France suffers record GDP plunge: Coronavirus live updates

• Spain reported a second day of 1,000-plus coronavirus infections, the highest since the nation lifted its lockdown in June.

• Libya’s United Nations-recognised government in Tripoli announced it will impose a full lockdown in areas of the country it controls, after a rise in COVID-19 cases.

More than 17.2 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. More than 10 million patients have recovered, and at least 673,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates:

07:12 GMT – France sees record 13.8 percent GDP plunge in second quarter

France’s economy contracted by a record 13.8 percent in the second quarter under the impact of coronavirus lockdowns, the national statistics institute INSEE said.     

The seasonally-adjusted quarter-on-quarter drop in gross domestic product (GDP) was better than forecast but worse than the performance of most of its eurozone peers.     

“GDP’s negative developments in first half of 2020 is linked to the shut-down of ‘non-essential’ activities in the context of the implementation of the lockdown between mid-March and the beginning of May,” INSEE said in a statement.

INSEE also updated the figure for the first quarter to a 5.9 percent contraction, from the 5.3 percent it had previously estimated.     

The second quarter figure means the French economy has been shrinking for three consecutive quarters and continues to be in recession.     

07:03 GMT – Germany reports 870 new cases

Germany reported 870 new cases, according to a tally from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

That brought the total number to 208,698 while 9,141 deaths have been recorded. 

06:55 GMT – Fiji records first COVID-19 death      

Fiji announced its first coronavirus death but health officials assured people in the Pacific island nation that it was not the precursor to a major outbreak.

Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said the victim was a 66-year-old man who tested positive after returning from India, where he had undergone surgery for a long-standing heart condition.     

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our health-care professionals, this gentleman passed away yesterday in the isolation ward at Lautoka hospital due to complications from COVID-19,” Waqainabete told reporters.     

He said the man was one of nine active cases who had been held in quarantine since they were repatriated from India on July 1.

Before then, Fiji had enjoyed a spell of four weeks virus-free, after the 18 cases it had previously recorded all recovered. 

In Africa, fashion designers are injecting style into face masks. pic.twitter.com/kSgJgbky4E

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 31, 2020

06:40 GMT – UK tightens lockdown in northern England

Britain imposed a tougher lockdown in swathes of northern England after a rise in the rate of coronavirus transmission, raising concerns that a second wave of the deadly virus could sow yet more turmoil.

Around 4 million people were ordered not to mix with other households in Greater Manchester, the biggest city in northern England, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, though they can still go to the pub and to work.

The measures come after Britain reported its highest number of new infections in more than a month.

06:15 GMT – KLM says 1,500 new job cuts will bring total reduction to 20 percent

KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM, said it would cut 1,500 additional jobs as part of a restructuring in which it needs to cut emissions by 50 percent by 2030 as well as prepare for recovering traffic after the coronavirus outbreak.

Parent company Air France-KLM on Thursday reported a 1.55bn euro ($1.8bn) operating loss for the second quarter, with traffic down 95 percent from a year earlier.

KLM said the new cuts would mean its workforce, 33,000 before the pandemic, would be reduced by 20 percent in all by 2022. It did not rule out further cuts. 

06:04 GMT – India’s cases rise by a daily record of 55,078 

India reported another record surge in daily infections, taking the total to 1.64 million, as the government further eases virus curbs in a bid to resuscitate the economy, while also trying to increase testing.

Infections jumped by 55,078 in the past 24 hours, while the death toll rose by 779 to 35,747, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on its website.

The ministry also said it aimed to raise the country’s capacity to 1 million coronavirus tests per day in the medium term, from a record 600,000 on Friday.

The federal government this week announced the reopening of yoga institutes and gymnasiums, and removed restrictions on the movement of people and goods.

Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Zaheena Rasheed.

04:51 GMT – Southeast Asia poverty to surge in ‘socio-economic crisis’

Southeast Asia is on the brink of a “socio-economic crisis” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that could reverse decades of poverty reduction, the United Nations has warned.

“The crisis threatens to destroy the livelihoods of Southeast Asia’s 218 million informal workers,” a UN policy brief released on Thursday said. “Without alternative income, formal social protection systems or savings to buffer these shocks, workers and their families will be pushed into poverty, reversing decades of poverty reduction.”

The region-wide economy was expected to contract by 0.4 per cent in 2020, it said, while remittances from Southeast Asians working abroad were likely to fall by 13 per cent or $10bn.

The paper urged nations to fix “fiscal termites”: budget-sapping problems like tax evasion, transfer pricing and fossil fuel subsidies so they can deliver large stimulus packages to help vulnerable populations and boost their economies.

Current low oil prices provided an ideal opportunity to reverse fossil fuel subsidies, it added.

04:46 GMT – Bali welcomes visitors after four-month lockdown

Indonesia’s resort island of Bali has reopened to domestic tourists after an almost four-month lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the easing that took effect on Friday, Indonesians visiting Bali will face stringent rules at hotels, restaurants and beaches. Foreign tourists will be allowed on the island beginning September 11.

04:35 GMT – Philippines extends restrictions

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended quarantine restrictions in the capital Manila, limiting movements of the elderly and children, and the operations of businesses from restaurants to gyms, until mid-August.

“My plea is to endure some more. Many have been infected,” Duterte said in a televised address.

Duterte promised free vaccines if they became available by late this year, prioritising first the poor and then the middle class, police and military personnel. The Philippines will be given precedence by China in vaccine distribution, he said.

