British PM self-isolates, as nations respond to spikes

LONDON－British Prime Minister Boris Johnson went into isolation after a contact tested positive for the coronavirus, as countries across the Asia-Pacific region reported record new numbers and fresh outbreaks on Monday.

Global infections soared past 54 million with more than 1.3 million deaths, and the worrying spikes have forced governments to reimpose restrictions on movement and gatherings.

Europe has been hit hard by a second wave of the pandemic.

Curbs were reimposed－often in the face of protests－from Greece to the United Kingdom, where PM and COVID-19 survivor Johnson went into self-isolation after coming into contact with an MP who later tested positive for the virus.

"He will carry on working from Downing Street," a spokesman said on Sunday, adding the prime minister, who spent three nights in intensive care during his April bout of COVID-19, did not have any symptoms.

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany warned its anti-virus measures were likely to stay in place for several months.

In hard-hit France, Health Minister Olivier Veran warned that while strict containment measures had helped slow the virus, "we have not won against the virus yet".

Concerns of a resurgence also remain in other parts of the world as countries across the Asia-Pacific region reported record new coronavirus numbers and fresh outbreaks.

Japan faces mounting pressure to reimpose a state of emergency and South Korea warned it was at a "critical crossroads".

New daily cases in Japan reached a record 1,722 on Saturday, with hot spots in the northern island of Hokkaido and the western prefectures of Hyogo and Osaka. In Tokyo, cases have neared 400 in recent days, levels not seen since early August.

In South Korea, officials reported more than 200 new coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Monday, as the government considers tightening social distancing.

'Dangerous turn'

"We are at a critical crossroads where we might have to readjust distancing," South Korean Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said. "The current situation is taking a very dangerous turn considering the rising infections from daily lives and the unrelenting pace of the spread."

In Australia, a cluster of 14 new cases were reported in South Australia on Monday, a rapid spike in the state's first outbreak since April, prompting officials to impose social distancing restrictions. One official said the cluster was likely connected to a hotel for quarantined travelers.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new cases were "a reminder, even after a lockdown, even after all this time, the virus hasn't gone anywhere".

India said on Sunday it would fly doctors from other regions into the capital, New Delhi, and double testing rates to contain record case numbers in the city of 20 million.

Agencies via Xinhua