Coronavirus: UK to partly reopen churches, Australia BLM protests defy health pleas – live updates

Britain announces 15 June opening of churches for individual prayer; Black Lives Matter demonstrators pepper-sprayed in Sydney; global cases top 6.8mSee all our coronavirus coverage 2.56am BST The Australian state that has been the second hardest-hit by coronavirus, Victoria, has reported four new cases, taking it to a total of 1,685, Merran Hitchick reports from Sydney.Victoria has 70 active cases, including two in intensive care. The state’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, said there was ongoing evidence of community transmission in north and west Melbourne. He urged anyone who attended a Black Lives Matter protest yesterday to get tested if they developed any symptoms at all. 2.46am BST Panama’s government on Saturday said it would reintroduce restrictions on the movement of people in two provinces following increases in new cases, Reuters reports.From Monday, Panama will re-apply restrictions to stem the transit of people in the provinces of Panama, which includes the capital city, and Panama Oeste, the government said. The curbs will alternate between men and women, as well as in accordance with the numbers on identification cards.Nadja Porcell, director general of health, said in a televised address that the country was tightening its containment measures because the public was failing to uphold sanitary guidelines amid a recent surge in internal travel.Panama still has the chance to win the battle against Covid-19 because the health system has not collapsed, but if the behavior observed this week were to continue… essential resources could run out,” Porcell said. Continue reading…
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