Cities and states on several continents reimpose restrictions as cases surge again
France awards health workers pay rises worth €8bn (£7.2bn; $9bn) after a series of protests
In England, face masks will be compulsory in shops from 24 July
Also in England, new restrictions are introduced in Blackburn with Darwen after a spike in cases
More than 5m workers lost their health insurance in the US, a study says, a record
The UK could see about 120,000 new coronavirus deaths in a second wave of infections this winter, a report warns
Singapore's economy plunges by 41% compared to the previous quarter
The number of confirmed global infections since the outbreak began passes 13m
And with those round-ups, we’re pausing our live coverage for the time being. Thanks for joining us, wherever you were in the world.
Contributors to today’s live page were: Jim Todd, Martha Buckley, Hugo Bachega, Ritu Prasad, Alex Therrien, Victoria Bisset, Alice Evans and Joshua Nevett.
We’ll be back on Wednesday to bring you the latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from the UK and around the world.
Image source, EPAGood evening to those of you who are just joining us.
Here's a round-up of some of the main UK news stories from today.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Colombian capital Bogotá has reintroduced restrictions because of a spike in cases
The coronavirus continues to spread across the Americas, with the US and Brazil, the world's hardest-hit countries, still cause for concern.
In the US, southern states like Florida and Texas in particular have become the new epicentres of the outbreak there. California, the most populous state, has reimposed restrictions on businesses and public spaces amid a spike of coronavirus infections.
In Latin America, there are worries that ill-equipped hospitals will not be able to cope as more infections are reported.
The Colombian capital Bogotá has joined a growing list of places where lockdowns are being reintroduced because of a surge in cases. They also include the Indian city of Bangalore, Iranian capital Tehran and Hong Kong, as well as Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city.
Meanwhile, in France, President Emmanuel Macron said he was in favour of making face masks compulsory in public indoor spaces to curtail the virus, adding such a measure could come into force from 1 August.
Around the world, there have been more than 13 million confirmed coronavirus cases with around 570,000 deaths.
You can find out more about the pandemic around the world here.
Protective equipment is being used by shop workers around the borough
As we just reported a moment ago, emergency measures have been introduced in Blackburn and Darwen in a bid to avoid a Leicester-style local lockdown.
People are being urged to abide by new, stricter guidance, in a bid to bring the number of coronavirus cases down, and are warned a tighter, Leicester-style local lockdown will follow if it doesn't work.
The measures include:
Health officials have warned that if infection rates continue to rise after two weeks the local authority will "have to consider reversing some of the national lockdown lifting measures locally".
Blackburn with Darwen's public health director, Prof Dominic Harrison, said: "These steps will help and we are appealing to everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to follow them to protect themselves and their loved ones.
"If we don't, a local lockdown, like in Leicester, becomes a very real possibility."
Mass testing began in the area at the weekend after 61 new cases sprang up within a week.
Figures show Blackburn with Darwen now has 41 new cases per 100,000 - up from 29.5.
Leicester, where a local lockdown has been imposed, has seen the rate fall from 156.8 per 100,000 in the seven days to 26 June, to 114.3 per 100,000 in the seven days to 10 July.
The place with the second-highest rate in England is in Pendle, Lancashire, where the rate has gone up from 14.2 to 67.8 per 100,000.
Two days after South Africa reinstated a ban on alcohol to curb the spread of coronavirus, thieves have broken into a liquor store in Cape Town.
"They basically emptied the whiskies out," Mark Kallend, shop owner of Liquor Bothasig, told News24 about the incident early on Tuesday morning.
"They ripped the safety gate off with their vehicle... they tied a rope around it and yanked it off. They then threw a boulder through the window," he said.
Bottles of wine and brandy were left untouched, he added.
Kallend said the incident showed how desperate people were.
Image source, ReutersThe alcohol-ban came in, was called off, but came back again
In a speech on Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa said the alcohol ban - the second this year - would take pressure off the health system.
More than 40% of the 40,000 trauma cases recorded in the country in a week are alcohol-related - something the health system cannot afford right now.
When it comes to coronavirus, South Africa is the hardest-hit country in Africa with more than 275,000 cases.
Deaths resulting from Covid-19 have also risen to more than 4,000, and government projections estimate this could increase to 50,000 by the end of the year.
The rules around wearing face coverings in shops in England are changing, and people in Scotland and other European cities are already advised to wear them in enclosed public spaces.
But if you wear glasses you will know that the two things can be a tricky combination - with the mask causing your breath to mist up the lenses.
Here are three simple tips for stopping the steam.
(Don't worry, one of them isn't "wear contact lenses".)
How to stop your glasses steaming up with a mask on
New measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Blackburn have been introduced after a spike in cases.
