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France reports 7,379 daily cases in new post-lockdown record

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People wear masks in Paris after it was made mandatory by the government.
People wear masks in Paris after it was made mandatory by the government. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
People wear masks in Paris after it was made mandatory by the government. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

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Hi all, it’s Naaman Zhou here, taking over the blog from my colleague Nadeem Badshah.

As we’ve just heard, Victoria has recorded 94 new cases of Covid-19 – the lowest daily increase in 8 weeks.

Victorians are celebrating the return to “double digits”, but with caution. Health authorities are due to give a press conference later today.

Victoria records 18 more deaths and 94 new cases

The state of Victoria in Australia has recorded 94 new cases of coronavirus and 18 deaths on Saturday morning.

#COVID19VicData for 29 August, 2020. There were 94 new cases detected in Victoria yesterday, and we are sad to report 18 lives lost. More information will be available later today via our media release. pic.twitter.com/VqT7Ow6FJW

— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 28, 2020
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Naaman Zhou
Naaman Zhou

Australians are waking up today to the prospect of extended restrictions in some states, and further case numbers to be reported later.

As of 8am today local time, restrictions in the state of Queensland will be extended to the Gold Coast, a popular tourist destination and residential area.

Gatherings will be limited to 10 people, meaning that the popular school leavers’ holiday, known as Schoolies, will be cancelled. It was scheduled to start in less than three months.

The state’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, told reporters yesterday: “This is a mass event. It poses a high risk”.

Brazil death toll surpasses 119,000

The death toll in Brazil is now a total of 119,504 compared with 118,649 yesterday, the country’s health ministry said.

Brazil has registered 3,804,803 confirmed cases of the virus, up from 3,761,391 yesterday.

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a White House proposal to spend $1.3tn (£1tn) in coronavirus economic relief would not be enough to meet the needs of American workers and families.

Pelosi said in a statement she hoped the Republicans would come to the negotiating table and accept the Democratic offer of $2.2tn in spending.

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Nationwide restrictions cannot be ruled out should England see a spike in coronavirus cases this winter, the health secretary has warned.

Matt Hancock said countries in others parts of the world were already experiencing a second wave, adding it was “a very serious threat”.

But he told the Times the UK was managing to keep the number of new cases “flat” through the test and trace system and local lockdowns.

Describing the worst-case scenario, he said the UK could be battling bad flu and a growth in coronavirus as people spend more time indoors.

He added: “Cases go up again, and we have to use very extensive local lockdowns or take further national action.

“We don’t rule that out, but we don’t want to see it.”

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People walk by a local street market in San Salvador, El Salvador. Nayib Bukele’s government implemented the second phase of reopening the economy after almost six months of restrictions due to the pandemic. Photograph: Aphotografia/Getty Images
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The latest from Australia:

New South Wales Health has issued an advisory notice extending visitor restrictions at aged care facilities until 12 September.

People in the Greater Sydney metropolitan area and the Central Coast are urged to refrain from visiting aged care homes “to prevent the entry of Covid-19 into this vulnerable setting,” the department said in a statement on Friday night.

The current Sydney central business district (CBD) outbreak involves people who have travelled from multiple areas in the Sydney metropolitan and Central Coast areas.

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Florida governor Ron DeSantis believes tourists could safely take commercial flights to visit the state, as newly reported coronavirus cases grew by more than 3,800 people, down from peak averages of nearly 12,000 cases daily in mid-July.

DeSantis said he had not heard of any airline passenger catching the virus on a plane.

“When this industry thrives, it provides this economic security for so many people in the state of Florida,” he said.

Gilead Inc said on Friday that the US Food and Drug Administration has authorised expanded emergency use for its experimental antiviral Covid-19 treatment, remdesivir.

The drug can now be used to treat all hospitalised patients with coronavirus in addition to patients with a severe form of the illness.

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Secondary schools in local lockdown areas in England could have to use a “rota system” to limit the number of teenagers attending at any one time, with teachers and pupils required to wear face coverings in communal areas, according to new government guidance.

The staggered approach will limit the amount of people students come into contact with, and will help break transmission chains by giving enough time at home for symptoms to become apparent, said the Department for Education.

The guidance, issued on Friday ahead of schools in England reopening for autumn term next week, said schools should base their plans on a four-tier system, and the extra measures for secondary schools should be introduced at the second tier.

It said: “Schools should ideally operate a rota system that means pupils spend two weeks on-site followed by two weeks at home.

“This allows more than sufficient time for symptoms to present themselves and for pupils to self-isolate and avoid transmitting the virus to others.

“However, schools can choose to operate a one-week rota (so, five days on-site, followed by nine days at home) if this is necessary for the effective delivery of the curriculum.”

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Merchants who were forced to shut their businesses due to the economic crisis caused by Covid-19 demand financial support from the government during a protest in Mexico City. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images
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São Paulo’s governor João Doria says the state will provide a vaccine for Covid-19 for its people even if Brazil’s federal government does not help, Reuters is reporting.

Doria said the vaccine would still require approval by the health regulator Anvisa and the completion of clinical trials.

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Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints American football team and Pelicans basketball team, has tested positive for coronavirus and is “progressing well and improving daily” in her recovery, the NFL team announced in a statement.

Benson, 73, was diagnosed with Covid-19 within the last few weeks, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said.

“Mrs Benson did test positive for Covid-19,” the Saints announced in a statement.

“She is progressing well and improving daily. She has not missed a daily work call with the Saints and Pelicans staff nor has she missed an NBA or NFL owner call in recent days – she was not hospitalised and is recovering at home in New Orleans. She thanks everyone for their thoughts and prayers.”

Saints coach Sean Payton was diagnosed with the virus in March, the first NFL coach known to have contracted the virus.

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