Britain imposed a tougher lockdown in parts of northern England after a rise in the rate of novel coronavirus transmission, while Hong Kong announced elections for its legislature will be postponed due to a spike in cases. Here’s what’s happening in Canada and the rest of the world on Friday.
The latest:
- U.K. cancels plans to ease lockdown, imposes more restrictions in parts of northern England.
- Vietnam reports second COVID-19 death following Danang outbreak.
- Impacts of pandemic will be ‘felt for decades to come,’ WHO chief says.
- Ottawa poised to extend commercial rent relief into August.
- Canada’s economy rebounds, but is still below where it was before COVID-19.
- Federal contact-tracing app made available today to residents of Ontario.
- Hong Kong postpones elections due to outbreak, leader says.
- U.S. coronavirus relief benefit runs out today.
- Toronto, Peel Region enter Stage 3 of pandemic recovery plan.
- Trump can’t delay the election, but might avoid running instead.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson put some planned measures to ease the U.K.’s lockdown on hold Friday, just hours before they were due to take effect, saying the number of new coronavirus cases in the country is on the rise for the first time since May.
Johnson said at a news conference that statistics show the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community is likely increasing, with an estimated 4,900 new infections every day, up from 2,000 a day at the end of June.
“We just can’t afford to ignore this evidence,” he said. “With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze [the] brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control.”
He called off plans to allow venues, including casinos, bowling alleys and skating rinks, to open from Saturday, Aug. 1. Wedding receptions were also put on hold, along with plans to allow limited numbers of fans back into sports stadiums and audiences into theaters.
The decision came shortly after Britain imposed a tougher lockdown in swathes of northern England. Roughly four million people were ordered not to mix with other households in Greater Manchester, the biggest city in northern England, as well as parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire
WATCH | British prime minister postpones next stage of lockdown lifting in U.K.:
Saying he is willing to go even further if coronavirus infection rates in the U.K. do not improve, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed the next stage of lockdown easings. 2:30
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone highly anticipated legislative elections by one year, citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese region.
The Hong Kong government is invoking an emergency ordinance in delaying the elections. Lam said the government has the support of the Chinese government in making the decision to hold the elections on Sept. 5, 2021.
The postponement is a setback for the opposition, which was hoping to win a historic majority in the Legislative Council, where only half the seats are directly elected and the other half stacked with pro-Beijing figures.
On the international stage, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the global outbreak is the sort of disaster whose effects will last far into the future, as most of the world’s population remains vulnerable to infection.
“Early results from serology [antibody] studies are painting a consistent picture: most of the world’s people remain susceptible to this virus, even in areas that have experienced severe outbreaks,” Tedros told a meeting of WHO’s emergency committee.
“Many countries that believed they were past the worst are now grappling with new outbreaks. Some that were less affected in the earliest weeks are now seeing escalating numbers of cases and deaths.”
In the United States, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said talks with the White House on a new coronavirus aid bill were not yet on a path toward reaching a deal Friday, hours before the expiration of a federal unemployment benefit that has been an essential