- The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate cessation of hostilities” for at least 90 days in key conflicts including Syria, Yemen, Libya, South Sudan and the Congo to confront the pandemic of coronavirus.
- New cases of coronavirus in the United States increased by nearly 50,000, according to a Reuters count, marking the largest one-day increase since the start of the pandemic. More than half of the new cases each day come from the states of Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, where 30 percent of the country’s population live.
- New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday following recent mistakes in the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and personal mistakes.
- The northern region of Lombardy, hit by the strong impact of Italy, accounted for considerably more than half of the nation’s 187 most recent confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 240,760 across the country. The Ministry of Health also reported 21 new deaths, bringing the total number of known deaths to 34,788.
- About 10.7 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, more than 5.6 million have recovered and more than 515,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Here are the latest updates.
Thursday, July 2
05:08 GMT – Cuban capital to facilitate the blockade, joins the rest of the country
Residents of Havana hold placards as they await the arrival of Cuban medical personnel, who volunteered in the fight against the coronavirus in the European principality of Andorra. [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]
Cuba has announced that it will begin to ease the closure of a pandemic in Havana on Friday, while most of the rest of the country will move to phase two of a three-phase process toward normalization.
The 2.2 million residents of the capital will once again be able to get around on public and private transport, go to the beach and other recreation centers, and enjoy a boardwalk just in time for summer vacation. They can also dine and have a drink, although social distancing and wearing masks are still mandatory. Medical and other optional services will also resume.
Only a handful of COVID-19 cases were reported in Cuba last month, all but a few in Havana. Most of the Caribbean island, home to 11.2 million inhabitants, has been disease free for more than a month.
04:48 GMT – India’s coronavirus infection count crosses 600,000
Coronavirus infections in India topped 600,000 on Thursday, with 17,834 deaths, as authorities struggled to contain the pandemic while easing closure rules, officials and the health ministry said.
The increase presents a severe challenge to India’s medical capacity and overburdened health system, the Reuters news agency reported.
A facilitation phase called “Unlock 2” was announced on Monday, allowing more economic activities to resume, even when some densely populated containment areas remain blocked.
04:04 – Tokyo confirms more than 100 cases of coronavirus on Thursday, says NHK
Tokyo daily count last exceeded 100 on May 2[[[[Koji Sasahara / AP]
Tokyo confirmed more than 100 new cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, the highest daily count in the Japanese capital in two months.
The city of 14 million initially sought to keep new daily cases below 20 since Japan lifted a state of emergency on May 25, but its count has consistently surpassed 50 recently, according to Reuters news agency.
This week, the metropolitan government said it would stray from numerical targets and would rely more on expert advice to control the virus and prevent a further economic slowdown. Tokyo’s daily tally last exceeded 100 on May 2.
03:19 GMT – South Korea reports 54 new cases
South Korea reported 54 new cases as the virus continues to spread beyond the capital area and reach cities like Gwangju, which closed schools and tightened social restrictions after dozens were infected this week.
Health Minster Park Neung-hoo during a virus meeting voiced alarm at the surge in infections in Gwangju, which had one of the smallest cases among the major cities in South Korea before this week.
Park urged city residents to refrain from unnecessary meetings, keep their distance from others, and wear masks.
The total number of cases nationwide has reached 12,904, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and the number of deaths remains at 282.
02:55 GMT – Australia establishes checkpoints to contain critical points of Melbourne virus
Australian police on Thursday established suburban checkpoints at new coronavirus hot spots in Melbourne as authorities struggled to contain new outbreaks in the country’s second-largest city, even as travel restrictions were lowered elsewhere, according to the agency. Reuters news.
Images released by the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Thursday showed police were shooting down cars on suburban streets after 36 suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria state, were blocked after an increase in new infections there. The state reported 77 new cases Thursday, slightly more than the day before and in line with two weeks of double-digit daily increases.
Australia has fared better than many countries in the pandemic, with around 8,000 cases and 104 deaths. However, the recent jump in Victoria has fueled fears of a second wave of COVID-19, echoing concerns expressed in other countries.
02:07 GMT – Colombia exceeds 100,000 cases of coronavirus, publishes new daily record
The confirmed cases of coronavirus in Colombia are now 102,009, the health ministry said, of which 54,941 are active. About 3,470 people died[File:[File:[Archivo:[File:Fernando Vergara / AP]
Confirmed coronavirus infections in Colombia exceeded the 100,000-case threshold on Wednesday, as the country’s quarantine measures advance and intensive care units fill up, the Reuters news agency reported.
The confirmed cases of coronavirus are now 102,009, the health ministry said, of which 54,941 are active. Some 3,470 people have died.
Wednesday also marked the highest daily increase in confirmed cases with an increase of 4,163.
The mayor of the country’s capital Bogotá said over the weekend that the city should prepare for a tighter blockade as intensive care units reach 70 percent capacity, but ruled out tougher measures after the national government delivered hundreds of additional fans.
01:44 GMT – China reports five new cases of coronavirus on dry land on July 1
China on Thursday reported three new coronavirus cases and two new asymptomatic cases on the mainland by July 1, compared with three cases the day before, the health authority said.
Two of the new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement, while the capital city of Beijing reported a new case. There were no new deaths.
As of July 1, mainland China had a total of 83,537 confirmed cases of coronavirus, he said. The death toll from the coronavirus in China remained at 4,634.
01:15 GMT – The number of deaths from coronavirus in Mexico reaches 28,510, beating Spain
The Mexican Ministry of Health has reported 5,681 new cases of coronavirus infection and 741 additional deaths, bringing the total in the country to 231,770 cases and 28,510 deaths.
With the additional deaths, the number of coronaviruses in Mexico exceeded Spain’s total number of deaths from the virus, which was 28,363 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters count.
00:37 GMT – US coronavirus cases total nearly 50,000 to set new daily record
Since June 4, the US city of Las Vegas has allowed gaming machines to operate despite the threat of coronavirus spread. [File: Ethan Miller/ Getty via AFP]
Coronavirus cases in the United States increased by nearly 50,000, the largest daily increase since the pandemic began, according to the latest Reuters count on Wednesday night.
The number of COVID-19 infections in the US has increased in the past week, with daily numbers setting new records multiple times in the past week, according to the count. The United States reported at least 49,286 cases at the end of Tuesday.
Arizona, California, Florida and Texas have led the increases and are among the 14 states that reported more than double the number of cases during the month of June, according to a Reuters analysis late Wednesday.
The United States has reported at least 2.68 million cases with more than 128,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that any nation that does not use all available mechanisms to combat the furious new coronavirus faces a “long and hard” battle.
00:01 GMT – New Zealand Health Minister Clark resigns
New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday following recent mistakes in the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and personal mistakes.
“It has become increasingly clear to me that my continuation in office is distracting the government’s general response to COVID-19 and the global pandemic,” he said at a press conference in parliament.
Clark said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had accepted her resignation.
___________________________________________________________________
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Ted Regency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Read all the updates from yesterday (July 1) here.
.
