Pedetrians wearing a face mask cross Via della Conciliazione in Rome near St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on September 25, 2020. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP)

WASHINGTON / BOGOTA / WASHINGTON / MONTREAL / GENEVA / PRAGUE / PARIS / MADRID / AMSTERDAM / LONDON / MOSCOW / STOCKHOLM / WARSAW / ROME - Italy is likely to extend a state of emergency to help keep the coronavirus crisis under control, a senior official said on Tuesday as the government looks to avoid the surge in new cases hitting other European countries.

The state of emergency, which is due to expire in mid-October, gives greater powers to both regional and central government, making it easier for officials to bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy.

“I believe the government will need to ask for a further extension,” Health Undersecretary Sandra Zampa told state broadcaster RAI. “The state of emergency allows the government to cut through red tape quickly if needed.”

Italy was the first country in Europe to be slammed by COVID-19 and has the highest death toll on the continent, with 35,851 dying since the outbreak flared in February

Italy was the first country in Europe to be slammed by COVID-19 and has the highest death toll on the continent, with 35,851 dying since the outbreak flared in February.

Thanks to one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, Italy managed to get the contagion under control by the summer. However, cases have picked up over the past month and an average 1,694 new infections were reported daily in the last seven days.

That is still far fewer than elsewhere in Europe, including France, which is reporting an average 10,199 new cases daily, and Spain, which is seeing 10,920, according to Reuters data.

Earlier this week the World Health Organization posted a video praising Italy’s “strong and effective response” to the pandemic. Despite the easing of the crisis, many Italians are still taking great care, such as regularly wearing masks outside even though it is not compulsory.

Scientists say the next three weeks will be crucial to gauge the circulation of the virus and determine whether Italy will be spared a major second wave.

“If we get through the next three weeks, we can probably make it,” Andrea Crisanti, a professor of microbiology at the university of Padua, told Reuters.

The initial state of emergency was extended at the end of July despite protests from opposition parties, which accused Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of trying to keep too much power in his own hands and side-stepping parliament.

WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners said on Monday that they will provide 120 million rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests to low- and middle-income countries.

The COVID-19 diagnostic tests, which are priced at a maximum of US$5 per unit, will provide reliable results in about 15-30 minutes rather than hours or days, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

The wider availability of quick, reliable and inexpensive testing will help 133 countries to track infections and contain the spread, closing the gap with wealthy ones, the WHO said.

These tests will provide reliable results in about 15-30 minutes rather than hours or days, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a joint press briefing on Monday with partner organizations, such as the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, the Global Fund, Unitaid and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

This project will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which is especially important in areas of high transmission, Tedros said.

ALSO READ: COVID-19: WHO expects long-term response efforts

According to the WHO, these test kits are currently priced at a maximum of US$5 per unit, which is already substantially cheaper than the PCR tests.

The WHO said that volume guarantee agreements have been developed between two manufacturers and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which will make 120 million of these new highly portable and easy-to-use rapid diagnostic tests available over a period of six months.

Africa tally

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded across Africa reached 1,460,084 as of Monday while the death toll rose to 35,445, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

READ MORE: Africa beats expectations with low pandemic fatality rates

Algeria

Algeria reported 146 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily increase since June 29. The new cases brought the total tally of infections to 51,213, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry also reported five more fatalities, raising the death toll to 1,719.

Meanwhile, 102 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 35,962.

Also on Monday, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced in a meeting with officials from the sports sector that Algeria will resume all kinds of sport activities for championships.

Argentina

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez urged the public on Monday to be "more responsible" in combating COVID-19, warning that the pandemic "is not over".

Argentina has so far registered 711,325 confirmed cases and 15,749 deaths, representing a fatality rate of 2.2 percent, according to the Ministry of Health.

"We are seeing that the problem, which was initially concentrated in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, is now spreading to the interior of the country," said Fernandez.

The capital has reported 123,288 infections while the province of Buenos Aires, the most populated in Argentina, has recorded 401,862 cases.  

Botswana

Botswana will be under the state of public emergency for another six months in an attempt to curtail the spread and transmission of COVID-19, the country's parliament said Monday.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi said at an extraordinary meeting of parliament that the extension provides a better option for safeguarding the lives of Batswana (citizens of Botswana) while controlling and containing the disease.

The country has so far registered 3,172 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, according to latest statistics released by the country's presidential COVID-19 task force team.

Brazil

Brazil recorded 13,155 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 317 deaths from the disease, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

Brazil has registered 4,745,464 million cases while the official death toll has risen to 142,058, according to ministry data.

READ MORE: Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 1 million in grim milestone

Bulgaria

Bulgaria reported 216 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 20,271, said the health ministry on Tuesday.

The death toll rose to 807 after 11 more patients died, it said.

