Asia's Surge in Infections; Olympics Village Case: Virus Update

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo urged his ministers to show a "sense of crisis" as the country overtakes Brazil in daily cases to become the worst in the world. Thailand banned gatherings nationwide and may implement further restrictions as daily infections and deaths surge to records.

The Tokyo Olympics registered its first case at the athletes' village, less than a week before the opening ceremony. Prefectures surrounding Tokyo expanded an advisory limiting restaurant openings, alcohol sales and spectator numbers. Sydney authorities tightened lockdown measures to contain the delta variant, while Singapore is temporarily closing hundreds of nightlife venues. An exception to the trend is Taiwan, where cases have been falling.

In Europe, a Covid-19 vaccine will help get you into a bar in Athens. In Prague, it might win you an iPhone. But in some places, you'll need it to keep your job. As governments across Europe push to get everyday life back to normal, the carrot-and-stick approach to inoculations is shifting more to the latter.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases top 189 million; deaths pass 4.07 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 3.57 billion doses administered
• Covid's daily U.S. death toll tops guns, cars and flu combined
• MRNA vaccine access carves up world into haves and have-nots
• A tour of the City of London says reopening will be no Big Bang

Taiwan Eyes Easing Lockdown (4:12 p.m. HK)

Taiwan's top health official indicated he is likely to lift soft-lockdown measures later this month, giving a boost to sectors struggling to stay afloat amid widespread Covid-19 restrictions.

The rapidly falling number of new daily cases means the government is unlikely to extend measures aimed at halting the spread of Taiwan's worst Covid outbreak once they end on July 26, health minister Chen Shih-chung said at a briefing in Taipei. The Centers for Disease Control reported just eight new local infections Saturday, the first single-digit total since May 11.

Malaysia Posts More Than 12,000 New Cases (4:11 p.m. HK)

Malaysia added 12,528 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to the health ministry, a day after the government decided not to extend tightened movement restrictions in the country's most industrialized state Selangor.

Selangor accounted for the majority of cases, with 4,985 new infections, followed by capital city Kuala Lumpur at 1,740. Malaysia is struggling to curb new cases, which surpassed a record 13,000 for the first time on Thursday.

The country plans to ease restrictions for individuals who have been fully inoculated and may allow companies to be fully operational if their workers receive both doses of vaccine. Almost 13% of the population have been fully vaccinated, and the government aims to boost that to 60% by end-September through an accelerated vaccine roll-out.

L.A.'s Mask Order Gets Push Back (4:10 p.m. HK)

Two Los Angeles officials are pushing back on the county health department's plans to impose the use of masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The sheriff said the order, set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, isn't "backed by science" and contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, while a county board supervisor said departing from the state of California's policies creates confusion at the local level.

"I am concerned by rising cases, but I don't believe the mask mandate will help efforts to stress vaccine efficacy and compel unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated," said Kathryn Barger, one of the county's supervisors, adding that Los Angeles should "remain aligned" with state policies.

Jokowi Urges 'Sense of Crisis' in World Hotspot (1:44 p.m. HK)

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo urged for a "sense of crisis" among his ministers as the country overtakes Brazil in daily coronavirus cases to become the worst in the world.

Jokowi, as the president is known, called off a paid vaccination plan and told state officials not to travel overseas after a wide public backlash, urging them to exercise "social sensitivity," Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said

Only the foreign minister and those given special permission by the president can travel internationally, he added. "The president has emphasized that in this period of emergency curbs, surely there must be a sense of crisis throughout all ministries, institutions and leaders," Anung said.

Thailand Bans Gatherings Amid Record Cases (1:25 p.m. HK)

Thailand banned gatherings nationwide and may implement further restrictions as the country saw daily coronavirus cases and deaths surge to fresh records.

The Southeast Asian nation reported 10,082 new infections on Saturday, exceeding 10,000 for the first time, despite the imposition of lockdown-like restrictions since Monday. There were 141 deaths, data from the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration show.

Olympics Athletes' Village Finds First Case (1:40 pm. HK)

The Tokyo Olympics has registered its first coronavirus case at the athletes' village, less than a week before the opening ceremony.

A foreign personnel member tested positive for Covid-19 and is in quarantine, a document from organizers showed on Saturday. The person isn't an athlete. So far there have been 45 positive cases tied to the Tokyo Games, but this is the first to come from within the Olympic Village. The infections underscore the challenge for organizers who have pledged to provide a safe Olympics.

Prefectures surrounding Tokyo expanded an advisory limiting restaurant openings, alcohol sales and spectator numbers.

Sydney Tightens Virus Restrictions (1:35 p.m. HK)

Lockdown measures across Sydney are being tightened as authorities struggle to contain the delta variant of the coronavirus, with tougher rules applied to retail trading and some emerging local hotspots now subject to extra movement restrictions.

The government ordered non-critical retail outlets to shutter from midnight, while construction work must cease until July 30, when the current lockdown order is due to end. The state recorded 111 new cases on Saturday, including 29 that were infectious in the community despite being told to stay at home, bringing the total cases in the current outbreak to well over 1,000. Supermarkets, pharmacists and banks are allowed to remain open.

Singapore to Donate Vaccines Via Covax (1:15 p.m. HK)

Singapore will donate excess Covid-19 vaccines under the Covax initiative as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged countries with advanced inoculation programs to do the same. Lee didn't specify when the donations will be made or the amount of doses it will share. He was speaking at an online gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders on Friday.

The city-state said Friday it will temporarily close hundreds of nightlife venues and re-enforce stricter measures for dining-in days after relaxing them, amid a surge in daily cases linked to a karaoke cluster. The country will impose different restrictions on the population based on their vaccination status.

U.K. Tightens Rules for Travelers From France (7:02 a.m. HK)

The U.K. government reimposed quarantine rules on travelers returning to England from France because of concern at the number of Covid-19 infections there, drawing immediate anger from tourism bodies and airlines.

From Monday, anyone arriving from across the Channel will have to isolate at home for up to 10 days and complete two coronavirus tests even if they have two vaccinations, the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement Friday.

U.S. Cases Soar to Almost Triple Recent Levels (7:26 a.m. HK)

The U.S. is headed for its worst day of new infections since mid-April, almost tripling from the day before. By early evening U.S. Eastern Time, more than 74,000 new cases were reported, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. That compares with 27,956 new infections on Thursday, and a daily average from the previous seven days of 26,262.

New U.S. cases have been rapidly rising as the delta variant has spread in pockets of the U.S. with lower rates of vaccinations. Florida cases almost doubled in the week ending July 15, with 45,604 new cases compared to 23,697 in the previous week, state data show. The state accounts for 1 in 5 new cases in U.S., the White House said Friday.