The Guardian - World: Africa

Coronavirus live news: Germany extends partial lockdown as UK suffers record daily Covid deaths

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:38:09 GMT

Germany extends lockdown to 14 February and tightens restrictions; US deaths pass 400,000; US suffers record daily deaths

12.38am GMT

Here is a performance from the memorial:

Michigan nurse Lori Marie Key, who went viral singing 'Amazing Grace' at work, reprises the song at the national COVID-19 memorial ceremony pic.twitter.com/8OtCaNU5mw

12.23am GMT

Joe Biden memorialized the more than 400,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19 during a vigil in Washington DC late Tuesday afternoon, as many Americans took to social media in collective mourning.

The grim milestone was passed earlier on Tuesday as the latest figures from Johns Hopkins university show that about 401,128 people have now been killed by the virus in the US amid more than 24m cases – both numbers being by far the highest in the world.

12.17am GMT

Parliament’s spending watchdog has called on the government to explain and fix issues with the tax system that have denied whole groups of freelancers and self-employed workers financial support during the coronavirus pandemic.

The powerful cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) said some of the workforce had “not had a penny” from the government’s multibillion-pound support schemes despite repeat lockdowns blocking many from work, while some large companies had received taxpayer support and paid dividends to shareholders and high salaries to executives:

12.07am GMT

Speaking to a friend when infected with the coronavirus could be as dangerous as coughing near them thanks to lingering particles, research has suggested.

Covid can be spread through a number of routes, including virus-containing droplets emitted when an infected person breaths, speaks or coughs – a factor experts said could help to explain why Covid seems to spread more easily in indoor settings.

11.39pm GMT

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that Germany is extending its pandemic restrictions, including the closure of schools and stores, until mid-February amid concerns that new mutations of the coronavirus could trigger a fresh surge in cases.

AP: Germany’s infection rate has stabilised in recent days, indicating that existing restrictions may have been effective in bringing down the numbers. On Tuesday, the country’s disease control center reported 11,369 newly confirmed infections and 989 deaths, for an overall death toll of 47,622.

“All our efforts to contain the spread of the virus face a serious threat,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin, noting that experts have linked surging infections in Britain and Ireland to the appearance of a more contagious virus variant there.

“Now is the time to guard against the danger posed by this mutated virus,” she said.
While individual instances of new variants have been found in Germany, scientists have said it isn’t dominant yet, she added.

“There’s still time, so to speak, to contain the risk,” said Merkel.

In addition to extending the closure of restaurants, most stores and schools until Feb. 14, Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed to require people to wear the more effective FFP2 or KN95 masks on public transport and stores. Employers will also be ordered to let staff work from home, wherever possible, to avoid office-driven infections.

Merkel said the goal remains to have fewer than 50 new coronavirus cases a week per 100,000 inhabitants. Germany’s nationwide average is currently 131.

The governor of the eastern state of Saxony, which until recently had the highest rates of infection in the country, said it was important to drive the number of new cases down further.

11.37pm GMT

The UK has reported the highest number of daily deaths since the pandemic started, as new data showed one in eight people are likely to have had the virus in England, PA Media reports.

Public Health England said a further 1,610 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 - the highest number of UK deaths reported on a single day since the outbreak began.

11.33pm GMT

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.

As always, you can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

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