36m infections logged amid resurgence in virus

ROME－The number of people in the world infected with COVID-19 climbed to more than 36 million as more countries imposed tighter measures to combat a resurgence in the disease.

Italy on Wednesday made it mandatory to wear face masks outdoors nationwide in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus as new infections jumped to their highest daily tally since April.

The decree was approved at a Cabinet meeting after a steady increase in cases over the last two months. It was likely to be effective from Thursday, a government source said.

Several Italian regions including Lazio, around the capital of Rome, had already made face masks mandatory.

Data from the health ministry showed 3,678 cases were reported in the latest 24-hour period, up from 2,677 on Tuesday, and surging past the 3,000 mark for the first time since April 24.

Italy is still recording far fewer daily cases than other large European countries such as France, Spain and Britain.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron is mulling more restrictions to contain the epidemic as the country recorded nearly 19,000 new infections on Wednesday, an all-time high for new daily cases.

"The epidemic continues to increase. The virus continues to circulate rapidly for several weeks,"Macron said in a televised interview.

"In places where the virus is circulating too quickly, notably among the elderly, and where we see more and more beds in emergencies occupied (by COVID-19 patients), we must move towards more restrictions as we did in the Bouches-du-Rhone and Paris and its inner suburbs," he added.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran was to unveil the new package of measures on Thursday, the president said.

Earlier in the week, Paris and three surrounding departments were placed on maximum alert with extra measures which include the closure of bars, pools and gyms. Entertainment facilities including circuses, dance clubs, and trade shows were banned.

Spiraling outbreak

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will order pubs and restaurants to shut across much of northern England, including in Manchester and Liverpool, from Monday in a bid to halt the spiraling COVID-19 outbreak there, The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Britain, which has already suffered the highest death toll in Europe, has reported more than 14,000 new cases of coronavirus daily in the last two days.

The Sun said hospitality areas would shut but schools, offices and shops would remain open.

Britain's finance ministry is also finalizing a new package of coronavirus support for the stricken hospitality industry, the Financial Times said late on Wednesday.

Globally, as of Thursday, there have been more than 36 million people infected with the novel coronavirus, with more than 1,056,000 having died due to the disease, according to a tally kept by the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland in the United States.

Brazil passed the mark of 5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as it approached 150,000 deaths in the deadliest coronavirus outbreak outside the US, which has logged more than 210,000 deaths.

Though the number of daily cases has come down from a peak in July, public health experts warn that Brazil is ignoring social distancing precautions and faces the danger of rapidly rising cases by people returning to normal everyday life too quickly.

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro epidemiologist Roberto Medronho cautioned the numbers could be much higher if testing for COVID-19 was more widespread.

"Soon we will reach 150,0000 deaths, a frightening number," he said. "We are seeing the authorities easing social distancing more and more despite the number of cases."

Other South American countries are also experiencing rising COVID-19 cases, including Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

Xinhua - Agencies