Two women sit outside a take away only coffee shop in London, June 23, 2020. The closing of restaurants, hair cutters and pubs will be under review as the UK relax coronavirus lockdown measures implemented to stem the spread of the deadly virus.(FRANK AUGSTEIN / AP)

LONDON / RIO DE JANEIRO / WASHINGTON / TORONTO / MONROVIA / GENEVA / ZURICH / PARIS / BERLIN / MOSCOW / LUSAKA / CAIRO / MOGADISHU - Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday pubs, restaurants and hotels could reopen in England early next month when the social distancing rule is relaxed, easing the coronavirus lockdown that has all but shut the economy.

Johnson has been under pressure from businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, and from members of his governing Conservative Party to relax the lockdown, but until now he had resisted for fear of prompting a second wave.

On Tuesday, he said that with infections rates falling and because of a belief that there was little threat now of a second wave of COVID-19 cases, he could reopen swathes of the economy and try to get life in England back to something like normal.

By relaxing the rule on social distancing from two metres to one metre, with mitigation such as wearing of masks and the use of protective screens, Johnson said many businesses could reopen from July 4.

The changes will allow two households to meet in any setting and all schools will reopen in September, he said.

Hairdressers would be allowed to reopen along with places of worship, most leisure facilities and tourist attractions such as theme parks. However, nightclubs, indoor gyms and swimming pools will stay closed.

Britain has one of the highest death tolls in the world from COVID-19, but the number of cases has been steadily falling. Health officials on Monday reported just 15 new deaths, the lowest rise since mid-March.

The daily tally of deaths peaked in April, when the toll exceeded 1,000 on nine days.

Global situation

Coronavirus cases are soaring in several major countries at the same time, with “worrying increases” in Latin America, especially Brazil, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The world recorded more than 183,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the most in a single day since the outbreak started in December, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Global cases surpassed 9 million on Monday, and more than 469,000 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University

“Certainly the numbers are increasing because the epidemic is developing in a number of populous countries at the same time and across the whole world,” WHO’s top emergencies expert, Mike Ryan, said in an online briefing.

Ryan said that some of that increase may be attributed to increased testing, but the WHO does not believe that testing is the main reason.

Global cases surpassed 9 million on Monday, and more than 469,000 people have died, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Ryan said there had been a jump in cases in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Bolivia and Guatemala, as well as Brazil, which had passed the 1 million mark - second only to the United States - and reported a record 54,000 cases in the previous 24 hours.

Ryan also said there has been an increase in coronavirus cases in a number of US states, with more among young people.

The WHO said it was also worried about Germany, where the reproduction rate of the virus hit 2.88 on Sunday, well above the maximum level of one transmission per person needed to contain the disease over the longer term.

Tedros said a lack of global leadership and unity in fighting the virus was a bigger threat than the outbreak itself, and that politicization had made the pandemic worse.

Meanwhile, Ryan said the WHO will issue further guidance on air travel in coming days as countries open up from their coronavirus lockdowns.

ALSO READ: Fearing second COVID-19 wave, Europe to train 'army' of medics

Egypt

Egypt will reopen restaurants, cafes, and places of worship from the end of the week but will keep some restrictions in place to try to limit crowding, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Restaurants and cafes will operate at 25 percent capacity and shut at 10 pm from Saturday, while mosques will be open for daily praying but not for weekly Friday prayers, Mostafa Madbouly said.

Egypt reported on Monday 1,576 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of cases registered in the country since mid-February to 56,809, said the Health Ministry.

Another 85 deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 2,278, while 397 more patients have recovered, increasing the number of recoveries in the country to 15,133, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

The capital Cairo and the nearby provinces of Giza and Qalioubiya reported the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections in Egypt, the spokesman said, adding that the provinces of the Red Sea, Matrouh and South Sinai saw the lowest.

Somalia

The number of people visiting health centers for routine care in Somalia has significantly dropped due to fear of contracting COVID-19 as well as lack of public transport or other means to access facilities, the UN said on Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which cited its partners said the high COVID-19 caseload in Somalia is straining the country's fragile health care system.

"The virus, WHO has warned, could overshadow and potentially reverse recent health gains in the country," OCHA said in its latest report on COVID-19.

It said a total of 133 health workers have been infected across the country, affecting service delivery at various health care facilities.

The Horn of Africa nation has so far confirmed 2,812 COVID-19 cases, 818 recoveries and 90 deaths as of Monday amid concern the cases are mostly local transmissions.

According to the UN, Banadir region accounts for the highest numbers - 1,402 while Hirshabelle State has the lowest numbers, 23 cases and one death.

OCHA said the number of reported cases has shown a decreasing trend in recent days as compared to the previous weeks except in Somaliland. It said a downward trend in COVID-19-related mortality has also been observed.

"However, despite signs that the virus spread may be slowing down in Mogadishu city and major urban centers, cases have continued to grow at the regional level as transmission spreads," said the UN agency.

