October 26 coronavirus news

As the University Medical Center of El Paso continues to be overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients as local cases surge, El Paso Children’s Hospital will begin taking non-Covid patients starting Monday hospital officials tell CNN.  

“It’s a banana sandwich here as I’m sure you’ve heard,” UMC Director of Public Affairs Ryan Mielke told CNN Monday.  “We are overwhelmed with patients at this point. However, we have a strong partnership with El Paso Children’s hospital.” 

Mielke said the ninth floor of Children’s is open for non-Covid patients from UMC and the transfers have already begun.   

Mielke said the hospital has received more than 100 additional medical staff and has set up emergency isolation tents in the hospital parking lots where Covid-19 overflow patients are being sent.

Mielke confirmed hospital staff are becoming infected as well.  

He said that while the hospital is adequately staffed at the moment, they have asked the governor for additional medical personnel, a service the Department of Emergency Management provides.  

“The bottom line is the coronavirus is spreading fast and it’s spreading fast throughout our city,” Mielke said.  

Pedestrians walk past the New York Stock Exchange on October 14.

Stock losses accelerated on Monday with the Dow dropping more than 600 points or 2% following a record surge of new coronavirus cases and languishing stimulus talks in DC. 

The percent of people who tested positive for Covid-19 city wide is at 1.74%, under the 5% threshold, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

The seven-day rolling average is 1.73%, he said. 

With regard to new reported cases on a seven-day average, with a threshold of 550 cases, NYC is slightly above the threshold with 551 cases. 

The daily number of people admitted to hospitals for Covid-19 is at 75, under the 200 threshold. The confirmed positivity rate for Covid-19 for those patients is 28%.

The positivity rate in New York city public schools is at .15%, according to the mayor.

New York City will begin adding public school testing data on it’s Covid-19 data page.

One thing to note: These numbers were released by the citys public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Sen. Angus King speaks with CNN on Monday, October 26.

In response to the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows saying the US is “not going to control” the coronavirus pandemic, Independent Sen. Angus King said that’s “unconditional surrender.”

He cited the US CDC guidelines on wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing for stopping the spread of the virus, and he blamed the White House for inconsistent messaging.

“If that had been the consistent message from the White House from the beginning, when we knew those were [the things] we had to do, and in the meantime, had they developed a really strong testing program, there would probably be 50 to 100,000 fewer deaths. We would be looking like other countries that are having surges but nothing like what we’re having. And like I say, yesterday was the moment that the White House surrendered to the virus.”

Cases are surging across the country and nearly 225,000 Americans have died from the virus.

Watch more:

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard administer Covid-19 tests on October 9 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

With coronavirus cases surging across the US, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says regional agreements and solutions could help get the numbers under control.

There has been an uptick in hospitalizations but not in intensive care unit admissions, she reported.

As part of mitigation measures, businesses in Chicago will now have to shut down by 10 p.m. local time, following a new order that aims to curb the latest surge of Covid-19. However, with these measures in place as well as the winter approaching, Lightfoot says people are starting to gather indoors.

“Don’t invite people in that are not part of your immediate family or otherwise essential to be there, like a home care worker or something along those lines. That’s where we’re really seeing the spread. The case investigations, the contact tracing is pointing to home social settings as the primary area of risk now,” she said.

At the same time, the city is not considering canceling Halloween because “people are going to trick or treat anyway,” she said. Instead, the city has put some rules in place to encourage safety, including limiting the number of children grouping together.

“We’re asking no haunted houses, no house parties. We are also really encouraging people not to have hand-to-hand contact with children as they’re handing out candy,” she said.

Watch:

The U.S. Capitol is shown on October 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. 

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Monday that stimulus talks have slowed but haven’t ended as the negotiators have failed to reach a deal with just eight days to the election.

“We’ll get a report this morning. Sec. Mnuchin will be talking to them. I think he’s going to be talking to Speaker Pelosi,” he said.

He said the sides are “close” but “important policy issues” still separate them. “They’re still talking, but I acknowledge the clock is ticking.”

Kudlow reiterated that there is a “strong, V-shaped recovery,” and stimulus could help in certain targeted areas, going on to cast blame on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He said the recovery is “self-sustaining.”

