A Singapore court sentenced a British man to six weeks in prison on Wednesday, local media reported, after he repeatedly breached coronavirus protocols by refusing to wear a face mask in public. Benjamin Glynn, 40, was found guilty on four charges over his failure to wear a mask on a …
Read More »Hong Kong announces compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations for workers in key sectors
Hong Kong civil servants, teachers and healthcare workers must get vaccinated against the coronavirus or pay for regular testing, the city’s leader announced Monday, as her administration adopted a push into mandatory inoculations. The finance hub is one of the few places in the world to have secured ample supplies …
Read More »Coronavirus: Walt Disney World reinstates mask wearing rules amid surge in cases
Beginning July 30, Walt Disney World in Florida will begin requiring attendees to wear face masks, as the US state sees a rise in COVID-19 cases. The new rules will apply to all guests aged two and up while indoors and using public transport facilities in the park, regardless of …
Read More »MIT and Harvard engineers design mask that detects Covid-19 within 90 minutes
A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University has designed a prototype of a mask that can detect coronavirus particles in the wearer’s breath. The technology is modeled on paper-based diagnostics for the Ebola and Zika viruses developed by MIT engineering professor James Collins …
Read More »Paris celebrates, cautiously, as France ditches face masks outdoors
Some people in the French capital joyfully ditched their masks on Thursday after the government announced the precaution against the coronavirus pandemic would no longer be mandatory outdoors. But the jubilation was tempered by the knowledge that the virus was still circulating, and some safety measures would still be in …
Read More »Giant Buddhist goddess in Japan gets face mask to pray for end of COVID-19
Workers scaled a giant statue of a Buddhist goddess in Japan on Tuesday to place a custom-made mask on her face, an act meant to be a prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. It took four workers three hours to carry the massive mask on ropes up the …
Read More »1 dead, 2 wounded after shootout erupts over masking rules in Georgia store
A store clerk was fatally shot and a suspected assailant and a police officer injured after a dispute over a face mask requirement escalated into a firefight inside a store in Georgia. After getting into an argument with a cashier at a Decatur, Georgia supermarket on Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Victor …
Read More »Spaniards Hold Anti-Mask Protest in Madrid As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Chanting “freedom”, hundreds of people rallied Sunday in Madrid to protest against the mandatory use of facemasks and other restrictions imposed by the Spanish government to contain the coronavirus pandemic. A crowd of clapping and cheering people gathered beneath an enormous yellow and red Spanish flag that stands in the …
Read More »Two men arrested after face mask brawl on Ibiza flight (Video)
A fight broke out onboard a KLM flight to Ibiza after two passengers refused to wear face masks. Video footage appeared to show British holidaymakers were involved in the brawl after the Boeing 737 took off from Amsterdam on Friday. KLM said both men were restrained with the help of …
Read More »Protesters march to Downing Street after UK govt widens mask-wearing orders (Videos)
Activists took to the streets of London a day after the UK cabinet expanded its guidelines for mandatory face coverings. The demonstration comes amid growing skepticism worldwide over the efficacy of such policies. A large group of demonstrators assembled in Hyde Park on Saturday, where they listened to speeches denouncing …
Read More »More than 940 deaths reported in one day as US coronavirus cases shatter another record
Battles over wearing face coverings intensified even as the US shattered another daily coronavirus record and health officials warned hospitalizations are getting out of control in some areas. There were 77,255 new cases reported Thursday, topping a previous high set two days ago, according to Johns Hopkins University. At least …
Read More »WHO advises to wear masks in public areas
The World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The global body said new information showed they could provide “a barrier for potentially infectious droplets”. Some countries around the world already recommend or …
Read More »French police break up medical smuggling networks, seize 440,000 face masks
Police in France has dismantled smuggling networks trying to take advantage of a rush to buy medical supplies –including face masks– to tackle the coronavirus epidemic. By the end of April, police had dismantled a number of such smuggling networks, stopped scams and attempted scams to the value of more …
Read More »