Global COVID-19 death toll surges past 650,000 as countries impose fresh curbs

PARIS: From beach closures to quarantine movements, the world introduces several new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 on Monday, as the global death toll exceeded 650,000.

European countries trying to repair the economic damage caused by previous blockades struggled to balance by keeping tourism's lifeline open while protecting themselves against further outbreaks of infection.

The tourism industry in Spain faced new misery after British travelers, and a major tour operator canceled flights thereafter London's decision to reintroduce quarantine for travelers returning from the country.

Hong Kong ordered wearing masks in public in response to a new wave of infections.

Belgium tightened its social distancing measures to try to stop what one expert called a "troubling" increase in cases.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the White House announced that another top management figure, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, had contracted the virus.

As of Monday night, the United States, the most affected nation in the world, had added another 57,000 cases of infection and its recorded death toll was 147,588, Johns Hopkins University said.

As of Sunday, the number of daily injections in the US had exceeded 60,000 for 12 consecutive days, with some days registering more than 70,000 new cases.

But as grim numbers continued to emerge, the World Health Organization argued against a complete closure of the borders.

"This was not necessarily a sustainable strategy for the global economy, for the world's poor or for anyone else," said WHO Director of Emergencies Michael Ryan.

A "one-size-fits-all global policy" was impossible because outbreaks were developing differently in different countries, he added.

Hong Kong's situation is remarkably dire, says WHO
The WHO said its emergency committee would meet later this week to discuss the crisis, six months after the organization declared the pandemic an international public health emergency.

The global death toll from the pandemic passed 650,000 on Monday, nearly a third of that number in Europe, according to an AFP count compiled from official sources at 1600 GMT.

Since its appearance in China late last year, the virus has killed a total of 650,011 people, but more than 100,000 deaths have been recorded since July 9, and the global number has doubled in just over two months.

China reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in three months, part of a worrying wave of infections affecting Asia and Europe.

Indonesia confirmed its 100,000th coronavirus case on Monday when the Red Cross warned that the crisis in the world's fourth most populous country risked "losing control."

New infections have also emerged in Hong Kong, which for weeks seemed to have infection rates under control.

Now, however, everyone in the densely populated territory must wear masks in public starting this week.

"The epidemic situation in Hong Kong is remarkably dire," Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said in announcing the move, as well as banning more than two people from meeting in public and restaurants restricted from serving take-out meals.

Tourism suffers due to COVID-19
Spain, which has already paid a high cost in human lives and economic losses during the pandemic, suffered a further blow after tour operator TUI canceled all British vacations on the Spanish mainland from Monday to August 9.

They were reacting to Britain's decision on Saturday night to require travelers to return from Spain to quarantine for two weeks.

"There have already been cancellations and more are expected," said Emilio Gallego, secretary-general of the Spanish hotel association.

"No one is going to come here for a week on vacation and then they will be locked up for 14 days when they come home."

Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Monday it had fallen red in the first quarter, noting that the pandemic had punished its fleet for nearly four months.

"The last quarter was the most challenging in Ryanair's 35-year history," said a company statement.

Other countries took a different approach to fears about rising infections.

Germany will make coronavirus testing mandatory for travelers returning from risky areas, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Monday.

"We must prevent returning travelers from infecting others unnoticed and therefore triggering new chains of infection," Spahn wrote on Twitter.

Belgium announced that as of Wednesday, people here could see a maximum of five people outside their family circle, reducing the allowed "social bubble" by 15.

The measures came after the country registered 1,952 new cases in the past week, more than 70% more than the previous week.

France ordered the nightly curfews for the beaches at the Brittany resort of Quiberon on the Atlantic coast after a group of rapidly expanding COVID-19 emerged there last week.

Tehran warned the Iranians against weddings and funeral gatherings as the coronavirus outbreak showed no signs of easing in the worst-affected country in the Middle East.