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Germany has recorded the largest daily increase in coronavirus cases in more than three months
Germany has recorded the largest daily increase in cases of coronavirus in more than three months as countries in the region struggle to contain a rise in infections.
The latest official figures show a rise of more than 1,200 cases in Germany in the past 24 hours.
Ministry of Health Jens Spahn said the increase was due in part to people returning from holidays.
It came when Germany warned against non-essential travel to parts of Spain.
The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it had added a partial travel warning to the Spanish capital Madrid and the Basque region amid growing infections there. Warnings were already in place for the regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre.
Germany has more than 9,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.
A ‘critical moment’ for Spain
Spain is facing the worst coronavirus infection period in Western Europe. It registered 1,418 new infections in its last daily count on Tuesday and said there were 675 “active outbreaks” in the country.
Salvador Macip, an expert in health sciences at the Open University of Catalonia, told news agency AFP that the country was at a “critical moment”.
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“We are equal at a point where things can get better or worse. This means we have to pull all the stops to limit outbreaks before they become more serious,” he said.
In total, Spain has recorded more than 326,000 cases – the highest number in Western Europe and the 11th highest in the world.
Mask wearing mandatory in Brussels
Wearing a face mask was mandatory on Wednesday in all public areas in Brussels amid a rise in cases.
The order applies to people 12 years and older. People were previously only required to wear masks in crowded public spaces and in closed areas of the Belgian capital, such as shopping malls.
Authorities said the improved rules were introduced due to an increase in infections, with Brussels registering an average of 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants per day last week.
Police checks are being revamped to make sure people follow the new rules.
The mask-wear regulation is one of the strictest currently in place in Europe.
Belgium has recorded more than 75,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 9,800 deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Paris cancels the marathon for re-planning
This Paris marathon has been canceled this year because France is fighting a spike in cases of coronavirus, organizers said on Wednesday.
The marathon was originally scheduled to take place on April 5, but was then postponed to November 15 due to the pandemic.
Organizers said they “tried everything to keep the event going” but felt “obliged” to shell it out.
“There will be great disappointment among those who have sacrificed time training for what has become an autumn marathon,” they said.
Organizers are now working on the 2021 marathon.
The announcement came after Paris became the last French city to make face masks mandatory in busy open areas. Face masks were already required nationwide in closed public spaces.
A government spokeswoman said on Wednesday that France would gradually increase police checks to ensure people respected social distance and wore masks where they were needed.
“We are at a point … We will mobilize mobilizing forces to create controls,” Gabriel Attal told reporters.
