[ad_1]
The World Health Organization’s top emergency expert has said it is “sad” to see the number of Covid-19 cases rise again in Europe and that governments must take decisive action to stop the transmission of the virus.
“There are no new answers. We know what we have to do,” Mike Ryan told a news conference in Geneva, adding that Europe must be very careful about mass meetings.
The WHO yesterday reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases, with a total increase of 338,779 in 24 hours led by an increase in infections in Europe, which now reports more cases than India, Brazil or the United States.
The government of Spain has declared a state of emergency in the Madrid area to enforce a partial shutdown to curb rampant virus infections, overcoming opposition from regional authorities.
“The government has decided to declare a state of emergency … for the next 15 days,” Health Minister Salvador Illa said after an urgent two-hour cabinet meeting.
The measure, which went into effect immediately, was rushed to pass ahead of a long holiday weekend for Spain’s National Day on October 12, raising concerns that people could take advantage of legal limbo to get out of the city.
The ministers met a day after an explosive court ruling that effectively lifted restrictions on the mobility of 4.5 million people in and around the capital to curb the rapid spread of the virus.
The court ruling was well received by right-wing regional authorities in Madrid, who opposed the partial closure due to its economic impact.
But in a late-night phone call, Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued an ultimatum to regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso: Either the region approved the measures itself, or the government would declare the state of emergency to boost them.
Read the latest stories about coronavirus
The Health Minister said that “protecting the health of Madrilenians is absolutely essential,” adding that 66 people had died in the last week and about 500 “were fighting for their lives in intensive care.”
He said: “Patience has a limit,” he said, pointing a finger at Madrid’s leaders for not acting. ”
By imposing a state of emergency, the government now has the legal right to enforce the above measures.
Initially imposed on October 2, the restrictions prevented residents of the capital and nine nearby towns from leaving the city limits, except for work, school or medical reasons.
They also impose a 23:00 curfew in bars and restaurants and cut indoor seating capacity in half.
The contagion rate in the Community of Madrid currently stands at 564 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to only 257 in the rest of Spain, which is the highest in the European Union.
Italy and more than 5000 cases of Covid-19 in a single day, the first time since March
Meanwhile, Italy has recorded 5,372 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the first time the country has surpassed 5,000 cases in a single day since March.
There were also 28 Covid-related deaths today and 22 yesterday, far fewer than at the height of the pandemic in Italy in March and April.
Italy was the first country in Europe to be hit by Covid-19 and has the second highest death toll on the continent, with 36,111 deaths since the outbreak broke out in February, according to official figures.
Thanks to one of the tightest lockdowns in the world, the government managed to get contagion under control for the summer, but new infections have been picking up for the past three months and are now rising sharply, doubling in the last week.
Yesterday was the first time that the country registered more than 4,000 daily cases since April 12.
However, Italy continues to record significantly fewer daily cases than several other large European countries, such as Spain, France and Great Britain.
The last time Italy saw more than 5,000 cases in one day was on March 29, with 5,217 infections reported amid a nationwide shutdown.
That same day about 756 people died.
Elsewhere, Poland has reported 4,739 new cases of Covid-19, setting a new daily record there.
[ad_2]