European nations have ratcheted up restrictions on daily life to tackle soaring infections, with a 44% increase in cases this week. Europe passed the milestone of 250,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday as Israel and Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne began to gradually ease their strict lockdowns. European nations have ratcheted up restrictions on daily life to tackle soaring infections, with a 44% increase in cases this week. But Israel has managed to flatten its outbreak through draconian measures including a ban on travelling more than a kilometre from home. South Africa accounts for around 43% of the virus cases on the African continent.

Source: The Hindu October 18, 2020 22:52 UTC