The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported the single-biggest daily jump in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 183,020 in 24 hours. The Americas were the source of the biggest increase in infections, report CNN and Al Jazeera.
The last record was set on June 18, when WHO reported 181,232 new cases of the virus worldwide.
WHO reported a worldwide case total of 8,708,008 on Sunday, while Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center reported 8,970,977 cases worldwide on Monday. The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 9 million people worldwide and killed at least 468,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US recorded more than 25,000 new cases on Sunday. Some states continue to see daily highs in new cases. In the South, officials say more young people are testing positive.
Latin America cases surpass 2 million: Brazil, Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia are the five countries with the highest number of cases. In Brazil, more than 7,000 people died of coronavirus in the past seven days. Beijing says it can test up to a million people per day: The Chinese capital has ramped up testing in an attempt to contain the spread of its new outbreak.
Bulgaria makes face masks compulsory again. Bulgaria has ordered residents to wear protective face masks again at all indoor public places after the Balkan country recorded its highest weekly rise in novel coronavirus cases.
The order, issued by Health Minister Kiril Ananiev, came 10 days after his move to make the wearing of masks indoors "highly recommended" but not mandatory, apart from on public transport, in pharmacies and medical establishments.
"The only purpose for doing this is to preserve the health and life of Bulgarian citizens," Ananiev said, adding that people should wear masks at shops, sports events, cinemas and theatres. Staying 1.5 metres apart from other people is also compulsory.
Bulgaria, which has registered 3,905 cases and 199 deaths from the coronavirus, recorded 606 new COVID-19 cases last week, the country's highest weekly rise.
Kazakhstan to lock down city at weekend
Kazakhstan will impose a two-day lockdown in the northern city of Kostanay and four nearby towns next weekend after a jump in fresh COVID-19 cases, local newspaper Kostanayskiye Novosti reported.
Residents of Kostanay and the four towns, including mining hubs Rudny and Lisakovsk, will be barred from leaving their houses except for work or urgent necessities on June 27-28, the newspaper reported, citing local authorities.
The move continues a trend towards weekend restrictions in the oil-rich nation of 19 million which has seen the number of COVID-19 cases more than quintuple to about 28,000 since lifting a nationwide lockdown in mid-May.
Kazakhstan temporarily closed shopping malls, markets, parks and public transit in major cities last weekend to curb the spread of the virus while minimising the impact on the economy and shutting public areas on the days when they usually see the biggest crowds.
Coronavirus cases in the Balkans region
North Macedonia's Institute of Public Health announced 101 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. Five people died, and the number of active cases is 2,942.
In Serbia, 91 people tested positive for COVID-19, with one death reported, bringing the total death toll to 261.
Three new COVID-19 cases were registered in Montenegro, bringing the total number of coronavirus active cases to 38 in the country.
Pakistan one of countries hardest hit by Covid
Pakistan continues to register in the top 10 countries by daily coronavirus case increases, with 4,471 new cases on Sunday taking the country's tally to 181,088 cases since its outbreak began in late February, according to government data. At least 89 people died in the South Asian country on Sunday, taking its death toll to 3,661.
Over the weekend, Pakistan resumed service for limited commercial international flights into and out of the country, the first time such flights have been allowed since March 21. Domestic commercial flight operations resumed on May 16.
Cases continue to spread across the country, with testing continuing at around the 30,000 tests a day mark, well below the 50,000 recommended by the World Health Organization in a letter to the Pakistani government earlier this month.
Pakistan has adopted a "smart lockdown" approach to containing the virus, opting to lock down infection hot spots, rather than entire cities. On Monday, however, local newspaper Dawn quoted officials in northern city of Rawalpindi - home to two million people, a medium-sized city by Pakistani standards - saying that they did not have enough police personnel to enforce the lockdowns in all identified hotspots, raising fears that the new approach may not be effective.
Indonesia's death toll reaches 2500
Indonesia reported 954 new coronavirus infections, taking its total number of cases to 46,845.
Health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said there were 35 more deaths reported, with total fatalities now at 2,500, the highest coronavirus death toll in East Asia outside of China.
Russia reports 7,600 new coronavirus infections
Russia has reported 7,600 new cases of the coronavirus, pushing its nationwide case total to 592,280, the world's third largest tally.
The coronavirus taskforce response said 95 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 8,206.
Fears of SK losing control over second virus wave
The mayor of South Korea's capital fears the country is losing control over a virus resurgence and said Seoul will reimpose stronger social-distancing measures if the daily jump in infections does not come below an average of 30 over the next three days.
"If Seoul gets penetrated (by the virus), the entire Republic of Korea gets penetrated," Park Won-soon said in a televised briefing.
He also lamented what he described as complacency of citizens in social distancing, citing an increase in public transportation usage that he says has been approaching last year's levels in recent weeks.
Citing research by health experts, Park said the country could be possibly reporting as much as 800 new cases a day a month from now if it fails to stem current trends in transmissions. He said the basic reproduction number of virus carriers, which measures the number of infections caused by an individual, has reached nearly 1.8 for the period between April 30 and June 11. Any number above 1 indicates a growing epidemic.
Abu Dhabi eases movement restrictions within emirate
Abu Dhabi has eased restrictions to allow movement between its cities for all residents starting on Tuesday but extended restrictions on entry into the emirate by non-residents, its media office said.
Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest member of the United Arab Emirates, extended a ban on entering the emirate without a permit for another week, the media office said in a tweet, while allowing residents to exit the emirate freely.
