CASES SURGE, LONDON ON HIGH ALERT FROM SATURDAY

LONDON/ BERLIN/ WASHINGTON: London will be on ‘high alert’ from Saturday - the second of the three-tier system introduced by the UK government earlier this week - as new Covid-19 cases surged across various parts of the British capital.

“Things will get worse before they get better,” health secretary Matt Hancock said, announcing new curbs in Essex, York and other areas. It means half of England’s population is now under local lockdowns.

MPs and local leaders from Manchester were in talks with Downing Street over placing the Greater Manchester area in the highest Tier 3 level, which would mean closing pubs, restaurants and other venues. Liverpool and some areas of Leicester are under toughest curbs in Tier 3.

There was alarm in Germany as the country reported more than 6,600 new cases, its highest recorded daily total since the pandemic began. On Thursday, 6,638 infections were reported over the past 24 hours.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was forced to leave an EU summit on Thursday shortly after it opened because one of her close staffers tested positive for Covid-19. She said that she herself tested negative.

In Copenhagen, the WHO’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters it was time to “step up the measures” as rising cases on the continent were of “great concern”.

But he said the situation was not as bad as the peak in March and April.

In the US, top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said Americans should rethink their usual plans for Thanksgiving gatherings, citing increased infections and hospitalisations.