Coronavirus latest: India’s cases surge, UK police clash with anti-lockdown protesters

Global deaths from the coronavirus neared 950,000 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, after cases surpassed 30 million a day before. India maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours to reach a national caseload to more than 5.3 million. Its health ministry on Saturday raised the national tally to more than 5.3 million, with the death toll reaching 85,619. India has over 1 million active cases with about 80 per cent recovery rate. India, a nation with a population of some 1.4 billion, has been reporting the highest single-day rise in the world every day for more than five weeks. It is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States. British police clash with anti-lockdown protesters Police in London on Saturday clashed with protesters at a rally organised by opponents of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. Scuffles broke out Saturday as police moved in to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in London’s central Trafalgar Square. Some protesters formed blockades to stop officers from making arrests, and traffic was brought to a halt in the busy area. The “Resist and Act for Freedom” rally saw dozens of people holding banners and placards such as one reading “This is now Tyranny” and chanting “Freedom!” Police said there were “pockets of hostility and outbreaks of violence towards officers.” Britain’s government imposed a ban on all social gatherings of more than six people this week in a bid to tackle a steep rise in Covid-19 cases, but officials are considering even stricter restrictions. Britain has Europe’s worst death toll in the pandemic with 41,821 confirmed virus-related deaths, but experts say all numbers undercount the true impact of the pandemic. Taiwan travellers take ‘sightseeing flight’ A Taiwanese airline carried around 120 passengers on a “flight to nowhere” on Saturday to view the South Korean resort island of Jeju, before flying straight back home. Tough border restrictions to keep the coronavirus under control have led to a 97.5 per cent plunge in international travel in the region, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. Many frequent flyers miss getting on planes and airlines including Taiwan’s EVA Airways Corp and Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc, desperate for revenue and to keep their pilots’ licences current, have offered special sightseeing flights. Saturday’s flight by Tigerair Taiwan, the low-cost unit of Taiwan’s largest carrier China Airlines, took off from Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport and flew up to Jeju, circling low to give passengers a chance to see the island, though mist limited views, and then flying back to Taiwan. “I feel like I haven’t gone abroad for a long time, and I think this event is very special. It’s a good deal,” said passenger Chen Shu-tzu, 43. Some passengers wore traditional Korean dress to mark the flight. Passengers and staff posed for pictures before the flight took off, holding a sign in Chinese, Korean and English reading: “South Korea is missing you. Tigerair Taiwan Longing flight (to) take off.” Protests in Melbourne as Victoria cases fall The Australian state at the centre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak on Saturday reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a hard lockdown in the capital city by the end of the month. Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state and home to a quarter of its 25 million people, recorded 21 new cases of the virus that causes Covid-19 in the prior 24 hours, less than half the previous day’s number and its lowest since June 24. Australia has reported just under 26,900 infections. “Those numbers tell a powerful story of what can be achieved when you stay the course, when you don’t get sidetracked by some of the loudest voices, who I understand are hurting and want to open up,” state Premier Daniel Andrews said. told a news conference. Andrews urged anti-lockdown protesters not to gather, as police arrested people who gathered in Melbourne. There have already been a number of rallies over the past several weekends, with police responding with a heavy presence, handing out dozens of fines and making arrests. Japan relaxes crowd-size restrictions Japan on Saturday relaxed a rule limiting the size of crowds at professional sports matches, cinemas and other events amid signs of a recent plateauing in nationwide coronavirus cases. Both Nippon Professional Baseball and soccer’s J-League held matches on Saturday with over 10,000 spectators after the government lifted the 5,000-person cap on large events, allowing the sporting bodies to hold them with up to 50 per cent of capacity. For small cinemas and theatres deemed to have low infection risk, the 50 per cent attendance cap has been fully scrapped. From Australia to India and the Philippines, are lockdowns working? T Joy, which operates around 20 cinema complexes across Japan, and numerous mini theatres began allowing all seats at venues to be booked from first screenings on Saturday. But major cinema chains Toho Cinemas and Aeon Cinema, as well as operators of live stage shows and concerts, have decided to keep the 50 per cent restriction in place for the time being. Japan’s economic revitalisation minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is also in charge of the response to the pandemic, said at a press conference Friday that avoiding the 3Cs – confined spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings – was a prerequisite for relaxing restrictions. “I want (business operators) to thoroughly enforce basic measures to prevent the spread of the virus.” Philippines retains public transport social distancing Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the 1 metre (three feet) social distance requirement on public transport to reduce coronavirus infections, rejecting moves to reduce it. Health experts have warned that reducing gaps between passengers in trains, buses and jeepneys could result in a surge of infections in the Philippines, which has the most confirmed Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia. Duterte studied recommendations and decided to retain the 1 metre distancing requirement, including a ban on eating and speaking in public transport, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. Passengers still need to wear face shield and mask at all times. The transport ministry, which cut the distance to 75cm on Monday to accommodate more passengers returning to work as the economy gradually reopens, said it will comply with the president’s decision. The Philippines has nearly 280,000 infections, more than a third of which were reported in the past 30 days, and 4,830 deaths, the second most in Southeast Asia, next only to Indonesia. Canada’s opposition leader tests positive The new leader of Canada’s main opposition Conservative Party, Erin O’Toole, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, the party said in a statement. “This evening Erin O’Toole received a positive test for Covid-19,” the statement said adding that O’Toole remains in isolation and is feeling well. “He is very relieved that his wife and children have tested negative.” It was announced earlier in the day that Yves-Francois Blanchet, leader of Canada’s separatist Bloc Quebecois opposition party, had contracted Covid-19 and is in isolation. The pandemic has killed more than 9,000 Canadians and authorities are on high alert to prevent a second wave. Singapore pilots agree to up to 60 per cent pay cuts Singapore Airlines pilots have agreed to further pay cuts to remain in employment, the carrier said on Saturday. The city state’s flag carrier and the Air Line Pilots Association – Singapore reached the agreement on Friday and the company will implement the measures for all remaining pilots in Singapore Airlines and SilkAir with effect from October 1. The deal will help to mitigate further job losses for pilots, it said. Under the agreement, salaries for re-employed captains and first officers will be cut by 60 per cent and 50 per cent respectively, The Straits Times reported. Iran virus deaths top 24,000 Iran’s death toll has topped 24,000, the health ministry on Saturday said, blaming reduced use of face masks by the public. Figures “show that the use of masks is declining, and at the same time we see a rise in daily infections and hospitalisations”, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in televised remarks. “Let us not forget that the current condition of the virus reflects our observance of health protocols and mask usage,” she said. Since late February, Iran has been battling the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak of Covid-19. In the 24 hours to Saturday, 2,845 people tested positive for Covid-19, raising the total to 419,043, the health ministry said. A further 166 deaths from the disease were recorded, bringing the overall toll to 24,118. Reporting by Reuters, Associated Press, Kyodo, Bloomberg