Uniquely Nelson

Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 40 million, according to a Reuters tally, as the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere fuelled a resurgence in the spread of the disease. Member of the medical team of the Armed Forces of Brazil examines a man of the Guajajara indigenous ethnicity during the Covid-19 pandemic on 3 October, 2020. Photo: Mateus Bonomi / AGIF / AFP The Reuters tally is based on official reporting by individual countries. Experts believe the true numbers of both cases and deaths are likely much higher, given deficiencies in testing and potential under-reporting by some countries. The Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic continues to pick up. It took just 32 days to go from 30 million global cases to 40 million, compared with the 38 days it took to get from 20 to 30 million, the 44 days between 10 and 20 million, and the three months it took to reach 10 million cases from when the first cases were reported in Wuhan, China, in early January. Record one-day increases in new infections were seen at the end of last week, with global coronavirus cases rising above 400,000 for the first time. There were an average of about 347,000 cases each day over the past week, compared with 292,000 in the first week of October. The United States, India, and Brazil remain the worst affected countries in the world. Covid-19 cases in North, Central, and South America represent about 47.27 percent or nearly half of global cases. About 247 cases are seen per 10,000 people in the United States. For India and Brazil, those numbers stand at 55 cases and 248 cases per 10,000 people respectively. New cases are growing at more than 150,000 a day in Europe, as many countries including Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic have reported record daily increases in the number of coronavirus infections. Europe currently accounts for over 17 percent of the global cases and nearly 22 percent of the deaths related to the virus worldwide. Parts of the UK were put into lockdown as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's bid to contain a second wave of infections through local measures. France imposed curfews while other European nations are closing schools, canceling surgeries, and enlisting student medics. President Donald Trump called for a big economic stimulus as US infections surpassed eight million, with record spikes in several states. States across the Midwest are seeing a rise in coronavirus cases, with new infections and hospitalizations rising to record levels. India's cumulative tally of coronavirus infections stood at 7.43 million on Saturday, with the number of active infections slipping below 800,000 for the first time in 1.5 months. Iran, the Middle Eastern country hardest-hit by the coronavirus, extended restrictions and closures in the capital Tehran into a third week on Saturday as its death toll rose above 30,000. Since the pandemic started, more than1.1 million people have died due to Covid-19, with the global fatality rate hovering about 2.8 percent of the total cases. An official at the World Health Organization has said the global death toll from Covid-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic. -Reuters

Five travellers from New Zealand have been forced into hotel quarantine in Adelaide after arriving unexpectedly on a flight from Sydney. Adelaide Airport. Photo: 123RF South Australia is not yet part of a travel bubble with New Zealand, which currently only New South Wales and the Northern Territory have signed up to. SA Premier Steven Marshall made the announcement at a press conference this afternoon. He said three of the people arrived over the weekend and a further two travellers came this morning. All passengers identified themselves at Adelaide Airport and are now in hotel quarantine in Adelaide, he said. Marshall said the State Government was now considering its border arrangement with New Zealand. "We are looking very closely at the arrangements with regards to our borders with New Zealand," he said. "They've done extraordinarily well and we're hopeful that we might be able to lift that border restriction with New Zealand when it's safe to do so." Within days of the scheme operating, travellers have ventured to Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and now South Australia. "All of our protocols were observed when these passengers came in," Marshall said. "Our system here in South Australia works extraordinarily well." An SA Police spokesperson confirmed the Premier's statement. "All have been placed into medi-hotels to complete quarantine as per normal arrangements with international travellers," she said. "There will be an increase in public information to ensure sufficient information is being disseminated in SA and NSW to advise travellers of the requirement to quarantine if travelling to SA." Australians still cannot travel to New Zealand. Victoria authorities speaking to New Zealand travellers Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says authorities have doorknocked 55 of the 65 New Zealand travellers who have arrived in the state through the travel bubble. Ten people are still waiting to be spoken to to make sure they understand the state's restrictions, which were eased on Monday. Andrews said he would not be quarantining people who come from a low virus community. "There are 17 flights into Melbourne today that could possibly have New Zealand passengers that have arrived via Sydney. We, you know, we are not particularly pleased that we were asked the question, do you want to be in a bubble, and it turns out that even though we said no, we are, but that is the fact of the matter, that is what we faced. "I'm not going to be quarantining people that came from a low virus community, and we just have to make the best of this." -ABC

