Coronavirus live news: Lebanon sees record cases after blast; New Zealand’s biggest city heads into lockdown | The Guardian

WHO warns displacement of people in Beirut risks accelerating Covid-19 spread; four new cases in Auckland, New Zealand; Australia suffers deadliest day. Follow the latest updatesRussia approves vaccine despite testing concernsFrench and Dutch on alert over rise in casesLost on the frontline: the 900 US health workers who have diedSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.47am BST Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, says it’s too early to say whether the country’s 19 September election date will need to be postponed. Ardern deferred the dissolution of Parliament, due to happen on Wednesday NZT, to Monday instead, due to a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the country. Dissolving Parliament means Cabinet can still make decisions but the full Parliament cannot be convened. Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city is in a strict lockdown for three days in an attempt to trace the source of the latest outbreak, at which point Ardern’s government will make its decision about whether the dissolution of Parliament should be deferred further. But she won’t be drawn on any delay to the election. Ardern said Parliament had some flexibility to hold a vote as late as 21 November. An election delayed beyond that would be more complicated. 12.32am BST Lebanon on Tuesday announced a record daily number of over 300 Covid-19 infections and seven deaths from the virus as the country grapples with the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion that rocked the capital and overwhelmed hospitals, Reuters reports. The country’s tally now stands at 7,121 Covid-19 cases and 87 deaths since February, according to health ministry data. Even before the blast there had been a recent surge in infections. Continue reading…

WHO warns displacement of people in Beirut risks accelerating Covid-19 spread; four new cases in Auckland, New Zealand; Australia suffers deadliest day. Follow the latest updates

• Russia approves vaccine despite testing concerns
• French and Dutch on alert over rise in cases
• Lost on the frontline: the 900 US health workers who have died
• See all our coronavirus coverage

12.47am BST

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, says it’s too early to say whether the country’s 19 September election date will need to be postponed.

Ardern deferred the dissolution of Parliament, due to happen on Wednesday NZT, to Monday instead, due to a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Dissolving Parliament means Cabinet can still make decisions but the full Parliament cannot be convened.

Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city is in a strict lockdown for three days in an attempt to trace the source of the latest outbreak, at which point Ardern’s government will make its decision about whether the dissolution of Parliament should be deferred further.

But she won’t be drawn on any delay to the election. Ardern said Parliament had some flexibility to hold a vote as late as 21 November. An election delayed beyond that would be more complicated.

12.32am BST

Lebanon on Tuesday announced a record daily number of over 300 Covid-19 infections and seven deaths from the virus as the country grapples with the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion that rocked the capital and overwhelmed hospitals, Reuters reports.

The country’s tally now stands at 7,121 Covid-19 cases and 87 deaths since February, according to health ministry data. Even before the blast there had been a recent surge in infections.

Continue reading…