Coronavirus restrictions have been lifted in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, which now joins the rest of the country at the lowest alert level.
New Zealand has recorded no new infections among the general population in the last 24-hour period.
Belgium’s new government is introducing tighter restrictions on bars and social gatherings in the hope of bringing infection rates down and avoiding more severe measures in the weeks to come.
Bars and cafes across the country will have to close at 23:00, copying a rule which is already in force in Brussels. The Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said the aim was to avoid following Paris in closing bars entirely.
There’s been some criticism in Belgium of the frequency with which rules have been tweaked, but Vandenbroucke said the important number all Belgians should remember was four. That’s now the maximum number of drinkers allowed to gather round a table in a bar and it’s also the new permitted size of a social bubble – previously it was five.
On Tuesday, Paris shut all bars and cafes completely after the French government raised the capital's coronavirus alert to maximum. Bars, gyms and swimming pools were closed for two weeks in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, officials said.
But restaurants can remain open if strict hygiene rules are in place.
France's maximum alert level comes into force when the infection rate in a locality exceeds 250 cases per 100,000 people and at least 30% of intensive care beds are reserved for Covid-19 patients.
Overall, France has reported more than 675,000 cases, with more than 32,000 deaths.
Czech health officials said there were 4,457 cases in the past 24 hours. The country has reported the highest number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants (326.8) over the past 14 days in the EU, overtaking Spain.
Ukraine confirmed 4,753 new cases, including 219 infections in children, and 77 deaths.
Meanwhile in Poland, there were 3,003 new cases and 75 virus-related deaths. In comparison, the daily record for new cases in spring was 599. The number of deaths broke the previous record of 58 set yesterday.
In Bulgaria, there were 436 cases and eight deaths in the past 24 hours.
More than 40% of intensive care beds are full in the French capital Paris, according to regional health officials, and the Pasteur Institute warns it could hit 100% by the end of October.
The German capital Berlin has ordered a 23:00 to 06:00 curfew for restaurants and bars. Mayor Michael Müller says “if we don’t act now we’ll end up under lockdown again”
From tomorrow, Italians will have to carry a mask and wear it in most cases including outdoors – under a law to be signed today by PM Giuseppe Conte.
Finland has seen cases rise to 227 in a day and the government is planning earlier closing times for restaurant bars from this weekend.
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Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
Oh my God, not again!!
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