essential workers are at school.

10: 28 GMT – Israel reports greatest everyday rise

Israel has recorded 966 brand-new cases, the greatest single-day spike given that the infection was first detected on February 21.

As the variety of active cases rose to 8,647 in current days, after it dropped listed below 2,000 last month, the nation’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein stated recently that the country was experiencing a 2nd wave of the pandemic which he would have enforced brand-new restricting measures.

Up until now, the country registered 26,452 infections, including 324 deaths.

10: 00 GMT – Saudi Arabia extends financial help

In an effort to cushion the financial result of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has extended for an additional period numerous federal government initiatives to support the economic sector and financiers.

The news was reported by state news firm MEDSPA, mentioning a choice by King Salman.

09: 36 GMT – China urged to increase screening capacity

China’s city governments and medical institutes need to increase and reserve coronavirus testing capacity in preparation for increased need amidst possible outbreaks, the National Health Commission has stated in a guideline released on its site.

Nucleic acid test results need to be provided within six hours for clients at fever clinics and within a day for those who volunteer to be evaluated, according to the guideline.

09: 07 GMT – Indonesia reports record day-to-day jump

With 1,624 cases in the past 24 hours, Indonesia reported its greatest jump in everyday infections, says health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

This brings the overall number of cases to 59,394 The nation likewise reported 53 brand-new deaths, taking the cumulative death toll to 2,987

08: 40 GMT – Non-COVID-19 related deaths increase in Indian city

A spike in non-coronavirus associated deaths in the Indian city of Ahmedabad highlights the result of the pandemic on basic health care, medical professionals warn.

The increase in the variety of deaths in the most populated city in western Gujarat state is due to clients with major illnesses either not able to go to medical facilities or being afraid to visit them due to the fact that of the infection, medical professionals stated.

Data gathered from twenty-four Hindu crematoriums and four of the largest Muslim graveyards in the city shows there have been 3,558 deaths in April and 7,150 in Might. During the very same months the previous year, the number of reported casualties were, respectively, 2,784 and 2,706

The numbers consist of “threatening signals” for the rest of the nation, physician Rajib Dasgupta, a teacher of neighborhood health at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, informed Reuters News Agency.

08: 21 GMT – Emirates airline company says released over $517 m in refunds

Emirates, among the world’s biggest long-haul airlines, has processed near 650,000 refunds over the past 2 months, refunding over 1.9 billion dirhams ($517 m).

The Dubai-based provider is operating a limited variety of flights on a minimized network after the coronavirus pandemic brought international aviation to a near halt this year.

Emirates anticipates to process more than 500,000 refunds in the next two months, Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim stated in a statement.

08: 05 GMT – UK’s Boohoo responds to damning reports

UK’s Boohoo has protected its supply chain practices after it came under fire for supposedly putting workers at risk of infection in its Leicester factories.

” The boohoo group will not tolerate any occurrence of non-compliance especially in relation to the treatment of workers within our supply chain and we have actually terminated relationships with providers where proof of this is found,” Boohoo stated, adding it would investigate the allegations and take any essential action.

The allegations to the online fashion seller were gathered by the workers’ rights group Labour Behind the Label which said it received reports of staff members being required to come into work while ill with COVID-19 and factories running unlawfully throughout lockdown.

BRAND-NEW REPORT// How can @boohoo report 44%growth in the very first quarter of this year and shares increased by 22%, DESPITE the global pandemic? Employees report lockdown breaches, furlough fraud and contemporary slavery in Boohoo’s supply chain. #Boowho? https://t.co/GScanP3wCu

— Labour Behind The Label (@labourlabel) July 1, 2020

07: 46 GMT – In change of tone, Trump says he is ‘all for masks’

After long withstanding wearing a face mask in public throughout the coronavirus pandemic, United States President Donald Trump has now struck a different tone, stating he is in favour of the protective covering.

Cuba has revealed it will start reducing a
pandemic lockdown on Havana on Friday, while most of the rest of the nation will relocate to phase 2 of a three-phase process towards normalization.

The capital’s 2.2 million citizens will again be able to walk around on public and personal transport, go to the beach and other entertainment centres and enjoy a seaside drive just in time for the summer season break. They can likewise dine and have a beverage, although social distancing and using masks stay necessary. Optional medical and other services will likewise resume.

Just a handful of COVID-19 cases were reported in Cuba last month, all however a few in Havana. Most of the Caribbean island, home to 11.2 million residents, has actually been free of the disease for more than a month.

04: 48 GMT – India’s tally of coronavirus infections crosses 600,000

India’s coronavirus infections surpassed 600,000 on Thursday, with 17,834 deaths, as authorities battled to consist of the pandemic while easing lockdown rules, officials and the health ministry said.

The boost presents a severe obstacle for India’s stretched medical capability and overloaded health system, Reuters news firm reported.

A relieving stage called “Unlock 2” was announced on Monday, enabling more economic activities to resume even as some largely inhabited containment zones stay under lockdown.