According to the UN, the authorities have issued directives aimed at stemming the advance of the virus, including extension of the suspension of domestic flights by the Somali Civil Aviation Authority until June 30.

"The spread and impact of COVID-19 have exacerbated existing socio-economic vulnerabilities at a time that Somalia is grappling with floods and desert locusts, creating a triple threat," said OCHA.

UN agencies and partners said they have scaled up their responses despite operational challenges due to coronavirus containment measures such as most staff working remotely, in restricted environments, or from home.

Beachgoers at a beach in Leme, south of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 21, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (CARL DE SOUZA / AFP)

Brazil

Brazil reached more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases and 50,000 deaths over the weekend as throngs of people swarmed Rio de Janeiro beaches, but the WHO said on Monday that even more cases were likely going uncounted.

Brazil's Health Ministry said on Monday that an additional 21,432 confirmed cases of the virus and 654 new deaths had been registered in the previous 24 hours.

A day earlier, swimmers and sunbathers packed Rio's famous beaches, with many neither wearing masks nor respecting the WHO's guidance to maintain 1 meter, or 3 feet, of distance between people.

As the toll climbs in Rio, the state with the second highest number of novel coronavirus cases, the local health secretary, Fernando Ferry, said on Monday he would resign after about month in office.

The WHO is looking into a surge of more than 54,000 new cases in Brazil in 24 hours that was reported by the health ministry on Friday and is by far the most reported in the country in a single day, according to WHO emergencies expert Mike Ryan. Ryan added that testing levels were still low in Brazil with a high percentage of positive results.

READ MORE: Brazil's COVID-19 infections top 1m with no end in sight

Canada

Toronto, Canada's most-populous city and financial capital, will allow businesses to reopen starting on Wednesday, joining other regions in the province of Ontario in ending a three-month pandemic lockdown, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Monday.

Malls and restaurants in Toronto, along with Peel Region, which includes some of the city's densely populated suburbs, will be able to open their patios, according to the government's plan.

The coronavirus pandemic has killed 8,430 people in Canada and infected 101,337, according to the latest government data. Toronto has recorded more than 1,000 deaths.

Windsor-Essex, in southwestern Ontario near the Michigan border, is the only health region still in Phase 1 of the three-phase reopening, where an outbreak is hitting migrant workers on farms.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back against pressure from airlines to reopen the nation's borders, saying moving too quickly could spark a second wave of the coronavirus.

Chile

Chile's Ministry of Health said Monday a total of 246,963 COVID-19 cases and 4,502 deaths have been reported in the country.

In the past 24 hours, 4,608 new cases and 23 deaths were registered. 

Cyprus

The Cypriot government will cover the costs of lodging, food, drink, and medication of travelers who test positive for COVID-19 during their stay, according to a document released by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism on Monday.

"The traveler will only need to bear the cost of their airport transfer and repatriation flight, in collaboration with their agent and/or airline," reads the document titled "COVID-19 Destination Protocol--Cyprus."

The document was issued as small numbers of tourists started arriving in Cyprus, with authorities expecting that large groups will arrive after mid-July.

Cyprus has so far reported 988 confirmed cases and 19 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

People wearing protective masks sit apart in a movie hall in Paris, June 22, 2020, as movie theaters began reopening across the country after three months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (MICHEL EULER / AP)

France

France reported another 23 COVID-19 deaths on Monday, raising the country's death toll to 29,663, as it entered a new phase of deconfinement with more measures announced to ease the coronavirus lockdown regarding schools and cinemas.

All pupils in primary and secondary schools up to the age of 15 are able to return, following a gradual reopening in recent weeks. This reopening should allow schools to reconnect with students before the summer vacation that begins on July 6, said Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer.

For the reopening of cinemas, screening rooms can never be more than half full and a free seat must be left either side of each filmgoer, according to the sanitary regulation issued by the the National Federation of Cinemas.

Also on Monday, all stations of the Paris subway reopened, and summer camps and outdoor camps were allowed to resume. 

Major museums and tourist sites in Paris are planning their reopening - the Musee d'Orsay on June 23, the Eiffel Tower on June 25 and the Louvre Museum on July 6. 

Germany

The premier of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said on Tuesday he was putting the Guetersloh area back into lockdown until June 30 after a coronavirus outbreak at a meatpacking plant there.

Guetersloh is the first area in Germany to go back into lockdown after the authorities began gradually lifting restrictive measures at the end of April.

State premier Armin Laschet said bars, museums, galleries, cinemas, sports halls, gyms and swimming pools in Guetersloh would be closed, and picnics and barbeques prohibited.

More than 1,500 workers at a meat processing plant in Guetersloh had tested positive for the coronavirus, plus some of their family members and 24 people who had no connection to the plant, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health, Lothar Wieler, said the coronavirus reproduction rate in Germany is currently estimated at 2.76.

Wieler said Germany is at risk of a second coronavirus wave but added he was optimistic it could be prevented.

