Headlines
• Indonesia and Bangladesh go into new lockdowns
• 10% rise in EU cases last week after 10-week decline
• 1 million in the UK report long Covid symptoms
• Australia has fully vaccinated 8% of its adult population
• UK employers to contribute 10% of furlough salaries from today
World news
• New cases in the WHO’s 53 -country European region rose 10% last week after falling for 10 straight weeks .
• ONS figures in the UK suggest that nearly 1 million people have suffered from long Covid, and that 634,000 people report it adversely affecting their day -to - day activities .
• Indonesia has announced a lockdown on its main island Java, as well as the tourism destination of Bali. Under the new rules, all staff working for non - essential businesses will have to work from home, and distance learning will be implemented across schools. Shopping centres, places of worship and public leisure facilities like parks will also be shut, with dining -in banned.
• Covid is common in pet cats and dogs whose owners have the disease, research suggests. Swabs were taken from 310 pets in 196 households where a human infection had been detected. Six cats and seven dogs returned a positive PCR result, while 54 animals tested positive for virus antibodies.
• The government’s furlough scheme is being wound down today. Staff will continue to receive 80% of their wages but now 70% will be from the government and 10% from employers.
• Austria has relaxed a series of measures, reopening discos and clubs and ending curfews. However, the capital Vienna is tightening some measures, requiring anyone over six years of age to have a negative test, for entering restaurants and other leisure activities .
• Finland says the majority of its latest 355 infections came from people returning from the Euro 2020 tournament in St Petersburg .
• The EU’s digital Covid certificate launches today across all 27 member states , as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The certificate comes in the form of a QR code and shows whether travellers have had an approved vaccine, a recent negative test or have recovered from Covid.
• India has said it will not recognise the EU vaccine pass for travellers unless the 27 -member bloc does the same for India's own vaccine certificate .
• The Cardiff Half Marathon has been postponed for a third time because of uncertainty over social distancing rules in Wales .
• Thailand has allowed approximately 250 travellers, mainly from the Middle East, under its the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme. None of the arrivals need to quarantine, but they cannot travel to the mainland within 14 days.
• Malta will accept proof of full vaccination from UK travellers in the form of digital passes including the NHS app or the vaccination certificate in digital form, the country's Ministry for Health says.
• In Australia , approximately 30% of adults over 16 have had a single dose and just 8%, are fully vaccinated.
• Romania has asked AstraZeneca to extend the shelf life of some 43,000 vaccines that expired on 30 June, as the country has been unable to administer them in time due to the low take -up.
