- The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has reached 600,435, according to the Johns Hopkins University count. In the meantime, The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has reached 14.2 million, while more than 7.9 million people have recovered.
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denounced the blocking measures used to stop the spread of the new coronavirus in his country, saying that these measures “will kill” and have “stifled” the nation’s economy. Brazil’s economy is expected to contract 6.4 percent this year due to the pandemic.
Here are the latest updates.
Sunday July 19
01:43 GMT – Barcelona limits access to public beaches amid the resurgence of COVID-19
Police in Barcelona are limiting access to some of the city’s beaches because bathers are ignoring regulations amid a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Catalan health authorities reported more than 1,200 new cases on Saturday from the previous 24 hours. The new outbreaks have forced regional officials to announce a ban on meetings of more than 10 people that went into effect on Saturday.
Barcelona and other areas of the surrounding northeast region of Catalonia have experienced the largest outbreaks in Spain since the European country ended a strict three-month national blockade.
Mandatory use of face masks is rapidly spreading throughout Spain as officials grapple with more than 180 active outbreaks, most in Catalonia and neighboring regions of Aragon.
The coronavirus has caused at least 28,000 confirmed deaths in Spain.
01:15 GMT – Greece reports 19 new cases of coronavirus
Greek authorities announced 19 new cases of coronavirus and no new deaths in the past 24 hours, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The total number of confirmed cases in Greece since the outbreak of the epidemic is 3,983, with 194 deaths.
Despite the relatively low number of cases, authorities are concerned by the growing evidence that social distancing patterns are not followed. On Saturday, they extended the requirement to wear masks to supermarket customers, and are considering further expanding the requirement for masks.
Actors and singers perform at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece, after the site was reopened for performances on Wednesday, with the ancient Parthenon temple in the background [Petros Giannakouris/AP]
00:55 GMT – South Africa now ranks fifth in coronavirus cases worldwide
South Africa now ranks fifth in the world for confirmed coronavirus cases as the African continent faces the first wave of the pandemic head-on, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.
South Africa reported 13,285 new confirmed cases on Saturday totaling 350,879. That places the country ahead of Peru and represents approximately half of the cases in Africa.
Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, is now Africa’s epicenter for the virus. It has a quarter of the country’s population and many of the poor are crowded in areas of the municipality with inadequate access to drinking water and sanitation.
South Africa has seen 4,948 deaths from the virus, but the South African Medical Research Council in its most recent report shows that the country had 10,944 “excess deaths” between May 6 and July 7.
00:18 GMT – Mexico reports 7,615 new cases of coronavirus, 578 more deaths
The Mexican Ministry of Health has reported 7,615 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 578 additional deaths, bringing the total in the country to 338,913 cases and 38,888 deaths.
The government has said that the actual number of infected people is probably significantly higher than confirmed cases, according to the Reuters news agency.
00:01 GMT – EU extends summit until Sunday after deadlock over COVID recovery plan
European Union leaders have extended their summit until Sunday after failing to agree on a massive stimulus fund to revive their coronavirus-affected economies after two days of tense negotiations, the Reuters news agency reported.
When the 27 leaders returned to their hotels after a Saturday night, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron stayed at EU headquarters in Brussels to haggle with the Dutch-led camp of saver countries that they demanded cuts to the 1.8 trillion euros. ($ 2.06 billion) package.
“The negotiations were heated,” said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, one of the EU countries most affected by the coronavirus crisis, seeking generous help from the bloc. “Europe is under the blackmail of the ‘frugal’.”
“We have to do everything possible to reach an agreement tomorrow,” Conte said. “Other delays are not helpful to anyone.”
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Ted Regency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
You can find all the key developments from yesterday, July 18, here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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