Thursday 2 July
BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
Thursday 2 July 2020 News Briefing – Today’s headlines are dominated by the global Coronavirus Pandemic. As of 6:30 am (GMT), these are the global active numbers.
Thursday’s leading story: English pubs reopen July 4 amid fears of ‘chaos’ as police step up patrols. Doctors plead with the public not to get ‘plastered’ over concerns of ignoring social distancing.
Global COVID-19 UPDATE
Coronavirus Cases: 10,809,998
Deaths: 519,050
Recovered: 6,032,381
- Coronavirus cases continue to rise in double digits in Victoria, Austalia.
- Police step up patrols amid fears of ‘chaos’ as English pubs reopen.
- More could have immunity than tests suggested.
- US backs off reopening as Covid-19 cases spike to record levels.
- Japan business confidence worst since 2009 crisis.
- Dehli opens 10,000 makeshift bed hospital amid coronavirus surge.
Coronavirus cases continue to rise in double digits in Victoria, Austalia
CNN says Victoria, Australia recorded 77 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, its 17th consecutive day of double-digit growth in new infections.
The majority of the cases detected on Wednesday were in the 10 “hot zone” suburbs around Melbourne, where 300,000 people have been ordered to stay at home.
Victoria now has 415 active cases, with 20 patients hospitalized and four in intensive care.
Read the full story on CNN
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Police step up patrols amid fears of ‘chaos’ as English pubs reopen
The Guardian says police forces across England will deploy additional patrols on Saturday as pubs reopen, part of the biggest easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures to date.
Pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels and other hospitality and entertainment services will open on Saturday for the first time since mid-March, with strict conditions in place.
Some concerns have been raised about the timing of the reopening, the levels of alcohol consumption expected and potential knock-on effects on behaviour and social distancing. Doctors have pleaded with pub-goers not to get ‘plastered.’
Read the full story on The Guardian
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More could have immunity than tests suggested
BBC News people testing negative for coronavirus antibodies may still have some immunity, a study has suggested.
For every person testing positive for antibodies, two were found to have specific T-cells which identify and destroy infected cells.
This was seen even in people who had mild or symptomless cases of Covid-19.
But it’s not yet clear whether this just protects that individual, or if it might also stop them from passing on the infection to others.
Read the full story on BBC News
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US backs off reopening as Covid-19 cases spike to record levels
France24 says coronavirus cases in the US soared past 50,000 for the first time Wednesday, as the WHO delivered a grave warning that the global pandemic is accelerating.
Restaurants, bars and beaches in the world’s worst-hit nation closed from California to Florida, as states reeling from yet another surge in the deadly virus braced for Independence Day festivities.
Global infections have hit their highest level in the past week, WHO data showed, with chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying new cases topped “160,000 on every single day.”
Read the full story on France24
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Japan business confidence worst since the 2009 crisis.
Arab News says confidence among major Japanese manufacturers has dropped to its lowest level since the global financial crisis, a key survey showed, as the coronavirus dries up global demand.
The survey – a quarterly poll of about 10,000 companies – showed a reading of minus 34 among big manufacturers, the lowest since June 2009 when worldwide financial shocks hammered the world’s third-largest economy.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Dehli opens 10,000 makeshift bed hospital amid coronavirus surge
Aljazeera says New Delhi has set up one of the world’s largest makeshift hospitals with 10,000 beds as coronavirus cases surged passed 87,000 in the Indian capital.
The city has emerged as India’s biggest COVID-19 hotspot with 2,742 deaths. The number of infections in India passed 500,000 this weekend, with more than 17,000 deaths now recorded.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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A quick look at the other top stories
Gun background checks hit record high in June, a sign of booming sales, FBI reveals
FOX News says firearm-related background checks reached 3.9 million in June, the most since the tracking system was created more than two decades ago amid multiple crises in the coronavirus pandemic, an economic downfall and protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
End to EU free movement in UK closer after MPs pass immigration bill
EuroNews says British MPs have approved the government’s immigration bill which aims to end EU freedom of movement rules in the UK, one of the key factors that led to Brexit.
Africa’s coronavirus cases pass 400,000 cases with over 10,000 deaths
Africa News says the continental caseload crossed the 400,000 mark as of July 1 according to John Hopkins University tallies. The death toll also surpassed 10,000.
There are over 201,800 active cases against 193,000 recoveries across Africa. South Africa remains the most impacted with over 150,000 cases from over 1.6 million tests.
Middle East at ‘critical threshold’ of coronavirus crisis: WHO
Aljazeera says the Middle East faces a “critical threshold” amid a relaxation of coronavirus measures following a surge in cases in the region, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.
