Japan expands state of emergency as COVID-19 surge shadows Olympics

TOKYO: Japan said on Friday it will expand states of emergency to three prefectures near Olympic host Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, as COVID-19 cases spike in the capital and around the country, overshadowing the Summer Games.

Tokyo, already under its fourth state of emergency since the pandemic began, announced 3,300 new daily cases, after a record 3,865 on Thursday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a news conference the virus is spreading at an unprecedented speed largely because of Delta variant, adding he is worried the country’s hospital beds could become stretched.

“With a heavy heart, I want to ask everyone: until we see the impact of more vaccinations, I want you all to stay vigilant and implement infection prevention measures to the full,” he said, calling on people to watch the Olympics on TV at home.

Already, 64% of Tokyo’s hospital beds available for serious COVID-19 cases are filled as of mid-week.

The new emergency measures will be in effect from Aug. 2-Aug. 31, while existing states of emergency for Tokyo and southern Okinawa island will be extended to Aug. 31, covering 37% of the country’s population.

Together with another five prefectures which Suga declared as coming under ‘quasi-emergency’, more than a half of the country now lives under some restrictions.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said the country had entered a new “extremely frightening” stage as cases are spiking even though the movement of people was not increasing.

Japan has imposed a series of “state of emergency” declarations, but the orders are mostly voluntary, unlike other countries which impose strict lockdowns.

Yet many people have grown weary of stay-home requests, with some bars refusing to adhere to service restrictions.

The surge in COVID-19 cases is bad news for Suga, whose support rates are already at their lowest since he took office last September and who faces a ruling party leadership race and general election later this year.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is spearheading Japan’s COVID-19 response, repeated that all those who want to get vaccinated should be able to do so by October or November.

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Security camera video shows moment two-storey house collapses into sea

A house fell into the sea in Argentina’s Mar del Tuyu in the Buenos Aires province on Wednesday, with rising sea levels blamed for increased erosion in the area, the terrifying moment caught on camera is now viral on social media platforms. 

The video starts with waves violently crashing into the foundation of the two-storey property before its foundation gives away.

After teetering on the edge for some time, a house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has finally collapsed into the sea.

Watch more videos from Sky News: https://t.co/3ZESAqWhX3 pic.twitter.com/8cZE8LKe8S

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 30, 2021

According to local reports, no injuries were reported as owners of the property were not inside when the incident took place.

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Thousands displaced as floods hit Bangladesh Rohingya camps

Heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods in refugees camps displacing thousands of Rohingya Muslims in southeastern Bangladesh this week, U.N. and other officials said on Friday, with further heavy rainfall expected.

At least six Rohingya, including three children, died in landslides and flooding while 15 Bangladeshis were killed and more than 200,000 stranded by flooding in Cox’s Bazar, said Mamunur Rashid, the district administrator.

Nearly one million Rohingya live in crowded camps in the border district of Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, after fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.

The refugees mostly live in shacks made of bamboo and plastic sheets that cling to steep, bare hills. TV footage showed flooded homes and muddy water cascading down steps and hillsides. Children played in chest-high waters.

“This is like a nightmare,” said Rohingya Rokeya Begum. “I have never seen such flooding in the camps in four years. When the water came, there was nobody from my family at home to help. I was alone but I could take my belongings to a safer place. Now I am staying with another family.”

The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said more than 21,000 refugees had been “affected” by the flooding while nearly 4,000 shelters had been damaged or destroyed.

It said more than 13,000 were forced to relocate in the camps, while thousands of facilities were damaged, including health clinics and toilets. Access has been hindered due to damage to roads, pathways and bridges.

And the flooding is likely to get worse.

“Heavy rainfall is expected during the next few days, and as such, challenges are likely to increase,” said Manuel Marques Pereira, Deputy Chief of Mission in Bangladesh for the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.

Refugees, many of them still recovering from massive fires that tore through the camps in March, said landslides and floods left homes “totally covered with mud”.

“Somehow my family members could evacuate,” said Abu Siddique, who lives in the Balukhali refugee camp. “The mud that came down from the hill entered my home… All of our belongings inside are covered in mud.”

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Inter-provincial transport to remain open amid Covid lockdown: Sindh govt

KARACHI: The Sindh government has issued a revised notification regarding the inter-provincial transport that will remain open amid COVID-19 lockdown, ARY News reported on Friday night.

The Sindh home department in its revised notification about COVID-19 lockdown stated that inter-provincial transport will remain open in the province, however, inter-city transport will be closed to restrict the public movement to curb the spread of the virus.

