Friday, 4 September
- Pivotal moment as Leeds looks to avoid lockdown.
- India logs record 83,883 Covid-19 cases in a day.
- Brazil passes 4 million Covid-19 cases, amid tentative signs of virus easing.
- Jordan requires mandatory quarantine for airline passengers from yellow, red-listed countries.
- Japan considers free Covid-19 vaccines for all residents.
- NY, once the epicentre, prepares to reopen malls and casinos.
Pivotal moment as Leeds looks to avoid lockdown
BBC News says people in Leeds must make a “collective effort” to avoid further coronavirus restrictions, councillors have warned.
The city is expected to be added to PHE’s weekly watch list as an “area of concern” after its infection rate rose to 29.4 cases per 100,000 people.
If cases continue to rise, more stringent measures could be imposed.
City council leader Judith Blake said it was “a pivotal moment in our efforts to control the spread of the virus.”
Read the full story on BBC News
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India logs record 83,883 Covid-19 cases in a day
The Guardian says India reported a record daily rise of 83,883 coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking its total to 3.85 million cases, just as the country pushed ahead with attempting a return to normality and restarting its economy.
India now has the fastest-growing Covid-19 infection rate in the world and is only 100,000 cases behind Brazil, the second worst-affected country in the world. Experts are predicting that the south Asian nation will soon overtake Brazil (4 million) and then the US (6.1 million) to hold the dubious title of having the highest number of cases globally.
Read the full story on The Guardian
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Brazil passes 4 million Covid-19 cases, amid tentative signs of virus easing
France24 Brazil topped four million Covid-19 cases on Thursday as health ministry officials said infections were beginning to slow in the world’s second worst-hit country.
Since the first case on February 26, the country has registered more than 4.04 million infections and over 124,600 deaths, second only to the United States.
There were almost 44,000 new cases over the previous 24 hours and 834 fatalities.
Read the full story on France24
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Jordan requires mandatory quarantine for airline passengers from yellow, red-listed countries
Arab News says airline passengers arriving from yellow and red-listed countries must undergo quarantine as a precaution against the coronavirus, the government said.
All passengers must also undergo a Covid-19 test 72 hours before their scheduled flights and would again be tested upon their arrival in Jordan, according to transport minister Khaled Said, in a report from state news agency Petra.
Jordan is resuming international flights on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and has classified countries into three according to the risk of Covid-19.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Japan considers free Covid-19 vaccines for all residents
Japan Times says the Japanese government is considering offering Covid-19 vaccinations for free to all residents, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
The government aims to have as many people as possible receive the vaccine since the virus is characterized as being very contagious and many people are at high risk of developing severe symptoms if infected with it, the sources said.
Last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government wants to secure vaccines for all citizens by the first half of 2021 as part of a set of measures against the virus, which causes Covid-19.
Read the full story on Japan Times
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NY, once the epicentre, prepares to reopen malls and casinos
Aljazeera says as new coronavirus infections remain low, what was once a pandemic hotspot, New York state announces more reopenings.
Next Wednesday, New York City malls will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity and casinos statewide can reopen at 25 per cent capacity.
“Thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, we are at a point in our fight against this virus where we can safely reopen malls in New York City as long as they adhere to strict health and safety protocols,” Cuomo said. “Masks enhanced air ventilation systems, and social distancing will be mandatory.”
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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A quick look at the other top headlines
Officers involved in Daniel Prude’s death suspended
Aljazeera says the police officers involved in the arrest and asphyxiation death of a Black man in New York state have been suspended, the mayor of Rochester said on Thursday, one day after harrowing footage of the March incident was released.
English Channel migrants ‘forced onto boats’ to make perilous crossing
Euronews says some migrants crossing the English Channel are being forced onto small boats by criminal gangs in France and don’t even want to come to the UK, British MPs have been told.
Zimbabwe corruption exposing journalist freed from jail
Africanews says Zimbabwe’s investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was released from prison on Wednesday.
He was arrested six weeks ago for inciting public violence for tweeting his support for an anti-government protest.
Beirut rescuers investigate ‘heartbeat’ found in the rubble
BBC News says rescuers in Beirut are continuing to search through the rubble of a building amid reports a person could be alive, one month after a massive blast devastated the Lebanese capital.
