Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Germany to See More Curfews as Covid Cases Soar; Protest in Dutch City on 1st Night of Lockdown

The civic body in Gujarat’s Surat city has barred people who have not taken the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from entering public spaces such as gardens, zoos and boarding city buses, an official said on Saturday. At least 6.68 lakh people in the city have not taken the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine shots despite crossing their due date, Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said. Such people will be barred from entering public gardens, parks, zoos, aquariums, science centres, etc., and using city BRTS buses, the official said, adding that the new rule will come into force on November 15 (Monday).

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida outlined on Friday an urgent plan to increase hospital beds and medical resources in preparation for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 infections this winter. After a deadly fifth wave of infections almost overwhelmed the medical system during the summer, infections and deaths have fallen dramatically as vaccinations have increased to cover more than 70% of the population. Emergency measures covering most of the country were lifted last month, but health experts warn that cases will likely rebound, as they did in Japan last winter. Ahead of that, the government plans to boost hospital bed capacity by about 30%, bolster in-home care, and collect data to predict which hospitals will come under pressure.

Eight residents of a nursing home in Connecticut have died during a coronavirus outbreak while 89 residents and employees have tested positive for the disease, nursing home officials say. The outbreak at the Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canaan began Sept. 30, chief executive Kevin O’Connell and nursing director Cady Bloodgood said in a statement Friday. The eight residents who died had serious health problems, according to the officials. Those who tested positive included 67 residents and 22 staff members. The officials said 48 residents and 21 employees have recovered.

Protests broke out in a northern Dutch city Saturday night as a new coronavirus lockdown imposed amid soaring infections forced bars and restaurants to close at 8 p.m. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that hundreds of young people gathered in a central square in Leeuwarden, 140 kilometers (85 miles) north of Amsterdam. Video showed them setting off fireworks and holding flares billowing smoke. NOS reported that riot police later moved in to push the protesters off the square. Elsewhere in the Netherlands, media reported that bars in the southern city of Breda remained open beyond the new lockdown mandated closing time.

Assam on Saturday reported four COVID-19 fatalities, up from one the day before, while 221 new cases pushed the tally in the state to 6,13,784, a bulletin issued by the National Health Mission said. The state had logged 251 new infections on Friday and Thursday. The positivity rate has increased to 0.67 per cent as against 0.62 per cent on Friday, the bulletin said. Kamrup(Metro), Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, and Sonitpur reported one death each, taking the total deaths due to the virus in the state to 6,047. The current death rate is 0.99 per cent while 1,347 COVID-19 positive patients have died due to other causes. Assam currently has 1,925 active coronavirus cases, as against 1,870 on Friday.

Meghalaya on Saturday reported seven fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the caseload to 84,013, officials said. With the new infections, the number of active cases in this hill state increased to 277, they said. Health Services Director Dr. Aman War said out of the seven new cases, six were detected in East Khasi Hills district and one in Ri Bhoi. He said 26 patients also recovered from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 82,274. A total of 1,462 people have died due to the viral infection to date, War said. No COVID-19 fatality was reported on Saturday and Friday. Meanwhile, health officials in Meghalaya have thus far tested over 11.71 lakh samples for COVID-19. As of Friday, a total of 18.43 lakh people have been inoculated in the state, and 7,18,106 of them have received both doses, War said.

Sikkim on Saturday reported five new COVID-19 cases, taking the caseload to 32,096, a health department bulletin said on Saturday. Four fresh cases were recorded in East Sikkim, and one in West Sikkim. The state’s coronavirus death toll stood at 400, with no reports of new fatalities in the past 24 hours, it said. Sikkim now has 121 active coronavirus cases, while 334 patients have migrated to other states, and 31,241 people have recovered from the disease.

Several thousand people rallied in Melbourne against new vaccination mandates on Saturday, with a few comparing the state government to Nazis and calling for violence against politicians, local media said. In Australia, where 83% of people aged 16 and above have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus, nationwide vaccinations are voluntary. But states and territories have mandated vaccinations for many occupations and barred the unvaccinated from activities such as dining out and concerts. The Melbourne demonstration against the vaccination mandate that came into effect on Saturday – requiring construction workers in Victoria state to be fully inoculated – was peaceful, with no immediate reports of unruly behaviour or arrests.

Three snow leopards have died at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska of complications from COVID-19. The zoo made the announcement in a Facebook post Friday, describing the deaths of the three leopards — named Ranney, Everest, and Makalu— as “truly heartbreaking.” The zoo began treating the leopards and two Sumatran tigers for the virus last month. The zoo said the tigers, Axl and Kumar, have made a recovery. The zoo said it remains open to the public and continues to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to humans and animals. Zoos across the country, including at the St. Louis Zoo and the Denver Zoo, have battled COVID-19 outbreaks among their animals.

Three German state health ministers urged parties negotiating to form a new government to prolong states’ power to implement stricter pandemic measures such as lockdowns or school closures as the country’s seven-day COVID incidence rate hit record highs. The number of people per 100,000 infected last week rose to 277.4, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Saturday, and has risen to over 500 in some regions of the country. The head of Germany’s largest doctors association Marburger Bund told German media group Funke Mediengruppe that overburdened intensive care units may need to move patients between regions to find beds in coming weeks.