Residents of the Lancashire town are facing tougher limits on visitors to their homes and are being urged to bump elbows instead of hugging.
Our colleagues at the Visual and Data Journalism Team have been tracking the pandemic, and these charts help us understand the impact of the virus on different continents.
The graphic below shows how cases are rising fast in the Americas. This is being partially driven by the outbreaks in the US and Brazil, the world's hardest-hit countries.
Meanwhile countries in Africa are also seeing a spike in infections
The graphic below shows the countries where deaths have been rising fast. Brazil is particularly bad hit, with an average of 1,000 daily deaths - and you can find out more here.
As we told you earlier, infections have risen rapidly in about 40 of America's 50 states over the last two weeks, according to an analysis by Reuters news agency.
Southern states like Florida and Texas in particular have become the new epicentres of the outbreak in the country - as the graphic below shows.
The US has the world's highest numbers of confirmed cases and deaths - there are currently more than 3.3 million reported infections and over 135,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Image source, EPAResidents of Lleida are facing another stint in lockdown
With coronavirus outbreaks still flaring up far and wide, communities that have endured so much already during the pandemic are coming to terms with the return of lockdowns.
The Spanish region of Catalonia and the Indian state of Bihar are the latest places to reimpose restrictions after a spike in cases.
Around 160,000 residents of Lleida, a city in north-eastern Catalonia, are to be quarantined for 14 days under an order issued by authorities in the region.
The Catalan government said the rules, which needed the approval of a judge, would ban people from leaving their homes for non-essential activities.
Meanwhile in Bihar, a 16-day state-wide lockdown will be imposed by the government from 16 July.
Lleida and Bihar join a growing number of places where localised lockdowns are being announced as infections rise. They include, but are not limited to:
A new survey by the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) , externalhas found that more than 50% of Canadians have had cancer treatments or tests delayed because of Covid-19.
The survey found patients waiting for confirmation of a cancer diagnosis or the recently diagnosed were most affected by the disruption in care.
Virtual consults were feasible for 83% of those polled, but 71% reported concerns about accessing treatments and tests in-person - and 15% said they had surgeries or procedures cancelled.
The CCSN says the government should make sure cancer treatments are a priority in future public health crises.
CCSN chief Jackie Manthorne said: "Cancer can’t wait. It can’t be cancelled or postponed. We now know that the huge physical, psychological and financial impact of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, while also facing cancer, has put these Canadians in double jeopardy."
Image source, Getty ImagesProtesters outside of an Amazon warehouse in New York in May
Amid recent lawsuits and strikes, Amazon has told employees at a New York warehouse that they will not be punished for taking extra time to wash their hands.
In a message sent to employees, the company said time used for safety measures would not be counted against them as unproductive minutes, Bloomberg reported, external.
The company has said this policy has been in place since mid-March, when the pandemic began in the US, but employees have contested this, saying they never heard of such a change.
According to a lawsuit against the e-commerce giant's New York fulfillment centre, at least one worker died from Covid-19 and others have reported transmitting the virus to their family members, leading to some deaths.
Amazon has denied any wrongdoing and says it has made policy changes to protect employees.
The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has increased by 138 to 44,968, according to the Department of Health and Social Care., external
Here are the figures in more detail, including some of the trends in the numbers.
Image source, Getty ImagesEmna Charqui, seen here in May, said she never intended to shock, only to amuse
A blogger in Tunisia has been sentenced to six months in prison after sharing a satirical post about Covid-19 written in the form of a verse from the Koran.
Emna Charqui, 28, was arrested in May for sharing a message on Facebook urging people to follow hygiene rules in the style of Islam's holy book.
The post mimicking a Koranic verse called for people to wash their hands and observe social distancing in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Charqui said in a recent interview that she had no intention of provoking shock, but found the post amusing.
She was found guilty in a Tunis court of "inciting hatred between religions". She is not yet in custody as she intends to file an appeal.
A new Axios-Ipsos poll, external shows most US parents are afraid of sending their kids back to school even as the Trump administration continues to insist schools ought to reopen in the autumn.
Majorities in both political parties and 71% of all parents polled say it would be risky to send their children back to school.
President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to schools if they don't resume classes.
In Texas, where cases are rising, Republican Governor Gregg Abbott's plan to restart in-person schooling has been criticised by some educators.
The Houston Federation of Teachers called the plan "unacceptably vague and hardly adequate", and said schools should opt for virtual learning until it was safe to begin a phase reopening.
"It is the height of hubris that the governor is more focused on opening the economy than on the health and well-being of our children and the people who educate them."
Steven Poole, head of the United Educators Association in Texas, pointed out many staff or their family members had health conditions that put them at serious risk from the virus, saying: "While parents are given options to send their children to school or stay home for virtual instruction, teachers and staff do not have that option."
