- Global coronavirus cases now exceed 10 million and more than half a million people have died from the respiratory disease, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for about a quarter of all deaths.
- Pakistan’s COVID-19 cases have passed the 200,000 mark after 3,602 new infections were reported on Sunday.
- The US health secretary Alex Azar has warned the “window is closing” for decisive action to curb the virus as cases there surge.
- The Australian state of Victoria has found 75 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours – the highest daily count in two months. Its top health official says the number is “absolutely concerning”.
Source: Al Jazeera
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, June 29
12:15 GMT – Iran reports record coronavirus single-day death toll
Iran reported 162 deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest single-day toll since the outbreak began in the country in February.
“This increase in numbers is in fact a reflection of our overall performance, both in terms of reopening and in compliance with health protocols,” health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said at a news conference.
Iran has reported 225,205 cases and 10,670 fatalities [Ebrahim Noroozi/AP]
11:40 GMT – Kenya loses $751m in tourism revenue due to coronavirus
Kenya has lost 80 billion shillings ($751.88m) so far in revenue from its tourism sector, about half of last year’s total, due to the coronavirus crisis, its tourism minister said on Monday.
Tourism is Kenya’s second-largest foreign exchange earner after Diaspora remittances, grossing over 164 billion shillings in 2019 (about $1.54bn), drawing in 2.05 million visitors.
Tourists have kept away as Kenya shut its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic [Paula Bronstein/Getty]
11:15 GMT – Qatar reports 693 new cases, three deaths
Qatar recorded 693 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said, taking the total number of infections to 95,106. More than 80,000 of the infected have recovered from the virus.
At least three people died from the virus, the ministry added, taking the death toll to 113.
![Doha, Qatar, March 19, 2020 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]](http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2020/3/22/af27b783833e42f08007ea29770ee8e2_18.jpg "Doha, Qatar, March 19, 2020 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]")
Qatar has started to ease some of the restrictions as cases decline [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
10:30 GMT – UAE government employees to return to workplaces on July 5
Employees of the United Arab Emirates federal government will return to their workplaces from July 5, while implementing social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the UAE official news agency WAM said on Monday.
Only employees suffering chronic disease are exempted from the decision to return to on-site working, it added on Twitter, citing the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
The Gulf country has reported 47,797 cases and 313 fatalities [Francois Nel/Getty]
09:25 GMT – Indonesia reports more than 1,082 cases, 51 deaths
Indonesia reported 1,082 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the total number of infections to 55,092, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.
The Southeast Asian nation also recorded another 51 deaths, taking the total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 2,805, the highest in East Asia outside China.
08:55 GMT – In Pictures: Coronavirus cases hit a new high in India
India has reported a new daily record of nearly 20,000 new infections as several Indian states reimpose partial or full lockdowns to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Health workers carry the body of a man at a crematorium in New Delhi [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
India’s health ministry recorded 548,318 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, a jump of nearly 100,000 cases in a week in the world’s fourth worst-hit country after the United States, Brazil and Russia.
A healthcare worker walks in an alley of a slum during a check-up for the coronavirus disease in Mumbai [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]
The South Asian country’s death toll has reached 16,475, while 321,723 patients have recovered from the disease.
More photos here:
08:25 GMT – PM Johnson says coronavirus has been ‘a disaster’ for the UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus crisis had been a disaster for the United Kingdom but that it was not the right time for an inquiry into missteps.
“This has been a disaster,” Johnson told Times Radio. “Let’s not mince our words, I mean this has been an absolute nightmare for the country and the country has gone through a profound shock.”
He said, though, that this was not the right time for an inquiry in the handling of the crisis.
The UK has reported at least 312,000 coronavirus cases and 43,600 deaths [Phil Noble/Reuters]
07:55 GMT – Russia reports lowest coronavirus infections in two months
Russia on Monday reported 6,719 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the lowest one-day reported increase since April 29, pushing its nationwide tally to 641,156.
The national coronavirus taskforce said 93 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 9,166.
Only the US and Brazil have reported more cases than Russia.
Russia has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe [Sergei Chirikov/EPA]
07:30 GMT – Spain: EU to prepare list of coronavirus-safe countries by Tuesday
The European Union will have a list of coronavirus-safe countries for travel purposes ready by Tuesday at the latest, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said.
Officials are preparing a list of 15 countries that are safe for open borders based on epidemiological criteria, she told local radio Cadena SER, as the coronavirus pandemic wanes on most of the continent.
The pandemic is waning across Europe with many countries easing restrictions [Nacho Doce/Reuters]
07:05 GMT – Labour leader: PM Johnson ‘asleep at the wheel’
British opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been asleep at the wheel during the coronavirus crisis and had been far too slow to make major decisions.
“I think the prime minister has been asleep at the wheel, he has been slow, the comms, the communications has been terrible,” Starmer told ITV. “It began to break down frankly when Dominic Cummings put forward a ridiculous defence of what he had done in the North East.”
“They haven’t done the groundwork on test, trace and isolate,” Starmer said.
In Europe, only Russia has reported more cases than the UK [Isla Binnie/Reuters]
06:45 GMT – EU’s recovery fund must include substantial grants: IMF
A substantial part of the European Union’s package of measures to help the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic must consist of grants rather than loans, the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist told Der Spiegel.