Kudlow was also pressed on comments from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on CNN about not controlling the virus. He reiterated best practices and said, “We get these pop-ups. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do about it. We’re seeing it in Europe and all around the world, perhaps that’s what chief Meadows was referring to, but we know a lot more than we knew.”

Dr. Deborah Birx, he said, is on the road with CDC teams in a “number of hot spots,” where they are “emphasizing the need for these guidelines.”

“That’s the best we can do, and it has worked in the past and hopefully it will continue to work,” he said.

Read CNN’s latest reporting on the stimulus talks here.

A grim warning is coming from the head of the Utah Hospital Association, who tells CNN affiliate KUTV that hospital care rationing is only days away for hospitals there.

A group of administrators representing the state’s hospitals presented the list of “criteria they propose doctors should use if they are forced to decide which patients can stay in overcrowded intensive care units,” to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. 

“We told him, ‘It looks like we’re going to have to request those be activated if this trend continues,’” Bell recounted to the Salt Lake Tribune, “’and we see no reason why it won’t.’”

According to Bell, the reason for the move is the “phenomenal case growth and spread rate” of Covid-19 in the state. 

The latest numbers: The state of Utah has reported more than 1,000 new cases per day for the last 12 days and saw its highest 7-day average for new daily cases yesterday according to information from Johns Hopkins University. 

A total of at least 104,882 cases of coronavirus and approximately 572 deaths have been reported in the state to date. 

“At the end of the day, some senior person versus some healthy young person probably would not get the nod,” Bell told KUTV during an interview Sunday night.

The Texas city of El Paso set another record on Sunday as the health department reported another 1,559 cases of Covid-19. 

The city reported a total of 40,887 cases and 576 deaths, according to the city’s Covid-19 dashboard. Ninety-two percent of Covid-19 cases are among the Hispanic population, according to the dashboard.  

The city has doubled its Covid-19 cases rate since Aug. 30 when the health department reported 20,424 cases, according to the dashboard.  

US stocks tumbled at Monday’s opening bell, as coronavirus, Washington intransigence and earnings are weighing on the market.

The election is only eight days away, there’s still no new stimulus package and the first look at how the economy fared in the third quarter will be reported on Thursday. 

Here’s how things opened: The Dow opened 1.1%, or just below 300 points, lower, while the S&P 500 – the broadest measure of the US stock market – fell 0.9%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8%.

Cars line up for Covid-19 tests at the University of Texas El Paso on October 23.

It’s Monday morning in the US, which has recorded more than 8.6 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began. More than 225,000 people have died in the US from Covid-19.

If you’re just reading in now, here are the latest updates on the pandemic in the US:

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in Moscow on October 26.

At least one out of every five lawmakers in the lower house of Russia’s parliament currently have or have had coronavirus, the speaker of the house, also known as Duma, told President Vladimir Putin in a meeting Monday.

“Of course, we are taking certain measures to keep the parliament working, but.. we have 91 deputies who have been ill or are sick today,” Volodin added.

The 450-member Duma partially shifted to remote work last month in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus. 

In September, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti that a Duma member from the communist party, 67-year old Vakha Agayev, had died from coronavirus complications.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner takes part in a television interview at the White House, on Monday, October 26.

Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner defended Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to continue campaigning despite his close contact with people who tested positive for coronavirus, suggesting West Wing cases have been mild and Pence is taking appropriate precautions because he has “great knowledge” about the pandemic as the leader of the task force.

Kushner continued: “We’re taking precautions, wearing masks, you know, social distancing and washing hands, doing what they can to prevent it. But people do get it… For the people in the West Wing who have gotten it so far, it’s been fairly benign cases, you know, and obviously people are moving forward. And the Vice President obviously has great knowledge about the disease and the pandemic and he knows the right protocols to follow and I have every confidence that he’s following those protocols.”

Kushner was also pressed on comments from chief of staff Mark Meadows that the US is not going to control the pandemic, but didn’t offer much of a defense.

“Look, you have a global pandemic. It’s impacting every place. People have tried different way to cope with that. You have that throughout Europe, you have that through the US. You know, you have places where they’ve been locked down and it’s spread you have places where it’s been open and it’s spread and I think that ultimately, we have to have a balanced approach but the job of the federal government has been to make sure that we get all the supplies to the people who have needed it,” he said, going on to discuss US personal protective equipment. 

