San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Iran issues grim warning on wide scale of outbreak
Iran’s president Saturday estimated as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with the coronavirus since the onset of the outbreak, and urged the public to take the pandemic seriously, the staterun IRNA news agency reported.
President Hassan Rouhani cited a new Iranian Health Ministry study in offering the unprecedentedly high number of infections.
Officials have not explained what the report’s estimates are based on and the study has not been made public. Iran’s population is around 81 million people.
Iran has seen the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 270,000 confirmed cases. Referring to the report, Rouhani said it also predicts that the number of hospitalizations will soon be “twice as many as we have seen in the last 150 days.”
Authorities in the capital Tehran imposed new restrictions Saturday amid the increase in cases in recent weeks, closing some public spaces like coffee shops, zoos, and indoor swimming pools.
CHINA
Controls ordered in remote region
The number of confirmed cases in a new COVID19 outbreak in China’s far western Xinjiang region has risen to 17, authorities said Saturday.
Chinese media say authorities in the city of Urumqi have reduced subway, bus and taxi service and closed off some residential communities. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city.
China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community. The region has long been blanketed with extreme security, which China says is necessary to prevent terrorist activity.
AUSTRALIA
Leader cancels lawmaking session
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is moving to cancel the next twoweek sitting of parliament because of the recent spread of the coronavirus in parts of the country.
Parliament is scheduled to meet Aug. 413 and then sit again for a twoweek session starting Aug. 24. Morrison said Saturday that he wrote to the parliamentary speaker asking for a cancellation, a request that is considered a formality.
The prime minister said acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has advised there would be “significant risks” in holding a meeting of parliament due to increased community transmission of the virus in Victoria state as well as trends in New South Wales.
INDIA
Highrisk areas under shutdowns
A surge of almost 35,000 new cases was reported Saturday as local governments continue to reimpose focused shutdowns in several parts of the country.
About a dozen states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam, have put highrisk areas under shutdowns, only allowing essential food supplies and health services.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to contain the pandemic. He warned the number of cases will double to 2 million by Aug. 10 at the current pace.