Passengers wearing face masks check their flight information on screens at the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport in El Prat de Llobregat on July 6, 2020. (JOSEP LAGO / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO / NEW YORK / MEXICO CITY / CAIRO / DUBLIN / HARARE / LONDON / ROME / MOSCOW / DAKAR / GENEVA - The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged travellers to wear masks on and keep themselves informed as COVID-19 cases surge again in some countries, prompting new restrictions in places like Australia.

The WHO said last month that it would update its travel guidelines ahead of the northern hemisphere summer holidays but they have not yet been released

Spokeswoman Margaret Harris urged people not to be caught off-guard by resurgent local epidemics and quarantine measures, saying: “If it’s anywhere, it’s everywhere and people travelling have to understand that.”

“This virus is widespread and people have to take that very, very seriously.”

The WHO said last month that it would update its travel guidelines ahead of the northern hemisphere summer holidays but they have not yet been released.

In the meantime, travellers should “remember things will change, or may well change”, Harris said at a Geneva briefing.

“We’re seeing a lot of upticks, a lot of changes in different countries, countries that had successfully shut down their first transmission are seeing second upticks,” she added, mentioning Australia and Hong Kong.

Lockdown measures were reimposed in Australia’s second biggest city on Tuesday, confining Melbourne residents to their homes unless undertaking essential business, as officials scramble to contain a coronavirus outbreak.

The WHO’s previous guidance for travellers has included common-sense advice applicable to other settings such as social distancing, washing your hands and avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Harris also proposed on Tuesday wearing a mask on planes, a measure which is already a requirement of many airlines.

“If you are flying, there is no way you can social distance in a plane, so you will need to take other precautions including using a face covering,” she said.

A healthcare worker carries a stack of clipboards at a COVID-19 testing site in Homestead, Florida, July 6, 2020. (LYNNE SLADKY / AP)

US

US President Donald Trump said Monday that US schools must open in the fall - a decision over which he has limited power - as governors struggle with a nationwide rise in coronavirus infections and states reverse and pause attempts to reopen.

It was not immediately clear what schools Trump was referring to - elementary and high schools or colleges and universities - or what actions Trump was considering. Colleges and universities have announced a number of plans for the fall semester. Harvard University announced earlier on Monday that all of its courses would be held online for the upcoming academic year.

Anthony Fauci said the current state of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States "is really not good" and a "serious situation that we have to address immediately"

Trump also made a series of Twitter posts defending his administration's response to the pandemic. 

Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist and member of the White House coronavirus task force, said the current state of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States "is really not good" and a "serious situation that we have to address immediately".

The US death toll surpassed 130,000 on Monday, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecast that the death toll could reach 160,000 later this month. Confirmed cases topped 2.9 million, according to a Johns Hopkins Univeristy tally.

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The US military said it would deploy a special 50-member medical team, including emergency room and critical-care nurses and respiratory specialists, to a hard-hit area in and around San Antonio.

Florida's greater Miami area became the latest US coronavirus hot spot to roll back its reopening, ordering all restaurant dining closed on Monday.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that she has tested positive for COVID-19, but has not shown symptoms of the virus, apart from a mild headache and cough.

Global tally

Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 11.6 million while the global death toll topped 538,000 on Tuesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States is the worst-hit country, with more than 2.9 million confirmed cases and over 130,000 deaths. 

Countries with over 200,000 cases also include Brazil, Russia, India, the United Kingdom, Peru, Chile, Spain, Italy, Iran and Mexico.

Algeria

Algerian Health Minister Abderrahman Benbouzid said Monday that a renewal of the nationwide lockdown "is not on the agenda right now," but the government will choose "a targeted lockdown" in regions with a significant increase in coronavirus cases.

"The failure to comply with precautionary and preventive measures" were among many reasons for the rebound of cases in Algeria, Benbouzid said at a press conference.

As of Monday, Algeria had reported 16,404 confirmed cases, with 959 deaths.

Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro cleared his public agenda for Tuesday morning as he awaited the result of a coronavirus test, with his office saying the far-right leader who has dismissed the virus as a “little flu” was in good health.

Bolsonaro took the test on Monday evening, according to a statement from the presidency, which added the result would come back Tuesday. Local media had reported that he had symptoms of the coronavirus, such as a fever.

The populist leader has repeatedly defied local guidelines to wear a mask in public, even after a judge ordered him to do so in late June. Bolsonaro has also railed against social distancing rules supported by the World Health Organization.

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro attended several events and was in close contact with the U.S. ambassador to Brazil during July 4 celebrations. Pictures of the event showed neither wearing a mask.

Bolsonaro tested negative in March for the coronavirus after several aides were diagnosed following a visit to US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, estate.

Brazil registered 20,229 additional cases of the novel coronavirus over the last 24 hours and another 620 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The nation has now registered 1,623,284 total coronavirus cases and 65,487 deaths attributable to the virus.

João Doria, Sao Paulo's governor, said that trials of a new potential vaccine developed by China's SinoVac will start on July 20.

Bulgaria

The number of COVID-19 recoveries in Bulgaria has risen to 3,000 after 85 more patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Tuesday morning.

The number of confirmed infections reached 5,914, an increase of 174 over Monday morning, the ministry said.

The death toll rose by four to 250, the ministry said.

Burundi

The Burundian government on Monday kicked off a mass screening campaign in the commercial captial Bujumbura to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Three sites were set up at a technical school, a hotel and a Catholic parish to screen people who voluntarily came forward for the coronavirus test.

More than 419 people had been screened in the three sites by evening, far more than the expected number of around 250, Health Minister Thaddee Ndikumana said.

The minister said the government planned to start mass screening in the countryside next week by Friday, which will be done at provincial towns.

Since late March, more than 3,000 people had been screened and 191 of them tested positive for COVID-19, according to the minister. One death had been reported so far. 

Members of the public wait to be tested for the coronavirus in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 6, 2020. (BERTHIER MUGIRANEZA / AP)

Chile

Chile on Monday reported the country has tallied a total of 298,557 COVID0-19 cases.

The death toll climbed to 6,384 after 76 more deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health. In the same period, 3,025 new cases were detected.  

Egypt

Egypt reported 969 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the health ministry said, the first drop below 1,000 registered daily since May 27.

In total 76,222 COVID-19 cases have been reported and 3,422 deaths, including 79 on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

France

The number of deaths in France from the new coronavirus has risen by 27 since Friday to 29,920, the country's health department said on Monday.

The number of people in intensive care units fell by 12 to 548, continuing a downtrend over recent weeks, the ministry said.

Germany

Germany’s coronavirus infection rate remained below the key threshold of 1.0, and the number of new cases stayed much lower than the level at the height of the outbreak.

The reproduction factor - or R value - edged up to 0.97 on Monday from 0.96 the previous day, according to the latest estimate by the country’s health body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). 

There were 541 new cases in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, bringing the total to 198,064, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The total number of deaths was adjusted one lower to 9,022. 

According to data from RKI Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases increased by 390 to 196,944 while the reported death toll rose by 8 to 9,024.

Hungary

Hungary’s official coronavirus cases rose by 16 in a day, the biggest increase in a month, according to data from the country’s pandemic task force published on Tuesday.

Total cases rose to 4,205, with 589 deaths, unchanged for a third day. 

Hungary has so far managed to avoid a flare up of the virus with active cases, which subtracts recoveries and deaths from total infections, steadily declining to 742 on Tuesday from over 1,100 a month ago.

Ireland

Ireland could delay the full reopening of pubs after "very worrying" scenes of packed crowds of drinkers outside some bars over the weekend, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on Monday.

Photos posted on social media on Saturday showed people outside a row of pubs in a part of central Dublin, in apparent violation of social distancing rules imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. They were gathered near bars serving food, which were allowed to reopen last week. The rest of the country's pubs were due to follow on July 20.