He added, “Look, I think that when you saw the debate, the other side said this is a very dark winter. We definitely have some challenges but President Trump’s approach is we’re going to defeat the virus and we’re gonna get our country back to a stronger place than ever before.”

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows responds to reporters questions outside the White House on Sunday, October 25, in Washington.

It’s being called the “great American surrender.” On Sunday, President Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows admitted that the United States was “not going to control the pandemic,” arguing in a stunning statement that “proper mitigation factors” like therapies and vaccines should be the priority, as new Covid-19 cases continue to spike.

But there is a problem with that logic. Even if a potential coronavirus vaccine is approved by regulators in the coming months, Americans won’t be able to get it until well into next year. And letting the coronavirus rage unchecked in the interim, medical experts argue, is akin to a policy of herd immunity that would cost many thousands of lives.

Meadows’ comments come as the White House contends with yet another coronavirus outbreak of its own. Vice President Mike Pence is refusing to accept CDC guidance on quarantining after his chief of staff and a ‘body man’ personal assistant were among five people in his orbit to test positive. The White House has declared Pence an “essential worker” – a designation normally reserved for first responders and front-line medical staff – so that he can continue campaigning.

It’s the latest sign of the Trump team putting its own political priorities ahead of a duty of care to the American people as the country enters the final stretch before the election, Stephen Collinson writes. Despite a surge in cases in 35 states, the President is continuing his campaign blitz, criss-crossing the US in a frantic week of packed rallies that flout social distancing and mask-wearing measures.

Meanwhile, the latest surge of Covid-19 infections has brought the US’ seven-day average of new daily cases to heights not seen since the pandemic began.

This appeared in the October 26 edition of CNN’s Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction newsletter. Sign up here to receive the need-to-know headlines every weekday.

Read the rest of today’s newsletter here.

WATCH:

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Pfizer’s experimental coronavirus vaccine is now being tested in the youngest age group yet – kids as young as 12.

The move into younger children was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and institutional review boards earlier this month, but Pfizer broke up the groups of children into older teens age 16 and 17 and young children age 12 to 15.

A team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital finished vaccinating 100 children in the younger age group last week, said Dr. Robert Frenck, who is leading the trial for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine at the hospital. Half the volunteers in this third and final phase of Pfizer’s vaccine are getting a placebo, or dummy shot.

“Now we are pausing to watch for reactions to the vaccine. We right now are in a planned pause to make sure that everything is as safe as it can be,” Frenck told CNN.

Among the side effects doctors are watching for are lumps, redness or pain at the site of the injection, as well as fever or achiness.

Abhinav, 12, is one of the young volunteers. The seventh grader – whose parents asked that only his first name be used to protect his privacy – hopes that widespread vaccination will help make it safe for his grandparents to resume visits from India, and for classes to get back to normal at school.

“I think everyone at my school would like to get back to normal,” Abhinav told CNN. “I really think a vaccine could prevent the spread of the infection. As of now, I probably would request other kids to maybe take it.”

Frenck said people may be nervous about giving children an experimental vaccine but noted Pfizer’s has already been tested in tens of thousands of adults.

“The reason we can use this vaccine in children is that Pfizer has 30,000 adults who have been enrolled and it has safety data from all those people,” he said.

Plus, he said, it will be important to vaccinate children against coronavirus if there is to be any hope of controlling the pandemic. They are almost certainly contributing to silent spread of the virus.

“I think the important thing people need to remember is that while adolescents aren’t getting as sick as older adults are, it doesn’t mean that some kids aren’t getting sick and some kids aren’t dying,” Frenck said.

“We have had 120 kids in the US die from Covid so far.”

Watch:

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is pictured arriving for a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on October 19.

Austria is considering more restrictive coronavirus measuring including a second nationwide lockdown, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday following a steep rise in the country’s daily coronavirus infection numbers.

“The higher the number of infections, the more restrictive measures are needed,” said Kurz after the Council of Ministers met Monday on Austria’s national holiday. 

“The ultimate measure is a second lockdown,” he added.

“We are experiencing massive, exponential growth. This is an extreme challenge,” Kurz said. “The situation is very, very serious, even for those who still don’t want to believe it.”

