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 Mandatory mask rules extended in Sydney
Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), on Tuesday
reported its biggest rise in new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in
nearly a week, prompting authorities to extend a mask mandate in
Sydney for a week.
Ten new locally acquired cases were reported in NSW on Tuesday, as
officials fight to contain a latest cluster of the highly infectious
Delta virus variant. Eight of the 10 are household contacts of
previous cases in isolation.
"There is no doubt there is an increased level of concern, given the
additional numbers of cases, but ... given how absolutely contagious
the virus is, we expected household contacts already in isolation
were likely to get the virus," NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian
told reporters.
Central Asia braces for third wave
Kazakhstan warned on Tuesday that the more infectious Delta variant
of the coronavirus had reached its capital as other Central Asian
countries saw fresh spikes in cases.
The number of new cases in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, jumped
40% last week compared to the previous week, healthcare minister
Alexei Tsoi told a government meeting on Tuesday.
Tsoi said tests had shown that the Delta variant, first detected in
India, was present in the city and urged provincial governments to
prepare for a spike in cases requiring hospitalisation and lung
ventilation.
India's vaccination pace seen dwindling
India's vaccinations over the next few weeks could fall short of the
blistering pace set on the first day of a federal campaign, unless
it makes inroads in a vast hinterland and bridges a shortage of
doses, experts said on Tuesday.
The 8.6 million doses injected on Monday represented a record
two-fold jump as India kicked off free inoculation for all adults,
reversing a policy for individual states and hospitals to buy
vaccines for those aged 18 to 44.
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 "This is clearly not
sustainable," Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert in
public policy and health systems, told Reuters.
Vaccinated Brits could be back on Europe's
beaches soon
Britain is working on easing travel restrictions
for the fully vaccinated to allow people to
enjoy a summer holiday on Europe's beaches but
the plans are not finalised yet, Health
Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.
Currently British citizens are essentially prevented from travelling
to most countries - including those in the European Union - as the
quarantine and testing rules are so cumbersome and expensive.
The travel industry has demanded that Britain removes its COVID
testing and isolation requirements for fully vaccinated travellers,
similar to a scheme to the European Union.
Italy to scrap mandatory masks outdoors
Italy will lift a requirement that people wear face masks outdoors
from June 28, the government said late on Monday, as cases and
hospitalisations decline.
Mandatory masks were imposed in October last year, when the country
was entering a second wave of the epidemic and authorities were
struggling to curb surging infections.
Mario Draghi's government has been steadily lifting restrictions
since April, opening activities such as restaurants, bars, cinemas
and gyms and allowing freedom of movement around the country.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes)
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