LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has toughened a requirement to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic, mandating businesses open to the public deny service or entry to customers who refuse to wear one.
The governor also expanded where people must have a face covering beyond indoor public spaces. Starting immediately, they must wear one outdoors if they cannot consistently keep 6 feet from non-household members. A mask is needed while using public transportation, a taxi or a ride-sharing vehicle, with some exceptions.
“No shirts, no shoes, no mask — no service,” Whitmer wrote in an order. Violators will be subject to a misdemeanor fine.
Whitmer points to “stalled” progress in suppressing the virus. Cases have risen in Michigan and she says spotty compliance with her monthslong mask requirement is a “big part of the reason.”
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— Greece toughens restrictions at one border.
— Australia’s Victoria state reports new daily record of 288 cases.
— The World Health Organization is acknowledging the possibility that COVID-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions.
— Texas hits new record for virus deaths as hospitals scramble.
— United Nations says Latin America and Caribbean are COVID-19 `hot spot.’
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Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
PRISTINA, Kosovo — A top Kosovar politician and a former prime minister says he was infected with the virus and called on the people to stay alert and respect prevention steps.
Isa Mustafa, leader of the governing Democratic League of Kosovo, posted in his Facebook page that he tested positive. He says he had fatigue but no other symptoms. His other family members were not infected. Mustafa says he would remain isolated in the next days.
Kosovo has noted a spike of the daily infections, reaching 207 new confirmed cases and eight deaths on Thursday .
Since the lockdown eased by end of May, Kosovo’s 1.8 million population has had higher daily new cases. On Sunday, the Kosovar government re-imposed the curfew time from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the capital, three cities and four northern communes recording higher new cases.
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LISBON, Portugal — Portugal’s prime minister says restrictions on travel within the European Union are causing tensions between member nations.
Prime Minister António Costa says, “we’re seeing the most extraordinary situations — countries which put others on a banned list not because of their (coronavirus) situation but out of retaliation because they themselves were put on another country’s banned list.”
Portugal hasn’t banned any EU citizens from visiting. Costa says European authorities need to coordinate EU-wide measures, because each country is pursuing different policies on testing.
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ATHENS, Greece — Greek authorities say incoming travelers arriving at the country’s land border with Bulgaria will have to carry a negative COVID-19 test results issued within the previous 72 hours.
The measure will take effect on July 14 following an increase in cases involving tourists traveling by land to Greece from mostly Balkan countries.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas says domestic inspections would be stepped up this weekend to enforce distancing rules.
Greece started its tourism season on June 15 and expanded international flights to its regional airports on July 1. The holiday industry is considered vital for Greece, which is expected to suffer a recession this year, losing 9% of its output, according to European Commission estimates.
Only one border crossing point, at Promahomas on the border with Bulgaria, has been opened so far for non-essential travel.
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MADRID — The Spanish region of Extremadura is following in the footsteps of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands by making the wearing of masks obligatory.
Spain’s lockdown ended mid-June, but the number of new daily cases has been creeping higher in some areas.
Authorities in Extremadura, southwest of Madrid, announced Friday the region had 66 active cases. Everyone over 6 years old must from Saturday wear masks when outside or when in enclosed public spaces, even when complying with social distancing rules.
The introduction of mandatory mask-wearing in the Balearic island group in the Mediterranean Sea from Monday has angered business associations there. The islands, including Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca, are a popular European vacation destination.
The Confederation of Balearic Business Associations says the regional government is imposing tighter restrictions than potential vacationers have in their home countries and that the step will discourage visitors.
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BRUSSELS — Wearing a face mask will become mandatory from Saturday in Belgian shops, cinemas, entertainment venues and other indoor spaces.
The Belgian government said the decision was made following a meeting of politicians and experts in charge of the lockdown exit strategy who decided to follow recommendations issued by the Health Ministry’s scientific advisory body.
The compulsory use of masks already implemented on public transportation will be extended to conference centers, places of worships, museums and libraries.
Masks remain optional for children under the age of 12 in all circumstances.
The government said places that won’t respect the decision could be shut down, while Belgian residents who won’t follow the new guidelines will face penalties.
Belgium has been hard hit by the pandemic, with 9,781 deaths recorded in the small country with 11 million inhabitants. The number of infections has however nosedived over the past two months, with about 85 new cases recorded every day over the past week.
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TOKYO — Tokyo has found 243 new cases of the coronavirus, surpassing 200 for a second day in a row and setting a new record.
The numbers reported Friday are fueling concerns about the spread of infections in the Japanese capital, where people are encouraged to pursue social and economic activity while taking safety precautions.
Friday’s record daily increase exceeds the 224 reported the day before, which was the highest since April 17 when Japan was under a state of emergency that ended in late May.
Businesses have largely returned to usual and people are now commuting on packed trains again. The number of daily cases in Tokyo started rising back in late June.
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LONDON — The British government has removed Serbia from the list of countries from which people arriving back to England can avoid a 14-day quarantine.
The government said Serbia has been removed because of a recent spike in coronavirus infections that’s seen the country reimpose a number of lockdown restrictions.