Meanwhile, another 163 recovered from the disease, bringing the total recoveries to 14,339, the ministry said.

Canada’s largest provinces are bringing in new limits on activity after a spike in cases, threatening to short-circuit an economic recovery.

Quebec will force public places including bars, museums, cinemas and restaurant dining rooms to close from Oct 1 to Oct 28 in three regions, including greater Montreal and greater Quebec City. Schools and stores will remain open. The province has about 5,000 active cases, a 71 percent jump from the beginning of August.

Ontario, the largest province, reported 700 new cases Monday, the most ever in a day, though it’s also testing far more people than it was in spring. A group of hospitals called on Premier Doug Ford’s government to revert to stricter “stage two” measures in Toronto and Ottawa, which would mean restricting or closing indoor businesses such as gyms, movie theaters and restaurants.

In Alberta, where cases have also been rising, the provincial government postponed dozens of surgeries and imposed visiting restrictions at a Calgary hospital because of an outbreak. Twenty-six patients and 27 staff have confirmed infections and more than 100 staffers are in isolation. Four patients have died.

Overall, cases in Canada rose by 1,454 to 153,125, while six more deaths took the total to 9,268, according to data released on Sunday.

Chile

Chilean Deputy Minister of Public Health Paula Daza on Monday called on residents in the capital of Santiago and the metropolitan area to comply with social distancing measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

German Codina, mayor of Puente Alto, the largest commune in the country with more than 600,000 inhabitants, told reporters that residents were so far complying with the restrictions.

According to the health ministry, Chile reported 57 additional fatalities and 1,770 new infections in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll and total caseload to 12,698 and 459,671, respectively.  

Colombia

Colombia will extend a so-called selective quarantine for the duration of October, President Ivan Duque said in a nightly address on Monday, and urged citizens to avoid meeting in large groups.

Colombia has reported 818,203 infections as well as 25,641 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 5,147 new cases and 153 more fatalities were reported.

The country's largest cultural event, Barranquilla Carnival, which is scheduled for early 2021 will be held virtually due to the pandemic, the carnival's director Carla Celia confirmed Monday.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic reported 1,287 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, its lowest daily tally since Sept 20, Health Ministry data showed on Tuesday.

As of the end of Monday, which was a state holiday, it had reported a total 65,883 cases, with 618 deaths.

The Czech government is preparing a new set of measures that may include calling a second state of emergency as early as Wednesday. T

Egypt

Egypt registered on Monday 115 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally in the country to 102,955, said the health ministry.

Another 18 patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 5,901, while recoveries increased by 506 to 95,586, a ministry spokesman said in a statement.

France

France's increase of new COVID-19 cases sharply decelerated on Monday, but hospitalizations and deaths linked to the disease shot up again.

French health authorities reported 4,070 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 542,639.

The number of people hospitalized for the disease has gone up by more than 150, going over the 6,400 threshold for the first time since July 21.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units reached a three-month high of 1,158, but far lower than the April 8 peak of 7,148.

The death toll rose by 81 to 31,808.

Georgia

Georgia reported a record daily of 314 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing its tally to 5,866, said the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.

The center added that a total of 2,324 recoveries and 33 deaths had been reported so far.

This photo shows a relative empty shopping street in the center of Hamm, Germany, Sept 28, 2020. (MARTIN MEISSNER / AP)

Germany

Germany reported 2,089 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday and 11 more deaths, a tally from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

Kenya

Kenya eased restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus as authorities looked to reopen East Africa’s largest economy.

The night curfew was extended for 60 days, but reduced to five hours starting 11:00 pm, President Uhuru Kenyatta said Monday in a televised address. Bars and restaurants will reopen and resume the selling of alcohol until 10:00 pm.

Kenyatta increased the permitted maximum size of religious gatherings to one-third of its normal sitting capacity. The number of people attending ceremonies such as funerals and weddings was also increased to 200.

Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported 53 new cases, pushing the tally to 38,168, including 24,681 recoveries and 700 deaths.

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya reported 849 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the tally to 33,213.

The center said in a statement that 390 more patients have recovered and another seven people died, taking the total recoveries to 18,518 and the death toll to 527.

Mexico

Mexico's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 733,717 on Monday, according to updated data from the health ministry, along with a total reported death toll of 76,603.

Authorities reported 3,400 new cases along with 173 deaths on Monday, but the true figures are likely significantly higher due to little testing.

Morocco

Morocco reported 1,422 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 119,107.

The death toll rose by 44 to 2,113 while recoveries increased by 1,877 to 97,468.

Netherlands

The Dutch government announced on Monday a raft of new restrictions to slow a second wave of coronavirus infections, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying the steps were unavoidable due to the speed of the spread of the virus.

Businesses were instructed to have employees work from home except when strictly necessary. Bars and restaurants must shut by 10 pm. 