Ireland's acting chief medical officer said that he was very concerned by the packed crowds of drinkers.

Ireland has so far reported 25,531 confirmed cases and 1,741 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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Italy

Italy registered 208 new coronavirus cases on Monday, showing a slight upward trend, according to the latest data by the Health Ministry.

Overall, the total number of assessed cases in the country reached 241,819, compared with 241,611 on Sunday. The increase was due to a rise in active infections, which grew by 67 to 14,709.

Eight more fatalities were registered, pushing the country's death toll to 34,869, according to the data.

In northeast Veneto, local authorities imposed a 1,000-euro (US$1,131) fine on those who violate the mandatory period of isolation at home. Meanwhile, a swab test will also be compulsory for those returning from travel outside European Union (EU) countries if they have a body temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius.

In the Lazio region surrounding Rome, the regional government is said to make swab tests mandatory at the Fiumicino airport on all passengers arriving on board of flights from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. The move comes after at least 12 Bangladeshi nationals tested positive for the coronavirus since late June in Rome. 

Kenya

Kenya's total number of COVID-19 cases passed the 8,000 mark on Monday, an official said.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary of the ministry of health, said in a statement that 181 people new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 8,067.

Kagwe said that four more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 164. 

The update on the COVID-19 situation came after President Uhuru Kenyatta decided to lift the ban of movement in and out of the Nairobi metropolitan area and two other counties of Mombasa and Mandera. 

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Tuesday reported 71 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 1,117.

So far, the center had reported a total of 269 recoveries and 34 deaths across the country.

On Monday, the UN-backed government extended a nationwide curfew for 10 days in further efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, with some precautionary measures already in place for a time, including a ban on public gatherings.  

Workers at a small appliance repair shop work behind plastic sheeting to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, in central Mexico City, on July 6, 2020. (REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP)

Mexico

The coronavirus pandemic could last in Mexico until next April, with infections expected to rise during the October flu season and through winter, a top health official said on Monday, further pushing back the potential resolution of the crisis.

Mexico's Health Ministry on Monday reported 4,902 new confirmed infections and 480 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 261,750 cases and 31,119 deaths.

In an interview with Mexico's Radio Formula, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the coronavirus czar, warned that coronavirus infections may persist in significant numbers into the winter, carrying the pandemic into spring.

When asked about the length of the pandemic in Mexico, Lopez-Gatell said it could last "until March to April of next year".

Morocco

Morocco registered 164 new coronavirus cases on Monday, raising the total number of infections in the North African country to 14,379, the Health Ministry said.

The number of the recoveries rose by 448 to 10,137 while the death toll stood at 237, said Hind Ezzine, head of the department of epidemic diseases of the ministry, during a press briefing.

Mozambique

The cumulative number of COVID-19 infections in Mozambique rose to 1,012, after 25 more cases were registered in the past 24 hours, said the country's health authorities on Monday.

National Director of Public Health Rosa Marlene said the number of recoveries rose by seven to 277, and the death toll stood at eight.

Also on Monday, health authorities launched the second epidemiological survey in Pemba, the capital city of the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, to assess the situation of the pandemic in hope that the data will help contain the transmission there.

The assessment is expected to help the authorities control the spread before it reaches large proportions, and to evaluate the level of people's awareness in regard to COVID-19, said Nedio Mabunda, a health official from the National Health Institute.

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Nigeria

The Nigerian government on Monday said the disinfection of schools to curb the spread of COVID-19 will begin across the country on Tuesday in preparation for class resumption.

The decontamination exercise will make schools safe for learning activities, Minister of Environment Muhammad Mahmood told reporters, adding that an earlier plan to carry out disinfection was delayed due to lack of personnel and also because chemical disinfectants were not long-lasting.

Portugal

The Portuguese government on Monday started to carry out compulsory body temperature checks and COVID-19 tests at the country's airports for foreigners without residence in Portugal or are from outside the European Union (EU).