Teachers express concern about US schools reopening
Reality Check
Ken Marsh, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, was on the Today programme this morning talking about the enforcement of new rules requiring people in England to wear face coverings in shops.
The presenter said to him: “It’s the police’s job to enforce the law and regulations.”
He replied: “Not on private property.
"If someone’s not doing what someone privately owns their property for, it isn’t the police’s problem to deal with it, I think you’ll find, under legislation.”
Mr Marsh has since confirmed to Reality Check that it will indeed be up to the police to enforce the new rules.
He said what he meant was that police would not be patrolling supermarkets looking for people who were not wearing face coverings, but would come to an incident if called.
He also confirmed that that distinction was not in the legislation.
You can read more about police powers during the coronavirus pandemic here.
Image source, Getty ImagesBelgium was one of the hardest hit countries in the world
Belgium has reported zero deaths related to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the first time the country has done so since the start of the pandemic in March.
The country’s death total remained at 9,787 on Tuesday, the 12th highest in the world.
With a population of 11.5 million, Belgium has the second-highest mortality rate per 100,000 people in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University, external, which is tracking the pandemic.
However, comparisons with other countries may be somewhat misleading, as some are believed to be under-reporting deaths and infections.
The last time Belgium reported no deaths was on 9 March, according to health authorities, external. That was just days before the country’s lockdown came into effect on 14 March.
Some of those social-distancing measures have been eased in phases since mid-May, when new coronavirus infections started to level off.
Since then, the curve of coronavirus infections has been flattened considerably in Belgium, where a total of 62,781 cases have been recorded to date.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeith Horton, from Newcastle, has chronic asthma which hampers his breathing, so cannot wear a mask.
He says new rules making people wear face coverings in shops would be "stressful" for him, and fears being penalised by shopkeepers and other patrons for not wearing one.
"My nose runs constantly and I can't breathe when I put [a mask] on, I get into a panic. I don't want people to approach me asking why I'm not wearing one. All I want to do is do a bit of shopping without being hassled," the 68-year-old said.
Mr Horton urged people to "think" before challenging someone for not wearing a face covering, as "you can't see asthma" and many other underlying health conditions.
The government has released guidance, external on groups who do not need to wear a mask in shops or on public transport.
If it makes it harder to breathe, people with asthma do not have to wear them, it says.
Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Leawood, Kansas
At a barbecue restaurant in Kansas, a teenaged worker told a customer in a Make America Great Again hat to wear a mask if he wanted to eat inside.
The customer got angry and flashed a gun. The restaurant owner, Bob Palmgren, is – like the customer himself - a Trump supporter.
But after hearing about the dispute, Palmgren told the customer to leave.
"I’m like: ‘Your gun’s not going to kill coronavirus. Now get the hell out of here," Palmgren said, according to the Kansas City Star, external.
The dispute revealed a division among conservatives in Kansas and other parts of the US. Palmgren and many other conservatives think that people should wear masks. But some conservatives refuse to wear them.
In the restaurant, a gun also played a role.
The argument was tense and unsettling for Palmgren and others inside the restaurant, and it showed how explosive the controversy over masks has become in this country.
Image source, AFPPresident Rajoelina takes a swig of the Covid-Organics tonic, the efficacy of which is unproven
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, who made headlines in May touting a plant-based tonic cure for Covid-19, has announced the deaths of several high-profile figures from coronavirus, including two MPs, a Unicef representative and a WHO doctor. Soldiers have been deployed in the capital, Antananarivo, to enforce a 15-day lockdown, following a spike in cases.
Kenya’s largest maternity hospital tested 290 members of staff for coronavirus and found 41 of them had Covid-19. The authorities at Pumwani Maternity Hospital in the capital, Nairobi, have sought to calm fears and say those infected are isolating and receiving treatment at home. Meanwhile, churches and mosques in the deeply religious country will also be able to reopen from today, four months after their closure - though some are opting not to do so.
The reinstatement of a ban on alcohol in South Africa prompted some thieves to target an off-licence in Cape Town. But they reportedly left the wine untouched - opting only for hard stuff. “They basically emptied the whiskies out,” Mark Kallend, shop owner of Liquor Bothasig, told the News24 site. It is hoped the ban will take pressure off the health system, which deals with many trauma cases caused by alcohol-fueled violence.
A girls’ high school in Ghana’s capital, Accra, has been hit by an outbreak, with 55 confirmed cases. The girls have been transferred to treatment and isolation centres. The West African country allowed final-year students back into classrooms last month to allow them to sit exams. Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo is still in quarantine as a precaution after a member of his close circle tested positive for the virus last week.