- India reports its six millionth case as it approaches the US as the most infected nation.
- Greek officials announce the first death of a migrant living in a camp in Greece, a 61-year-old Afghan who was in the Malakassa camp near Athens.
- Chancellor Angela Merkel is “deeply concerned” about the sharp rise in new coronavirus infections in Germany. By Christmas, the daily cases could increase almost tenfold.
Here are the latest updates:
Monday, September 28th:
15:36 GMT – UK Health Secretary tries to defuse dispute with lawmakers over coronavirus measures
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock defused a dispute with some lawmakers over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying he was looking for ways to better involve parliament in setting national action.
“We’re looking for more ways to ensure that the House of Commons can be properly involved in the process, if possible in advance. I hope to be able to give the House more details soon, ”he told Parliament.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he will meet Graham Brady, a senior Conservative who has made efforts to try to give Parliament more power over government restrictions [File: Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Reuters]
15:05 GMT – Kenya’s President extends curfew and cuts working hours
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta extended the nationwide curfew to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, but said it would end at 11 p.m. two hours later.
Kenyatta, who said the COVID-19 infection curve has flattened, also lifted bans on selling alcohol in restaurants and bars.
14:45 GMT – The UK government is introducing new legal restrictions on the North East
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday the government had introduced legal restrictions on household mixing in the north-east of England to try to reduce a growing number of coronavirus cases.
“Unfortunately, the number of cases continues to rise sharply,” Hancock told Parliament.
“We know that a large number of these infections occur indoors, outside the home. Therefore, at the request of the local councils, with whom we have worked closely, we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing in any environment. “
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the changes would apply to parts of the Northeast where the government took local action two weeks ago [Ilyas Tayfun Salci/Anadolu]
14:30 GMT – UK reports 4,044 new cases of COVID-19, 13 deaths
The UK reported 4,044 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 439,013, government data showed.
The number of daily cases fell from 5,693 on Sunday.
The UK also recorded 13 new deaths from the virus, bringing the total since the pandemic started to 42,001.
14:00 GMT – Dutch are considering restricting travel to Amsterdam
The Dutch government is considering restricting travel to and from the country’s largest cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, as part of a series of measures to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections, broadcaster NOS reported.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was considering further “regional” measures as the country’s COVID-19 outbreak rose from low levels in late August to over 2,500 cases a day, more than at the peak of the first wave in April. Rutte turned down the idea of a second lockdown or made face masks mandatory.
13:45 GMT – Oman reopens mosques
Oman will reopen mosques for prayer on November 15, with tough measures being taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state media reported, citing a statement from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the most important in the Sultanate of Oman [Baba Umar/Al Jazeera]
13:25 GMT – France announces big budget as virus cases worsen
France launched a free spending budget that said a recent surge in COVID-19 cases justified the unprecedented easing of wallets.
After € 460 billion ($ 537 billion) in emergency spending this year to protect the economy from the effects of the virus, the government built its budget for 2021 on a € 100 billion “recovery plan”, the first one this year Announced month and partly financed by EU funds.
The budget came after French healthcare reported 14,412 new virus cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday – just slightly less than the record of 16,000 recorded on both Thursday and Friday.
The surge threatens to overwhelm hospitals, health officials warned, as the government imposed new curbs to limit the spread of the virus, including in restaurants, bars and sports facilities.
13:20 GMT – The UK government pledges to work with Parliament on the COVID-19 plan
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s administration will work with Parliament whenever possible to keep MPs updated on the latest COVID-19 data and plans to limit the spread of the virus.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week defended new, tougher coronavirus measures against criticism that they had not gotten far enough [File: PRU/AFP]”We will continue to keep parliament informed of the latest data and scientific advice on the virus and work with parliamentary colleagues in advance wherever possible,” his spokesman said.
13:00 GMT – Coronavirus cases in India top six million
India’s coronavirus case has surpassed six million after 82,170 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours as the pandemic rages across the vast South Asian nation.
With 6.1 million infections, according to the Department of Health, India is well on the way to overtaking the US as the country with the most cases in the coming weeks.
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Arwa Ibrahim.
You can find all the important developments of the last week here
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