COVID-19 WRAP | 816 new cases reported in SA

October 09 2021 - 19:00

A total of 29,226 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, with 816 new cases, which represents a 2.8% positivity rate.

A further 56 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 88,292 to date.

October 09 2021 - 11:56

Russia's daily Covid-19 death toll hits record high 968

Russia reported 968 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, its highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic. There were 29,362 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours, the government coronavirus task force said.

-Reuters

October 09 2021 - 09:00

Singapore opens quarantine-free travel to major countries, eyes Covid-19 'new normal'

Singapore is opening its borders to more countries for quarantine-free travel as the city-state seeks to rebuild its status as an international aviation hub, and prepares to reach a "new normal" to live with Covid-19.

From Oct. 19 fully vaccinated people from eight countries, including Britain, France, Spain and the United States, will be able to enter the island without quarantining if they pass their Covid-19 tests, the government said on Saturday.

The announcement marks a major step in Singapore's strategy to resume international links.

The Southeast Asian nation, one of the world's biggest travel and finance hubs, is home to Asian headquarters of thousands of global companies whose executives have long relied on Singapore's connectivity.

The country, with a population of 5.45 million has been reporting record daily Covid-19 infections of more than 3,000 over the past few days, though almost all the cases are asymptomatic or mild. About 83% of the population is fully vaccinated, one of the world's highest rates.

-Reuters