Kurz went on to say that the situation in hospitals will be decisive in determining if a second lockdown is needed. He added that the goal of increased restrictions is to prevent intensive care units from being overwhelmed. 

Medical staff work at a Covid-19 testing site in Boston on October 22.

The seven-day moving average of new daily Covid cases stood at 68,767 after Sunday – a level not seen since the highest peak in late July, according to CNN’s analysis of data by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Over the last seven days, the United States added 481,372 new cases – the most the nation has added in a single week, according to JHU.

The period includes the two highest recorded single days for new cases, Friday and Saturday, which both eclipsed 80,000.

Sunday’s number was lower – 60,789 – but represents the highest reported number for a Sunday since July 22. New case totals are routinely lower on Sundays and Mondays, reflecting slower reporting on weekends.

China has rolled out mass coronavirus testing for nearly 5 million people and imposed lockdown measures in the prefecture of Kashgar in the far western region of Xinjiang, after a single asymptomatic coronavirus case was reported on Saturday.

The testing drive has so far identified 137 additional cases – and all are asymptomatic, according to Xinjiang’s regional health commission. This is the highest daily number of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases reported in China in nearly seven months.

As of Sunday afternoon, some 2.8 million people have been tested. The government expects to finish testing all of Kashgar’s 4.7 million population by Tuesday.

The outbreak is Xinjiang’s second since China’s initial wave of coronavirus infections was brought under control in March.

Read the full story here.

A view of a quiet street in Cardiff, Wales, on Sunday, October 25.

Like the groundhog that peeks out and then retreats until winter is over, Wales has been forced back underground by the shadow of the coronavirus.

Friday nights are usually heady and vibrant in the Welsh capital; its people are famous for being fiercely proud and incredibly hospitable.

Cardiff, then, is a good place to welcome the weekend.

At least, it was, until Friday, October 23, when Wales rolled back the clock to March 2020 to start a second national lockdown.

Read the full story here.

Israel is set to reopen schools for grades 1-4 next week as coronavirus numbers across the country continue to fall. Classes will open under restrictions to prevent the resurgence of coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, including learning in limited “capsules,” with classes held on alternate days.

Health experts say the reopening of the school system after the first lockdown was one of the key factors in the rapid rise in cases over the summer.

Further discussions, focusing on the reopening of more businesses and transportation, are expected to take place Monday.

Israel recorded 559 new coronavirus cases Sunday and a positivity rate of 2.7%, dramatic improvements from the record 9,000 cases in one day less than a month ago.

But Netanyahu warned the public not to be complacent and threatened increased enforcement against anyone who violates the Ministry of Health restrictions.

“I believe that the fines must be increased and that determined action must be taken against whoever violates the directives, whether at weddings, institutions or events, or any other place that causes mass infection,” he said.

Medical staff members speak to a patient infected with Covid-19 in the infectious diseases unit of the Gonesse hospital in Gonesse, north of Paris, on October 22.

France may have an estimated 100,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to Jean-François Delfraissy, who leads the scientific council that advises the French government. 

Speaking to France’s RTL radio on Monday morning, Delfraissy said, “There are probably over 50,000 cases per day.”

However, the scientific council estimates that the reality is around 100,000 daily cases, “because beyond diagnosed cases there are many not diagnosed and asymptomatic cases,” Delfraissy said.

He added that France is in a “very difficult, even critical, situation.”

“This second wave is probably going to be stronger than the first wave,” he said, adding that the governing council’s main objectives going forward are to protect the most vulnerable people from coronavirus and protect the economy.

On Sunday, the French Health Authority reported its highest daily increase in Covid-19 cases with 52,010 new infections. 

The most recent figures also show that of all the intensive care unit (ICU) patients, half of them are people ill with Covid-19. That proportion is even more alarming in the Paris region where 65.5% of ICU beds were occupied by Covid patients.

There are currently 2,575 people currently in ICU in France – double the number than in early October.

A ambulance crew member is seen parked outside the Novomoskovsky multipurpose medical center for patients with suspected Covid-19 infection in Moscow, on October 25.

Russia reported 17,347 new Covid-19 cases on Monday in its biggest 24-hour increase, according to the data from the country’s coronavirus response center. 