“Otherwise it will not promote economic recovery,” Gita Gopinath was quoted as saying by the German magazine on Monday.
EU leaders agreed in April to build an emergency fund to help the 27-nation bloc rebound from the pandemic but the final details have yet to be agreed.
06:30 GMT – Czech Republic records highest daily cases since April 3
The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic rose by 305, the highest since April 3, health ministry data showed on Monday.
That is the fourth straight daily rise and brings the total number of cases to 11,603. There have been 348 deaths in the country of 10.7 million.
Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Sunday that the bulk of the new cases have been in a mining region in the east of the country.
The health ministry said it will hold a news conference today on the COVID-19 situation in the country [Lukas Kabon/Anadolu]
06:00 GMT – Pakistan coronavirus cases pass the 206,000 mark
In Pakistan, coronavirus cases crossed 206,512 mark on Sunday with 3,602 new infections reported.
At least 49 deaths were reported taking the overall toll to 4,245.
On Sunday, 23,009 tests were carried out, far below the WHO-recommended levels of 50,000 per day.
05:50 GMT –
Hello, this is Hamza Mohamed in Doha, Qatar taking over from my colleague Kate Mayberry.
05:30 GMT – Qatar to further ease coronavirus curbs
Qatar is to further ease coronavirus curbs from July 1, allowing the limited reopening of restaurants, beaches and parks.
The Supreme Committee for Crisis Management says public and private gatherings involving a maximum of five people would be allowed, and offices would be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity.
The next phase of reopening – including flights from low-risk countries – is scheduled for August 1.
05:15 GMT – Thailand records 35th day without community transmission
Thailand has reported its 35th day without community transmission.
The Southeast Asian nation added seven new cases on Monday, all of them in Thais returning from overseas – on this occasion from India and the US.
02:45 GMT – School building boom for post-COVID UK
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to set out plans for a 10-year rebuilding programme for schools in England, a December election promise derailed by the coronavirus.
“As we bounce back from the pandemic, it’s important we lay the foundations for a country where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, with our younger generations front and centre of this mission,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson’s Conservatives were returned to power with a large majority in December, taking many seats that traditionally vote Labour, but its handling of the pandemic has eaten into its support.
UK schools have suffered badly under the severe spending cuts introduced after the financial crisis in 2009. More on the spending plans here.
The UK government is trying to look beyond the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 43,000 people in the country, with a promise to rebuild England’s schools [Eddie Keogh/Reuters]
02:30 GMT – ‘Absolutely concerning’: Spike in cases in Australia’s Victoria state
The state of Victoria in southern Australia has found 75 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, something its Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton has described as “absolutely concerning”.
The state has already embarked on a testing blitz, but Sutton says social distancing measures could also be reintroduced in the form of localised lockdowns.
“We have to do whatever is required to turn this around,” he told reporters.
Monday’s daily cases are the highest in two months.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has said Victoria’s 75 new COVID-19 cases are “absolutely concerning” and the state’s coronavirus situation would “get worse before it gets better”. Read more: https://t.co/ACsASb1uY7 pic.twitter.com/jiik92KuxX
— The Age (@theage) June 29, 2020
02:00 GMT – China adds 12 new cases, compared with 17 on Sunday
China has reported 12 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, including five imported cases.
The seven domestic infections were all in Beijing.
About a third of the city’s 20 million people have been tested for the virus since an outbreak tracked to the capital’s main wholesale food market on June 11.
The first two #Foton vehicles to facilitate #COVID19 nucleic acid tests have been put into operation in #Beijing‘s Chaoyang and Xicheng districts. Each vehicle has four sampling points and each point is capable of testing 100 people within one hour. pic.twitter.com/B02hDKSmLs
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 29, 2020
01:45 GMT – Korea reports 42 new cases, concern over clusters
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has just announced 42 new cases of coronavirus – 30 of them local.
That is lower than the numbers reported over the weekend, but Yonhap news agency says South Korean authorities are concerned about continued clusters of infection, particularly in churches.
On Sunday, South Korea announced a three-level social distancing programme. The country is currently at Level 1, the lowest level. It will increase to Level 2 if the number of cases exceeds 50 for 14 days.
00:30 GMT – US accounts for a quarter of deaths as global toll passes half a million
The most recent numbers from Johns Hopkins show the death toll now stands at 501,206 since the first cases emerged in China late last year.
The US accounts for about a quarter of all deaths. Below are the five countries that have recorded the worst death tolls:
- US – 125,768
- Brazil – 57,622
- UK – 43,634
- Italy – 34,738
- France – 29,781
More than 10.1 million people have been diagnosed with the disease.
23:30 GMT (Sunday) – LA bars told to close again after cases surge
Bars in Los Angeles and six other counties in California – together home to about 13.5 million people – have been ordered to close again after a surge in coronavirus cases.
Bars reopened on June 19.
NEW: Due to the rising spread of #COVID19, CA is ordering bars to close in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, and Tulare, while recommending they close in Contra Costa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, & Ventura.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 28, 2020
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Kate Mayberry reporting from Kuala Lumpur.
Read the updates from yesterday (June 28) here.
