(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong’s new outbreak has surpassed the scale of its previous wave of infections, signaling that the worst of the pandemic may be yet to come. In Spain, officials slapped new restrictions on movement and gatherings in Barcelona, while countries globally grapple with a fresh surge in infections.
A poll showed that more than half of the American public “strongly” disapproves of President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
Global Tracker: Cases top 13.8 million; deaths top 590,000U.S
Barcelona Hit With New Curbs (7:51 a.m. NY)
Catalan officials imposed new curbs on movement and gatherings in Barcelona after the business and tourism hub suffered an upsurge in new cases. Bars and restaurants will be limited to 50% capacity and night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and theaters closed, Meritxell Budo, a regional government spokeswoman, said at a news conference. Gatherings of more than 10 people will also be forbidden. People should stay at home unless going out is absolutely necessary, Budo said. The number of new cases in Barcelona jumped to 494 last week, tripling those recorded the week before, according to data published by the regional government.
Singapore Tightens Rules for Some Travelers (7:20 a.m. NY)
Singapore will tighten rules on travelers who had been in coronavirus hotspots including Japan, Hong Kong and Australia’s Victoria state, mandating quarantine in dedicated facilities from July 20. Travelers who have been in those regions in the 14 days prior to entering Singapore won’t be able to serve their quarantine at their residence, the island’s authorities said on Friday.
Fewer Americans Approve of Trump’s Handling of Covid-19 (7 a.m. NY)
President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has the approval of 38% of Americans, down from 46% in May and 51% in March, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC poll. More than half of the public, or 52%, now disapproves “strongly” of Trump’s handling of the outbreak, roughly double the percentage who say they strongly approve and an increase from 36% in strong disapproval since March.
Luxembourg’s Second Wave (6:20 a.m. NY)
Luxembourg is in the middle of a second wave of infections, its health minister said this week. No other EU nation is testing as much as the tiny Grand-Duchy, which has been sending invites to citizens across the nation to get tested since May. With the number of daily tests rising, new infections have been rising day to day as well, meaning that several EU nations — Slovenia is the latest country to do so — have added Luxembourg to a red list. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute also placed Luxembourg on its list of risk countries this week.
Austrian New Cases at Highest Since April 12 (5:20 p.m. HK)
Austria had 169 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily rise since April 12. The number of active coronavirus infections has risen almost four-fold to 1,393 since the low of 373 on June 14, driven by clusters around evangelical churches in Linz and Wiener Neustadt, a pork-processing plant near the Czech border, and cases in Vienna.
Hong Kong’s New Outbreak Tops Earlier Waves (4:58 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong’s fresh coronavirus outbreak has surpassed the magnitude of its previous waves of infection, in a cautionary tale that the worst may be yet to come in the global pandemic. Authorities reported 50 local virus cases on Friday, bringing total infections to over 350, making the Asian financial hub one of the first places in the region to see a new wave dwarf previous outbreaks.
The resurgence comes after a long stretch during which residents returned to work and normal life. About a third of infections in the new outbreak are of unknown origins, signaling that hidden chains of transmission are widespread.
Israel to Close Beaches, Shops at Weekends (4:24 p.m. HK)
Israel’s government approved new restrictions that will shutter non-essential businesses on weekends to slow a surge of cases. Visiting the beach will be banned from Friday afternoons to Sunday mornings from next weekend.
More general regulations throughout the week will close gyms, prohibit restaurants from seating customers and limit the size of gatherings. Israel now has at least 44,000 confirmed cases and nearly 380 deaths, according to health ministry data, while the unemployment rate stands at above 21%.
Movement in Xinjiang Capital Limited (4:02 p.m. HK)
China locked down housing compounds across Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. The city of 3.5 million reported six confirmed infections on Thursday and Friday, along with 11 cases where the people didn’t display any symptoms, breaking a 10-day streak of zero new domestic cases in China. The source of the new infections is unclear and the local government did not say if the cases are linked.
Tokyo Virus Cases Hit Record for a Second Day (2:50 p.m. HK)
Tokyo saw a second straight day of record coronavirus cases Friday, with 293 reported amid growing concern about the ability of authorities to suppress the outbreak. The city had 286 cases Thursday.
India Crosses 1 Million Case Mark (12:05 p.m. HK)
India saw its coronavirus cases exceed 1 million, becoming the third country to cross that mark, according to its health ministry, as the virus continues to spread rapidly in the world’s second most-populous nation.
Australia’s Most-Populous State Tightens Restrictions (9:36 a.m. HK)
Australia’s most-populous state — New South Wales — will further tighten restrictions for gatherings and venues, including clubs and cafes, Premier Gladys Berejikliantells told reporters.
Meanwhile, Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded its second day of a spike in coronavirus cases as its capital city Melbourne is gripped by a second wave of infections. It had 428 new cases in the past 24 hours, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters Friday. That’s the largest single-day increase for any of Australia’s states and territories, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.