President Donald Trump further limited travel from the world’s coronavirus hotspots by denying entry to foreigners coming from Brazil, which is second to the U.S. in the number of confirmed cases. Trump had already banned certain travelers from China, Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland and, to a lesser extent, Iran. He has not moved to ban travel from Russia, which has the world’s third-highest caseload. Trump had said last week that he was considering limiting travel from Brazil.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and four other remaining areas on Monday, ending the restrictions nationwide. Experts on a Government-commissioned panel approved the lifting of the emergency in Tokyo, neighbouring Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, and in Hokkaido to the north, which had remained under the emergency declaration after it was removed in most of Japan earlier this month. Japan, with about 16,600 confirmed cases and about 850 deaths, has so far avoided the large outbreaks that have been experienced in the US and the Europe despite its softer restrictions.
A coronavirus outbreak linked to a slaughterhouse in the Netherlands has spread across the border to Germany. Dutch regional health authorities said tests showed 147 of the 657 employees at a meat processing plant in Groenlo were positive for COVID-19. They said 79 of those infected live in Germany, while 68 are resident in the Netherlands. There have been several clusters of COVID-19 among slaughterhouse workers in Germany in recent weeks, prompting a government pledge to crack down on conditions in the industry.
Austria’s Government says it has agreed upon a one billion euro ($1.1 billion) package to support cities and municipalities struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel said Monday the money will be used to help kindergartens, schools and public transit systems, as well as projects like energy-saving measures, building renovations and the expansion of broadband connections. Bluemel says the money will be distributed according to the size of cities. Austria has registered 16,539 cases of the new coronavirus with 641 deaths.
A hospital in southwest England says it has stopped accepting patients because of a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases it is treating. Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare says it is temporarily closing its admissions department “to maintain patient and staff safety.” People are being sent to nearby hospitals for treatment.
