Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
- Texas authorities warn that hospitals in the U.S. state could be overwhelmed if coronavirus cases continue to rise.
- The border between the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales will close at midnight on Tuesday for the first time in a century.
- According to Johns Hopkins University, almost 11.4 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and 533,343 have died. Almost 6.2 million have recovered from the disease.
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, July 6
03:15 GMT – Mexico’s president rejects comparisons with European death tolls
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel Lopex Obrador refused to compare Mexico to European countries on Sunday as the country’s death toll from coronavirus increased.
Mexico now has 30,639 deaths, the fifth highest in the world, beating France.
“The population of Spain and France is smaller than that of Mexico,” López Obrador said in a video message posted on YouTube. “For every person who has died in our country, three have died in Spain. We cannot compare this.”
Mexico has a population of 127 million, compared to 67 million in France and 47 million in Spain.
The five countries with the highest death rate:
- United States – 129,946
- Brazil – 64,867
- United Kingdom – 44,305
- Italy – 34,861
- Mexico – 30,639
Source: Johns Hopkins University
03:00 GMT – The Louvre will reopen on Monday
After four months of closure, the Louvre in the heart of Paris will reopen at 9 am local time (07:00 GMT).
All visitors must reserve a time and wear a mask inside buildings, while efforts have been made to avoid overcrowding.
La Salle des Etats, where the Mona Lisa is shown and which is generally full, will have separate entry and exit points.
J-1 avant la réouverture! ⏳
La Joconde is prête à vous accueillir de nouveau … 😊Préparez votre visit 👉 https://t.co/S6vMEFSL46 pic.twitter.com/wO5ZEo6DrB
– Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) July 5, 2020
Translation: One day until we reopen. The Mona Lisa is ready to welcome you once again.
02:20 GMT – Saudi Arabia announces new internal controls for COVID-19
Saudi Arabia has announced new health protocols for this year’s haj, which will be open only to national pilgrims.
Touching the Kaaba will be prohibited and a 1.5 meter space of social distance will be imposed during mass prayers and while surrounding the Kaaba.
Access to haj sites in Mona, Muzadalifah and Arafat will also be limited to those with haj permits from July 19 to August 2, according to the state news agency.
Strict social distancing will apply during this year’s haj when pilgrims circle the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca. [File: Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters]
01:45 GMT – Bolivian Minister of Health diagnosed with coronavirus
Bolivian health minister Eidy Roca was diagnosed with the coronavirus, the third member of the country’s cabinet to be confirmed with the disease in four days.
Roca is in a stable condition and “strictly complies with the security protocol that includes isolation, medication and care,” according to a statement from his office.
00:50 GMT – Victoria / NSW border closure confirmed
Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews confirmed that the border with New South Wales (NSW) will close at midnight Tuesday in Australia.
Victoria, who closed several Melbourne suburbs and imposed a draconian blockade on nine blocks of public housing, said she had 127 new cases of coronavirus. She now has 645 active cases.
Premier @DanielAndrewsMP confirms Starting at 11:59 pm tomorrow night, the border with Vic and NSW will be closed. He says “all of us” okay (@GladysB @ScottMorrisonMP)
It says that the border enforcement will be on the NSW side. @ 10NewsFirstMelb #springst @ 10NewsFirstSyd pic.twitter.com/CP8hGSviAk– Simon Love (@SimoLove) July 6, 2020
00:20 GMT – Australia’s New South Wales to close the border with Victoria
The Australian state of New South Wales will close its border with neighboring Victoria after an increase in locally transmitted coronavirus cases in Melbourne.
The shutdown will take effect on Tuesday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
BREAK:
ABC understands that the Victoria / NSW border will be closed from tomorrow night.– Joe O’Brien (@JoeABCNews) July 6, 2020
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Melbourne: Thousands of public housing towers called for closure |
23:00 GMT – Hospitals in some parts of the United States are on the brink
Hospitals in some parts of the United States are in danger of being overwhelmed.
All beds are occupied in parts of Texas, one of the states hardest hit by the resurgence of the virus.
“Our hospitals here in Harris County, Houston, and 33 other cities … have augmentation capabilities,” Lina Hidalgo, The county executive director told ABC television in the United States. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner echoed his comments, saying the system could be “overwhelmed” if the outbreak is not controlled.
Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, has also expressed concern that hospitals may soon reach breaking point.
“If we don’t change our trajectory, then I am within two weeks of the invasion of our hospitals. And in our ICUs, it could be 10 days from that,” the mayor told CNN.
Read all of yesterday’s updates here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
