Coronavirus live news: Brazil cases pass 4m; Israel to impose partial lockdown
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday that the country’s current restrictions to beat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic would be retained until mid-September.
The largest city, Auckland, will remain on alert level 2.5, while the rest of the country will be on alert level 2.0, Ardern told a news conference.
The settings would be reviewed on 14 September, she said.
Rishi Sunak has been urged by union leaders to launch a wage subsidy scheme to prevent a “tsunami” of unemployment when furlough comes to an end this autumn.
Demanding the chancellor follows the examples of other leading European countries to avert a looming jobs crisis, the Trades Union Congress said a continental-style system of “short-time working” wage support could be used in Britain to save millions of jobs from redundancy.
Under the system, companies struggling to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic receive a government subsidy for the hours a worker is away from their job. Similar systems are used in Germany, Austria and France and have been extended in recent months because of the growing risks for companies and workers around the world amid the Covid recession:
Once, Gate Gourmet’s Sydney warehouse produced 30,000 in-flight meals a day, for 21 airlines. They catered around 200 flights a day. They are one of the largest airline catering businesses in the world, supplying over 200 airports. In Australia, they have warehouses in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
In Covid times, things are a little different. With flights in and out of Australia largely grounded, and domestic flight schedules slashed, they are selling direct to the public. And the price is right.
My “clearance meal pack” is $20 for 10 frozen meals, a regular meal pack of seven is $27. The “snack pack”, which promises 10 “assorted items” – from baggies of pork crackle to cans of cola – is a mere $12. You cannot pick the meals you’ll receive – though they have options for vegetarians.
Gate Gourmet aren’t the only ones getting on to the direct to consumer bandwagon – until 4 September, Qantas is having a stocktake sale, with cut-price mystery wine cases at $13.50 a bottle, as well as tiny wine bottles for $2.99 a pop:
Shares in Asia Pacific are suffering heavy losses in early Friday morning trade following some hefty falls on Wall Street on Thursday.
CommSec (@CommSec)
Aussie market slumps on the open following a significant decline for US stocks overnight. #ASX 200 -151pts or -2.5% to 5961. Worst day since 11 June for local stocks. All sectors are lower. Tech sliding most (-4.8%) #ausbiz
September 4, 2020
The Nikkei was down 1.4% in Tokyo, the Kospi was off 2% in Seoul but the heaviest losses are in Sydney where the ASX200 has plummeted by 2.5%.
The US losses were driven by a correction in the price of technology stocks which have soared to record highs because the coronavirus crisis has been seen as broadly positive for the sector.
We have a full story on that here:
The Australian state of Victoria has confirmed 81 new coronavirus cases and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours.
It also added 50 deaths from people who passed away in aged care facilities in July and August.
VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS)
#COVID19VicData for 4 Sep 2020. There were 81 new cases and sadly 59 deaths. This includes 50 people in aged care who passed away in July – August. The State & Federal govts and Aged Care sector worked together to reconcile data and update Victorian reporting related to deaths. pic.twitter.com/KSUpRCJmXa
September 3, 2020
A choral cry for help based on a song from the musical Les Misérables is being aimed at the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, by workers who have slipped through the government’s coronavirus income protection net.
Virtual choir of workers excluded from coronavirus support schemes sing ‘One Day More’ – video
A hundred people, including self-employed driving instructors, fitness teachers and health workers, have recorded a version of One Day More in a plea for the government to bail out people whose incomes have evaporated since lockdown but have received little or no emergency help.
Israel announced Thursday a new lockdown affecting 30 areas as it grapples with one of the world’s highest detected per capita infection rates and a death toll nearing 1,000, AFP reports.
From Monday, travel from 30 areas classified as “red” will be limited and non-essential businesses shut down, said Professor Ronni Gamzu, who is coordinating Israel’s battle against Covid-19.
A face mask is painted on a statue of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the Israeli coastal city of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, on 2 September 2020. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Authorities have unveiled a categorisation of districts, escalating from green, where coronavirus is deemed under control, through yellow, orange, and finally red for highest risk areas.
The Jewish state detected over 3,000 new infections on Wednesday alone, the highest number of confirmed infections in a single day. The 30 areas in the red category will be announced by Sunday, according to authorities.
The defence ministry said around 100 soldiers would be deployed to back up police as they enforce measures in red zones. Some 7,000 reservists would also be mobilised across Israel, it added.
Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 43,773 new cases and 834 deaths from the disease caused by the virus reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Brazil has registered 4,041,638 cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 124,614, according to ministry data, in the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak outside the United States.
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest news from around the world for the next few hours.
Israel announced Thursday a new lockdown affecting 30 areas as it grapples with one of the world’s highest detected per capita infection rates and a death toll nearing 1,000.
From Monday, travel from 30 areas classified as “red” will be limited and non-essential businesses shut down, said Professor Ronni Gamzu, who is coordinating Israel’s battle against Covid-19.
The Jewish state detected over 3,000 new infections on Wednesday alone, the highest number of confirmed infections in a single day.
Meanwhile Brazil’s infections have passed 4 million, with 43,773 new cases and 834 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Here are the other key developments from the last few hours:
France counts more than 7,000 new infections for second day. France registered more than 7,000 new coronavirus infections over 24 hours for the second time in two days, the health ministry said on Thursday, while hospitalisations for the virus also rose again.
Robert Pattinson tests positive for Covid-19, halting Batman production. The actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for Covid-19, pausing production in the UK of Warner Bros movie The Batman, US media reports.
US public health officials prepare for October vaccine rollout. Federal public health officials in the US have asked their state counterparts to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk individuals as early as late October.
Tracing apps may stem Covid-19 spread even when only a few use them – study. Contact tracing apps can sharply reduce the spread of Covid-19 even when only a few people use them, a study published on Thursday by researchers at Google and Oxford University showed. An app used by 15% of the population together with a well-staffed contact-tracing workforce can lead to a 15% drop in infection rates and an 11% drop in Covid-19 deaths, according to statistical modelling.
Mexico leads the world in healthcare worker deaths from Covid-19. Mexico leads the world in coronavirus deaths among its healthcare workers, Amnesty International has said in a new report. The report said Mexico has reported 1,320 confirmed deaths among health workers from Covid-19 so far, surpassing the United States at 1,077, the United Kingdom at 649, and Brazil at 634.
Thailand reports first locally transmitted case in 100 days. Thailand has reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus case in 100 days, after a prison inmate was confirmed to have Covid-19. Dozens of contacts are now being tested, including his family members, people he met in court and other inmates. He had been arrested for drug offences on 26 August.
Greece and Portugal stay on England’s list of quarantine-free travel. English tourists in Greece and Portugal have been spared the cost and chaos of rushing back to the UK after the British government defied expectations and maintained quarantine-free travel from both countries for the time being.
