COVID-19

Donald Trump vows not to order Americans to wear masks

His comments came after the country's top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, urged state and local leaders to be "as forceful as possible" in getting people to wear masks.

Wearing face coverings, Dr Fauci added, is "really important" and "we should be using them, everyone".

The wearing of face coverings has become highly politicised in the US.

Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan taken to hospital with COVID-19

The Indian actress, a former Miss World and one of Bollywood's most famous faces, is being treated at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital, ANI agency reports.

Her daughter Aaradhya has also been taken to hospital, PTI agency reports.

Aishwarya's husband Abhishek and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, both also famous actors, have been in hospital since Saturday with the virus.

On Sunday, 77-year-old Amitabh Bachchan - a Bollywood superstar who has achieved global fame during his long and illustrious career so far - tweeted that he had tested positive for the virus.

Nauru President reiterates WHO head's warning that COVID-19 is ‘public enemy number one’

Nauru is one of only 12 countries in the world that has not yet reported COVID-19 cases – ten of those are Pacific island countries and five are all the Micronesian countries – including Nauru.

In his weekly update, the president said it is very important we understand and remember the magnitude of this virus and the tremendous efforts that the Nauru government as well as governments of other Micronesian countries have taken to respond to COVID-19 and protect our borders.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern outlines what's next in COVID-19 response

Jacinda Ardern has laid out Cabinet's plan this morning for if Covid-19 manages to slip through the border and break out in the community.

Speaking at Parliament, she said if community cases emerged, the government would impose restrictions locally or regionally in the first instance, rather than nationwide.

"Our priority will be to control any cases with the least intrusive measures, and over the smallest area we can," she said.

Warriors players may have extended stay in Australia

The players gave the National Rugby League until July 19th to get exemptions from Australian government agencies for their families to join them in New South Wales.

If the NRL fail to get the exemptions - the club says it will allow the four players considering leaving to head home on Monday after Sunday's game against the Sharks.

However, RNZ understands there are no available flights until July 27th and players will have to stay and play against the Roosters on July 25th before they can get out of Australia.

WHO reports record global rise in COVID-19 cases

The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report on Sunday.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 228,102 on July 10.

Deaths remained steady at about 5000 a day.

Global coronavirus cases were approaching 13 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, marking another milestone in the spread of the disease that has killed more than 565,000 people in seven months.

Tahiti tourists to self-test for Covid-19

To boost tourism, quarantine obligations will be lifted in the middle of next week.

Flights between Tahiti and Paris restarted a week ago, and from 15 July Air Tahiti Nui will also resume its return flighs to Los Angeles

However, anyone bound for Tahiti has to undergo a Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure, register with the authorities and self-test four days after arrival.

The authorities said the self-test kit was widely used in the US and in German schools.

It is not immediately clear what happens for those disregarding the rules.

Three new cases in managed isolation in New Zealand today

The first case is a woman in her 20s who arrived in New Zealand on 3 July from India. She has been staying in isolation at the Stamford Plaza in Auckland.

The second is a man in his 30s who arrived in New Zealand on 4 July from Italy and who is at the Commodore Hotel in Christchurch. The third is a man in his 20s who arrived in New Zealand on 3 July from India, and has also been at the Stamford Plaza.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said it had now been 69 days since the last case of Covid-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source.

Fiji officials call for kindness towards repatriated

The acting permanent secretary for health, James Fong, and the head of health protection, Aalisha Sahu Khan, said Fiji must be ready to welcome back people who have been stuck overseas for months.

"We urge you, please have some compassion for our returning citizens. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if it was your parents," Dr Sahu khan said.

The FBC reported Dr Fong saying Fijians could not lose sight of their humanity.

As long as the country welcomed back its own citizens from nations with large scale outbreaks, there would be cases at the border, he said.

Coronavirus costly for European teams

The analysis by the European Club Association also warned that the biggest losses would be felt next season, even if it is played in full.

European football was brought to a near standstill in March and, although many leagues restarted last month, most had to do so without spectators. This was a particular blow in smaller leagues where clubs are more dependent on gate receipts for their income.