A week after surpassing 1 million coronavirus deaths, the world has amassed more than 35 million COVID-19 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Several European nations hit their own pandemic milestones with Germany reporting Monday its total confirmed cases exceed 300,000 and Britain recording its 500,000th case.
Britain’s Cineworld, the second largest movie theater chain in the world, announced Monday it would temporarily close its British and U.S. theaters. Coronavirus lockdown orders and restrictions on group gatherings have badly hurt the movie industry. Cineworld said the move would impact 45,000 jobs.
To address broader job losses in the country’s economy, the British government on Monday launched a new $300 million program aimed at helping people get back to work.
In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that restrictions in the city of Auckland will be lifted Wednesday.
The measures were put in place to stamp out an outbreak in the country’s largest city in August, which threatened to reverse New Zealand’s progress toward eliminating the coronavirus.
Auckland has reported no new cases for 10 consecutive days, and with the restrictions lifted late Wednesday, people there will no longer have to follow social distancing rules in bars in restaurants and can gather in groups larger than 100.
In France, starting Tuesday, Paris bars will close for two weeks and restaurants will begin using new sanitary protocols, according to the prime minister’s office.
France on Sunday reported 12,565 new cases of coronavirus, while 893 COVID-19 patients had been admitted into intensive care over the past week.
The maximum COVID-19 measures take effect when the incidence rate exceeds 100 infections per 100,000 among the elderly and 250 per 100,000 for the general public.
The chairwoman of Great Britain’s vaccine task force told the Financial Times on Sunday that vaccinating everyone was “not going to happen.”
"People keep talking about time to vaccinate the whole population, but that is misguided," Kate Bingham told the newspaper. Vaccinating healthy people, who are unlikely to have severe outcomes from COVID-19, "could cause them some freak harm," she said.
“It's an adult-only vaccine, for people over 50, focusing on health workers and care home workers and the vulnerable," Bingham said in an interview.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday she is self-isolating after attending a meeting last week with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Von der Leyen said she tested negative on Thursday and would be tested again Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump remained hospitalized Monday after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
