COVID-19 Live Updates: Europe's Cases Top 4 Mln, AFP Tally Finds

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has allocated about 22 billion rubles ($300 million) for presidential payments to doctors treating patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the cabinet said in a statement.

"Additional funds will be allocated for payments to doctors, paramedics, nurses, ambulance drivers, as well as workers of social institutions who help patients with coronavirus", the cabinet said.

"Relevant instructions were signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin... Nearly 22 billion rubles will be sent to support medical workers", it said.

More than 321 million rubles ($4.4 million) will go to payments to employees of Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) centers, and over 1.8 billion rubles ($24.4 million) - to employees of social institutions: retirement homes for the elderly and disabled.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to support medical and social workers who help patients with coronavirus. Funds for payments will come from the government reserve fund.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow has registered 12 deaths of patients infected with COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the Russian capital's death toll to 4,844, the city's coronavirus response centre said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Another 12 patients, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus infection, died in Moscow", the centre said.

In the previous day, 11 people infected with the coronavirus died in Moscow.

LONDON (Sputnik) – The total number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom has climbed to 337,168, after another 1,295 people tested positive for the COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the Department of Health and Social Care reported on Tuesday.

The government COVID-19 dashboard also shows that a further three people died within 28 days of testing positive for the disease, taking the country's death toll to 41,504.

Tuesday was the eighth consecutive day that the UK reported more than 1,000 daily cases of coronavirus.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Nations need to aid the global airline industry by easing novel coronavirus-related border closings amid a 91.1 percent drop in international air travel in July, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a press release on Tuesday.

“IATA’s call reflects deep industry frustration as government policies such as closed borders, travel restrictions and quarantines continue to annihilate travel demand. This was evident in a disappointing ‘peak (Northern Hemisphere) summer travel season’ that saw minimal improvements compared to the May-June period, as four in five potential travelers stayed home,” the release said.

International air passenger traffic in July fell 91.9 percent from July 2019 levels while total passenger traffic, which includes domestic flights, was down 79.8 percent, the release said.

“Too many governments are fighting a global pandemic in isolation with a view that closing borders is the only solution. It’s time for governments to work together to implement measures that will enable economic and social life to resume, while controlling the spread of the virus,” IATA Director-General Alexandre de Juniac said in the release.

Mitigation measures such as physical distancing and facemask use are adequate to enable a safe re-start of aviation without resorting to measures adopted by many nations - especially requirements that arriving passengers quarantine for 14 days, the release said.

The release also recommended additional government aid for the industry as earlier relief programs begin to expire.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump promised on Tuesday more government aid to the airlines industry badly hurt by the pandemic-induced decline in demand.

“We’ll be helping the airlines,” Trump told reporters. “Airlines are tough business in good times and we are about ready to get back to good times.”

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said last week that Trump is looking at executive actions to help US airlines as stalled negotiations in Congress hold out assistance for affected businesses.

Meadows’ remarks came after American Airlines reported that it expected to lay off by October another 19,000 employees, or about 14 percent of its workforce, when federal aid that protected those jobs expires.

NEW: from midnight tonight, Scotland FM @NicolaSturgeon says don’t visit other households in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, or West Dunbartonshire. Some exceptions apply. This local lockdown restriction follows Covid-19 spikes in these 3 areas. @itvnews

— Peter A Smith (@PeterAdamSmith) September 1, 2020

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The White House resumes on 12 September public tours after a six-month hiatus with COVID-19-related restrictions in place, the Office of the First Lady announced on Tuesday.

"The Office of the First Lady is pleased to announce that the White House Visitors Office will resume public tours on Saturday, September 12, 2020," the statement said.

In order to mitigate coronavirus risks tours will be hosted two days a week instead of five, on Friday and Saturday, and the number of guests is limited to 18% of normal capacity.

Public tour to the main US Presidential residence in Washington, DC, were suspended in mid-March when the disease was spreading rapidly across the country.

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Tehran is considering the option of purchasing a foreign vaccine against COVID-19 despite developing its own, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday.

"The country's president has ordered the Health Ministry to look into the issue of purchasing vaccines manufactured [in other countries]," Rabiei said during a press conference.

The spokesman did not specify countries under consideration and mentioned that Iran was developing its own vaccine.

Iran has confirmed a total of 376,894 cases, with 21,672 fatalities.

The Israeli government decided to postpone the beginning of the school year in 23 cities and towns that are a part of the so-called red zone with a high rate of the COVID-19 infection.

"The special government commission on the fight against coronavirus unanimously decided that the beginning of the school year will be postponed in the settlements classified as the 'red zone, with the exception of special educational institutions [kindergartens and schools for children with special needs]," the prime minister's office and Health Ministry said in a joint statement.

The decision was made overnight into Tuesday and took effect immediately. Most of these towns and settlements are populated by Israeli Arabs and also include seven cities and towns from the Jewish sector.

The situation in these areas will be reviewed again on Thursday, when a decision on further actions will be made.

