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Travel and tourism have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, but some countries are tentatively reopening to tourists even as fears of the second wave remain
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) travel and tourism have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, but some countries are tentatively reopening to tourists even as fears of the second wave remain.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Monday, there were 12,768,307 cases registered globally since the beginning of the epidemic. The Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus hub, updated earlier in the day, puts the cumulative total at 13,165,663 cases. The United States, Brazil and India are the three countries with the largest cumulative case count.
A number of countries are still responding to the first wave of the coronavirus, but the second wave is already being discussed.
UK scientists believe that the winter wave of COVID-19 will be more serious than the first and may result in about 120,000 new fatal cases if the authorities fail to take urgent action to avoid the epidemic, the BBC reported on Tuesday, citing a scientific report.
Belgium has been seeing an increase in the number of new cases in the last week although the number of hospital admissions and coronavirus-related fatalities continue to decrease, the Sciensano, the Scientific Institute of Public Health, said on Tuesday.
Some countries are easing restrictions, while some are toughening response.
Russia plans to reopen border with Belarus in the coming days, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said Tuesday.
The Maldives will open to tourists on July 15. The island country will not put tourists on quarantine but it will ask them for coronavirus tests and take their temperature upon arrival.
Kazakhstan is extending the nationwide coronavirus-related quarantine, introduced on July 5, until August 2, Prime Minister Askar Mamin said on Tuesday.
In the United States, organizers canceled The Bank of America Chicago Marathon in Illinois. Oregon governor Kate Brown in a statement warned that the COVID-19 outbreak across the state was nearly getting out of control and expanded face mask requirements.
England will make masks mandatory in shops from July 24, the prime minister's office said.