Coronavirus digest: Italy goes mask-free

Italians will once again be able to go outdoors without masks as of Monday. The news comes as temperatures are expected to push past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some southern areas this week.

The Health Ministry classified each of the country's 20 regions as "white," which signifies low risk under the country's color-coded classification system meant to evaluate risks posed by the virus.

The announcement marks a major milestone for a country that became a symbol of the coronavirus crisis last year.

A third of Italy's population over the age of 12 — or 17,572,505 people — have been vaccinated.

Tourists from the European Union, Britain, the United States, Canada and Japan are welcome after the government removed a quarantine requirement for vaccinated visitors or those who tested negative.

Here are the latest major updates on coronavirus from around the world.

Europe 

Germany will attempt to ban all British travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, The Times daily reported. German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to designate Britain as "country of concern" due to the spread of the Delta variant, according to the newspaper report.

Travel group TUI in Germany announced canceling trips to Portugal until the end of July amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The company said its clients could rebook trips for free. 

Moscow has reimposed work-from-home restrictions as cases continue to surge in the city. Authorities will allow some vaccinated employees to go to work, but they will have to present a QR code to certify they're not carriers of the virus if they enter restaurants. 

Portugal said passengers arriving from Britain will have to quarantine for 14 days if they aren't fully vaccinated. The restriction, which will remain in place until at least July 11, comes as daily infections there climb.

Spain will begin demanding a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination from British tourists — after nearly a month and half since dropping restrictions on UK travelers — who want to enter Mallorca, Ibiza and the surrounding Balearic islands.

Greece will give young people who get vaccinated against the coronavirus a  €150 ($179) payment card, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced Monday. 

Dubbed the "freedom card," the money can be used for hotel bookings, ferry tickets, flight tickets, museum visits and concerts.

The country is setting aside €141 million ($168 million) for the vaccination drive, which will be open to around 940,000 people in the country aged 18-25.

Africa

South Africa has reintroduced tough restrictions and banned alcohol sales. It has also extended a night curfew to fight an increasing surge of COVID-19 cases, most likely due to spread of the delta variant. The country's most populous province of Gauteng, home to Johannesburg, accounts for 66% of the new cases.

Neighboring Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique are also battling growing numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.

Asia 

Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita said at a news conference there was no way there would be zero cases of the virus at the summer games. He said border control would be needed to stop the spread.

A Japanese newspaper reported that the country has asked India and others who've been hit hard by the delta variant to test athletes and staff daily for seven days before they head for the games.

Australia is struggling to contain clusters of cases even as cities like Sydney in the east and Darwin in the north remain locked down. The country's COVID response committee will hold an emergency meeting later Monday. New South Wales state, home to Sydney, reported 18 new locally acquired cases in the latest 24-hour period.

Indonesia's health minister is leading a push for stricter measures to curb the rise in the number of COVID cases, Reuters reported. The number of infections has tripled in the past month in the country, stretching the healthcare system to its limits.

Taiwan reported 60 new domestic cases, which marks the smallest rise in daily figures since May 15. The government had raised the alert level in the capital and a neighboring city after a spike in cases.

Starting Thursday, Hong Kong is banning all passenger flights from the United Kingdom to curb the spread of the Delta variant.

Hong Kong already bans arrivals from Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Oceania

Australia will make vaccinations mandatory for high-risk aged-care workers and employees in quarantine hotels amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Residential aged-care workers must have at least the first dose by mid-September. Workers who are involved in quarantine facilities must be tested and vaccinated.

Meanwhile in Sydney, two nude sunbathers who ran into a forest after being "startled" by a deer have been fined for breaching the coronavirus lockdown, police said Monday.

jsi, fb, rm/rt (Reuters, AP, AFP)