'Very high wave': Huge new Covid spike forces crackdown in former epicentre
Italy's one-day caseload of confirmed coronavirus infections has jumped past 20,000, with more than a quarter of the new cases registered in Lombardy, the northern region which bore the brunt of the pandemic in the country earlier this year.
According to Health Ministry figures on Sunday, there were 21,273 new cases since the previous day, raising Italy's total of confirmed COVID-19 infections to 525,782.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza said the government's latest crackdown on social freedoms, including closing restaurants in early evening and shuttering gyms, for the next 30 days, was warranted by the growth of the contagion curve worldwide, with a "very high wave" in all of Europe.
"Every choice brings sacrifices," Speranza said.
"We must react immediately and with determination if we want to avoid unsustainable numbers."
Italy's confirmed death toll in the pandemic rose to 37,338, with 128 deaths since Saturday.
Coronavirus case numbers growing worldwide
In other news about the pandemic, British doctors are urging the government to reverse its course and provide free meals for poor children due to increased poverty caused by the pandemic.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has tested positive for the new coronavirus as the number of infected with COVID-19 in the Balkan country has been on a steady rise in the two weeks.
Russia's tally of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 1.5 million on Sunday as authorities reported 16,710 new infections amid a rapid resurgence of the outbreak that has swept the country in recent weeks.
In Berlin, Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn, who has tested positive for the new coronavirus, has appealed to Germans to keep obeying precautionary measures as the virus spikes across the country and the hospital intensive care units are filling up again.
India's daily coronavirus cases have dropped to nearly 50,000, maintaining a downturn over the last few weeks.
Colombia reached 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, its health ministry says, becoming the second country in Latin America to report that number in less than a week.
Eight countries now have more than 1 million confirmed cases, and three are in Latin America.
Argentina hit 1 million confirmed cases on Monday. Brazil ranks third worldwide in the number of virus cases, with more than 5 million, and passed 1 million infections back in June. Peru and Mexico are expected to reach 1 million cases each in the coming weeks.
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