US tightens rules as cases soar

Eiffel Tower reopens

In France, the Eiffel Tower on Thursday welcomed back visitors after the outbreak forced the Paris landmark into its longest period out of action since World War II.

Strict hygiene and safety measures have been put in place for the reopening.

Visitors can access the 324-meterhigh tower via staircases only until early July, with elevators off-limits for the time being because of safety considerations.

In addition, visitors are not allowed to go any higher than the second floor of the tower, and anyone over the age of 11 is required to wear a face covering.

The tower lost $30 million from the lockdown that started in March, according to its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo.

In Germany, authorities in the most populous state faced criticism on Wednesday over their handling of a major outbreak at a slaughterhouse that triggered a regional lockdown and saw residents barred from visiting other parts of the country.

North Rhine-Westphalia's state government on Tuesday announced it was reimposing many lockdown measures in Guetersloh, home to the Toennies slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck, and neighboring Warendorf, where many of its workers live. Between them, the two counties have 670,000 inhabitants.

Almost 1,300 infections have been linked to the Toennies slaughterhouse. State governor Armin Laschet said Tuesday that restrictions were being imposed for a week to "calm the situation," expand testing and establish whether the virus has spread beyond employees.

In the Middle East, Turkey reported 24 new fatalities on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 5,025 in the country, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country climbed to 191,657, with 1,492 daily infections.

Turkey and China have supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. Chinese doctors and medical experts held a video conference with Turkish counterparts to share China's experience in treating coronavirus patients, protecting medical workers, and controlling the spread of the virus.

Agencies, Xinhua and Ai Heping in New York contributed to this story.