Coronavirus live news: Indonesia reports record 1,040 more deaths; China records highest cases since January
Indonesia also reports record new infections for third day in a row; China reports 57 new cases in highest tally since 30 January
- Ireland and Northern Ireland raise concerns over England unlocking
- No quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in England from ‘amber list’ countries
- Asia Pacific sees sharp rise in infections as Delta threatens new wave
- Sold-out flights from Taiwan to Guam for ‘vacation and vaccination’ trips
- UK coronavirus updates – live
Cases are rising in the 22 countries of the eastern Mediterranean region due to limited vaccination, the spread of the Delta variant and increased travel, the World Health Organization has warned. Increasing infection levels follow two months of maintained decline.
The region, which includes the Gulf, North African and Asian countries, has registered over 11 million infections and over 220,000 deaths since last year, according to the Associated Press. Iran has been the worst-hit country in the region, followed by Iraq.
Ministers are likely to announce that vaccinated people travelling to England from amber list countries will no longer have to quarantine from later this month, in a significant boost for the travel industry, it is understood.
A date of 19 July to change the rules is among options that will be considered by the Covid operations committee, chaired by the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, which is due to meet on Thursday morning.
Related: ‘No quarantine’ for vaccinated amber list arrivals in England
Read the original article at The Guardian