- The United States recorded 840 deaths from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
- Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is undergoing treatment in hospital for pneumonia after he tested positive for Covid-19.
- Turkish authorities ordered that people wear masks in public in Istanbul and the capital Ankara as new coronavirus cases rose sharply.
US daily virus deaths drop below 1 000 for 7 days in a row
The United States recorded 840 deaths from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Wednesday, the seventh day in a row the toll has dropped below 1 000.
The country remains the most affected in the world by the pandemic in absolute terms, with more than 117 000 deaths overall and more than 2.1 million cases diagnosed.
Despite the encouraging drop in deaths, the number of new infections has plateaued around 20 000 a day, as infection rates wax and wane around the country.
The epidemic has moved from New York - previously the country's epicentre - and the northeast to a wide band covering the south and west.
More than a dozen states are recording their highest number of new Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Among them is Oklahoma, where President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with plans to hold a large election rally with tens of thousands of people next weekend, despite fears it could help spread the virus.
AFP
Florida gambles on reopening, as virus numbers rise
Florida is reporting record daily totals of new coronavirus cases, but you'd never know it looking at the Sunshine State's increasingly busy beaches and hotels.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis wants tourists to return en masse to help bolster the local economy - and in so doing, help his ally President Donald Trump win over voters.
But many of those visitors are not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines, and striking a balance between protecting public health and saving people's jobs is tricky.
While the number of deaths per day is not rising, the percentage of positive tests is, hitting 10.3% on Wednesday, compared to 5.5% the week before, according to the state health department.
In recent days, several bars and restaurants in Tampa, which began to reopen before Miami, were forced to close after some workers were infected with the virus.
In Jacksonville Beach, at least 12 friends tested positive for coronavirus after a night out for a birthday celebration, one of the group members told US media.
DeSantis is "shooting himself in the foot", Aileen Marty, a Florida International University pandemic expert, told Politico.
"It's going to backfire because if people fail to understand how dangerous this particular virus is, they're going to act in irresponsible ways."
AFP
Honduran president hospitalised for coronavirus
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is undergoing treatment in hospital for pneumonia after he tested positive for Covid-19 this week, the government said.
Francis Contreras, a spokesperson for Honduran health agency SINAGER, said that while Hernandez needed specialised medical care in a military hospital, including receiving medicines via intravenous drip, he is generally in good health.
The health news is a fresh blow to the 51-year-old Hernandez, who has come under increasing pressure at home as one of his brothers was swept up by a drug trafficking probe in the United States which has threatened to engulf him too.
"His general health status is good," Contreras told reporters outside the military hospital. However, he said X-rays of Hernandez have revealed lung problems.
Al Jazeera
Australian unemployment hits two-decade high
Australia's unemployment rate rose to its highest level in two decades last month, official data showed on Thursday, as hundreds-of-thousands more people lost their jobs amid pandemic-induced shutdowns.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported the May unemployment rate ticked up to 7.1% as employment fell by a further 227 700 in May, slightly worse than market expectations.
The Australian dollar weakened against major currencies, and Sydney's ASX 200 stock market fell 1.6% on the news.
The unemployment rate had hovered around 5% before February when travel bans were introduced and businesses were forced to introduce social distancing measures.
The unemployment rate rose from a revised 6.4% in April and was up almost two percentage points year-on-year.
The last time the unemployment rate broke seven percent was in October 2001.
AFP
Turkey orders wearing of masks in public in Istanbul, Ankara
Turkish authorities ordered on Wednesday that people wear masks in public in Istanbul and the capital Ankara as new coronavirus cases rose sharply.
The move was recommended by the scientific committee advising the government, local authorities in the two cities said.
Turkey recorded 1 429 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, half of them in Istanbul, almost twice as many as were being registered two weeks ago, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
Koca urged Turks "not to let down your guard too much," while also reassuring them that the situation was "under control".
Wearing masks to help curb the spread of the virus has been obligatory for several weeks on public transport and in shops across Turkey.
With Wednesday's announcement, wearing of a mask in public is now required in 48 of Turkey's 81 provinces.
The move comes as Turkey, like many other countries, has been easing coronavirus restrictions in an effort to get its economy going again after a tough lockdown appeared to slow the spread of the disease.
Images on social media of people walking about without masks or ignoring social distancing recommendations has sparked concern and indignation.