Surge in cases prompts Europeans to tighten up

PARIS－The revelation on Friday that US President Donald Trump has the coronavirus is contributing to heightened anxieties over its global spread, including in Europe, where leaders had already been mulling tighter movement controls.

French authorities warned that Paris could be put on maximum alert to arrest a rise in infections, and Spain's leaders extended drastic restrictions across the capital Madrid.

The pandemic had killed more than 1.02 million people around the world and infected over 34 million as of Friday, according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University.

French authorities said they may place Paris on maximum virus alert as soon as Monday, potentially requiring all bars to close as cases surge in the capital.

"We're in a phase where the situation is worsening," Health Minister Olivier Veran said.

Spain, fighting a second wave of the virus, extended the restrictions in the capital despite fierce opposition from Madrid's regional authorities. Madrid is struggling with a rate of 780 cases per 100,000 people, compared with just 300 per 100,000 in the rest of Spain－which in itself is the highest in the European Union.

In Britain, chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told reporters: "Things are definitely heading in the wrong direction."

The government has extended lockdowns to several towns in northern England, effectively putting more than a quarter of the country under tighter restrictions.

In the sporting world, Italian football suffered a blow with the postponement of Genoa's weekend match against Torino because team and staff members at the Ligurian club tested positive for COVID-19.

The country had tallied 2,548 new cases as of early Friday, the highest daily total in five months.

In Switzerland, crowds returned to stadiums for the first time since the pandemic began, but Health Minister Alain Berset said the Alpine country was entering a "delicate phase" of its battle against the virus.

Partial border openings

In contrast to Europe, Australia and New Zealand are faring better. New daily infections in Australia's hot spot state Victoria have fallen to a near four-month low, authorities said on Friday.

Both countries announced a partial opening of their borders to travel between the two. But New Zealand will continue to insist on travelers from Australia going into hotel quarantine for two weeks on arrival.

In Africa, the continent's worsthit nation, South Africa, saw the first batch of regional and international flights land on Thursday after an aviation shutdown of more than six months.

Travelers from the United States are among those who have been barred from entry because of their countries' high infection rates. Visitors from Britain, France, India and Russia are also being kept out of South Africa.

Xinhua - Agencies