The number of confirmed cases rose by 503 to 190,862 while the reported death toll rose by 10 to 8,895, according to data from RKI on Tuesday.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there were 496 new infections in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, bringing the total to 191,768. Fatalities increased by 4 to 8,899.

Italy

Italy reported 23 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, a new record daily low since March 3, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The country's death toll now stands at 34,634, the agency said, the world's fourth-highest after the United States, Brazil and Britain.

The number of active COVID-19 infections in Italy stood at 20,637, down by 335 over the last 24 hours.

Italy's total number of assessed cases was 238,720, including active infections, fatalities, and recoveries.

Liberia

Liberian President George Weah extended a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic by 30 days on Monday, citing an exponential increase in the number of cases despite compulsory mask-wearing and stay-at-home orders.

Liberia has so far confirmed 626 cases of COVID-19 and 34 deaths since registering its first case in mid-March. A state of emergency was declared on April 8 that included the quarantining of 15 counties and a requirement to stay indoors after 3pm.

Over the next 30 days, the government will re-examine its response to the pandemic and introduce measures to better protect Liberians, he said without giving further details. 

A butcher serves his clients behind a protective shield at Iztapalapa market, in Mexico City, on June 22, 2020. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP)

Mexico

Mexico on Monday reported 4,577 new infections and 759 additional deaths from the coronavirus, the Health Ministry said, bringing the total number in the country to 185,122 cases and 22,584 deaths.

Portugal

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced on Monday that the "state of calamity" will be maintained in Greater Lisbon with tougher rules imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Costa said that "surveillance visits" will be reinforced to see if the mandatory confinements are being met, in addition to "shortening" the deadlines for notification of infection tests in these places.

In the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, "the maximum limit of 10 people in the gatherings will be restored", and "security forces" will reinforce their presence on streets. All shopping centers will close at 20:00, with the exception of restaurants serving meals, Costa said. The sale of drinks in service areas and the consumption of drinks on public roads will be prohibited.

The measures will come into force at 12:00 am on Tuesday following approval by the Council of Ministers.

Portugal recorded four more deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,534. Another 259 new cases were reported, pushing the country's tally to 39,392.

Russia

Russia on Tuesday reported 7,425 new cases of the novel coronavirus, pushing its nationwide case total to 599,705, the world's third highest tally.

The country's coronavirus crisis response center said 153 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 8,359.

South Africa

South Africa’s coronavirus cases topped 100,000 on Monday as the country confirmed 4,288 new infections, bringing the total to 101,590. 

Another 61 deaths were added to the national death toll which now stood at 1,991, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.

It took South Africa 14 days to double the number of confirmed cases from 50,000 to 101,590. The doubling of coronavirus cases in 14 days was seen as a result of rise in mass community testing.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has temporarily closed its consulate in Johannesburg after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, Zimbabwean Minister for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa confirmed in a statement Monday.

Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday said some COVID-19 lockdown measures would remain in place in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading in the community.

In a televised address, Museveni said that the country was now entering a dangerous stage where more community cases were being registered.

He said lockdown measures announced in March, such as the closure of schools, worship centers, salons, night clubs, bars and shopping arcades, would remain in place. The night curfew would also be in force until scientists advise otherwise.

Uganda has so far registered 774 confirmed cases with no deaths.

People holding takeout drinks walk by patrons of Jake's Dilemma who are dining outdoors, in New York City, June 22, 2020 as the city entered phase two of reopening. (KATHY WILLENS / AP)

US

Two more staff members of US President Donald Trump's campaign who were in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his rally on Saturday have tested positive for the coronavirus, a Trump campaign spokesman said on Monday. The campaign announced on Saturday hours before the rally, Trump's first since March, that six members of the campaign's advance staff had tested positive.

Coronavirus cases in the US increased by 24,774 from the same time Sunday to 2.29 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. Deaths rose 0.2 percent to 120,121.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,275,645 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 27,616 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 308 to 119,923.

New York City entered phase two of reopening on Monday, which would see 150,000 to 300,000 more people returnning to work, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. Businesses such as hair salons and vehicle rentals are allowed to reopen, and restaurants can set tables in outdoor spaces.

Meanwhile, San Francisco will allow hair salons, museums, zoos, tattoo parlors and outdoor bars to open June 29 - up from an original plan of mid-July. 

Separately, the mayors of Miami and neighboring cities in Miami-Dade County announced Monday they were mandating the wearing of masks in public upon the advice of state health officials, as they have seen an "increasingly troubling trend of cases that continue to escalate".

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said that COVID-19 was spreading at an unacceptable rate in the US state, stressing that closing down the state again will be the last option.

Zambia

Zambia's cabinet approved a 8 billion kwacha (US$439 million) economic stimulus package financed through a COVID-19 bond in an effort to alleviate the pandemic's impact, the presidency said on Tuesday.

The proceeds from the bond will go towards needy areas, including payment of retirees, contractors and suppliers, which have been hit by reduced liquidity due to COVID-19, the presidency said.

 Zambia has reported 1,416 confirmed coronavirus cases and 11 deaths so far.