Global virus infections soar
Virus cases hit highest level worldwide in past week, says WHO
The global pandemic is accelerating, the World Health Organisation warned, as the worst-hit United States closed bars and beaches ahead of the Independence Day holiday.
Infections hit their highest level worldwide in the past week, WHO data showed, with chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying new cases had topped “160,000 on every single day.”
The grim milestone came as the European Union left Russia, Brazil and the US off its final list of nations safe enough to allow residents to enter its borders.
With new virus cases in the US surging to more than 40,000 daily, several US states imposed 14-day quarantines on out-of-state travellers in the buildup to tomorrow’s
July 4 festivities.
California suspended indoor dining at restaurants in Los Angeles and several counties while New York scrapped plans to allow restaurants to seat customers inside from next week. The rollbacks came as the EU reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries.
The bloc hopes relaxing restrictions on countries from Algeria to Uruguay will breathe life into its tourism sector, choked by a ban on non-essential travel since March.
However, with over 10 million known infections worldwide and more than 500,000 deaths, the pandemic is “not even close to being over”, the WHO warned.
Data provided by the UN health agency for the seven days from June 25-July 1 showed the highest number of new daily cases ever recorded came on June 28, when over 189,500 new cases were registered worldwide.
According to the UN, the pandemic could cost global tourism and related sectors trillions in lost revenue.