Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been retested for coronavirus after showing symptoms of the disease, including fever.
- A group of more than 200 scientists urges the World Health Organization to recognize that the coronavirus can spread in the air.
- Nearly 11.6 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and nearly 537,000 have died, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The United States and Brazil have reported the majority of cases and the highest number of deaths.
Here are the latest updates.
Tuesday, July 7
02:20 GMT – Students in China take the university entrance exam
More than 10 million students across China have started taking the highly competitive gaokao or university entrance exam that was delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.
The state-run Global Times says it is the largest public event since the health crisis.
Born at the time of the SARS epidemic in 2003, more than 10 million high school graduates are taking the National College Entrance Exam, known as #gaokao. This year’s gaokao comes a month later than usual due to # COVID_19. pic.twitter.com/FcheqHjZcG
– China Daily (@ChinaDaily) July 7, 2020
Candidates in #Wuhan enter the test site for this year’s university entrance exam, or gaokao, after measuring their body temperature on Tuesday. This year’s gaokao, held in most of China from July 7 to 8, is the largest public event since pandemic # COVID19. pic.twitter.com/dYc5rff0zf
– Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 7, 2020
01:35 GMT – Outbreak in Mexico could last until April
A senior health official in Mexico says the outbreak there could last until next April.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell told Radio Formula, a local channel, that the cases could persist throughout the winter.
“The flu season begins in October and there are some reasonable assumptions that we might also have a peak in COVID-19 along with the flu during the fall to winter season,” he said.
Mexico has registered 31,119 deaths from the disease, the fifth highest in the world.
00:00 GMT – New Zealand will limit the return of citizens in quarantine restriction
New Zealand citizens who want to return home may have to wait longer than anticipated after the government moved to limit arrivals from abroad to ease pressure on mandatory quarantine facilities.
Authorities said they had reached an agreement with Air New Zealand to suspend incoming reservations for the next three weeks and were talking to other airlines.
“The last thing we need is to hastily establish facilities to meet demand, so we must have a manageable number of safe and fit-for-purpose facilities that do the job of stopping COVID-19 at the border,” said the housing minister, Megan Woods. in a sentence.
There are currently about 6,000 people in quarantine at 28 facilities.
23:30 GMT – Bolsonaro tested after showing symptoms COVID-19
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent another coronavirus test, after reporting symptoms associated with respiratory illness, including fever.
Bolsonaro told supporters outside the presidential palace that they had just been tested for the virus and that a medical examination had shown that his lungs were “clean.” Results are due Tuesday.
The right-wing populist has repeatedly downplayed the impact of the virus, despite the fact that Brazil now has the second highest number of cases and deaths in the world.
A woman walks on graffiti in Rio de Janeiro showing Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. You are waiting for the result of a second coronavirus test after having a fever [Sergio Moraes/Reuters]
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Read all of yesterday’s updates here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
