NEW COVID CURBS IMPOSED AS DEATHS BREAK RECORD

Moscow’s mayor announced four months of stay-home restrictions for unvaccinated over-60s yesterday and the Russian government proposed a weeklong workplace shutdown as the national death toll from Covid-19 hit yet another daily high.

Moscow, a city of 12.7 million, ordered people over the age of 60 to stay home for four months starting on Oct. 25 unless they are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid, and for businesses to move at least 30 per cent of their staff to remote work.

“The number of people hospitalised with a severe form of the disease is increasing every day,” Moscow Mayor

Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website.

“The most alarming thing is the situation with Covid-19 infection among the older generation,” he added, saying over-60s accounted for 60 per cent of patients, nearly 80 per cent of people on ventilators, and 86 per cent of deaths.

The new measures were announced hours after Russia reported 1,015 coronavirusrelated deaths, the highest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic.

New Zealand

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic yesterday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation’s “Covid Zero” hopes showed no signs of easing.

Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in April last year during the first wave of Covid-19 infections.

While case numbers remain low by most international standards, they have been steadily growing since the highly transmissible Delta variant was first found in New Zealand in mid-August.

The outbreak has forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to drop her core policy goal of eliminating the virus in favour of ramping up vaccination efforts.