Serbia was originally on the list of 76 countries and territories exempted from quarantine. The list includes popular destinations such as France, Greece, Italy and Spain, but not the United States, which is still considered high-risk.
Scotland’s list of countries is slightly different to that for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It still requires people from Spain to quarantine for example.
The travel industry is hoping that the new rules will help them salvage part of the summer holiday booking season that has been battered by the pandemic.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka has found 196 more coronavirus cases at a rehabilitation center for narcotics addicts.
The numbers announced by the government Friday take the total at the center to 252.
The number of infections found in the past two days are highest in months. Though all have been in known clusters, there are fears of a spillover into the borader community.
Sri Lanka has reported 2,350 coronavirus cases so far with 11 deaths.
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NEW DELHI — India’s is reporting another record one-day spike in coronavirus cases, prompting some states to reimpose lockdowns in high-risk areas.
The 26,506 cases reported Friday bring India’s total to 793,802 infections. The Health Ministry also reported another 475 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 21,604.
The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at more than 60%
The eastern state of Bihar reimposed a full lockdown in the state capital Patna and four other districts for a week beginning Friday to curb a surge in cases.
India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, with nearly 230 million people, announced a weekend lockdown beginning Friday night. All private shops and businesses across the state will remain closed except pharmacies and shops selling groceries, milk and produce.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A second man in New Zealand this week is facing charges for escaping from a hotel where he was being held in quarantine, this time allegedly to buy alcohol.
Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of managed isolation and quarantine, said the man cut through fence ties at the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton on Thursday and was gone for about 30 minutes, visiting a nearby liquor store before returning.
The man made his first court appearance Friday and wasn’t required to enter a plea.
Earlier this week, another man, who’d recently returned from India, escaped from his Auckland hotel and allegedly went shopping at a supermarket. He later tested positive for the virus.
New Zealand has eliminated community transmission of the virus and is trying to contain cases at the border by placing new arrivals into a 14-day quarantine at various hotels.
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ISLAMABAD — Even as Pakistan crosses the 5,000 mark for the number of deaths due to COVID-19, it’s daily infection rate continues to drop with 2,751 new cases during the last 24 hours.
The numbers reported Friday are down from a high just a few weeks earlier of nearly 9,000 a day.
Pakistan’s testing rate has also dropped, with 23,255 tests carried out in the last 24 hours from a previous high last month of more than 32,000 daily tests.
Prime Minister Imran Khan warned Pakistanis on Thursday that infection numbers could soar if people ignore precautions like mask wearing and social distancing during the Eid-al Adha holy days beginning at the end of July.
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s coronavirus hotspot Victoria state has become the first to recommend its residents wear masks in some circumstances after posting a new record daily tally of 288 new cases.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the tally reported Friday reflected a new record of more than 37,500 tests in a day. The previous case record was 191 set on Tuesday.
Andrews recommended Victoria residents wear masks if they can’t maintain 1.5 meters (5 feet) social distancing such as when they’re on public transport or in supermarkets.
Australia will more than halve the rate at which its citizens and permanent residents can return home on international flights to reduce numbers in hotel quarantine.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday the number allowed to return to Australia each week would be reduced by more than 4,000 from next week.
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SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico authorities will halt indoor restaurant service, close state parks to nonresidents and suspend autumn contact sports at schools in response to surging coronavirus infections in the state and in neighboring Texas and Arizona.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham unveiled the sweeping orders Thursday. She says they take effect Monday, saying that “we are at war with COVID-19.”
Cancelled autumn sports include football and soccer and affect not only public schools but recreational leagues for all ages. People exercising outdoors will be expected for the first time to wear a mask.
The governor says nonresidents who enter New Mexico with out-of-state plates should be prepared to answer questions about their compliance with the 14-day self-quarantine mandate.
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PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is ordering restaurants to work at half of their capacity, but he has declined to shut them down entirely as authorities seek to control a strong coronavirus outbreak that has doubled the daily case count in two weeks.
The governor also said Thursday the state will increase testing with a focus on low-income areas of Phoenix as many people report it hard or impossible to find tests.
Arizona continues to report record highs for hospitalizations and use of ventilators. After a drop in the number of new cases in the early part of the week, they shot back above 4,000 on Thursday.
Officials reported 75 additional deaths, increasing the state’s total to 2,038. The additional 4,057 confirmed cases reported Thursday brought the total to 112,671.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 45 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus as health authorities scramble to stem infections in major cities across the country.
The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday brought the national caseload to 13,338, including 288 deaths.
Twenty-three of the new cases were in the populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the center of a virus resurgence since late May. Infections were also reported in other major cities such as Gwangju and Daejeon.
Health authorities say they are stuck in a difficult game of “whack-a-mole,” with new clusters popping up from various places — including churches, restaurants, nightspots and office buildings — as people increasingly venture out in the public.
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BEIJING — China has reported four new confirmed coronavirus cases, and officials say all of them were brought from outside the country.
No new deaths were reported Friday and 342 people remain in treatment. An additional 121 people are in isolation and being monitored as being suspected cases or for testing positive for the virus without showing any symptoms.
China has reported 4,634 deaths from COVID-19 among 83,585 confirmed cases since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
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