People were told to avoid non-essential travel between hot spots Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Retail stores in those cities will be allowed to refuse customers who do not wear masks.

Sporting events will be closed to the public and gatherings limited to 40 people. Social gatherings at home must be limited to three guests.

The National Institute for Health (RIVM) on Monday reported 2,914 new cases. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said the number of infections was projected to increase to 5,000 per day from a current 3,000 before the measures kick in.

Panama

Panama's health ministry has agreed to spend US$1.9 million next month in an initial payment for COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization's COVAX vaccine program, officials said on Monday.

Vice-Health Minister Ivette Berrio said Panama's government hoped to make 1.3 million shots available through COVAX, about a fifth of the Central American nations overall vaccine requirement.

ALSO READ: WHO aiming for 2b doses of vaccine by end of 2021

Peru

Peru's healthcare system is at risk of collapsing unless more is done to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus,  Health Minister Pilar Mazzeti warned Monday.

As economic activity resumes on Oct 1, the risk of a second wave of outbreak will increase, Mazzeti said in statements to local media. "If we do not effectively contain it, and there is a rebound (in cases), we will saturate the (healthcare) system."

The healthcare system has taken several preventive measures, including providing primary care services for vulnerable groups, such as those with chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, she said.

As of Monday, Peru has reported 808,714 COVID-19 cases and 32,324 deaths. 

Poland

Restaurants and bars will have to close at 10 pm at the latest in areas of Poland worst affected by the coronavirus, the health minister said, adding that there would be no nationwide lockdown.

Poland reported 1,326 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, after a record 1,587 new cases on Friday.

“Depending on the place and scale of new infections we will be implementing new measures,” Adam Niedzielski told a news conference on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the new measures would take effect.

There would also be further limits on the number of people who can attend weddings and the wearing of face masks will be obligatory outside home in badly hit places, he added.

Niedzielski said that he saw no threat of a shortage of hospitals beds, reacting to complaints from some doctors that they are struggling to deal with high numbers of coronavirus patients.

“Expecting that the trend of new infections above 1,000-1,500 a day will be continued ... we have increased the base of beds available,” he added.

A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus walks on Red Square in downtown Moscow, Russia, on Sept 24, 2020. (YURI KADOBNOV / AFP)

Russia

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the Russian capital would extend a planned school holiday in October to two weeks in bid to stem the coronavirus. 

Sobyanin said students would be off from school from Oct 5-18.

"Today a significant proportion of the sick - who are often asymptomatic - are children," Sobyanin said on his website. "When they come home, they easily transmit the virus to adults and elderly family members who get much more sick."

The Russian capital reported 2,300 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the city's tally to 290,293, the country's COVID-19 response center.

Nationwide, 8,232 new cases were reported, pushing the cumulative caseload to 1,167,805. The death toll rose by 160 to 20,545, authorities said.

Russia plans to share preliminary results of its COVID-19 vaccine trial based on the first six weeks of monitoring participants. The plan to publish interim results based on the first 42 days of monitoring volunteers means Russia has a high chance of becoming the first worldwide to announce any data from a final-stage trial, which is known as Phase III.

READ MORE: Russia is first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, says Putin

Russia's sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday it had agreed to supply 25 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal via Trinity Pharmaceuticals, which it described as a private healthcare firm and key distributor there.

Slovakia

Slovakia's government is banning most public cultural and sports events due to the accelerating spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Monday.

"All the measures will be in effect from Oct 1 until further notice. Until we break the rising curve to a declining one," Matovic said.

Slovakia has had one of the lowest death tolls from the coronavirus - 44 as of Monday - but new cases have started to rise, with daily record of 522 on Friday, for a total of 9,343 as of Monday.

Chief public health officer Jan Mikas said the ban on public events would include sporting and cultural events and masses. Exceptions will include marriages and funerals, but only the services or ceremonies will be permitted, without any social gatherings.

Bars and restaurants will have to be closed between 10 pm and 6 am, and only enterprises with seating will be allowed to operate. Shops will have to limit the number of customers shopping at one time. Rules for wearing face masks will be extended to include exterior places where people cannot keep a 2-meter distance.

Spain

Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa reiterated on Monday his warning to the regional government of Madrid that it needs to take further action to stop the spread of coronavirus in and around the Spanish capital.

Authorities in Madrid have restricted mobility in 45 districts, putting more than one million people under travel restrictions. However, in other parts of the capital, bars and restaurants are still allowed to work at 75 percent capacity. Even in the restricted parts of Madrid, businesses are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity.

Madrid accounts for "almost 40 percent of all cases" in Spain, according to Illa. Overall, Spain has registered 748,266 confirmed cases, including 31,411 deaths.

Sweden

Sweden will keep its rule that a maximum of 50 people can meet in public, but plans to introduce exceptions to the rule for restaurants and events where spectators can be seated and not pass on the coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday.

