More than 19.86 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 728,534 have died, according to a Reuters tally published on Monday. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. India on Monday reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus deaths, the most the country has recorded in a single day since the outbreak of the pandemic. With the new deaths recorded, India's total number of virus-related fatalities has not reached 44,386, trailing only the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Britain. India also reported more new coronavirus cases than any other in the world for six consecutive days, including 62,000 on Monday. Brazil reported 23,010 new cases of the new coronavirus and 572 related deaths in the past 24 hours. The COVID-19 related death toll in the country has risen to 101,049 while the total number of cases reached 3.04 million since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to the Brazil's health ministry. Brazil's coronavirus outbreak is the world's worst after the United States. Australia reported its own deadliest day with 19 new deaths, while the center of the country's outbreak, the state of Victoria, saw some decline in its number of new cases. China's National Health Commission said on Monday there were 14 coronavirus cases, all of which were locally transmitted and reported in the northwestern Xinjiang region that is the country's current hotspot. China also had 35 imported cases from travelers arriving from overseas. In Paris, authorities imposed a one-month order starting on Monday, requiring people to wear masks in popular outdoor areas such as along the banks of the River Seine. Paris joins other French cities with similar orders in place, including Toulouse, Lille and Bairritz. Those caught violating the Paris order face a fine of about $160, while those caught three times could face up to six months in prison. Meanwhile, students in the German capital Berlin returned to school on Monday as ministers continue to try to figure out the best way to keep children and staff members safe from the virus. "There are conflicting priorities, health protection on the one hand, which is very important to us, and on the other hand that we want to ensure the right to education of every single child," German education minister Sandra Scheeres said. Many other countries are also struggling to decide how and when to reopen schools. President Donald Trump has been pushing for all US schools to reopen for in-person learning. But many states say they aren't ready and plan to begin the school year at the end of this month the same way they ended the old one in June – using virtual classrooms. Last week a photograph of a crowded hallway in a Georgia school showed only a few students wearing masks. The school was closed and students were sent home for online classes after nine students tested positive for the coronavirus. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week of a possible "generational catastrophe" in education because of shuttered schools. He urged countries to make reopening schools a top priority once the coronavirus crisis subsides. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an article in the Daily Mail newspaper that the country has a moral duty to reopen schools. He said restarting schools is a national priority and a social and economic necessity. Johnson asserted that British schools can operate safely, He had earlier said schools would be the last places to close if there is another coronavirus lockdown. The British school year is set to start in early September. — Agencies