"I am convinced that we can and will prevent a second general shutdown," Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said.

Germany has confirmed 1,218 new cases of the coronavirus infection over the past 24 hours, almost twice as many as the day before, which brings the country's total to over 243,000, according to the latest data provided on Tuesday by the Robert Koch Institute, which is responsible for disease control and prevention.

Given the update, the total number of those infected in Germany now stands at 243,599. Meanwhile, over the past day, the death toll from the disease has grown by four to 9,302.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, more than 217,600 COVID-19 patients have fully recovered from the disease.

The Robert Koch Institute warns that there has been an increase in COVID-19 case numbers in many federal states in Germany over the past weeks, while the average age of infected individuals has been decreasing.

The increase comes after the anti-lockdown protests that swept Berlin over the weekend. Organized by Stuttgart's Querdenken 711 initiative group, which criticizes the government’s response to the pandemic, the demonstrations gathered some 38,000 people. The police initially opposed the rallies due to fears that they would attract a massive crowd but later allowed it under conditions that organizers would ensure compliance with safety regulations.

At some point, far-right protesters clashed with the police near the Russian embassy, while another group of protesters waving the black-white-red flag of the German Reich tried to break into parliament. As a result, over 300 arrests were made.

Russia recorded 4,729 coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to over 1 million, the federal response centre said Tuesday.

The exact cumulative number of cases stands at 1,000,048 at the moment.

The Nenets Autonomous Area reported no cases, Moscow recorded 641 cases, St. Petersburg 185, the Moscow region 156.

Over the past 24 hours, Russia has recorded 123 deaths of people with COVID-19, which brings the total to 17,299, and 6,318 recoveries, which brings the total to 815,705.

More than 50,000 people in Japan have lost their jobs temporarily or completely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the data published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

According to the ministry's estimates, from February to August 31, 50,300 people have either lost their jobs or stopped working for a while due to the imposed restrictions. The number of unemployed because of the pandemic peaked in late May-early June: if on 21 May there were 10,000 such people, their numbers exceeded 20,000 two weeks later. After that, the unemployment curve went down.

Among the hardest-hit industries are hospitality, catering, manufacturing and retail.

Avifavir, the first Russian drug against COVID-19, has undergone all necessary certification procedures in Chile and will soon be supplied to the market, Director of Trade Commission of Chile in Russia (ProChile) Pablo Barahona told Sputnik.

"The Chilean authorities have approved Avifavir. Chile is going to buy these pills from Russia," Barahona said.

Avifavir received a registration certificate from the Russian Ministry of Health in late May, becoming the world's first favipiravir-based drug approved for the treatment of COVID-19. It has proven 90 percent effective in treating the virus during trials. The medication has already been delivered to over 15 countries, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Greek authorities have imposed quarantine at a migrant center for unsupervised minors in the southeastern city of Vyronas due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection said.

"In light of the confirmed epidemiological burden (28 confirmed cases) in the shelter for unaccompanied minors in Vyronas, Attica, following the inspections by the National Health System, and on orders by the deputy civil protection and emergency management, Nikos Chardalias, a regime of restrictions have been imposed," the service said in a statement.

The quarantine prohibits entering and leaving the shelter to all except the staff, which will be rotated every 48 hours. Food and medicine will be delivered without entering the facility and in accordance with all required sanitary measures.

The quarantine will last until 14 September.

Japan will ease coronavirus-related entry restrictions for citizens of Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Taiwan who have a long-term stay or residence permit starting from 8 September, according to the country's Foreign Ministry.

In late July, similar exemptions were introduced for residents of Vietnam and Thailand. The weakening of the entry ban now applies to more than 140 countries. All arrivals from these states have to undergo a COVID-19 test and spend 14 days in quarantine.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that softening of the entry regime was necessary for a speedy recovery of the national economy that had been seriously affected by the pandemic.

The Czech Republic is obliging its nationals to wear face masks from 1 September again.

After the incidence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) declined sharply by mid-May and the nationwide quarantine was canceled, the mandatory wearing of masks remained only in the subway. However, a noticeable increase in the number of cases in August forced the Ministry of Health to return to the issue of masks.

Over the past week, 2,445 new patients were registered, which is about 500 more than a week earlier. Twice in a month, the March daily incidence rate record of 377 people was exceeded: on 21 August it stood at 506, a week later - at 484.

Kazakhstan has registered, over the past 24 hours, 77 cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases to 105,872, an interdepartmental commission said.

The country's death toll from COVID-19 has risen by six to 1,594. More than 96,800 people have recovered.

"A total of 77 new cases of coronavirus infection have been registered, of whom 59 are symptomatic carriers, 18 asymptomatic carriers," the commission said in its Telegram channel.

The day before, the number of cases increased by 111 and the death count by seven.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic on 11 March.

According to the WHO, the global coronavirus death toll has surpassed 844,000 people, with the number of cases worldwide exceeding 25.1 million.