(Reuters) – Roughly one in 10 people may have been infected with the coronavirus, leaving the vast majority of the population vulnerable as the world heads into a “difficult period”, the World Health Organization said.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser.
* Eikon users, see MacroVitals cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.
EUROPE
* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to play down a failure in England’s COVID-19 testing data system that delayed 15,841 results, saying the much higher updated figures were more in line with forecasts of the outbreak’s spread.
* Moscow schools began unplanned holidays and businesses were required to have at least 30% of their staff working remotely, as cases across Russia hit their highest level since May 12.
* Madrid residents were largely going about business as usual on Monday despite a prohibition on non-essential travel in the first European capital to return to lockdown.
* Ireland’s government faced political and business resistance to a surprise recommendation by health chiefs for Europe’s first major second wave national lockdown.
* Iceland ordered bars, gyms and entertainment venues to close and sharply cut the number of people allowed to gather in public.
AMERICAS
* U.S. President Donald Trump began a fourth day at the military hospital where he is being treated for COVID-19, as his condition remained unclear and outside experts warned his case may be severe.
* The renewed effort in the U.S. Congress to reach a fresh deal to pump relief funds into the pandemic-hit economy has been further complicated by the news that the President and three Senate Republicans have tested positive.
* The Brazilian military wrapped up a three-week operation that provided medical care to the Amazon’s Guajajara tribe hit by COVID-19, in response to criticism that Brazil was not protecting vulnerable indigenous people from the pandemic.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria will look into ways to increase testing for the disease to control its spread ahead of easing of lockdown restrictions.
* Malaysia’s prime minister said he will self quarantine for 14 days after a minister who attended a high-level government meeting on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19.
* Restrictions in New Zealand’s largest city will be lifted this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said as she expressed confidence a second wave of infections in Auckland has been almost eliminated.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The United Arab Emirates has resumed granting work permits for foreigners employed by government and semi-government entities as well as entry permits for domestic workers.
* A drastic rise in infections has pushed Lebanon’s hospitals to the edge, and experts warn they will soon be unable to cope.
* Iran registered a record high 3,902 new cases in the past 24 hours.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Wall Street gained ground and crude prices rose as investor risk appetite was stoked by renewed stimulus optimism and news of President Donald Trump’s health progress.
* The euro zone’s economic recovery faltered in September with growing evidence sectors and countries in the bloc are diverging as a resurgence of the coronavirus forces the reimposition of restrictions on activity.
* Italy’s economy minister said he was confident a European plan to help the bloc’s recovery from the pandemic would come into force early in 2021.
(Compiled by Milla Nissi and Vinay Dwivedi; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Kirsten Donovan)