Thousands have attended rallies across France in support of Samuel Paty, the teacher beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. Thousands of people gathered this Sunday in Paris to pay tribute to Samuel to Samuel Paty, the professor beheaded in a terrorist attack on Friday. Photo: AFP People in the Place de la République in Paris carried the slogan "Je suis enseignant" (I am a teacher), with PM Jean Castex saying: "We are France!" A man named as Abdoulakh A was shot dead by police on Friday after killing Paty close to his school near Paris. An 11th person has now been arrested as part of the investigation. No details have been given about the arrest. Four close relatives of the suspect were detained shortly after the killing. Six more people were held on Saturday, including the father of a pupil at the school and a preacher described by French media as a radical Islamist. President Emmanuel Macron said the attack bore all the hallmarks of an "Islamist terrorist attack" and the teacher had been murdered because he "taught freedom of expression". The murder comes as a trial over the 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo - a satirical magazine that has published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad - is under way. Where have the rallies been taking place? The Place de la République in Paris filled with people rallying in support of Paty, 47. Castex and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo joined them. The square was the scene of a huge demonstration in which 1.5 million people showed solidarity with Charlie Hebdo following the deadly attack of January 2015. One protester on Sunday carried a sign reading "zero tolerance to all enemies of the Republic", another "I am a professor. I'm thinking of you, Samuel." Another told Le Figaro she was a French Muslim who was at the rally to express her disgust at the latest killing. A minute's silence was followed by the playing of the Marseillaise. All the protesters were wearing masks to protect from coronavirus. Castex tweeted the rendition of the anthem, along with the words "you do not scare us ... we are France!" Vous ne nous faites pas peur.Nous n’avons pas peur.Vous ne nous diviserez pas.Nous sommes la France ! pic.twitter.com/GjUQo9AePa — Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) October 18, 2020 Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said France would succeed in defeating the enemies of democracy if it were united and that all teachers in France needed support. In Lille, people carried banners and placards with the simple words "I am Samuel". Thousands of people also gathered in Place Bellecour in Lyon to pay their respects, with another large turnout in Nantes. Demonstrations are also being held in Toulouse, Strasbourg, Marseille, Bordeaux and elsewhere. In addition to Sunday's demonstrations, there will be a national tribute paid to Paty on Wednesday. On Saturday, Tareq Oubrou, imam of a mosque in Bordeaux, told France Inter: "A civilisation does not kill an innocent person, barbarism does." What happened on Friday? Anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said that the suspect, who lived in the Normandy town of Évreux, about 100km (60 miles) from the murder scene, went to Paty's school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine on Friday afternoon and asked students to point out the teacher. Abdoulakh A, an 18-year-old born in Moscow of Chechen origin, had no apparent connection with the teacher or the school. He followed Paty as he walked home from work. The suspect used a knife to attack the teacher in the head, and then beheaded him. Witnesses are said to have heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar", or "God is Greatest". As police approached him, he fired at them with an airgun. Officers returned fire, hitting him nine times. A 30cm-long (12in) blade was found close by. Authorities said the man had been before courts but only on minor misdemeanour charges. A person holds a placard with the portrait of history teacher Samuel Paty Photo: AFP What's the latest in the investigation? Ricard said Paty had been the target of threats since he showed the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a class about freedom of speech. As he had done in similar lessons in recent years, Paty, a history and geography teacher, advised Muslim students to look away if they thought they might be offended. A parent of one of the pupils reacted angrily, and went to the school to complain. He and another man who accompanied him - Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a preacher and activist - made videos calling Paty a "voyou" (thug) and demanding his suspension. Sefrioui has reportedly been known to French intelligence services for years. Both he and the father are now in custody. - BBC

