Members of the royal guard wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ride towards the foreign ministry in downtown Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. (BERNAT ARMANGUE/AP)

BERLIN / HAVANA / MONTERREY / RIO DE JANEIRO / WASHINGTON / TORONTO / PRAGUE / LONDON / AMSTERDAM / MADRID / PARIS / CAIRO / MOSCOW / WARSAW / BUDAPEST / SOFIA / STOCKHOLM / BELGRADE - Madrid is to go into lockdown in coming days after the region’s leader reluctantly agreed on Thursday to obey a central government order to ban non-essential travel in the Spanish capital that is Europe’s worst COVID-19 hotspot.

The Madrid region has 859 cases per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), during a resurgence of the coronavirus in Spain, which was one of the worst-hit countries during the first wave.

Spain’s Socialist-led government - which puts cases in Madrid at 735 per 100,000 - decided late on Wednesday to impose a new lockdown on the city of more than 3 million people.

Madrid’s COVID case load is double the national rate in Spain, which has recorded 769,188 cases - the highest in Western Europe - and 31,791 deaths

That infuriated the conservative-led local authority worried about the impact on livelihoods in a city famous for its bars, restaurants and bustle of tourists in normal times.

But Madrid region chief Isabel Diaz Ayuso told the regional assembly on Thursday she had no choice but to follow the lockdown - even though she would mount a legal challenge.

“This region is not in rebellion and will strictly comply with all the orders,” she said. “But yes, we will go to the courts ... to stand up for the rights of the Madrilenos.”

Madrid and nine nearby municipalities will see borders closed to outsiders for non-essential visits, with only travel for work, school, doctors’ visits or shopping allowed. A curfew for bars and restaurants moved to 11 p.m. from 1 a.m.

‘DESPICABLE’ POLITICAL FIGHTING

The government dropped a plan to shut parks and playgrounds, though local authorities could do that later.

Madrid’s COVID case load is double the national rate in Spain, which has recorded 769,188 cases - the highest in Western Europe - and 31,791 deaths.

The Madrid region has until Friday evening to publish final details of the lockdown, including the start date.

Its spat with central government has infuriated many.

“Playing politics with the health of citizens is the most despicable thing I have seen in my life,” said Luisa, a saleswoman, blaming right-wing politicians for prioritizing profit, outside an underground transport station in Madrid.

“They need to reach an agreement for the good of the nation, and for the protection of the elderly, who are the most vulnerable,” added Luis Raudsepp, who comes from Venezuela.

The new curbs will apply to any municipality in Spain of at least 100,000 inhabitants with more than 500 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 33.9 million while deaths topped 1.01 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Africa tally

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded across Africa reached 1,472,433 while the death toll hit 35,954 as of Wednesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

AstraZeneca vaccine

European regulators are set to start an accelerated review of a COVID-19 vaccine front-runner from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc, according to a person familiar, which could be key step forward for the shot after trials were halted earlier this month due to concerns about a trial participant who fell ill.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration had widened its investigation of the incident that led to the trial halt, three sources familiar with the details told Reuters. US authorities have yet to approve the restart of the trial there.

READ MORE: UN chief: Global vaccine effort urgently needs more funding

Algeria

Algeria reported 162 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the tally to 51,530, the Ministry of Health said.

Eight more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 1,734, the ministry said.

Brazil

Brazil registered 1,031 additional coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 33,413 new cases, the nation's health ministry said on Wednesday.

The South American nation has now registered a total of 143,952 coronavirus deaths and 4,810,935 confirmed cases.

A sign reminding people to follow social distancing rules is seen as people exercise along the lakeshore path on Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada, Sept 29, 2020. (NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP)

Bulgaria

There is an upward trend in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Bulgaria, but the country's healthcare system is prepared for it, Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said here on Thursday.

For the period Sept 24 - Sept 30, the total number of new COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria was 1,550, and 767 people have recovered from the disease, Angelov said at a press conference.

During the period, the total number of hospitalized patients increased by 111 to 837, and the number of patients in intensive care units increased by 15 to 44, he said.

Currently, a total of 8,415 hospital beds are allocated for COVID-19 patients, of which 7,307 for uncomplicated patients and 1,108 beds for patients in need of intensive care, according to the minister.

"One of the biggest potential risks to our healthcare system remains the insufficient number of medics, and their fatigue since the beginning of the epidemic," Angelov said.

At the moment, 1,152 medical specialists have been infected, of whom 227 are active cases, he added.

Bulgaria has to date reported a total of 20,833 COVID-19 cases, with 825 deaths. 

Canada

Ontario could reach 1,000 new COVID-19 cases a day in the first half of October, projections released on Wednesday showed, putting Canada's most-populous province on a trajectory similar to that of the hard-hit Australian state of Victoria.