The previous daily high of 17,340 cases was reported three days ago on October 23.

The total number of reported Covid-19 infections in Russia stands at 1,531,224, with at least 26,269 deaths.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is seen during the Vienna municipal election at the Vienna City Hall on October 11.  

Austria recorded 6,396 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend, its highest figure over 48 hours, according to the latest data from the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).

The total number of reported coronavirus infections in the country stands at 84,130. 

Public health authorities say that 1,225 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19, of which 174 are in intensive care units.

At least 979 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in the country.

Last week, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced a set of new social restrictions to contain the spread of the virus, including limiting indoor gatherings to six people and a maximum of 12 people meeting together outdoors.

In September, Kurz said Austria’s ski season will go ahead but with severe restrictions. Popular apres-ski parties will be banned to curb the spread of the virus.

The latest surge of Covid-19 infections has brought the US’ seven-day average of new daily cases to heights not seen since the pandemic began.

Health experts say the resurgence of cases they have warned would strike in the fall and winter months is here and that it could be worse than the US has seen so far. Surging numbers in the US – where there have been a total of more than 8.6 million infections and 225,230 people have died – show the nation is at a “dangerous tipping point,” former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News on Sunday.

The seven-day average of new cases has been creeping closer to the previous peak of the pandemic of 67,200 cases on July 22. The past week saw a new record with an average of 68,767 new cases every day.

The two highest single days of new cases were Friday and Saturday with more than 83,000 new cases added each day.

Though cases are surging across the country, Gottlieb said things are going to start looking worse over the next two or three weeks. He said he doesn’t foresee the implementation of forceful policy intervention that could curb the spread.

“If we don’t do that, if we miss this window, this is going to continue to accelerate and it’s going to be more difficult to get under control,” he said.

Read the full story:

People wait in their cars at a newly opened mega drive-thru site at SISD Student Activities Complex on July 21, 2020 in El Paso, Texas. As coronavirus deaths surge past 4000 in Texas, overwhelmed hospitals are being forced to plan for extra refrigerated storage to hold deceased patients. (Photo by Cengiz Yar/Getty Images)

Related article US hits highest 7-day average of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began

A stunning White House claim that the US cannot control the fast-worsening pandemic is overshadowing President Donald Trump’s frantic last-ditch bid to turn around his reelection race with Democrat Joe Biden with eight days to go.

The comments by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on CNN on Sunday alarmed medical experts who argue that letting the coronavirus rage unchecked is akin to a policy of herd immunity that will cost many thousands of lives. But with daily new infections hitting record levels, Trump spent the weekend in a campaign blitz in which he openly flouted steps like masking and social distancing that could slow the spread of the disease and moaned that all the media talks about is “Covid, Covid, Covid.”

The window into the administration’s thinking came as Trump spent the weekend constructing a giant confidence trick for voters, declaring the country was “rounding the corner beautifully” in the battle against Covid-19.

Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, is refusing to accept standing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on quarantining after his chief of staff and a ‘body man’ personal assistant were among five people in his orbit to test positive in a new White House coronavirus hot spot.

The latest signs that Trump is putting his political priorities ahead of his duty of care to the American people come as the President plans a frantic week of packed rallies that flout good social distancing practice.

Read the full analysis:

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Robeson County Fairgrounds, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Lumberton, N.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Related article Analysis: White House admission on pandemic overshadows Trump's last push for reelection

Health workers conduct coronavirus testing at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, on October 23, in New Delhi.

India reported its lowest 24-hour rise in Covid-19 cases in three months, according to figures released by the country’s health ministry on Monday.

There were 45,148 new cases reported over the past 24 hours, the ministry said, bringing the nationwide total to 7,909,959 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

The last time the country reported figures in this range was on July 23, with 45,719 new cases.

Recoveries make up 90% of the total number of cases at over 7.1 million.

The number of active cases stands at 653,717, making up 8.5% of the total.

India reported 480 new deaths from the virus on Sunday, the lowest increase since July 8. The country’s death toll stands at 119,014.

DHHS Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar addresses the media on October 26, in Melbourne, Australia.

Australia’s Victoria state will ease Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday, after it reported no new cases for the first time in more than four months, state premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday.