New Zealand travellers arriving as part of the newly minted international arrangements have left state authorities scrambling after taking internal flights to jurisdictions outside of the travel bubble. Twenty-one travellers arrived at Melbourne Airport. Photo: 123RF Under the original arrangements, New Zealanders were granted access to fly into New South Wales and the Northern Territory. But on Friday night it emerged that some trans-Tasman arrivals took connecting flights to Melbourne. Victorian authorities have now spoken to all 55 people who were expected to arrive in the state to explain local coronavirus rules. In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said some of the travellers were in family groups, with most staying in private homes. Three of the travellers expected to arrive in Victoria did not end up crossing the border into the state and remain in NSW. And one who was in Victoria returned to NSW on Sunday. "Twenty-one of the 55 travellers arrived at Melbourne Airport… the remainder arrived using other modes of transport," the statement said. "DHHS authorised officers continue to meet incoming flights at Melbourne Airport and provide information to arriving passengers." Authorities in West Australia have also confirmed 23 people, including a child, all from New Zealand, are in hotel or home quarantine after flying into Perth overnight. WA has a hard border and Premier Mark McGowan said the Federal Government needed to provide more support. "We would like further assistance from the Commonwealth, in particular, about making sure that those people who come on aircraft into WA that we get proper manifests and proper advice as to those people that are coming so we can deal with these situations," he said. Unlike Western Australia, Victoria does not have restrictions on incoming domestic arrivals, but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also criticised the way the New Zealand travel arrangements unfolded. Victoria's state premier Daniel Andrews. Photo: AFP He said his government had repeatedly requested to be excluded from the arrangement. "We were asked, 'Do you want to be in the bubble?' and we said no," Andrews told reporters on Sunday, while announcing the relaxation of some of the state's lockdown measures. The Premier said the Federal Government originally advised him there were 17 travellers from New Zealand who had entered Victoria, but it later emerged there were up to 55 possible arrivals. Authorities have been racing to get in touch with them and make sure they are aware of lockdown restrictions. "So this is gold standard, apparently, according to the Federal Government," Andrews said. "I've got no power to stop them coming in," he added. "No-one is alleging that the virus is hiding in New Zealand, it's not. "What was concerning is that a bunch of people turned up and we didn't know about it." Andrews wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday, calling for new arrivals from across the Tasman to be prevented from catching internal flights from New South Wales to Victoria. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: AFP "I urgently request your action to prohibit onward travel of passengers under the Safe Travel Zone arrangements into Victoria," the letter says. A spokesperson for the Federal Government released a statement arguing the onus was on the incoming passenger to make themselves aware of the requirements when they travel internally. "On arrival into Australia from New Zealand, passengers are advised to check the entry requirements for other states which includes needing to undertake hotel quarantine if they travel to WA," the statement said. "It is exactly the same arrangement for if a traveller from any Australian state went to WA, they would be required to undertake hotel quarantine." The statement said there had been meetings with state health authorities that foreshadowed how it would work. "The travel bubble is working exactly as it was outlined at multiple meetings of the expert medical panel over the past fortnight where the CHO [Chief Health Officer] from WA was in attendance," the spokesperson said. "As per the 18 September National Cabinet decision, airlines must provide passenger records to state authorities if requested for contact tracing." - ABC

The Dutch royal family is back in the country after a holiday that lasted just one day, following a coronavirus-related public backlash. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima say their holiday was a distraction the Netherlands does not need. Photo: AFP King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima headed off to the Greek sun on Friday but flew back last night. They left as a new partial lockdown was introduced and although they did not break any rules they said they had been affected by intense criticism. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is under pressure to explain any advice he may have given. The royals flew out on a government plane but were immediately criticised for going on holiday when the population was being advised to stay at home as much as possible to curb the spread of Covid-19. They flew back on a scheduled KLM flight and the royal standard was flying over the palace in The Hague last night. The royal statement read: "We do not want to leave any doubts about it: in order to get the Covid-19 virus under control, it is necessary that the guidelines are followed. The debate over our holiday does not contribute to that." There appeared to be some confusion about who in government knew about the trip and whether advice was given. The Dutch monarchy has no formal role in the day-to-day running of the Netherlands. But the Ministry of General Affairs, headed by the prime minister, is responsible for what the monarchy says and does. As a result, several MPs are calling on Rutte to explain why he did not advise the royals to cancel their holiday. "If Rutte had said that this was a bad idea, you can assume that the king would have changed his plans," said Peter Rehwinkel, leader of the PvdA party. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is facing pressure over what advice he provided. Photo: AFP / ANP The GroenLinks leader also called the trip "an error in judgment" and abandoning the trip was the "only correct decision". The daily tally of coronavirus infections continues to grow in the Netherlands. More than 8000 new cases were recorded yesterday for the first time since the country's outbreak began. Bars, restaurants and cannabis "coffee shops" have been ordered to close for four weeks. It is not the first time the royal couple have been in the spotlight for their conduct. In August, they were pictured breaking social distancing rules with a restaurant owner during another trip to Greece. The royal family's annual budget is under review amid growing pressure from opposition lawmakers. -BBC

