Israel to renew curbs, daily cases see spurt
Jerusalem, Sept. 14: Israel said it will reimpose a national lockdown to battle a coronavirus surge, as the number of daily infections around the world reached a record high.
Britain, France, Austria and the Czech Republic also reported spikes, as global cases rapidly approached 29 million with more than 921,000
Covid-19 deaths, according to an AFP tally.
The Israel lockdown will last three weeks starting Friday, keeping people to within 500 metres (yards) of their homes. It is the first developed economy to take such drastic steps to contain a second wave of infections. “I know these measures will exact a heavy price from all of us,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The World Health Organization reported
307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure in its database since the beginning of the pandemic.
The surge has sparked concern in Europe, where Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz warned that his country was facing “the beginning of the second wave”. The Czech Republic has also faced a surge, with one epidemiologist saying over the weekend that at the current rate, cases could overwhelm hospitals.
New restrictions are set to come into force across
England on Monday, with social gatherings limited to no more than six people. Other parts of the world are still battling their first Coronavirus waves, including some populous nations such as Indonesia, where new restrictions came into effect on Monday.
Europe to see more deaths in Oct, Nov: WHO Copenhagen, Sept. 14: The World Health Organisation expects Europe to see a rise in the daily number of Covid-19 deaths in October and November, the head of the body’s European branch said.
“It’s going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said, as the continent currently experiences a surge of cases though the number of deaths has remained relatively stable.
The resurgence is however expected to lead to an increase in daily deaths, the WHO said. “It’s a moment where countries don’t want to hear this bad news, and I understand,” Kluge said.