Moreover, the home department announced that the last papers of the Cambridge school system will be held on August 2 according to its schedule. It added that Cambridge students and concerned staff for conducting the examinations will be exempted from the COVID-19 restrictions.

READ: SINDH NOTIFIES COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

However, the home department asked those being exempted from the travel restrictions to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Earlier in the day, the Sindh government had announced to impose a complete ban on intra-city, inter-city and inter-provincial public and private transport as well as the gathering of people for any purpose, including social, religious, sports, entertainment, and recreation, for a period of nine days from July 31 till Aug 8.

The lockdown was imposed after an abnormal surge in COVID-19 cases, especially in Karachi.

READ: SINDH REPORTS 2,862 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 24 DEATHS

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah during a meeting of the COVID task force that was specially attended by opposition leaders and traders. “Lockdown would remain in place in the province from July 31 to August 08,” Murad Ali Shah said.

Later addressing a press conference, CM Murad clarified that it was not a complete lockdown where we shut down everything barring no exception however, this time we are making a number of exceptions whose list we will share.

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Video: Man loses temper after police fine for riding bike with ‘Wazir-i-Azam’ number plate

LAHORE: A man was fined for riding a motorcycle bearing a number plate with “Wazir-i-Azam” inscribed on it in Mandi Bahauddin.

According to details, the traffic police imposed a fine of Rs200 on a citizen named Tauseef Raza for riding a bike with an illegal number plate with “Wazir-i-Azam” (Prime Minister) inscribed on it.

He lost his temper after the police fined him and said he bought the bike with the “Wazir-i-Azam” number plate two years back.

“No one dared intercept and fine me. How did they dare fine me after two years,” the citizen erupted.

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Deadly wildfires in Turkey: PM says Pakistan stands ready to offer any help

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan stands ready to offer any help that the Turkish government and people may need at a difficult time, ARY News reported on Friday.

In a Twitter message, PM Imran Khan said, “We stand with the govt & people of Turkey & share in their sorrow at the tragic loss of life in the wildfires tragedy. Pakistan stands ready to offer any help that the Turkish govt & people may need at this difficult time.”

We stand with the govt & people of Turkey & share in their sorrow at the tragic loss of life in the wildfires tragedy. Pakistan stands ready to offer any help that the Turkish govt & people may need at this difficult time. https://t.co/cb30nZiZjo

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 30, 2021

Blazes that erupted Wednesday to the east of tourist hotspot Antalya on Turkey’s scenic southern shores have officially killed four people and injured nearly 200, according to the reports.

Turkish firefighters made progress Friday containing deadly wildfires that forced the evacuation of entire villages and Mediterranean coast hotels already reeling from the shock of the coronavirus pandemic.

But they have also threatened to scare off tourists who had only just started to return to Turkey in what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hoped would be a boon for the developing country’s fragile economy.

The soaring flames turned summer skies blood orange over luxury hotels and villages dotting rolling hills that have been parched by another dry summer.

The government said 57 of the 71 fires had been contained or entirely put out by Friday.

Turkey’s regional allies Ukraine and Azerbaijan also announced they were sending planes and other help.

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DRAP cancels registration of conventional syringes

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has cancelled the registration of conventional syringes as now only single-use syringes will be available across the country, ARY News reported on Friday.

The authority said that the non-availability of conventional needles and syringes will stop its usage more than once. It added that auto-disable (single-use and disposable) syringes will now be available across the country.

The restrictions on conventional syringes were taken into effect to stop the spread of novel coronavirus and HIV/Aids.  The authority detailed that its medical device section cancelled the registration of 24 products of 21 firms.

READ: PAKISTAN IMPOSES BLANKET BAN ON REUSABLE SYRINGES

The drug regulatory authority had also started bringing reforms and introduced an online application management system named Pakistan Integrated Regulatory Information Management.

Moreover, the authority had also issued letters to Pharma Bureau, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) and regional officers to use the online system.

In March, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan had said that the government is promoting the use of auto-destruct syringes to curb blood-borne infections.

READ: TWO HEALTH OFFICERS SUSPENDED AFTER USED SYRINGES FOUND AT SCRAP SHOP

Taking to Twitter, he had pointed out that many blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV spread through the reuse of disposable syringes. “We are therefore transitioning to auto-destruct syringes,” he announced.

Dr Faisal Sultan had said the government has waived duties on the import of auto-destruct or auto-disposable syringes, including raw material required to produce these locally, to facilitate the transition process.

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