Confirmed coronavirus cases crossed 13 million worldwide and resulted in 5.72 lakh deaths so far. While Hong Kong tightened restrictions to contain a resurgence in virus cases, Queensland imposed compulsory quarantine for anyone entering the Australian state from “hotspots” in neighboring New South Wales. Hong Kong also introduced a fine of $645 for anyone refusing to wear a mask on public transport in a fresh bid to prevent the resurgent coronavirus from spiraling out of control. New York City will redouble efforts to educate young people about the importance of wearing masks and keeping socially distant after an increase in cases among those ages 20 to 29. And Japan’s government said a new state of emergency is possible if infections increase further.The UK government ended days of speculation and declared on Tuesday that wearing a face mask or face covering will become mandatory in shops across England from July 24, as part of efforts to control the spread of coronavirus as the country eases out of lockdown.The enforcement powers for the new policy will be handed to the police and anyone failing to wear a face covering while shopping will be subject to a fine of up to 100 pounds, or 50 pounds if paid speedily within 14 days. “There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus,” a 10 Downing Street spokesperson said.“The Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24,” the spokesperson said.While shop workers will be encouraged to prompt customers to comply, they will not be expected to enforce the rules, allaying retail union concerns about their involvement in the enforcement process. The British Retail Consortium said it hoped the announcement “will make shoppers feel even more confident about returning to the High Street”.
Singapore reports 347 new coronavirus cases, tally reaches 46,630
Singapore on Tuesday reported 347 new coronavirus infections, including seven community and two imported cases, taking the total tally to 46,630, the health ministry said. Most of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, it said.
Of the seven community cases, one is a Singaporean citizen and six are foreigners holding work passes.The two imported patients have been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, the ministry said. With the detection of the 347 new cases, Singapore’s COVID-19 tally now stands at 46,630. The virus has so far claimed 26 lives in the country. The ministry has ordered a company to shut its premises for 14 days after three coronavirus cases were detected in the firm, which was also found to have breached safe management and social distancing measures.
Demand for robot cooks in US rises as kitchens combat COVID-19
Robots that can cook – from flipping burgers to baking bread – are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers.Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, dubbed Flippy, is made by Pasadena, California-based Miso Robotics.White Castle and Miso have been discussing a partnership for about a year. Those talks accelerated when COVID-19 struck, said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson.Richardson said the robot can free up employees for other tasks like disinfecting tables or handling the rising number of delivery orders. A touch-free environment that minimizes contact is also increasingly important to customers, he said.The world’s just reshaped in terms of thoughts around food safety, Richardson said. Flippy currently costs USD 30,000, with a USD 1,500 monthly service fee. By the middle of next year, Miso hopes to offer the robot for free but charge a higher monthly fee.
Pandemic worsening, things won’t return to ‘old normal’ for some time: WHO
The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally and things won’t return to “the old normal” for some time. At a press briefing Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.” Tedros said that while numerous countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have brought outbreaks under control, too many others are seeing virus trends move in the wrong direction. Tedros also chastised political leaders for mixed messages about outbreaks that damage trust, without referring to any politicians by name. Tedros called for countries to adopt a comprehensive strategy to curb the soaring caseloads in many countries, noting that about half of all the new cases are now coming from the Americas. Without applying basic outbreak-control methods, “there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,” WHO chief Tedros cautioned. “It’s going to get worse and worse and worse,” he said.
Japan medical workers, elderly to get vaccine first: Report
Japan will start to draft guidelines determining who will receive priority in being vaccinated for coronavirus when a treatment becomes available, Jiji reported, without attribution. Prioritizing elderly people, those with pre-existing conditions and medical workers are among suggestions being considered with local government to pay for vaccine costs, Jiji said.
LA defies Trump to start academic year with online classes
Los Angeles, home to America’s second-largest school district, and San Diego said they will start the academic year with online classes amid the resurgent coronavirus. “The health and safety of all in the school community is not something we can compromise,” Austin Beutner, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said in a statement. “Last week was the worst yet in the Los Angeles area.” The districts’ decisions come after just one day after America’s top education official downplayed the risk of reopening schools in the fall — a top priority for President Donald Trump.
US has biggest COVID-19 testing programme in the world: Trump
The United States has the biggest COVID-19 testing programme in the world, better than big countries like Russia, China, India and Brazil, President Donald Trump said on Monday, asserting that America has “just about the lowest mortality rate” due to the disease in the world. “We have one of the lowest mortality rates anywhere,” Trump said at a White House roundtable. More than 34 lakh Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 so far and over 1,37,000 have died due to the disease, both of which are the largest numbers among all the countries. The huge number of positive cases, the president said, is due to the massive testing efforts undertaken by his administration, more extensive than any other country.
California shuts indoor dining
California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all inside dining, wineries, movie theaters and other indoor entertainment closed to control the spread of Covid-19. Bars and breweries statewide must close all indoor and outdoor operations, while fitness centers, worship services, protests and salons must shut in counties that have been on a monitoring list for three straight days. Those counties include Sacramento, Santa Barbara, San Benito and San Diego.
Masks to be mandatory in London shops
Face coverings will be compulsory in all shops in England from July 24 as part of attempts to stop the spread of coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce Tuesday. “There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus,” Johnson’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24.”
Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine still has miles to go
Meanwhile, Britain faces a potentially more deadly second wave of COVID-19 in the coming winter that could kill up to 120,000 people over nine months in a worst-case scenario, health experts said on Tuesday. With COVID-19 more likely to spread in winter as people spend more time together in enclosed spaces, a second wave of the pandemic “could be more serious than the one we’ve just been through,” said Stephen Holgate, a professor and co-lead author of a report by Britain’s Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS).