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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
- The World Health Organization has warned the pandemic could get far worse if countries around the world do not follow basic healthcare precautions. “The virus remains public enemy number one,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva.
- More than 13 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and nearly 572,000 have died, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. The United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy have recorded the most deaths.
Here are the latest updates.
Tuesday, July 14
03:45 GMT – Malaysia and Singapore ease some border restrictions
Malaysia and Singapore are to ease border restrictions between the two countries to support essential business and official traffic, as well as residents who have long-term work permits for the other country.
The rules will include a ‘Reciprocal Green Lane’ for essential business and official purposes with all travellers having to undergo a PCR swab test before travel and submit a detailed itinerary for the duration of the visit.
The ‘Periodic Commuting Agreement’ will apply to residents with long term work permits for the other country and allow them to return for ‘home leave’ after three months of working.
The new measures are expected to come into force on August 10, the two countries’ governments said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The details of the arrangements – including health protocols and the application process – will be announced ten days before that.
03:30 GMT – Hong Kong prepares for toughest-ever coronavirus curbs
People in Hong Kong are preparing for the toughest curbs yet to control the coronavirus with the authorities warning that the risk of a large-scale outbreak in the territory is “extremely high”.
The new measures come into force at midnight (16:00 GMT). They include mandatory face masks on public transport, and a limit on the size of gatherings to just four people.
You can read more on that story here.
02:30 GMT – Mystery of Argentine sailors who caught virus while at sea
Argentina is trying to solve the mystery of how 57 sailors managed to come down with the coronavirus while they were at sea even though all had tested negative and spent 14 days in quarantine in a hotel before the voyage began.
The health ministry for the southern province of Tierra del Fuego says the fishing trawler is now back in port after 35 days at sea, with 57 of the 61 crew diagnosed with the virus after a new test. Two are now in hospital.
A team is trying to establish the “chronology of contagion” among the crew.
“This is a case that escapes all description in publications because an incubation period this long has not been described anywhere,” said Leandro Ballatore, the head of the infectious diseases department at Ushuaia Regional Hospital. “We cannot yet explain how the symptoms appeared.”
01:25 GMT – No new cases confirmed in Beijing for eighth day
The wave of coronavirus cases connected with Beijing’s wholesale market that began in June appears to have been brought under control with no new cases of the disease reported in the Chinese capital for eight successive days.
China’s National Health Commission reported five new cases on the mainland on Tuesday, all among people returning from overseas.
#Beijing sees zero locally transmitted #COVID19 cases for the eighth consecutive day. On Monday, 21 people recovered and were discharged from hospitals, lowering the number of active cases in Beijing to 205. pic.twitter.com/W5fNQkEsWe
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) July 14, 2020
01:00 GMT – Nearly 1,000 workers at US immigration detention centres have COVID-19
More than 930 people working for four private companies that run detention centres for US immigration have tested positive for coronavirus, according to executives speaking at a congressional hearing.
The four firms are CoreCivic (554 cases), the GEO Group (167 cases), Management & Training Corp (73 cases) and LaSalle Corrections (144 cases). US immigration has reported 45 cases amongst its own staff.
Lawmakers are concerned about the spread of the virus across the US’ nearly 70 detention centres. More than 3,000 detainees have tested positive for the disease and two have died. There are currently about 22,580 people in immigration custody.
00:00 GMT – UK to make masks mandatory in shops
The British government will announce on Tuesday that people will have to wear masks when they go into a shop from July 24.
“There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
Masks have been required on public transport since June 15.
23:45 GMT (Monday) – Worldwide cases surpass 13 million
More than 13 million people around the world have now been confirmed to have had the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Below are the five most-affected countries.
- United States – 3,361,042
- Brazil – 1,884,967
- India – 878,254
- Russia – 732,547
- Peru – 330,123
Read all the updates from yesterday (July 13) here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
