U.S. president Donald Trump said he would take part in a conference call on Sunday with leaders of Lebanon, France and other countries following the devastating blast in Beirut.
He also said he will be doing a press conference shortly, which would touch on both Beirut and the coronavirus.
I will be doing a news conference on the ChinaVirus, the just announced very good economic numbers, and the improving economy, at 7pm from Bedminster, New Jersey. Also, the subject of the Beirut, Lebanon catastrophe will be discussed.
Australia passed 20,000 coronavirus cases yesterday, with case numbers doubling in less than a month thanks to the outbreak in the Victorian capital of Melbourne.
Meanwhile NSW tightened its border restrictions against Victoria, requiring anyone who travels to NSW from Victoria to undergo 14-days of mandatory supervised quarantine in a hotel – the same conditions imposed on people returning from overseas travel. NSW recorded 11 new coronavirus cases on Friday – the only state other than Victoria to record any increase – and is yet to trace the origin of two of the cases.
The UK government has been criticised by Conservative party members for their “unfair” lack of clarity over the possible implementation of further quarantine restrictions.
Chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs Sir Graham Brady and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith have called for a “proper testing regime for air travellers” to be implemented as quickly as possible, and for regional air corridors to be considered.
It comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned holidaymakers of the risk of travelling abroad during the coronavirus crisis amid concerns France may be the next nation to be added to the quarantine list.
He said on Friday that ministers will “not hesitate” in ordering travellers coming back from countries with high Covid-19 rates to isolate for 14 days, as Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas lose their exempted status.
Travellers returning to the UK from those three nations from Saturday must enter quarantine, and there are fears those coming back from France could be next with cases there increasing.
Sir Graham told The Telegraph leaving the public in the dark on the matter is “grossly unfair”.
“We should move to a proper testing regime for air travellers as quickly as possible, but in the meantime it is essential that the government is as transparent as possible about the criteria which are being used judging which countries require quarantine and which do not.
“Leaving the travelling public in the dark is grossly unfair and is causing further damage to the holiday and leisure sector.”
A Mariachi wears a face mask as he perform on the street to earn some money due to the lack of work amid the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, in Mexico City. Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed Europe on Friday to become the region hardest-hit by coronavirus deaths. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images
Sarthak Anand says his neighbours treated him like a “criminal” when he got coronavirus, a common experience in India’s vast hinterland where the pandemic and stigmatisation are now raging.
“Even though I have recovered fully, no one wants to come near me,” Anand, a government employee, told AFP outside his home in Meerut, a northern Indian city home to 3.4 million people.
On Friday India’s official caseload passed two million, and while previously metropolises like New Delhi and Mumbai were the hotspots, smaller cities and rural areas are now reporting sharp rises.
According to public health expert Preeti Kumar, the probable reason is the return home of millions of migrant workers who were left jobless by India’s sudden lockdown imposed in March.
“We are seeing the numbers rise especially in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and with poorer healthcare systems, it is going to be a challenge,” Kumar told AFP.
The poor northern state of Uttar Pradesh, home to roughly as many people as France, Germany and Britain combined, has now seen the pandemic reach almost every district.
The state has recorded 100,000 cases. Its capital Lucknow is reporting more than 600 new infections every day, compared to only 100-150 just a few days ago.
As Covid-19 cases spike and hospital bed space dwindles in Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage officials on Friday won a ruling in favour of a ban on indoor restaurant dining after a standoff over the issue moved to court.
City officials this week sued to halt indoor dining service at one eatery that defied an emergency order issued on July 31 prohibiting the practice after coronavirus infections jumped sharply.
On Friday, following two days of court hearings, state Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth sided with city officials and issued a temporary restraining order against the restaurant.
“The restrictions on indoor restaurant dining are undeniably difficult for affected businesses, but they are medically necessary for the health of our entire community,” the municipality had said in its motion.
Kriner’s Diner defiance won them hundreds of supporters. Customers packed the restaurant for days, rallied outside the eatery and distributed “We Support Kriner’s Diner” bumper stickers.
A handful of other restaurants followed Kriner’s example, and the city has sued a second diner.
Italy has approved a new stimulus package aimed at helping businesses and families survive the coronavirus crisis, while Rome waits to receive funds from the European Union’s Recovery Fund.
The government would use the extra spending, worth 25 billion euros ($29.5 billion), to soften the blow to an economy ravaged by lockdown measures imposed to stem the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed almost 35,200 people.
Italy hopes to front-load this year part of 209 billion euros in grants and cheap loans it should receive from the Recovery Fund starting in 2021.
The Italian economy has been among the worst hit by the crisis, facing an 11.2% contraction this year, according to European Union estimates, the sharpest fall in the 27-nation bloc.
“We have set aside 12 billion euros to support employment,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters after a three-hour Cabinet meeting.
Part of the borrowing will be used to conditionally extend temporary layoff schemes for up to 18 weeks, with firms required not to cut jobs to qualify for state aid.
US health officials reported this week that 15 adults were poisoned in Arizona and New Mexico in May and June after drinking hand sanitiser with four deaths.
Three people had ongoing vision problems, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
All had consumed sanitizers containing methanol, or wood alcohol. The active ingredient that kills germs in legitimate sanitisers is ethyl alcohol, which is consumable.
But some companies have been replacing it with poisonous methanol, which is used in antifreeze.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in June about Mexican-made hand gel that it said contained large amounts of methanol.
Since then, the FDA has expanded the list and identified dozens of hand sanitisers that contain methanol and have been recalled in the US by manufacturers and distributors.
President Donald Trump has said that after talks with Democratic lawmakers on coronavirus relief broke down, he did not want to provide aid to Democratic-run cities and states and would go “a different way.”
Pelosi and Schumer only interested in Bailout Money for poorly run Democrat cities and states. Nothing to do with China Virus! Want one trillion dollars. No interest. We are going a different way!