The exception for restaurants will be implemented on Oct 8. 

The government said it planned to allow up to 500 people to watch events such as football matches, concerts and theatre performances where spectators could be seated at least 1 meter apart. Home Affairs Minister Mikael Damberg said that could happen as soon as Oct 15, but the decision has yet to be formally taken.

Sweden has so far reported 90,923 confirmed cases and 5,880 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Tunisia

Tunisia began implementing a series of new preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Monday amid a surge in infections across the country.

"Chairs are banned in cafes and restaurants have to comply with social distancing protocol with penalties that could reach the closure of spaces that violate the law," reads a joint statement released by the health ministry and the interior ministry.

The number of guests at wedding parties would be reduced by 30 percent, and the wearing of masks will be made compulsory in public and private means of transport.

Tunisia has so far reported 16,114 confirmed cases and 214 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson corrected himself on Tuesday after appearing uncertain about basic social distancing rules that will apply in a large swathe of England.

The government announced on Monday a tightening of restrictions on socialising in northeast England from Wednesday, in response to high and increasing COVID-19 infection rates in the region - the latest in a series of local measures.

In the affected areas, which include large urban centres such as Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham, people will face fines if they are caught meeting people from other households indoors, including in homes, pubs and restaurants.

After a junior minister said on morning radio that she did not know what the new rules were, Johnson was asked hours later whether people from different households would be able to meet outdoors in pub gardens in the northeast.

“Outside the areas such as the northeast where extra measures have been brought in, it’s six inside, six outside,” he responded, referring to the government’s “rule of six” which applies in areas not subject to specific local restrictions.

“In the northeast and other areas where extra tight measures have been brought in, you should follow the guidance of local authorities, but it’s six in a home or six in hospitality, but as I understand it not six outside,” he said.

Critics said the response was unclear and appeared to contradict the information released by the health ministry on Monday.

“For the prime minister to not understand his own rules is grossly incompetent,” said Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the main opposition Labour Party. “These new restrictions are due to come into force across huge parts of the country tonight. The government needs to get a grip.”

Johnson corrected himself soon afterwards on Twitter.

“Apologies, I misspoke today,” he said. “In the North East, new rules mean you cannot meet people from different households in social settings indoors, including in pubs, restaurants and your home. You should also avoid socialising with other households outside.”

With infection numbers rising again in different parts of the country, the government has said it wants to avoid a second national lockdown and instead is taking targeted local measures to try to slow the spread of the virus.

But the proliferation of different rules in different places has led to widespread complaints that citizens can no longer be sure what they can and cannot do, even as they face possible fines for breaching the guidance.

The UK reported 4,044 new cases on Monday, raising the total number of cases to 439,013, government data showed. Deaths rose by 13 to 42,001.

US

Two senior US public health experts have raised concerns that White House adviser Scott Atlas is providing misleading or incorrect information on the coronavirus pandemic to President Donald Trump, according to media reports on Monday.

The top US infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci, told CNN on Monday he was concerned that information given by Atlas - a late addition to the White House coronavirus task force - was "really taken either out of context or actually incorrect".

Anthony Fauci and Robert Redfield have both raised concerns that White House adviser Scott Atlas is providing misleading or incorrect information on the pandemic to US President Trump, according to media reports

The comments from Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, came hours after a news report quoted Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sharing similar concerns.

"Everything he says is false," Redfield was quoted as saying during a Friday telephone call while on a plane from Atlanta to Washington, NBC reported. Redfield later told NBC that he was speaking about Atlas.

Redfield also contradicted Trump's upbeat assessment of the coronavirus pandemic, saying "We're nowhere near the end," NBC News reported.

Atlas on Monday defended his advice to the president. "Everything I have said is directly from the data and the science," he said in a statement released by the White House.

The US has recorded more than 7.1 million COVID-19 cases and 205,000 deaths, both the highest in the world. An eighth US service member has died from COVID-19, the Pentagon reported Monday.

Meanwhile on Monday, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democratic lawmakers unveiled a new, US$2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which she said was a compromise measure that reduces the costs of the economic aid.

Separatelt, the US State Department said in a statement it was now advising Americans to reconsider travel to Guatemala and Nicaragua as well as Eswatini in southern Africa, after issuing an advisory to avoid all travel early in the pandemic.

Pupils wearing face masks attend a class at a school in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sept 28, 2020. (TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI / AP)

Zimbabwe

Schools in Zimbabwe reopened Monday for the final examination classes, six months after they were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has set Dec 1 as the date for commencement of locally-run Zimbabwe School Examination Council public examinations. 

Britain-run Cambridge examination classes resumed on Sept 14, with tests expected to start on Thursday.

As of Monday, Zimbabwe has recorded 7,816 confirmed cases, including 6,112 recoveries and 228 deaths.