COVID digest: Shanghai cautiously eases lockdown

Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes Wednesday as controls that shut down China's biggest city eased.

Last month, authorities in China's commercial capital confined most of its 25 million people to their homes as it faced the country's worst coronavirus outbreak in two years.

The virus was "under effective control" for the first time in some parts of the city, health official Wu Ganyu said.

Almost 12 million people in total have now been allowed to go outdoors following a first round of easing last week.

China's case numbers in its latest infection surge are relatively low, but the ruling party is enforcing a "zero-COVID" strategy that has shut down major cities to isolate every case.

There were no new COVID-19 infections reported outside quarantine areas on Wednesday, fanning hopes that the tide is turning.

Here are the latest major developments on coronavirus from around the world:

Asia

Authorities in India's capital, Delhi, made the wearing of masks compulsory again after COVID-19 infections rose in recent days.

"In view of the rise in COVID positive cases recently and as advised by the experts, it was decided to enhance testing, focus on vaccination coverage of targeted population and ensure strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behavior," Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal said on Twitter.

Hospitalizations have remained under 1%, but Delhi accounted for more than 30% of the 2,067 new infections that India reported on Wednesday.

Taiwan may see domestic COVID-19 infections top 10,000 a day by the end of the month, its Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said.

The island of 23 million people moved early to control the pandemic, adopting measures such as largely closing its borders and tracing contacts of those infected, but it has seen a rise in infections since the beginning of the year.

"The epidemic will spread on a large scale, we hope not too fast. We call on people to be cautious when going out, wear a mask, and maintain social distance."

Taiwan has recorded 40,000 infections and 856 deaths since the start of the pandemic. 

Europe

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would face a vote on a motion on Thursday tabled by opposition parties calling for the UK Parliament's privileges committee to investigate whether he misled the House attending illegal parties held during pandemic lockdowns.

On Wednesday, he faced a second day of grilling from lawmakers over 'partygate', after he apologized to the House of Commons on Tuesday following his fine last week for breaking lockdown rules.

The Labour party and other opposition politicians are pushing for Johnson to resign and hope that a finding he held Parliament in contempt might increase pressure on him.

Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson of going "back to blaming everyone else" for his woes.

Johnson has said it is time to focus on other pressing international and domestic issues.

After two years of mandates, Spaniards are no longer required by law to wear face masks indoors.

Visitors and staff in medical centers and nursing homes are however still required to wear masks, although patients won't always be obliged to wear them.

Masks will also be mandatory on all forms of public transportation, but not in stations or airports.

Belgium's Queen Mathilde tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, the Royal Palace said on Wednesday.

"The Queen is feeling well and is following her doctor's recommendations," it said.

She is almost asymptomatic but has canceled all her public events for the rest of this week.

The city of Munich in Germany will decide next week whether the traditional Oktoberfest can take place this year.

In the past two years, the Oktoberfest was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Dieter Reiter said an exact date had not been set yet, but if the green light is given the festival could take place from 17 September to 3 October.

Some 6 million visitors from all over the world usually joined the festivities before the pandemic.

Africa

Togo would allow prison visits to resume from Friday, phasing out a 2-year-old ban that was imposed to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

Visitors would have to show proof of vaccination or a PCR test and will have to wear a mask to visit prisons.

Detainees in Togo's prisons often rely on friends and family to provide them with food, clothing and medicine.

The West African country has recorded only 36,969 coronavirus cases, 273 of them fatal by Wednesday.

Americas

A majority of Americans continue to support a mask mandate for airplanes and other forms of public transit.

A ruling by a federal judge has put the United States government's transportation mask mandate on hold.

A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted just before the ruling found 56% of Americans favor requiring people on planes, trains and public transportation.

Following the ruling, airlines and airports immediately scrapped their requirements that passengers wear face coverings.

The US transit authority said it would now no longer enforce mask-wearing.

lo/fb (AP, AFP, Reuters)