Spain records new highest daily death toll; Australia limits public gatherings to two

Mass funerals still being held in ultra-Orthodox Jewish circles in Israel are threatening to accelerate the spread of the virus in the country, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

An estimated 300 people ignored social distancing rules and participated in the funeral of Rabbi Tzvi Shinkar in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak on Saturday night.

The coronavirus is now spreading fastest in ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel, according to internal Health Ministry figures obtained by Haaretz.

The French authorities are leafleting migrants in camps at Calais and Dunkirk this weekend before a “voluntary” evacuation sparked by concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

Police will begin transferring migrants to temporary centres across the on Tuesday. Officials insist this will be done on a “voluntary basis”, according to reports in the local press.

Buses will be sent to the camps transfer occupants to regional centres housing up to 100 people from 31 March. The migrants who agree to leave will be given a medical check before being placed in a bus and taken “far from Calais and Dunkirk”. Once they reach the temporary accommodation they will be expected to keep the same lockdown rules as the rest of the French population.

The decision to evacuate the migrants was taken after consultations with humanitarian organisations working in the camps, say authorities. Many of the French and British humanitarian organisations who have been helping the migrants with food and medical care have pulled out because of the difficulties with working since the national lockdown since 17 March and concerns about the risk to volunteers.

There are believed to be around 600 migrants living in between five to eight encampments around the Channel port at Calais. There are an estimated 600 further north at Grande Synthe near Dunkirk.

Even before the coronavirus crisis, life in the camps was grim. Volunteers said asking migrants who were often four or five sharing a single tent to maintain “social distancing” was impossible.

Record daily increase in Tokyo

Tokyo has confirmed 68 new coronavirus cases, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

Japanese authorities fear a rise in cases, after the country has so far benefited from low infection rates in an otherwise troubled region.

1,800 people have been reported infected in Japan, with 55 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, NHK said.

Millions of people in and around Tokyo have been asked to avoid non-essential outings until April 12.

France’s high-speed TGV trains are being used to free up intensive care beds in some of the country’s worst-hit areas, AFP reports.

The trains have been adapted into hospitals on wheels for transport critical patients around the country.

“We have a lot more space than in an ambulance or a helicopter,” said François Braun, president of the Samu emergency service.

A British national who tested positive for Covid-19 in South Korea may face penalties for not observing quarantine rules.

The resident of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, got tested for the virus on March 23, five days after he returned from a trip to Thailand, the Korea Herald reported.

Although he was required to self-isolate until the results were out, he travelled to another city by bike that evening and the next morning he visited an indoor golf range.

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young said on Facebook that the city would hold the person responsible for violating quarantine rules. “The city will deal with this sternly,” he said.

Under recently revised laws, those violating quarantine rules or obstructing quarantine efforts may face up to 1 year in prison and fines of up to 10 million won. Additionally, foreign violators could face deportation, authorities said.

Iran announces 123 more deaths from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, which brings the country’s total to 2,640, AFP reports.

Afghanistan’s health ministry confirmed seven new coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections to 117.

Six of the new positive cases were reported in the western province of Herat, which neighbors Iran.

Spain’s cabinet is meeting this morning to approve a tightening up of the country’s lockdown that will see all non-essential workers ordered to stay at home for two weeks.

The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the “extraordinarily tough” measures were needed as the county tries to halt the spread of the virus and reduce the strain on its overstretched hospitals.

“This measure will reduce people’s movement even further [but] it will reduce the risk of contagion and allow us to unblock out intensive care units,” the prime minister said in a televised address on Saturday night.

Despite the high death toll of recent days, Fernando Simón, the head of Spain’s centre for health emergencies, said that the situation in some regions appeared to be improving.

“We’re getting there,” Simón told a press conference on Saturday afternoon. “We don’t know exactly when we’ll get confirmation, but we’re getting close to the peak of the curve that we’re studying so anxiously. In some parts of the country, they probably may even have passed it – but we need to be cautious with preliminary information.”