Australia's state of Victoria, the epicentre of the country's coronavirus outbreak, will see some of its months-long restrictions eased as of Monday but retailers and restaurants must wait longer, the state's premier said. Melbourne residents enjoying a run. Photo: AFP After more than 100 days in a strict lockdown, the five million people living in Melbourne, Victoria's capital, will be able to spend as much time outdoors as they wish, but must stay within a 25-kilometre radius from their homes, Premier Daniel Andrews said. Public gatherings will remain tightly limited, and retailers and restaurants must operate only on take-away or delivery orders, with the state government eyeing their reopening by 1 November, Andrews said. "I know and understand that not everything everybody wanted is in the announcement I have made today," Andrews told a news conference. "I have announced today what is safe but will not undermine the sacrifice, the hard work, the pain, the amazing efforts that Victorians have put in." Andrews, whose Labor Party government is in opposition to the ruling conservative Liberal Party, has been pressured by the federal government to reopen, but he said he will do only what he deems safe. "If we do too much too fast, we will be where none of us want to be again," Andrews said. On Sunday, Victoria recorded two new cases of Covid-19, extending its streak of single-digit infections to five days and down from more than 700 cases a day in early August. With 816 deaths, Australia's second-largest state accounts for more than 90 percent of all lives lost to the Covid-19 in Australia this year. Australia has recorded just over 27,300 infections, according to health ministry data, a fraction of what has been seen in some other countries. -Reuters

The Victorian Premier says 55 New Zealanders have entered Victoria - not 17, as previously reported. Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews Photo: AFP In a press conference today, Andrews said Victoria authorities had been alerted to the increased number of breaches by Australia's federal government. While 17 breaches had initially been reported, it has now been revealed that 55 Kiwis travelled to the state. Andrews said that 23 of the travellers had been tracked down, at 16 addresses. "So this is "gold standard", apparently, according to the Federal Government. "Gold standard", a term that has been used quite a bit," he said. The acting federal immigration minister Alan Tudge had previously blamed the state government for not restricting interstate travel, which allowed the New Zealanders to breach the established travel bubble. According to the Andrews, Victoria had not wanted to be in a travel bubble with New Zealand. "So the very fact that we have done what the Prime Minister wants us to do and keep our border open, then we get asked, do you want to be in a New Zealand bubble and we say no, and now we find we are, so, we would actually be better off if we had done what the Federal Government has criticised every day and twice on Sundays for months, close our borders," he said. "There will be a time when of course we do and hopefully we get the reciprocal arrangement and Australians can go to New Zealand, although I would be commending all Victorians to stay in Victoria and spend up big in Victoria rather than going to New Zealand." Yesterday, Andrews said officials had "absolutely no power" to detain the travellers from New Zealand. "Our officers have absolutely no power to stop someone, to detain someone in those circumstances, particularly given they were coming from a very low-virus part of the world," he said.

