The number of coronavirus cases in Qatar has exceeded 100,000, adding 546 new cases and five deaths in the past 24 hours.
With a population of about 2.7 million people, the energy-rich Gulf state has one of the world’s highest per capita number of confirmed cases.
Saudi Arabia makes masks mandatory, bans gatherings during Hajj
Muslim pilgrims at this year’s Hajj must wear face masks at all times, authorities said, while workers will ensure no overcrowding or gatherings take place during the pilgrimage that in normal times brings together more than two million people.
Saudi Arabia’s Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SaudiCDC) released a list of instructions for pilgrims and workers to follow.
A space of one and a half metres between each pilgrim must be observed during prayers or other rituals, at restaurants or inside tents, according to the list published by official news agency SPA.
People will not be allowed to touch the Kaaba, the cube-shaped, black-clad shrine at Mecca’s Grand Mosque. Pilgrims usually walk around the Kaaba several times during the Hajj.
Pilgrims are banned from sharing personal items such as clothes, phones and towels. Buses transporting pilgrims from one holy site to another must be occupied at 50 percent capacity, as each pilgrim will be assigned the same seat throughout the Hajj.
At restaurants, only prepackaged meals will be available as well as single-use bottles filled with water from the holy Zamzam well. Saudi Arabia banned pilgrims from outside the kingdom in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The kingdom has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Arab world, with more than 200,000 infections.
Kenya to ease restrictions on movement
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a phased reopening of the country.
“Are we ready to reopen? According to experts and stakeholders we have not yet met the irreducible minimum 100 percent, however after further dialogue amongst them we have reached a reasonable level of preparedness across our counties,” Kenyatta said in a televised address.
“Today I order that the cessation of movement into and out of the Nairobi metropolitan area, Mombasa county and Mandera county – that is currently enforced – shall lapse today or tomorrow at 4am”.
Switzerland imposes mandatory face coverings
Passengers on trains, trams, buses, mountain railways and ferries across Switzerland have to wear masks on public transport starting from Monday.
The move came as the number of infections picked up again after the government phased out most restrictive measures last month when cases waned.
Pakistan cases cross 231,000 mark
Pakistan registered 3,344 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, taking the overall numbers to 231,818, with 50 deaths taking the death toll to 4,844.
Pakistan’s mortality rate from the coronavirus remains relatively low, at 2.08 percent, and authorities claim they have controlled the rapid spread of the virus through the use of “smart lockdowns”.
Testing is reduced, however, with roughly 22,000 tests carried out on Sunday, compared to a peak of over 31,000 per day.
UK hopes for socially distanced cultural performances
Britain hopes to permit outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues, said minister Oliver Dowden, after announcing a nearly $2 billion investment in the arts.
“I want all our cultural institutions to return to normal,” the culture minister told Sky News.
“Very soon I hope we will be able to permit outdoor performances and then later over the summer be able to have socially distant performances and have pilots to look at other innovative ways that performances can return.”
India records 23,000 new cases; third worst-affected in world
India reported more than 23,000 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, overtaking Russia to become the country with the third highest number of coronavirus cases in the world.
India has confirmed a total of 697,413 cases, compared with Russia’s 680,283.
The caseload is about eight times that of China which has a similar sized population.
Offiicals in the northern city of Agra say that because of the rise in cases, the Taj Mahal, which was scheduled to reopen on Monday, will remain closed.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
