WRAPUP 3-Britain touts 'tiered' approach to COVID as EU leaders warn of further curbs

But new infections in England, part of Britain along with Wales and Scotland, increased by around 51,900 each day last week, up nearly 50% on the week before, an official survey revealed on Friday, suggesting that new infections had not levelled off. Asked whether a national lockdown was now inevitable, Raab said: "No, I don't think that is right, but what we are guided by is the rate of the virus.

England's "tiered" approach to reining in the coronavirus appears to be working, Britain's foreign minister said on Friday, as France and Germany prepared rules almost as strict as their spring lockdowns and EU leaders warned of wider curbs. Europe and the United States have emerged as the current danger zones for COVID-19, which was first identified in China in December, in a global crisis in which more than 44.94 million people have been infected and 1,178,943​ have died.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said evidence showed the localised approach appeared to be working in England. But new infections in England, part of Britain along with Wales and Scotland, increased by around 51,900 each day last week, up nearly 50% on the week before, an official survey revealed on Friday, suggesting that new infections had not levelled off.

Asked whether a national lockdown was now inevitable, Raab said: "No, I don't think that is right, but what we are guided by is the rate of the virus. "We've seen some evidence since we started putting in place this tiered approach that the rate of increase has slowed," Raab told BBC TV.

The government has adopted a three-tiered system of curbs for local areas, though the opposition Labour Party has called for a temporary lockdown to break chains of infection. France and Germany announced new lockdowns this week as infections on the continent passed the 10-million milestone and hospitals and intensive care units filled up again.

Bars, restaurants, sports and cultural events have been restricted or closed in several other European countries. European Union officials said on Friday EU countries should be ready to impose even more restrictions.

"Given the very dynamic situation in all of Europe, we need to equally reduce contact in almost all European countries," German Health Minister Jens Spahn told journalists after a video conference of EU health ministers that he chaired. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said EU countries should be ready to impose further curbs.

"We need to pull through this, where needed, with restrictions on everyday life to break the chain of transmission," she told the video conference. Belgium, one of Europe's worst-affected countries, recorded an average of 15,316 new infections per day in mid-October, health officials said. Austria recorded its highest daily number of infections to date.

'WRONG DIRECTION' Gloom over the rising infections has hit financial markets. World stocks fell and oil headed for a double-digit weekly slide on Friday as COVID fears and next week's U.S. presidential election more than offset strong euro zone quarterly growth data.

Illustrating the difficulty is reining in the virus without destroying the economy, Britain's "eat out to help out" discount scheme to boost spending at restaurants, cafes and pubs over the summer helped spread the coronavirus, according to a new study. A record surge of infections in the United States is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity and killing up to 1,000 people a day before the Nov. 3 election, in which handling of the pandemic has become the main issue.

The United States broke its single-day record for new coronavirus infections on Thursday, reporting at least 91,248 new cases, as 21 states reported their highest daily number of hospitalized patients since the pandemic started, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data. "We're going in the wrong direction," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading White House task force member and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The surge has revived some of the worst images of the first wave of the virus in March, April and May, with people on ventilators dying alone in isolation and medical staff physically and mentally exhausted. Among the hardest hit states are those most hotly contested in the election campaign between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, such as Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Trump has downplayed the virus since the pandemic began, ridiculing Fauci and mocking social distancing and the wearing of masks. He has repeatedly told campaign rallies the country is "turning the corner" on the pandemic to the delight of his mostly non-mask wearing supporters but infuriating his opponents. Russia has also seen coronavirus cases swell in recent weeks. Authorities reported 18,283 new infections on Friday, the highest tally recorded since the pandemic began, and 355 deaths.

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