04:03 GMT – Australia’s Victoria flags new steps to control surge in cases

Australia’s Victoria state recorded its second-highest day of new coronavirus infections, as the state’s Premier Daniel Andrews flagged the prospect of more rigorous steps to contain the spread of the disease.

Victoria reported 627 new infections on Friday, down from a record of 723 new infections on Thursday.

“It is clear to all of us that these numbers are still far too high,” Andrews told reporters. “It may well be the case … that we need to take further steps. The data will tell us, the experts will tell us, what and if any next steps need to be.”

03:20 GMT – Hong Kong logs new high of 149 cases

Hong Kong reported a new daily record of coronavirus cases, logging 149 more infections by Thursday end.

Amid the rise in cases, authorities reversed a ban on indoor dining, along restaurants to operate under limited hours and with limited capacity. Businesses such as bars, karaoke bars and amusement parks remain temporarily closed, and public gatherings are restricted to two people.

03:01 GMT – China tightens travel rules for Xinjiang capital

China tightened travel restrictions in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, requiring people arriving in the city from regions deemed to have high infection risks to undergo a two-week quarantine.

Others arriving from less risky areas must show proof of good health. Locals “in principle” must stay in the city or show proof of health to be allowed to leave.

Since mid-July, the Xinjiang outbreak centred in Urumqi has seen more than 600 cases of illness, including 112 new ones reported on Friday.

2:49 GMT – Brazil first lady tests positive

Brazil’s first lady Michelle Bolsonaro tested positive for the new coronavirus, the government announced on Thursday, five days after her husband Jair Bolsonaro said he had recovered from his COVID-19 infection.

The 38-year-old first lady “is in good health and will follow all established protocols”, the president’s office said.

2:42 GMT – China’s factory recovery accelerates in July

China’s factory activity expanded in July for the fifth month in a row and at a faster pace, beating analyst expectations despite disruptions from floods and a resurgence in coronavirus cases around the world.

The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) rose to 51.1 in July from June’s 50.9, official data showed on Friday, marking the highest reading since March.

Analysts had expected it to slow to 50.7. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.

02:14 GMT – More than three million Chileans seek to withdraw pensions

Long lines formed outside Pension Fund Administrators offices in Chile’s capital, Santiago, and the websites of several fund managers collapsed as Chileans sought to take advantage of a new law allowing citizens to tap into retirement savings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency measure, which came into effect on Thursday, allows those with savings to withdraw up to 10 percent of their pensions.

In a statement, Chile’s superintendent of pensions said 3,024,347 people had asked to withdraw their share by 5pm local time.

Opinion polls indicate nearly nine out of every 10 Chileans planned to tap their funds, with most saying they would use the money to pay for basic goods and services.

01:53 GMT – US epicentre of pandemic shifts towards Midwest

Coronavirus infections appear to be picking up in the Midwestern United States, the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said, as the state of Ohio reported a record day of cases and Wisconsin’s governor mandated the use of masks.

The coronavirus outbreak is “moving up” into Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska from the south “because of vacations and other reasons of travel”, Deborah Birx told Fox News.

01:19 GMT – Iran prison officials’ pleas for virus help ‘ignored’  

Iran’s government ignored repeated requests from senior prison officials for help in containing coronavirus in the country’s overcrowded jails, according to Amnesty International.

The rights group said it reviewed copies of four letters to the health ministry signed by officials at Iran’s Prisons Organization, “raising the alarm over serious shortages of protective equipment, disinfectant products, and essential medical devices”.

The ministry “failed to respond, and Iran’s prisons remain catastrophically unequipped for outbreaks”, Amnesty said. 

Leaked official documents obtained by Amnesty International reveal the Iranian government ignored repeated pleas by senior officials responsible for managing Iran’s prisons for additional resources to control #COVID19 spread & treat infected prisoners. https://t.co/7GF6ajrfT7

— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) July 30, 2020

00:50 GMT – Vietnam reports 45 new cases

Vietnam’s health ministry reported 45 new coronavirus infections linked to a recent outbreak in the central city of Da Nang, marking the highest daily increase since the first cases emerged in the country in late January.

The new patients, with ages ranging from 27 to 87, are linked to four hospitals and a hotel in Da Nang. Total infections since the virus resurfaced have reached 93, the ministry said in a statement.

Vietnam has registered 509 cases of the virus in total, with no deaths. The country had recorded 100 days without a locally transmitted case before the re-emergence of the virus.

00:42 GMT – Brazil’s Bolsonaro says he has ‘mould’ in lungs

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he was taking antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak, chuckling in an online video about “mould” in his lungs, having spent weeks in isolation after catching the new coronavirus.

“I just did a blood test. I was feeling kind of weak yesterday. They found a bit of infection also. Now I’m on antibiotics,” Bolsonaro said in a livestream video, without elaborating on the infection.

“After 20 days indoors, I have other problems. I have mould in my lungs,” he said, referring to nearly three weeks he spent at the official presidential residence.

He tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7 and then negative last Saturday.

00:05 GMT – Botswana reinstates lockdown in capital

Botswana’s capital city Gaborone has returned to a two-week lockdown to stem its latest surge in coronavirus infections.

Under new rules for the capital and surrounding areas, only essential workers would be able to leave home for work, with others only able to leave the house to buy groceries. All gatherings will be banned and hotels, restaurants, gyms and schools will close.

“During the course of the week, the disease has taken an unprecedented turn, which now required we place the greater Gaborone region under lockdown to enable our containment measures to take hold,” Kereng Masupu, coordinator of the COVID-19 task force team, said in a televised briefing.

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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives. 

You can find all the key developments from yesterday, July 30, here.