British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a new coronavirus lockdown for England from Thursday to December 2. However, schools will remain open this time around.
The ramped-up response comes as Britain surpasses one million cases, with nearly 22,000 new infections on Saturday alone. Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already reimposed partial lockdowns.
Austria, Greece, Portugal
Austria also announces a lockdown, running from Tuesday to the end of November, with a curfew being imposed.
Greece says it will have a partial lockdown from Tuesday, with a curfew and closed restaurants and bars in Athens and other major cities.
Portugal joins too, announcing a partial lockdown that will cover 70 percent of the population.
“The moment has arrived when it is necessary to take more restrictive measures… in order to take control of this pandemic,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa says.
Belgium will also tighten lockdown rules from Monday, closing non-essential businesses and restricting household visits.
45 million infections
Covid-19 has killed at least 1,191,743 and infected 45,760,644 worldwide since emerging in China late last year, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.
The United States remains the most affected country, with 229,710 deaths from 9,048,177 cases.
The countries with the next-highest death tolls are Brazil with 159,477, India with 121,641, and Mexico with 91,289.
Latin America and the Caribbean, the global region with the most infections, has passed 400,000 virus-related deaths, according to AFP’s tally.
Italy protests
Fresh rallies against new restrictions in Italy lead to clashes between demonstrators and police in Rome.
The clashes come a day after an unauthorised nighttime demonstration in Florence turned violent, with protesters hurling Molotov cocktails, bottles and rocks, overturning trash bins and breaking security cameras.
Slovakia launches ambitious testing programme
Slovakia starts testing every one of its 4.5 million people.
Some 45,000 medical workers, army and police have been deployed for the programme but medical professionals warn that crowding people into testing centres could lead to an increase in cases.
Virus case delays Charlie Hebdo trial
The trial of those suspected of helping plan the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre is suspended until Wednesday after the main suspect comes down with coronavirus.
The 10 accused accomplices must now be tested and the resumption of the trial will depend on the test results, presiding judge Regis de Jorna says in an email to lawyers.
Dutch govt suspends KLM rescue package
The Dutch government suspends plans to help beleaguered national carrier KLM with a multi-billion-euro bailout package after unions refuse a deal involving a five-year pay-cut plan.
KLM presented the plan, which demands a 15 percent cut in costs and will see 5,000 jobs being shed, as a result of the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel.
Marshall Islands repatriates despite warnings
The Marshall Islands goes ahead with its first Covid-19 repatriation flight over the weekend, despite calls for the Pacific archipelago to keep its borders closed after two workers at a US military base tested positive for the virus.
A group of 27 people arriving from Hawaii are the first islanders allowed to return since the chain of islands and atolls about halfway between Australia and Hawaii closed its borders in early March.
