Global coronavirus cases surpass 20 million

WASHINGTON: The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 20 million, with Brazil and Mexico reporting a combined 27,000 infections in just one day.

More than 12.2 million have recovered, and over 734,000 have died from the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

US President Donald Trump is considering a measure to block US citizens and permanent residents from entering the country if they are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus.

Australia’s second-most populous state of Victoria on Tuesday reported 19 new deaths from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours and 331 new cases. India has recorded more than 2.2 million infections, the third highest number of cases next to the US and Brazil.

Greece has confirmed at least 126 new coronavirus infections, pushing the country’s total to 5,749 with at least 213 deaths. According to the government, 17 of the new cases involved migrants in Lesbos, who arrived from Turkey.

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 30 on Tuesday, as an uptick in church-traced infections shows no signs of letup.

The country identified an additional 34 virus cases, including 23 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 14,660, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). There were no new reported fatalities for the second consecutive day, keeping the death toll at 305.

Meanwhile, the administration of US President Donald Trump is considering a measure to block US citizens and permanent residents from returning home if they are suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, according to the New York Times and Reuters News Agency.

The draft regulation would give the government authorisation to block individuals who could “reasonably” be believed to have contracted COVID-19 or other diseases.

Trump has instituted a series of sweeping immigration restrictions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, suspending some legal immigration and allowing US border authorities to rapidly deport migrants caught at the border without standard legal processes.