Global record broken as Europe tightens rules

GENEVA－Global daily coronavirus infections hit a record high with nearly 400,000 new cases registered, the World Health Organization said on Saturday, as much of Europe enacted new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

The 392,471 new infections reported to the organization on Saturday, a record high since the onset of the pandemic, took the total number of confirmed cases worldwide to almost 40 million.

As a region, Europe is reporting more daily cases than India, Brazil and the United States combined, emerging as the new coronavirus epicenter in recent weeks.

The region is now reporting 1 million new infections about every nine days and has reported more than 6.3 million cases since the pandemic began.

Furthermore, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, and his Belgian counterpart Sophie Wilmes have both tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a meeting with European Union colleagues last week.

Several European countries are reimposing prevention measures such as closing schools, canceling elective surgery and enlisting student medics to combat the resurgence.

In France, the streets and terraces of Paris and eight other cities emptied on Saturday night as people were asked to stay home to stem the new wave of the coronavirus that caused a record daily number of infections in the country.

President Emmanuel Macron last week ordered nightly curfews in cities where the virus was the most active, saying it was spreading at parties and private gatherings and action was needed or else hospitals risked being overwhelmed.

The number of new coronavirus infections in France rose more than 32,000 on Saturday, the health ministry said.

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was to announce on Sunday another set of measures to counter the new wave of cases, after the country registered a daily record of 10,952 infections on Saturday.

Limiting impact

Conte's office said the government is discussing new restrictions with local and health authorities, aiming to stem contagion while limiting the impact on individuals and businesses.

According to local newspapers, the new restrictions could also target nonessential activities including gyms, pools and amateur sporting events.

In Germany, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier entered quarantine on Saturday after one of his bodyguards tested positive for COVID-19, a spokeswoman for the president's office said.

A test Steinmeier did for the virus proved negative, and further tests are planned in coming days.

Germany on Saturday recorded 7,830 new infections of COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, the highest daily rise since the pandemic began, said the Robert Koch Institute, the country's state disease control and prevention agency.

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to curb social contacts and keep travel to a minimum.

"We have to do everything to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. Every day counts."

Politicians and health experts have appealed to the population to take voluntary measures over and above those already prescribed, including wearing masks, avoiding close contact with others and hand washing.

In Asia, India added more than 61,800 confirmed cases in 24 hours, raising its total to about 7.5 million. The health ministry on Sunday registered 1,033 new fatalities, taking the death toll to 114,031.

The government's focus has been on ramping up testing facilities across the length and breadth of the country.

Xinhua - Agencies