04: 04 – Tokyo validates more than 100 coronavirus cases on Thursday, NHK says

Tokyo verified more than 100 brand-new coronavirus infection cases on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK stated, the Japanese capital’s greatest day-to-day tally in 2 months.

The city of 14 million initially looked for to hold new daily cases listed below 20 given that Japan raised a state of emergency situation on Might 25, but its tally has consistently exceeded 50 recently, according to Reuters news company.

Today, the urban federal government stated it would move away from mathematical targets and rely more on skilled advice to control the infection and avert additional economic downturn. Tokyo’s daily count last went beyond 100 on May 2.

03: 19 GMT – South Korea reports 54 brand-new cases

South Korea reported 54 new cases as the infection continues to spread out beyond the capital location and reach cities like Gwangju, which has actually shut schools and tightened social limitations after lots were discovered infected this week.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a virus meeting expressed alarm over the rise of infections in Gwangju, which had one of the tiniest caseloads amongst significant South Korean cities prior to this week.

Park urged the city’s residents to refrain from unneeded gatherings, maintain distance from others and wear masks.

The overall number of cases nationwide has actually reached 12,904, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), with the death toll remaining at 282.

02: 55 GMT – Australia establishes checkpoints to contain Melbourne virus hotspots

Australian authorities set up rural checkpoints in new coronavirus hot spots in Melbourne on Thursday as authorities had a hard time to consist of new break outs in the nation’s second-largest city, even as travel restrictions eased elsewhere, according to Reuters news agency.

Images released by the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Thursday showed cops flagging down cars and trucks in rural streets after 36 residential areas in Melbourne in Victoria state went into lockdown following a spike in new infections there. The state reported 77 brand-new cases on Thursday, up a little from the previous day and in line with 2 weeks of double-digit everyday boosts.

Australia has actually fared better than numerous nations in the pandemic, with around 8,000 cases and 104 deaths. The current dive in Victoria has stoked fears of a 2nd wave of COVID-19, echoing concerns expressed in other nations.

02: 07 GMT – Colombia tops 100,000 coronavirus cases, posts brand-new day-to-day record

Colombia’s confirmed coronavirus infections tipped across the 100,000 case threshold on Wednesday, as the country’s quarantine steps roll on and intensive care systems fill, Reuters news agency reported.

Validated coronavirus cases now number 102,009, the health ministry said, 54,941 of which are active. Some 3,470 individuals have died.

Wednesday likewise marked the highest-ever everyday increase in validated cases with an uptick of 4,163

The mayor of the nation’s capital Bogota stated over the weekend the city should get ready for a stricter lockdown as ICUs reached 70 percent capability, but ruled out tougher measures after the national federal government turned over numerous extra ventilators.

01: 44 GMT – China reports five brand-new coronavirus cases in mainland on July 1

China on Thursday reported three new coronavirus cases and two new asymptomatic cases in the mainland for July 1, compared with three cases a day previously, the health authority stated.

2 of the brand-new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a declaration, while the capital city of Beijing reported one new case. There were no new deaths.

Since July 1, mainland China had an overall of 83,537 verified coronavirus cases, it said. China’s death toll from the coronavirus remained at 4,634

01: 15 GMT – Mexico coronavirus death toll hits 28,510, surpassing Spain

Mexico’s health ministry has actually reported 5,681 new cases of coronavirus infection and 741 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the nation to 231,770 cases and 28,510 deaths.

With the additional deaths, Mexico’s coronavirus toll went beyond Spain’s overall variety of fatalities from the virus, which on Wednesday was 28,363, according to a Reuters tally.

00: 37 GMT – United States coronavirus cases rise to almost 50,000 to set brand-new day-to-day record

Coronavirus cases in the United States rose by nearly 50,000, the most significant day-to-day boost given that the pandemic begun, according to the most recent Reuters tally late on Wednesday.

The variety of US COVID-19 infections has risen over the past week, with day-to-day figures setting brand-new records numerous times in the previous week, according to the tally. The United States reported at least 49,286 cases as of completion of Tuesday.

Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have actually led the increases and were amongst 14 mentions that have actually reported a more than doubling of case numbers during the month of June, according to a Reuters analysis as of the end of Wednesday.

The US has actually reported at least 2.68 million cases with over 128,000 deaths.

The World Health Company (WHO) on Wednesday alerted any country that stops working to utilize every system offered to fight the still raving unique coronavirus remains in for a “long, difficult” battle.

00: 01 GMT – New Zealand’s health minister Clark resigns

New Zealand’s health minister, David Clark, resigned on Thursday, following current slip-ups in the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and individual errors.

” It has ended up being significantly clear to me that my continuation in the role is distracting for the federal government’s general reaction to COVID-19 and the global pandemic,” he said in a press conference in parliament.

Clark stated Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had actually accepted his resignation.

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Hi and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Check out all the updates from yesterday (July 1) here