Australia's Federal Government says "there was an understanding" that travellers who arrive in New South Wales from New Zealand would be allowed into other states if their borders aren't closed, despite Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews stating Victoria was not part of the new trans-Tasman travel bubble. Photo: 123RF Seventeen passengers flew from New Zealand to Sydney yesterday, on day one of the new trans-Tasman travel bubble, then caught a connecting flight to Melbourne. Passengers from New Zealand now do not need to quarantine upon arriving in New South Wales, but Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says his state was not part of the bubble arrangements. "Somehow, something has gone wrong at Sydney, I think, to allow people to travel on beyond the international flight." He said Victorian officials had "absolutely no power" to detain them. The premier said he had written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ensure more arrivals from New Zealand do not travel on to Victoria on Sunday. "We're disappointed this has happened, given that I had written to the prime minister on this very issue the previous day, saying at some point we will join that New Zealand/Australia travel bubble but it is not appropriate now," he said. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews Photo: AFP However, the Federal Government has made a statement contradicting the claim that travellers from New Zealand should not be allowed to fly into Victoria. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said when the trans-Tasman travel bubble was discussed at a Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) meeting on Monday, "no official from any jurisdiction raised concerns" about arrivals from New Zealand potentially travelling to other destinations. "There was an understanding that when Kiwis arrived into Sydney, coming from a country which has zero community transmissions, that there'd be no need for quarantining," he said. "And that once they had arrived into Sydney that they would be treated like any other person in New South Wales, any other Australian, any other visa holder, and therefore travel into those jurisdictions which enable people to travel into them - and that of course included Victoria." Victoria has not accepted international arrivals since early July, but its domestic borders have remained open. When asked whether Victoria should consider shutting its domestic borders, Andrews said he did not want to do that. "I know that the prime minister would be very disappointed if that happened," he said. "That is what he is trying to avoid, and that is why I wrote to him this morning and made it clear that we need to get to the bottom of this, and have the requisite assurances that this won't happen again." Earlier, Victoria Police said they would visit the travellers later today to perform welfare checks. Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said the passengers were in Melbourne and not under any detention orders. - ABC

The US budget deficit hit a record $3.132 trillion during the last financial year, more than triple the 2019 shortfall, the US Treasury has announced. Unemployed airline industry workers at a protest in Chicago last month urge Congress to pass a new relief package. Photo: AFP The increase in the gap between government income and spending was almost entirely due to the massive coronavirus support package. The Trump administration and Congress have been unable to agree on a new stimulus package. The deficit more than doubled the previous record of $US1.416 trillion in the 2009 financial year, when the United States was battling a financial crisis. At the start of the 2020 financial year that ended on 30 September, the US government had been forecast to rack up a $1 trillion deficit before coronavirus lockdowns began in March. In September, the US budget deficit was $125 billion, compared with an $83b surplus in September 2019, the Treasury said. September receipts totalled $373b, just $1b below a year earlier as higher Federal Reserve earnings and excise tax collections made up for lower personal and corporate income tax receipts. Receipts for the full financial year totalled $3.42b, a decrease of $43b or 1 percent from the previous year. Financial year outlays jumped $2.105 trillion from 2019 to a total of $6.55 trillion, with the increase made up almost entirely from increased healthcare and unemployment compensation costs, and the cost of small business and corporate rescue programmes approved by Congress. A volunteer prepares a parcel at a food bank in Orlando, Florida. Photo: AFP - Reuters

Victoria's Health Department says the state has recorded one new coronavirus infection and no deaths. People walk around Albert Park Lake in Melbourne. Photo: AFP Metropolitan Melbourne's 14-day rolling case average is now 8.1, down from 8.7 yesterday. Regional Victoria's rolling average has also dropped slightly, from 0.6 yesterday to 0.5. The two-week total of cases with an unknown source, or "mystery" cases, remains at 17 in Melbourne. No new mystery cases have been confirmed in regional Victoria, where the total remains at zero. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is expecte to announce an easing of some coronavirus restrictions tomorrow. "Because we as a state have been as stubborn as this virus in our resolve to beat it, we are well placed to take significant steps on Sunday," he said yesterday. "It will not be everything that everyone wants, because it's not safe to take all of those steps that were outlined in stage three. "But on Sunday, I very much look forward to giving people a sense of what the coming weeks look like. "It's fair to say, that if these numbers continue, we are very well placed to be broadly in alignment with our foreshadowed stage three." Yesterday the Premier did not reveal what specific changes would be announced tomorrow. However, he did say the changes would be "much more in the social space than in the economic space". Andrews also said the hard border between Melbourne and regional Victoria would not be lifted yet. - ABC