Daily News Briefing: Major incident declared as people flock to beaches

US  records its biggest single-day high in cases as the White House prepares to hold first public meeting in almost two months

CNN says the US saw its biggest single-day spike in new coronavirus cases on Thursday, with 37,077 new infections reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

According to JHU’s tally, at least 2,421,134 cases has been confirmed in the US, including 124, 410. 

In other US coronavirus news, the White House has confirmed Vice President Mike Pence will lead a public coronavirus task force briefing Friday morning, the first public meeting in almost two months.

The announcement comes as many states are seeing a rise in cases despite President Trump declaring the pandemic was “over.” 

Read the full story on CNN

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Tokyo reports 55 new Covid-19 cases, topping 50 for the first time since May

Japan Times says Tokyo recorded 55 new infection cases on Wednesday. The alarmingly high number comes after a brief period in which daily figures fluctuated following the lifting of the state of emergency in late May and the reopening of the capital. 

Wednesday was the first day in which new cases topped 50 since May 5. It has been reported a number of the new infections can be traced back to nightlife destinations as well as contact among employees. 

Read the full story on Japan Times

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UK coronavirus: Volunteers wanted for antibody test trials

BBC News says volunteers are being sought from NHS staff and other public service workers for a study into the effectiveness of Covid-19 antibody home testing kits. 

A number of the rapid response kits are bein studied, including one from a consortium including Oxford University. 

The test to see if someone has already had coronavirus has been described by the PM as a game-changer to get people back to work.

Read the full story on BBC News

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Major incident declared as people flock to England’s south coast, Hancock warns he could close beaches

The Guardian says a major incident has been declared after tens of thousands of people ignored pleas to stay away and descended on beaches in Bournemouth and other stretches of the Dorset coast.

The local council said it was forced to instigate a multi-agency emergency response to tackle issues ranging from overcrowding on the beaches, traffic gridlock and violence. Security guards had to be used to protect refuse collection teams. 

Read the full story on The Guardian

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Eiffel Tower reopens to visitors with strict coronavirus restrictions

France24 says tourists and Parisians are now able to admire the view of the French capital from the Eiffel Tower after a three-month closure due to the coronavirus. But only if you take the stairs! 

The French capital’s most famous monument reopened Thursday, but visitors won’t be able to use the lifts until July 1, to ensure a safe distance between people to limit infection risk.

Read the full story on France24

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VIDEO: Lockdown in Iran

Aljazeera says when Covid-19 hit Iran earlier this year, filmmaker Jamshid Mojaddadi was working on a project about a zoo – not far from his home and office in Mashad. 

Then suddenly, like so many people in this extraordinary year, his life was turned upside down as lockdown measures were introduced. 

Cut adrift from his crew and usual subject matter, he began documenting his own daily life instead. 

The resulting film made in collaboration with his colleagues in the UK is a fascinating and intimate portrait of life under lockdown in a country misunderstood by the rest of the world. 

Watch his film on Aljazeera

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