Europe braces for second wave; Spain’s Covid-19 deaths could be 60% higher; global deaths near 650,000 * Trump’s national security adviser tests positive – live US updates * China sees biggest surge in months; Australia sets new infections record * Vietnam detects first locally transmitted Covid-19 cases since April * Pet cat diagnosed with Covid-19 in first UK case of animal infection * UK coronavirus live: latest updates 3.33pm BST Belgium’s prime minister Sophie Wilmès has announced a series of further restrictive measures following a significant spike in coronavirus infections, warning that the country could be put into a second “complete lockdown”, writes DANIEL BOFFEY, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief. “If we cannot reduce the coronavirus, it will be a collective failure,” Wilmès said at a press conference following a meeting of the country’s national security council. We know that if we do not intervene drastically, even the start of the school year could be undermined. We are taking strong, difficult measures to avoid this [complete] lockdown. You can continue to confine, limit freedoms but we want to avoid the situation of March which was very trying on a human level, especially for the weakest among us ... Experts say it is possible to avoid another lockdown. But it must be remembered that the world’s leading scientists are incapable of knowing how the situation will develop. We must not frighten people, but neither should we abuse them by pretending to know everything. 3.10pm BST In GREECE, mandatory mask-wearing may be extended beyond supermarkets to other enclosed spaces, the government warned today as coronavirus cases continued to rise in the country, writes HELENA SMITH, the Guardian’s Athens correspondent. Addressing reporters earlier, the government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, alluded to it only being a matter of time before face-coverings were made obligatory in churches and other places where social distancing was otherwise difficult. Masks are already mandatory on all forms of public transport including ferries. Violators face fines of €150. Continue reading...
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