New curbs for England; China testing an entire city of 9mn

New outbreak feared as Qingdao reports 12 Covid-19 cases; 3-tier restrictions for England launched

LONDON/ BEIJING: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday unveiled a new three-tier system of local Covid-19 restrictions for north England as the number of coronavirus infections and hospital admissions surged beyond those in March, when the first nationwide lockdown was imposed.

In the baseline tier, minimum restrictions will be applicable to all of England, when infections are fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 people. The second tier will be triggered if a rise in transmission cannot be contained and cases go above 100 per 100,000. The third tier will be launched if level two measures have not contained the spread of the virus, or if there has been a significant rise in transmission.

There were 13,972 new cases as of Monday evening - nearly three times the daily peaks of April and May - and 50 new deaths due to Covid-19. Overall, the number of UK-wide infections touched 617,688, with 42,875 fatalities.

Mass coronavirus testing in Qingdao underway

China has launched mass nucleic acid tests in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao after 12 Covid-19 infections including six asymptomatic cases, mostly related to a chest hospital, were reported.

More than 9 million residents of the city, located on the Yellow Sea coast, will be tested over five days, city officials said on Monday. Mass testing was launched on Sunday evening after reports of the new cases were confirmed. By Sunday night, photos were circulating online showing residents lining up for tests. Six confirmed locally transmitted cases and six more asymptomatic ones were reported on Sunday, triggering worries of a new outbreak.

In France, PM Jean Castex has warned that the country could impose further restrictions as the coronavirus was spreading rapidly and the situation in hospitals was deteriorating. Castex warned “there can be no more slackening” to face the pandemic. Nine big cities, including Paris and Marseille, have been placed under maximum alert.

AFP A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 373-800 NG with a giant face mask design, as part of an awareness campaign to promote the wearing of masks, in Tangerang on Monday.