Eased curbs result in record number of infection in few countries

Seoul: Infections in South Korea have spiked up, showing how the disease can come back as curbs on business and travel are lifted.

Elsewhere, governments including Egypt, Ukraine and North Macedonia have reported their highest single-day totals of new infections since Friday. In the United States, case numbers are rising in some states as President Donald Trump pushes to reopen businesses despite warnings by public health experts.

The world is seeing more than 100,000 newly confirmed cases every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

South Korea’s government reported 34 more cases, adding to an upward trend in infections.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 30 were in the greater Seoul area, where half of the country’s 51 million people live. New cases have been linked to nightlife establishments, church services, an e-commerce warehouse and door-to-door sellers.

On Saturday, Egypt’s Health Ministry announced 1,677 new confirmed cases. The Arab world’s most populous country has its highest coronavirus death toll at 1,484 among 42,980 confirmed cases.

Also Saturday, Ukraine reported 753 new cases, more than double the daily count earlier this month. Authorities in North Macedonia reported 196 cases.

In the United States, the number of new cases in Arizona in the southwest has risen to more than 1,000 per day from fewer than 400 when the state’s shutdown was lifted in mid-May, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Gov. Doug Ducey is not requiring Arizona residents to wear masks in public despite warnings by public health experts outside the government.

Elsewhere, bar owners in New Orleans were preparing to reopen. San Francisco restaurants resumed outdoor seating Friday and the California government allowed hotels, zoos, museums and aquariums to reopen.

The states of Utah and Oregon suspended further reopening of their economies due to a spike in cases.