Starting on Tuesday 11:59 p.m. local time, the city of Melbourne will move out of lockdown and residents will be allowed to leave their homes, Andrews said. However, they will not be permitted to travel more than 25 kilometers (15 miles) away from their homes. 

What can open:

What’s next: Andrews said travel limits between Melbourne other parts of Victoria could be removed on November 8 if case numbers remain low.

Read more about the situation in Victoria:

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks at the daily briefing on September 20, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Victoria has recorded 14 new coronavirus cases and five deaths in the past 24 hours, the second day in a row of daily new cases under 30 after 21 cases were recorded on Saturday. It is the lowest case numbers for Victoria since June 24 where 20 cases were reported. Metropolitan Melbourne remains under stage 4 lockdown restrictions, with people only allowed to leave home to give or receive care, shopping for food and essential items, daily exercise and work while an overnight curfew from 8pm to 5am is also in place. The majority of retail businesses are also closed. Other Victorian regions are in stage 3 lockdown. The restrictions, which came into effect from 2 August, were introduced by the Victorian government as health authorities work to reduce community COVID-19 transmissions across the state. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Related article Melbourne announces easing of restrictions after Australia's coronavirus epicenter records no new cases

The United States recorded 60,789 new Covid-19 cases and 340 new deaths on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The new deaths means the nation’s death toll has surpassed 225,000 fatalities. In total, at least 8,635,966 Covid-19 infections and 225,229 deaths have been recorded in the country.

Saturday saw 83,718 new Covid-19 cases in the US, just 39 cases shy of the all-time record that was reported Friday. 

At least 35 states reported more new Covid-19 cases in the past week than the week prior, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Amid the continuing fall surge, a former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration said on Sunday that it may be time for a national mask mandate.

In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote the mandate could be “limited and temporary.” With deaths expected to rise this winter, policymakers will have to make moves to slow the spread, Gottlieb wrote, adding that there already is no support for reinstating the stay-at-home orders from the spring.

The updated Covid-19 totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.  

CNN is tracking the US cases:

With restaurants reopening, you might think that it’s safe again to dine out. Not really.

But there are ways to make it safer.

New Yorkers like me have been grabbing quick bites across the city for months, and have even recently started dining indoors again.

It can be a scary and stressful experience, especially in a city where coronavirus killed more than 500 people a day at its peak in April. But sometimes you just crave a dinner out.

If you’re going to do it, take a New Yorker’s advice. Here are nine tips to help keep you safe:

Read the full story:

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 23: People dine at Tony's Di Napoli's outdoor seating in Times Square as part of Restaurant Week as the city continues the re-opening efforts following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on October 23, 2020 in New York City. The pandemic continues to burden restaurants and bars as businesses struggle to thrive with evolving government restrictions and social distancing plans which impact keeping businesses open yet challenge profitability. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Related article A New Yorker's guide to dining out safely during the pandemic

Australia’s Victoria state reported no new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a tweet on Monday.

This is the first time since June 8 that Victoria has reported no new coronavirus infections, statistics from the DHHS have shown. 

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Victoria is now 20,343, and the total death toll is 817.

On Sunday, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced the easing of restrictions for some parts of the state. Starting Tuesday, indoor gyms and pools will be allowed to open for up to 20 people, while school graduations can be held on campuses, he said.

Andrews also urged residents to continue to stay vigilant. “We are so close – so close –  to beating this thing,” he said. “I’m asking each of you: keep going.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement that the country has agreed to open its state borders by Christmas, and congratulated Victoria for the drop in Covid-19 cases.

More than 4.7 million people are being tested for the coronavirus in China’s Xinjiang province after an asymptomatic case was reported in Kashgar city, the Xinjiang health commission said in a statement on Saturday.

The mass testing program identified 137 more Covid-19 cases as of Sunday afternoon – all of which were asymptomatic, the statement said.

This brings the total number of cases reported in Xinjiang over the weekend to 138.

As of 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, 2.8 million people had been tested in Kashgar. The mass testing is expected to be completed by Tuesday.

The first asymptomatic case involved a 17-year-old girl who lives in a village in Kashgar. She does not have a fever or cough, and all the other cases identified so far are connected to the factory where the girl’s parents work, according to Xinjiang health officials.

