U.S. Gymnast Tests Positive; U.K. Eases Amid Surge: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

An American gymnast tested positive for coronavirus at the team’s pre-Olympic training camp in Japan, the city hosting the camp said in a statement.

Covid-19 cases in the U.K. rose the most in the world as virus restrictions ended in England, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s perceived attempt to dodge isolation rules sparked a public outcry.

Southeast Asia continues to reel from a fresh wave of the virus, with Indonesia surpassing India and Brazil in daily case numbers as the highly-contagious delta variant drives up infections in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Singapore reported 163 new cases in the community on Monday, a significant jump from last week.

Key Developments:

Iran Shuts Offices as Cases Rise (6:12 a.m. NY)

Iranian authorities said government offices, banks and businesses will be closed in the capital Tehran and its surrounding province, as well as the neighboring province of Alborz, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

The latest lockdown will last one week from Monday, IRNA said, citing a government directive. Iran reported 25,441 new covid-19 cases on Monday, approaching April’s record of 25,582.

U.S. Gymnast Tests Positive, Japan City Says (5:27 p.m.)

A female American gymnast preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games tested positive for coronavirus, according to the city of Inzai, which is hosting the team’s pre-Games training camp.

The city didn’t give the gymnast’s name, but said in a statement she’s a teenager who entered Japan with the team on July 15. The women’s artistic gymnastic competition in Tokyo begins on Sunday, July 25.

The news comes after American tennis star Coco Gauff withdrew from the Olympics after contracting Covid-19 before her trip to Japan, and two South African footballers tested positive at the Athletes’ Village in Tokyo.

U.K. Won’t Change Isolation Rules Early (4:22 p.m. HK)

U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government will not bring forward the date when self-isolation rules can ease for people who have had both coronavirus vaccine doses.

“There isn’t going to be any movement on it” for health reasons, Kwarteng told LBC radio. “Restrictions will be lifted entirely on pinging and self-isolation” on Aug. 16, he added.

Saudi Arabia Tightens Travel Rules (3:39 p.m. HK)

Saudi Arabia said it would only allow nationals who received two vaccine shots to travel outside the kingdom, except for children under 12 years old. It will also allow those who recovered from Covid-19 and have received a single shot to travel. The decision will go into effect Aug. 9.

Taiwan Plans to Ease Restrictions (3:08 p.m. HK)

Local Covid-19 restrictions in Taiwan will be gradually eased, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said at a briefing, warning that they would be tightened again if the local situation worsens.

Taiwan reported 15 new domestic cases of Covid-19, six imported cases and one death on Monday.

Thailand Reports Record New Cases (2:20 p.m. HK)

Thailand reported 11,784 new infections on Monday, the highest single-day increase since the pandemic began, taking the nation’s cumulative cases to 415,170, according to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

The country reported 81 fatalities, and 5,741 recoveries on Monday. The more contagious delta variant has now become the most dominant coronavirus strain in Thailand, according to Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences at the Ministry of Public Health.

Separately, Thailand will use more Chinese-made vaccines to plug a gap in supply of AstraZeneca Plc shots. Officials began giving Astra shots to people who had an initial dose of Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s vaccine.

England Reopens as Cases Top Global List (12:40 p.m. HK)

Pandemic restrictions are ending in England on Monday, a moment that was meant to herald the full reopening of an economy battered by its deepest recession in 300 years.

The move comes, though, with the U.K. adding more than 54,000 new cases Saturday, and over 47,600 on Sunday, more than Indonesia, the pandemic’s current epicenter, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a furious backlash that forced him and finance minister Rishi Sunak to drop an initial intention to not isolate. They had held meetings with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who Saturday announced he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Jokowi’s Approval Drops Amid Covid Deaths (12:18 p.m. HK)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s approval rating fell as the coronavirus continues to tear through the nation, sending its daily Covid-19 death counts to become the worst in the world.

About 59.6% of respondents are satisfied with how he’s handling the pandemic, according to a survey released by Lembaga Survei Indonesia. That compares with 68.9% in December, the survey showed. Those who are dissatisfied with him rose to 37.2% from 28.9%.

Sydney Cases Surge as Construction Falls Silent (10:57 a.m. HK)

Coronavirus cases in Australia’s most populous city remain stubbornly high, topping 100 for several days in a row, as construction sites across Sydney are forced to pause work in a bid to curb an outbreak of the delta variant.

New South Wales state recorded 98 new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases in the 24 hours through 8 p.m. Sunday, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Monday. The majority of new cases were recorded in Sydney’s south west, while about one third of new cases weren’t isolating for a period before being detected despite being told to stay at home, she said.

South Australia state tightened public activity restrictions in response to two new cases in the community Monday, including mandatory mask-wearing indoors and closing non-essential retail stores.

U.S. Hospitalizations Rise (6:15 a.m. HK)

U.S. hospital admissions for Covid-19 rose 33.7% in the week ending July 16, compared with the previous seven days, according to the latest data released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The region with the largest increase is the eight states comprising the agency’s southeastern district, which includes Florida, now reporting the most new cases in the nation. New admissions in that area rose 52.8% in that same period, the data show.

Even with the recent rise, driven by the spread of the delta variant, hospitalizations nationally and regionally are a fraction of the peak reached around the New Year.

Los Angeles Official Defends Mask Order (5 p.m. NY)

One of Los Angeles’s top county officials defended the indoor mask order that starts Sunday, saying it’s not a “punishment” for the vaccinated but a prevention for the unvaccinated, including young children who aren’t eligible to get their shots.

“I am not pleased that we have to get back to using the masks,” Hilda L. Solis, chair of the county’s board of supervisors, told ABC News. “But nonetheless it’s going to save lives,”

The order led to criticism from another county supervisor, as well as the sheriff, who said he won’t enforce it because it contradicts CDC guidelines. Solis said she’s not concerned about that and the enforcement will be done through health department inspectors.

Cases in L.A. County fell for a second day, down to 1,635 Sunday after reaching a four-month peak of 1,902 on Friday.

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