SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is banning massive gatherings, shutting nightspots and church buildings and eradicating followers from skilled sports activities nationwide in an try and sluggish a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
Well being Minister Park Neung-hoo introduced the measures Saturday after officers reported 332 newly confirmed instances, marking the ninth straight day of triple-digit will increase.
Many of the new instances have been within the Seoul metropolitan space, which has been on the heart of the viral surge of latest weeks. However infections have been additionally reported in virtually each main metropolis and in cities throughout the nation.
The federal government had already imposed the tighter restrictions within the capital area earlier this week, a transfer they resisted for months out of financial considerations. Park stated it has turn out to be inevitable to develop the identical measures nationwide with the virus spreading extra broadly.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— WHO chief hopes pandemic ends inside 2 years
— A number of growing older U.S. veterans will collect in Pearl Harbor subsequent month to mark the seventy fifth anniversary of Japan’s give up, regardless of the coronavirus pandemic
— College of Wyoming reviews 61 instances of the coronavirus
— A U.S. rely of deaths from all causes through the seven-month interval yields what specialists consider is a fuller — and extra alarming — image of the catastrophe and its racial dimensions.
— California added greater than 140,000 jobs in July and lowered its unemployment fee to 13.3{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05}. However the unemployment fee remains to be greater than it ever was through the Nice Recession a decade in the past.
— Main League Baseball has postponed this weekend’s Subway Sequence to permit time for extra testing and get in touch with tracing after two members of the New York Mets examined constructive for the coronavirus.
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— Observe AP’s pandemic protection at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
BEIJING — Well being officers in China say of their Saturday report on the coronavirus that the nation had no regionally transmitted infections within the newest 24-hour interval, although 22 instances have been confirmed in Chinese language arriving from overseas.
Whereas the native unfold of the virus seems to have been contained in mainland China, the semi-autonomous southern metropolis of Hong Kong continues to wrestle with its worst outbreak because the pandemic started.
Hong Kong chief Carrie Lam stated Friday that free coronavirus exams will likely be provided to residents through the first two weeks of September, in hopes of restarting the closely services-dependent native financial system.
A brand new surge in infections that began in July has greater than tripled the variety of instances in Hong Kong to 4,632, with a complete of 75 deaths.
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WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he would do no matter was wanted to maintain the nation protected amid the coronavirus pandemic even when that meant shutting down the nation.
Biden made the remark in an interview with ABC. The interview airs Sunday night time, however clips have been offered Friday.
Biden says, “I will likely be ready to do no matter it takes to avoid wasting lives as a result of we can not get the nation transferring till we management the virus.” He provides that if scientists advisable shutting down the nation, “I’d shut it down.”
President Donald Trump is encouraging faculties to reopen and folks to get again to work. The U.S. has had greater than 5.5 million confirmed coronavirus instances, with greater than 175,000 deaths.
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SALEM, Ore. — Oregon public well being specialists say the variety of new coronavirus instances within the state has dropped over the previous month, however the decline hasn’t been sufficient for faculties to securely open.
The state is averaging about 250 new instances a day, and well being officers say that should drop to about 60 for faculties to reopen.
Gov. Kate Brown stated Friday that residents should proceed to comply with and implement present statewide pandemic mandates or else bars and eating places could have to shut and journey restrictions will likely be carried out.
Brown says on the present fee, faculties received’t have the ability to reopen till April.
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HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut is doubling the quantity of federal coronavirus cash devoted to rental help.
However housing advocates contend it falls far brief of what’s wanted to assist as many as 130,000 households estimated to face doable eviction between now and Dec. 31 due to the pandemic. As compared, there have been about 20,000 eviction filings in all of 2019.
Gov. Ned Lamont introduced Friday that $10 million will likely be added to the unique $10 million for the hire program. His workplace says the quantity that may go to the hire program is restricted by Congress.
Lamont stated he additionally will quickly signal an govt order extending the moratorium on residential evictions till Oct. 1.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is asking Canada for assist with U.S. residents of a small peninsula who’ve been marooned by the pandemic-related closure of the U.S.-Canada border.
Level Roberts is a part of Washington state, but it surely juts out from the Canadian mainland south of Vancouver and isn’t related to the remainder of Washington. About 1,300 folks stay there.
In a letter Friday to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Inslee means that residents of Level Roberts be given particular journey permits permitting them to drive on to and from the Washington state mainland.
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — The governing physique for Pennsylvania interscholastic sports activities determined Friday to maneuver ahead with the autumn season, rejecting the governor’s suggestion that each one youth sports activities be postponed till 2021 to assist cease the unfold of the coronavirus.
The board of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Affiliation had delayed the beginning of fall sports activities by two weeks after Gov. Tom Wolf on Aug. 6 urged that scholastic and leisure youth sports activities be postpone till January, citing the pandemic.
The PIAA had stated it was blindsided and “tremendously disenchanted” by Wolf’s suggestion — which was not binding — and insisted that fall sports activities could possibly be held safely. For his half, Wolf has identified that main collegiate leagues have independently canceled fall sports activities.
