Coronavirus update: Tokyo raises virus alert, Minnesota tightens restrictions, Poland mulls lockdown

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

The second wave of the coronavirus contagion is tightening its grip the world over, with the situation across the US worsening.

According to the latest reports, Minnesota State Governor Walz tightened restrictions announced a four-week plan, which includes the closure of the fitness centres and stopping restaurants and bars in-person dining.

The New York city Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday he would shut schools because of rising infections. It’s worth noting that America has registered more than 100,000 every day for two weeks.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular press briefing, the government will not immediately declare a health emergency following a record rise in coronavirus cases, adding that they will continue to monitor the infection rates.

This comes after Tokyo is said to record over 500 new infections on Thursday, as the capital raised the coronavirus alert to its highest level. As of Wednesday, Japan hit a record daily high of 2,201 cases.

On the other side, Poland announced that it is considering a nationwide lockdown while most of the major European economies, including France, Italy, Spain and the UK, are already under lockdowns.

Germany reported 22,609 new infections, the third highest daily increase on record. 251 deaths were recorded, as the total fatalities stood at 13,370.

South Australia enters a six-day strict lockdown, as the state recorded 23 cases from the latest cluster.

Market reaction

The market mood remains sour in Asia this Thursday, with the regional equities mostly lower amid growing virus concerns. The S&P 500 futures are posting small losses, currently trading at 3,560.

Asian stock market sentiment sours on comments from ‘five eyes’, virus woes

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

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