PARIS, Aug 2, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in
the coronavirus crisis:
– Melbourne under curfew –
Australia’s Victoria state imposes fresh, sweeping restrictions,
including a curfew in Melbourne — the country’s second-largest city
— for the next six weeks, a ban on weddings, and schools and
universities going back online in the coming days.
– South Africa cases top half a million –
South Africa has now registered more than 500,000 cases, the health
ministry announces, making it by far the hardest hit country on the
continent.
More than a third of positive cases are in Gauteng province —
South Africa’s financial hub and epicentre of the outbreak in the
country.
– More than 685,000 deaths –
The pandemic has killed at least 685,780 people worldwide since it
surfaced in China late last year, with at least 17.8 million people
infected, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT on Sunday based on
official sources.
The United States has the most deaths with 154,449, followed by
Brazil with 93,563, Mexico 47,472, Britain with 46,193, and India with
37,364 fatalities.
– ‘Response fatigue’ –
The World Health Organization warns the pandemic will be lengthy
and could lead to “response fatigue”.
“WHO continues to assess the global risk level of COVID-19 to be
very high,” the United Nations agency says, adding that the effects of
the pandemic “will be felt for decades to come”.
– Slimmed-down Salzburg festival –
Austria’s month-long festival celebrates its 100th anniversary, but
with a reduced programme and strict safety measures, including masks
for spectators until they are seated and its 80,000 tickets — down
from the usual 230,000 — personalised to enable contact-tracing.