Ontario could reach 1,000 new cases a day in the first half of October, projections showed, putting Canada's most-populous province on a trajectory similar to that of the hard-hit Australian state of Victoria

The projections did not consider the impact of modest restrictions introduced earlier in September and came on a day the province reported 625 new cases.

Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the University of Toronto's school of public health, told reporters that cases were doubling every 10 to 12 days and warned of "a remarkably high surge, unless public health measures and adherence to public health measures start to damp down that transmission."

Ontario Chief Medical Officer David Williams said officials were looking at the risk associated with some banquet halls, group fitness classes, and workplaces that are "less than stringent" about employees who are sick or required to quarantine coming to work.

In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault said that police would be able to give out C$1,000 (US$750) fines to enforce new provincial restrictions in Montreal and two other hard-hit regions to curb the virus and for not wearing masks at protests.

Starting on Thursday, police will be able to ask a judge remotely for a warrant to enter homes where owners refuse to cooperate with new rules governing the size of private gatherings.

Nationwide, Canada has so far reported 160,982 confirmed cases and 9,346 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Chile

Chilean health authorities said on Wednesday they have approved the start of clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines under development by China's Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical unit Janssen.

The clinical trials, which could take up to two years, will begin in about two or three weeks in the capital Santiago and other Chilean cities, authorities said.

Chile has been particularly hard hit by the virus, with 462,991 confirmed cases reported and 12,741 deaths from COVID-19. In the past 24 hours, 1,684 new cases and 16 fatalities were reported.

Cuba

Cuba said on Wednesday it was lifting a curfew and partial lockdown in Havana, in place since Sept 1. to contain a second wave of the new coronavirus.

The governor of Havana Reinaldo García Zapata said cases had dropped to an average of 21 per day over the last week for an infection rate of 0.87 in justifying the decision. Overall, Cuba has reported 5,597 confirmed cases and 122 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Over the next week, public transportation will resume in Havana, stores will return to normal schedules, and eateries and other services will reopen at 60 percent capacity. Schools are scheduled to open in November while airports remain closed.

Garcia said the city of 2.2 million people, 20 percent of Cuba’s population, would remain isolated from the rest of the country for now.

Czech Republic

The Czech government on Wednesday called a state of emergency from Monday and imposed measures including limiting gatherings and banning musicals and opera to combat a huge surge of the coronavirus before it overwhelms the health system.

The Czech government has called a state of emergency, which will start on Oct 5 and last 30 days

The state of emergency giving more powers starts on Oct 5 and should last 30 days, the government said.

ALSO READ: Slovakia approves state of emergency amid virus spike

The state will limit indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor ones to 20. Sports matches will continue but without spectators. Theatres and cinemas can operate, but concerts, musicals and operas will be banned, all deemed riskier events due to the aerosol particles spread when singing.

In addition, secondary schools in higher risk regions will shift to distance learning on Monday, joining universities that have mostly gone online.

The Czech Republic has so far reported 67,843 cases and 636 deaths. Hospitalizations have soared to 976 people, up from 172 a month ago. 

Egypt

Egypt's total COVID-19 cases rose to 103,198 as the Egyptian health ministry confirmed late on Wednesday 119 new infections.

Sixteen more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 5,930, while recoveries rose by 400 to 96,494, according to the ministry.

France

France's new COVID-19 cases increased by more than 10,000 for the first time in three days on Wednesday while the number of people hospitalized with the disease rose by almost a hundred to a 10-week high of 6,590.

French health authorities reported 12,845 new infections, pushing the tally to 563,535, the second-highest tally in Western Europe and double the 281,025 recorded by the end of August, with part of the surge accounted for by a massive increase in testing.

The death toll was up by 63, at 31,956, lower than the seven-day moving average of 71. But, on average, 44 people died every day in France from the disease in September, the most since May's daily figure of 143 and versus 12 in August.

A man cycles past a graffiti by street artist 'Uzey', depicting a nurse as a superhero in the coronavirus pandemic, on a wall in Hamm, Germany, Sept 28, 2020. (MARTIN MEISSNER / AP)

Germany

Germany lifted its blanket warning against traveling to all countries outside the European Union early on Thursday, although little is likely to change for most travelers under the new regulation.

The cautious reopening, agreed by the German cabinet three weeks ago, comes as Europe faces an uptick in COVID-19 cases, with many warning the continent is on the cusp of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Late on Wednesday, Germany declared regions in 11 European countries, including the whole of France except the  Grand Est region, to be risk zones, while existing warnings about parts of Belgium were extended to cover the entire country

Germany imposed a global travel warning in March, but lifted it for most European countries in June. In September, Berlin began reissuing warnings for regions within Europe when infections rose above the level of 50 cases per 100,000 people over a week.