According to a decree, the measures apply to flights from all sources identified as having an epidemiological risk, including Portuguese-speaking countries.

Portuguese citizens and foreigners residing in Portugal will also be subject to temperature checks, and, if justified, will be tested at the airport. They are obliged to remain confined in their homes until they receive the results.

The new measures apply to Portuguese terminals managed by the Portugal Airports (ANA), with the exception of Madeira and Azores airports.

Portugal recorded six more COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll  to 1,620. The total number of confirmed cases in the country rose by 232 to 44,129. 

Russia

Russia on Tuesday reported 6,368 new coronavirus cases, taking its nationwide tally of infections to 694,230.

The country's coronavirus crisis response centre said 198 people had died from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 10,494.

Russia said 463,880 people have recovered from the virus. 

A street band performs in front of a cafe in Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2020. (ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP)

Spain

Spain’s cabinet will on Tuesday approve the extension of measures aimed at easing the financial burden on rental tenants and homeowners hit by the coronavirus, government sources told Reuters.

With the new measures, tenants will be able to renew their existing contracts for six months under the same conditions, while a ban on utility companies cutting gas, electricity and water supplies will remain in place until Sept 30, the sources said.

For qualifying homeowners, the deadline to apply for a holiday on mortgage payments will be pushed back until the end of September from July 20.

Battered by the pandemic lockdown and travel restrictions, Spain’s economic output is likely to have shrunk 20 percent in the second quarter, according to the central bank.

Senegal

Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported this Tuesday 69 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 7,547 in the West African country.

Out of 693 tests carried out in the past 24 hours, 69 came back positive, the ministry's director of Prevention Dr. Mamadou Ndiaye said during the daily briefing.

According to Ndiaye, the new cases included 43 follow-up contact cases, 23 community transmission cases and three imported ones detected at the airport.

Some 114 patients tested negative after treatments and were discharged from hospitals and treatment centers, bringing the recovery number to 5,023 since the outbreak of the pandemic on March 2.

A total of 137 patients had lost their lives to COVID-19 in Senegal.

South Africa

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in South Africa has surpassed 200,000. 

The milestone came just two weeks after the country breached the 100,000 mark, which was reached 116 days after the first case was diagnosed, health ministry data shows. 

More than 8,000 new cases were reported for a sixth consecutive day on Monday, bringing the cumulative total to 205,721. 

Deaths rose by 111 to 3,310 while the number of recoveries stood at 97,848.

Sweden

The Swedish government has ordered four public agencies and 21 county administrative boards to prepare for a potential second wave of the pandemic in autumn, although the new COVID-19 cases and deaths are showing a downward trend.

The county administrative boards are tasked with coordinating developments of the local county in line with goals set at the national level. The four public agencies are the Public Health Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Medical Products Agency, and the Civil Contingencies Agency.

One of the tasks set for the Public Health Agency is to investigate whether it is possible to issue recommendations and rules that can be adapted for different regions, depending on local conditions, instead of the recommendations applied uniformly across the country, as is the case presently.

As of Monday afternoon, Sweden had reported a total of 73,061 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 5,433 deaths.

UK

Weekly COVID-19 deaths fell to their lowest in 13 weeks in England and Wales and now account for just 6.7 percent of total deaths in the week ended June 26, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

Fatalities fell in all English regions, except the North East, and total UK coronavirus deaths were registered at over 55,100 now.

The British Department of Health and Social Care said Monday that the reported death toll reached 44,236 after another 16 deaths were registered.

As of Monday morning, 285,768 people have tested positive for the disease in Britain, a daily increase of 352, according to the department.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe recorded another COVID-19 death on Monday, bringing the country's death toll to nine.

The number of infections rose to 734 after 18 more people tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said in an update Tuesday morning.

Sixteen more people recovered from the disease, raising the total number of recoveries to 197. The number of active cases stood at 528.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday said his government was concerned about the recent spike in local transmissions of COVID-19.

"We are getting worried because we now see a small trend of internal transmission. We are doing our best to do contact tracing," he said.