All transport in and out of the city is running as usual, and visitors who wish to leave the area will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test result from the past seven days, the statement said.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday that the US is “not going to control” the coronavirus pandemic, as cases surge across the country and more than 225,000 Americans have died from the virus.

The comments from President Donald Trump’s chief of staff come as coronavirus cases surge across the US and the administration continues to consistently disregard advice from government health experts to wear masks, social distance and avoid large gatherings as a way to curb the spread of the virus. The White House is also facing a potential second outbreak of the virus after at least five people in Pence’s inner circle have tested positive in recent days, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Pressed by Tapper on why the US isn’t going to get the pandemic under control, Meadows said: “Because it is a contagious virus just like the flu.” He added that the Trump administration is “making efforts to contain it.”

The US reported its second-highest day of new cases on Saturday, with nearly 84,000 Americans contracting the deadly virus. As of Sunday, there were at least 8.6 million total cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 225,200 Americans have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Read the full story:

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 12: Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff, tells the media he wont speak through his mask after being asked to put it on, during a break in the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Monday, October 12, 2020. The hearing was being held in Hart Senate Office Building. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Related article White House chief of staff: 'We are not going to control the pandemic'

As the US reports its second-highest day of new Covid-19 cases amid the continuing fall surge, a former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration says it may be time for a national mask mandate.

In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote the mandate could be “limited and temporary.”

With deaths expected to rise this winter, policymakers will have to make moves to slow the spread, Gottlieb wrote. There already is no support for reinstating the stay-at-home orders from the spring.

If 95% of Americans wore masks in public, more than 100,000 lives could be saved in the United States through February, according to data released Friday by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

“If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Friday.

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Salt Lake County Health Department public health nurses look on during coronavirus testing outside the Salt Lake County Health Department Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Rick Bowmer/AP)

Related article US reports second highest day of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began

France recorded 52,010 cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours on Sunday, according to the French Health Authority – its highest daily increase.

Sunday is the fourth consecutive day that France has reported its highest daily caseload.

The country’s positivity rate is now at 17%, according to the health ministry. That’s more than double the positivity rate of the United States.

As of Saturday, almost half of all beds in intensive care units (ICU) were occupied by Covid-19 patients. In the Paris region, that occupancy rate rose to 64%.

Also from Saturday, 54 of France’s 101 administrative areas are now under a nighttime curfew that requires people to be indoors from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The curfew, which affects 46 million people, is in effect until early December.  

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will ask parliamentary groups to support extending a new state of emergency announced Sunday until May 9 in an effort to curb soaring coronavirus infections.

Under the new state of emergency, there will be a curfew for all regions, except the Canary Islands, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time that will go into effect Sunday night. Local authorities would be able adjust the start and end times by an hour. 

Local authorities will also be able to restrict travel between regions and limit public gatherings to six people, Sanchez said. 

“The reality is that Europe and Spain are fully immersed in the second wave of the pandemic,” he said. “The situation we live in is extreme.”

Spain has one of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases in the world, with 1,046,132 cases and 34,752 deaths as of Sunday, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. 

Coronavirus cases in Italy rose by 21,273 on Sunday, according to Health Ministry figures, a new daily high for the country since the start of the pandemic.

A total of more than 525,000 cases have now been confirmed in the country.

On Sunday, a further 128 people died from the virus, bringing Italy’s total death toll to 37,338.

There are now 1,208 people with Covid-19 in Italy’s intensive care units.

The new figures come as Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte acknowledged during a news conference announcing new restrictions that the “epidemic curve is rapidly increasing” in Italy.

But Conte said he wanted to avoid a nationwide lockdown like the one he imposed in March, because “the country could not afford it.”

Italy imposes new measures: New coronavirus restrictions are set to come into force in Italy on Monday.

Unlike the country’s national lockdown in March, not all economic and production activities are obliged to close under the new decree.

The main restrictions concern bars and restaurants and other food services. They must close at 6 p.m. local time and have no more than four customers per table. Gyms, swimming pools, theaters, cinemas, concert halls, bingo halls, casinos and beauty centers all must close.

Kindergartens and primary schools will stay open but to avoid overcrowded public transport, high schools must hold 75% of lessons remotely.