Coronavirus live news: California sees record daily cases as global infections top 15m




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South Korea falls into recession




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10.52pm EDT22:52

The ticket resale website Viagogo is refusing to refund fans who bought tickets for gigs and sporting events cancelled because of the pandemic, according to the consumer group Which?.

Hundreds of summer events have fallen victim to the coronavirus outbreak, with organisers offering to give fans their money back if they do not want to, or cannot, transfer their tickets to 2021.

But Viagogo, which has been criticised by the music industry, MPs and campaign groups over its treatment of customers and alliances with powerful ticket touts, is refusing to follow suit:




10.36pm EDT22:36

Hong Kong records 113 new cases

Hong Kong has reported a record 113 new cases for Wednesday, in a continuing third wave of Covid-19 infections, including a large proportion of which are unsourced. The government said the risk of large scale community outbreak was now the highest since the pandemic began.

“New cases recorded during the period from July 15 to July 21 include 393 cases without travel history during the incubation period and 56 imported cases,” said a government statement.

“The recent emergence of local cases of unknown infection source indicates the existence of sustained silent transmission in the community.”

Of Wednesday’s 113 cases, just five were imported and 63 of the local transmissions did not have a known source. Restrictions have now been tightened again.

Janitors dressed in protective gear walk through an empty arcade in Hong Kong, 20 July 2020.


Janitors dressed in protective gear walk through an empty arcade in Hong Kong, 20 July 2020. Photograph: Liau Chung-ren/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Masks are mandatory at indoor public spaces and outdoor transport hubs, from today for 14 days. People have been largely wearing masks everywhere in the city since the pandemic began.

“Many indoor public places would be included, for example, shopping malls, supermarkets, markets, all the covered places, the shops and all that, even building lobbies,” said Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan.

Anyone arriving to Hong Kong from the US or Kazakhstan must now have proof of a negative Covid-19 test in the preceding 72 hours. The two countries join Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa, which were already on the list of high risk departure points.

The government also extended quarantine orders on arrivals. Hong Kong remains closed to non-residents.




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9.30pm EDT21:30

Australian state of New South Wales records 19 new cases

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9.10pm EDT21:10

Australian state of Victoria records 403 new cases, down from day before




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Trump ties climbing Covid-19 cases to Black Lives Matter protests

Donald Trump has cited Black Lives Matter protests against the police killing of George Floyd as among the likely causes of the recent surge in coronavirus cases.

The US president did not blame the anti-racism demonstrations directly but suggested that they “presumably” led Americans to lower their guard against the pandemic.

“There are likely a number of causes for the spike in infections cases,” Trump told reporters at his second briefing on the virus in two days following a three-month impasse. “Cases started to rise among young Americans shortly after demonstrations, which you know very well about, which presumably triggered a broader relaxation of mitigation efforts nationwide.”

Public health experts say there is little evidence that the protests spread Covid-19 in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington or other cities. They took place outdoors, where the virus spreads less easily, and most participants wore face masks, which Trump has conceded is an effective preventive measure:




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South Africa reports record number of daily virus deaths

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7.33pm EDT19:33

Dr Deborah Birx says current US crisis ‘very different’ to March and April




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Summary

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