The board voted 25-5 on Friday to permit highschool soccer, soccer, tennis, subject hockey and different fall sports activities to go on as deliberate, beginning Monday. Amongst these voting no: board members representing skilled associations of faculty boards, superintendents and principals.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Christmas live performance by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ choir has been cancelled due to lingering considerations concerning the coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Sq.’s vacation live performance introduced Friday by church officers is the newest signal that disruptions to regular spiritual exercise will proceed by way of the vacations. The Utah-based religion beforehand introduced it will maintain its twice-yearly signature convention in October with out in-person viewers because it did on the April convention.
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas on Friday reported its largest single-day improve in deaths from the sickness brought on by the coronavirus because the state moved nearer towards resuming in-person courses at public faculties.
The Division of Well being reported 22 folks had died from COVID-19, bringing the state’s complete fatalities from the sickness because the pandemic started to 663. The division reported 887 new confirmed coronavirus instances, bringing the state’s complete to 55,652.
The division stated half of the brand new deaths occurred in nursing properties. 4 of the deaths occurred in July and have been late reviews.
The spike in deaths comes days earlier than Arkansas’ public faculties are scheduled to reopen. Colleges are allowed to supply digital courses or a hybrid choice that features some onsite courses, however the state is requiring faculties to be open 5 days per week for college kids who want in-person instruction.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The scale of personal gatherings in Bloomington is now restricted to fifteen folks below an emergency govt order by Mayor John Hamilton. The order took impact instantly Friday. The earlier most crowd measurement was 50.
Hamilton issued the order after pictures and movies shared on social media confirmed Indiana College college students gathering in massive teams with out masks or working towards social distancing. Hamilton urged residents to report any violations of the brand new order to the Bloomington Police Division.
The mayor additionally additionally ordered folks attending gatherings to apply social distancing and to make use of face coverings.
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa’s largest faculty district can not start the yr with totally distant studying and should supply no less than 50{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05} in-person instruction regardless of a worsening coronavirus pandemic, the state stated Friday.
Des Moines Public Colleges, which has 32,000 college students and 5,000 staff, blasted the choice by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration to disclaim its request for a waiver to permit for 100{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05} on-line studying. The district introduced that it will file a lawsuit to problem the state’s order to reopen faculties, a prospect that it stated was merely unsafe due to the coronavirus menace.
“Sadly, the governor and her companies have determined to disregard the native decision-making authority set out within the legislation to attempt to power their will on faculty districts to do issues everyone knows are merely not protected at the moment,” stated Kyrstin Delagardelle, the chair of the college board.
The Iowa Division of Schooling denied the district’s waiver request on Thursday. The company stated the denial would nonetheless permit dad and mom to decide on 100{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05} digital studying for college kids, and the district may supply a hybrid method by which college students get 50{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05} in-person studying and the remainder on-line.
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DETROIT — Educators in Detroit involved about publicity to the COVID-19 virus in school rooms and hallways have given their union the OK to name a “potential security strike” by which lecturers would agree to show and work remotely.
The Detroit Federation of Academics insists the strike wouldn’t be a piece stoppage with the beginning of the college yr looming, and stated the purpose is to press the general public faculty district to implement science-based security protocols through the coronavirus pandemic. Lessons in Detroit are scheduled to start out Sept 8.
Friday is the deadline for folks to finish a survey on whether or not they need on-line or face-to-face studying for the primary quarter. A district spokeswoman says lecturers can also select face-to-face or on-line instruction.
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PHOENIX — Arizona has reported a 20{5667a53774e7bc9e4190cccc01624aae270829869c681dac1da167613dca7d05} improve in deaths within the first seven months of this yr.
Public well being specialists say not all have been instantly linked to the coronavirus. They are saying doable explanations embrace overdoses and suicides by these battling isolation or unemployment through the pandemic.
Different potentialities are sufferers succumbing to persistent illnesses after suspending hospital visits due to fears about contracting the virus there. Or deaths from Arizona’s common flu season in October to April.
A extra full understanding is anticipated after well being officers evaluate dying certificates.
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TOPEKA, Kan. — The biggest faculty district in Kansas moved courses on-line for its center and high-schoolers whereas public well being officers in Topeka imposed stricter crowd measurement limits to stem the unfold of the coronavirus.
The Wichita faculty district, with greater than 50,000 college students, will give the dad and mom of elementary college students the choice of taking courses in individual or on-line. However older college students will likely be on-line solely when courses start Sept. 8, the district’s board of schooling determined Thursday in a 5-2 vote.
The district is also the newest to cancel sports activities and extracurricular actions. Wyandotte County referred to as off soccer, volleyball and soccer, in addition to marching band, final week. And the Shawnee Mission College District, which is the state’s third largest with 27,000 college students, determined to droop sports activities and extracurricular actions beginning Friday.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma State Division of Well being reported a rise of 1,077 coronavirus instances and 6 deaths within the final 24 hours.
Additionally, the well being division and the state Division of Schooling introduced Friday a plan that gives public faculty lecturers and faculty assist workers with free coronavirus testing of their areas.
Gov. Kevin Stitt in July issued an govt order for the state well being and schooling departments to develop a plan for lecturers to be examined month-to-month for the virus.
Oklahoma has reported 51,746 coronavirus instances and 715 deaths.