NEW DELHI — A record surge of 55,079 new cases in the past 24 hours took India’s coronavirus caseload past 1.6 million, as the government decided to lift a nighttime curfew that has been in force since late March.
The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 779 additional deaths, taking total fatalities to 35,747. The ministry said more than 1 million people have recovered from the virus at a rate of 64%.
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NEW DELHI — A record surge of 55,079 new cases in the past 24 hours took India’s coronavirus caseload past 1.6 million, as the government decided to lift a nighttime curfew that has been in force since late March.
Hotels in the Indian capital will reopen as they no longer serve as quarantine facilities. After a peak of nearly 3,500 new cases a day earlier this month, the surge has come down to around 1,000 cases.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— A German shepherd that was the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a dog in the United States has died in New York.
Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
The night curfew will be lifted this weekend and yoga institutes and gyms will reopen on Aug. 5, according to the Home Ministry. The government also removed interstate restrictions on movement of people and goods.
An officer checks passenger's health document on her arrival at Bali airport, Indonesia on Friday, July 31, 2020. Indonesia's resort island of Bali reopened for domestic tourists after months of lockdown due to a new coronavirus. (AP PhotoFirdia Lisnawati)
Hotels in the Indian capital will reopen as they no longer serve as quarantine facilities. After a peak of nearly 3,500 new cases a day earlier this month, the surge has come down to around 1,000 cases.
Lockdown remains in place across all containment zones.
Subways, cinemas, swimming pools, entertainment parks, bars, theaters, auditoriums and other social gathering places will remain closed till Aug. 31.
A few hours before prayers for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, a municipality worker wearing protective clothing against the spread of coronavirus sprays disinfectant in the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, recently converted back to a mosque, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, early Friday, July 31, 2020. This is the first Feast of Sacrifice since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The major Muslim holiday, at the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is observed around the world by believers and commemorates prophet Abraham's pledge to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. (AP PhotoYasin Akgul)
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— 2nd US virus surge hits plateau, but few experts celebrate
— Record economic plunge, bleak jobs numbers reveal virus toll
— Fauci back on Capitol Hill as virus surge drives new fears
A few hours before prayers for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, a municipality worker wearing protective clothing against the spread of coronavirus sprays disinfectant in the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, recently converted back to a mosque, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, early Friday, July 31, 2020. This is the first Feast of Sacrifice since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The major Muslim holiday, at the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is observed around the world by believers and commemorates prophet Abraham's pledge to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. (AP PhotoYasin Akgul)
— A German shepherd that was the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a dog in the United States has died in New York.
— England suffered a more widespread coronavirus outbreak than its European neighbors and had the highest level of excess deaths during the pandemic.
— Scientists at Imperial College London say they are immunizing hundreds of people with an experimental coronavirus vaccine in an early trial after seeing no worrying safety problems in a small number vaccinated so far.
Butchers wearing equipments as a precaution against coronavirus outbreak sharp their knives prior to slaughtering cows and goats during the celebration of Eid al-Adha holiday in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, July 31, 2020. Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of the Sacrifice," is a holiday which honors the prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, as he is known in the Bible, for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael on the order of God who was testing his faith. During the Eid, Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor. (AP PhotoTrisnadi)
Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Indonesia’s resort island of Bali has reopened to domestic tourists after an almost four-month lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic.
FILE - In this July 23, 2020, file photo, health care workers prepare a COVID-19 test sample before a person self-administered a test at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues. As coronavirus cases surge in hard-hit Florida, so do the turnaround times for test results. (David SantiagoMiami Herald via AP)
Bali’s governor has been impatient to revive the economy and began easing restrictions on public activities three weeks ago.
Under the easing that took effect Friday, Indonesians visiting Bali will face stringent rules at hotels, restaurants and beaches. Foreign tourists will be allowed on the island beginning Sept. 11.
Tourism is the main source of income for Bali, which had 6 million tourists from abroad and 10 million from Indonesia last year. The pandemic has caused the numbers to dive.
BEIJING — China is tightening travel restrictions in the capital of the Xinjiang region amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the northwestern city.
People arriving in Urumqi from regions considered to have high infection risk must undergo a two-week quarantine. Others arriving from less risky areas most show proof of good health. Locals “in principle” must stay in the city or show proof of health to be allowed to leave.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, continues to see a third wave of infections, with almost 150 new cases reported Friday to bring its total to 3,151 cases and 25 deaths.
Despite that, authorities issued an order Thursday allowing restaurants to operate under limited hours and with limited capacity. But businesses such as bars, karaoke bars and amusement parks still must remain closed.
MELBOURNE, Australia — The leader of Australia's Victoria state warns that tougher pandemic restrictions may be coming after the coronavirus hot spot reported its second-highest daily COVID-19 count on record.
Officials reported 627 new confirmed virus infections and eight deaths Friday, a day after a record 723 new cases were reported.
The state capital of Melbourne and a neighboring semi-rural district are over half way through a six-week lockdown designed to curb the coronavirus spread.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said Friday that state and federal officials are conducting an analysis over the next few days to consider what the next steps might be. Nothing has been decided, he says, but warns that "all of us acknowledge that these numbers are still far too high.”
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 36 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of them tied to international arrivals.
The figures announced by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday brought the national caseload to 14,305, including 301 deaths.
The agency says 22 of the new cases are linked to people arriving from abroad. The country in recent weeks reported dozens of infections among South Korean construction workers flown home from virus-ravaged Iraq and crew members of Russia-flagged cargo ships docked in the ports of Busan and Incheon.
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi is continuing to see a sharp increase in reported cases of the new coronavirus, and Gov. Tate Reeves says he will put eight more counties under restrictions that include mandatory masks in public.
The restrictions are already in place in 29 of the state’s 82 counties, covering more than half of the state’s population. Those are being extended until Aug. 17.
The eight counties that will be added Monday have seen a rapid rise in cases.
The state epidemiologist says Mississippi has “astoundingly high” numbers of people hospitalized with COVID-19.
FARGO, N.D. — Tribal leaders on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in northeastern North Dakota are requiring residents to wear masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
It is a rare move in a state where face coverings have not been mandated despite a steady increase in overall cases.
The reservation is primarily in Benson County, which according to the COVID Tracking Project has seen the state’s most new cases per capita in the last two weeks.
The administrator for the Lake Region District Health Unit says the increases in Benson are “basically coming from Spirit Lake,” although it’s not yet clear why. Officials hope a mass testing scheduled for Friday will provide more clues.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota state officials have unveiled a plan to reopen schools this fall that gives districts some flexibility to toggle between in-person and online learning, but reserves the right for the state to step in if the coronavirus gets out of control.
Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged the value of in-person learning, but said Thursday that the state’s top priority is safety.
State education officials will use data on virus cases in a county to help districts determine which model they should use.
Districts with fewer than 10 cases per 10,000 people in a 14-day average will be able to teach in person. Those with 50 or more cases will have to use distance learning. Levels in between will rely on hybrid models.