In future, the same standard will be applied to the rest of the world. This means that provided the prevalence of the virus is below that threshold, travelers will be able to return to Germany without going into quarantine pending a negative test. 

Germany reported 2,503 new infections and 12 more deaths, bringing the tally to 291,722 and the death toll to 9,500,ata from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. 

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there were 2,442 new cases, the highest daily tally since April. 

Late on Wednesday, Germany declared regions in 11 European countries to be areas where there was an elevated risk of exposure to the virus, while existing warnings about parts of Belgium were extended to cover the entire country.

ALSO READ: Europe battles strong wave of pandemic

The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases also declared the whole of France with the exception of the Grand Est region to be risk zones, the whole of Iceland, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland to be risk zones.

Risk zones were also declared in Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia. Such declarations.

Hungary

Hungary will extend its border closures to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic until the end of October, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s cabinet chief said on Thursday.

Hungary closed its borders to foreigners on Sept 1 and decided that Hungarians returning to the country from abroad have to go into quarantine.

Hungary recorded 27,309 cases of coronavirus with 781 deaths as of Thursday, with new cases spiking in recent weeks.

Italy

Italy is considering extending until Jan 31 next year its state of emergency over the COVID-19 crisis, two national newspapers said on Thursday.

The emergency, set to expire in mid-October, gives the government greater powers, allowing officials to more easily bypass the bureaucracy that smothers much decision-making in Italy.

Dailies Il Messagero and Corriere della Sera said a cabinet meeting discussed the issue late on Wednesday.

Italy has so far reported 314,861 confirmed cases and 35,894 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya reported Wednesday 511 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 34,525, including 11 deaths and 459 recoveries.

Mexico

Mexico's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 743,216 on Wednesday, according to updated data from the health ministry, along with a total reported death toll of 77,646.

Authorities reported 5,053 new cases along with 483 deaths on Wednesday, but the true figures are likely significantly higher due to little testing.

Morocco

Morocco reported on Wednesday 2,470 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally to 123,653.

The number of recoveries increased by 2,462 to 102,715 while the death toll rose by 42 to 2,194, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Netherlands

Coronavirus infections have led to thousands more deaths in the Netherlands than officially registered, data released by the nation's statistics agency on Thursday showed.

At least 10,000 people in the country of 17 million are likely to have died of COVID-19 during the first wave of infections between March and June, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) said. Health authorities had reported 6,406 deaths from COVID-19 up until Wednesday.

The difference could be caused by positive tests not being reported to the health authorities, the statistics agency said.

Of the 10,067 CBS reported, 7,797 were people confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus who had died, while COVID-19 was noted as the most probable cause of death in 2,270 other instances.

The Dutch government reversed course on Wednesday on its long-held position against recommending the use of face masks in public places, as new coronavirus cases hit record highs.

"What we wish to do is give the whole of the Netherlands some clear, urgent advice: from now on, wear a non-medical mouth-and-nose mask in public spaces," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a debate in parliament. 

Poland

Poland’s daily new coronavirus cases in the next two weeks may exceed 2000, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Thursday, as the country reported a record in new COVID-19 infections.

“We have to expect an escalation of the pandemic. Our forecasts show that in the nearest future, I’m talking about the next two weeks, this figure will continue to be in the range of over 1500, even 2000 a day,” Niedzielski told a news conference.

Poland reported a record number of new daily coronavirus infections on Thursday, with the Health Ministry announcing 1,967 new cases.

Since the start of the pandemic, Poland has recorded 93,481 coronavirus infections with 2,543 deaths in total.

The government also updated on Thursday its list of red and yellow zones - areas that have more cases and therefore tougher restrictions - which will come into effect on Saturday.

Romania

Romania reported a record 2,158 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day increase, bringing the nation's total to 127,572.

Another 33 deaths were reported, raising the death toll reaching 4,825, according to the Strategic Communication Group (GCS), the official COVID-19 communication task force.

Russia

Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered employers on Thursday to send at least 30 percent of their staff home to work, to halt coronavirus infections that are now rising by around 2,000 a day in the Russian capital.

Writing on his blog, Sobyanin said hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 were rising in Moscow by around 5,000 per week and that the share of children among the city’s sick had risen above 19 percent for the first time.

He said that from Monday, Oct 5, employers must ask at least 30 percent of their staff to work remotely, as well as all employees over 65 and those with chronic medical conditions.

“I hope these measures will be sufficient to halt the growth in the infection rate and we will not have to take any more severe measures,” Sobyanin said.

Exceptions include healthcare workers and employees of the defence sector, he added.

Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, registered 2,424 new cases overnight, officials said on Thursday.

The country as whole reported 8,945 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily tally since June 12, pushing the national total to 1,185,231, the fourth-highest in the world.

Authorities said 169 people had died nationwide in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 20,891.

Serbia

Serbia will review records since the start of the coronavirus outbreak to check the death rate and rectify any irregularities after its leading epidemiologist questioned the figures.

“We will do the audit in the most honest way. I believe in the expertise of our people. We never hid anything, and everything we did, we did transparently,” President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters on Thursday.

Serbia recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus in early March. According to official data, 33,551 people have been infected and 749 have died after falling ill with COVID-19.

Predrag Kon, a member of the government-appointed crisis staff tasked with combating the disease, said on Tuesday the official death toll for the capital Belgrade was three times lower than the real figure.

In an interview with Belgrade-based NewsMax Adria TV, Kon linked the discrepancy, which he said was particularly big in June, with what he described as an inaccurate information system.

The Balkan country saw a sharp increase in coronavirus infections before a general election in June and also in July after it eased restrictions imposed in mid-March to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Country’s health authorities say the number of infections has receded since August.

Slovakia

Slovakia had 797 new coronavirus on Wednesday, a record daily tally for a second straight day, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on his Facebook page on Thursday.

"The situation is extremely serious and it is high time to grit our teeth and help our common cause," Matovic wrote.

His government has introduced new measures against the virus and approved a state of emergency, effective from Thursday, after a recent spike in new coronavirus cases in the country of 5.5 million.

South Africa

South Africa will begin allowing business, investors and skilled experts to enter the country from Thursday, said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandoron on Wednesday.

Pandor said those who are coming as tourists from high-risk countries will not be allowed to enter the country. However, those traveling for business from those countries will be allowed.

High risk countries include the UK, France, Jamaica, India, Iraq, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Slovenia and the US, among others.

Travelers to the country will need to produce a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours before their departure, Pandor said.

Sweden

Sweden registered 752 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily rise since June, Health Agency statistics showed, though no new deaths among patients suffering from the disease were recorded.

Sweden has shunned lockdowns, leaving most schools, restaurants and businesses open throughout the pandemic. Thursday day’s rise was the highest since June 30, when Sweden registered just over 800 new cases.

Sweden has registered 5,893 new deaths among COVID-19 patients. Its death rate per capita is several times higher than Nordic neighbors but lower than countries like Spain, Italy and the UK that opted for lockdowns.

Tunisia

Tunisia's health ministry on Wednesday reported 1,008 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 18,413, including 265 deaths.

UK

British Environment Secretary George Eustice said further lockdown measures for the city of Liverpool in northwest England were being discussed but no decision had been taken.

He also said the government was not trying to scare people with COVID-19 restrictions but simply to move early in an attempt to limit the potential economic damage of a much more serious outbreak.

Boris Johnson acknowledged the opposition to his curbs on freedom but said the British people should follow lockdown rules

On Wedneday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the British people to obey rules imposed to tackle a rapidly accelerating second wave of the outbreak, cautioning that otherwise a tougher lockdown could follow.

At a briefing in Downing Street flanked by his chief medical and scientific advisers, Johnson acknowledged the opposition to his curbs on freedom but said the British people should follow lockdown rules.

Britain, which has the worst official COVID-19 death toll in Europe, is facing a rapid acceleration of outbreaks across the country, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said. 

In parliament, lawmakers passed the extension of the Coronavirus Act, which hands the government emergency powers to introduce restrictions, voting 330 to 24 in favour.

Britain reported 7,108 new cases and 71 more deaths on Wednesday, taking the tally and death toll to 453,264 and 42,143, respectively, according to government data.

US

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made progress on COVID-19 relief legislation, and the House of Representatives postponed a vote on a US$2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus plan to allow more time for a bipartisan deal to come together.

Mnuchin made a counteroffer of about US$1.6 trillion in stimulus measures to Pelosi, according to people familiar with the proposal. In the new proposal, the Trump administration has also proposed including a US$20 billion extension in aid for the battered airline industry, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said.

Coronavirus infection rates continued to climb in many of the nine ZIP codes in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn where new clusters have emerged, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday, as restaurants in the city reopened indoor dining at 25 percent capacity.

The city is deploying 400 police officers as well as other officials to improve compliance with social-distancing rules and a face-covering mandate in the affected neighborhoods. 

Nationwide, the US has recorded more than 7.2 million confirmed cases and 206,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended a ban on cruises in the US by a month, to Oct 31, saying in a statement that further action is needed before cruises can safely resume. It said data from March through September show more than 3,600 COVID-19 or COVID-like cases on cruise ships in US waters, and at least 41 reported deaths.