September 13 coronavirus news

New Zealand will extend its current coronavirus restrictions for another week as the country reported one new case on Monday.

“Cabinet has decided on a short extension to the current restrictions of alert level 2.5 for Auckland and level 2 for the rest of the country,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a news briefing.
“For Auckland, cabinet will review the current level 2.5 settings at our meeting on Monday the 21st of September with a view to increase gathering limits for Auckland if we are in a similar position for containing the cluster,” she said.

If that change was agreed, the new measures would come into effect on September 23, according to Ardern.

“As we know more cases will emerge from this cluster's tail, these cases can still continue to pose risks,” she warned.

Under the extended restrictions in Auckland, social gatherings are limited to 10 people while businesses can open as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. 

Ardern said the cabinet had agreed “in principle” that the rest of New Zealand outside of Auckland will move to level 1 restrictions at 11:59 p.m. on September 21, as long as cases continue to “track as they are and maintaining the containment we have seen.”

She also praised New Zealand’s testing efforts. “Over 100,000 tests have taken place nationwide that have not shown any spread of the virus to date in other parts of New Zealand, despite the resumption of inter-regional travel," she said.

So far, New Zealand has reported a total of 1,447 coronavirus infections and 24 deaths.

This year has given us yet another trick and one less treat.

Just Born Quality Confections, the company that produces Peeps, says its holiday-themed marshmallow treats will not be in Halloween candy baskets this year -- and they won't be in stores for Christmas, either.

Halloween Peeps -- which are shaped like pumpkins, ghosts and monsters -- and Christmas Peeps will not return to stores until 2021. The company will skip Valentine's Day Peeps next year as well.

Saving for Easter: The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based company in April temporarily suspended the production of its candy brands. The suspension was done to protect the health and safety of their employees during the coronavirus pandemic, Just Born said in a statement to CNN.

The company said it resumed limited production in May after making changes in its plant to ensure employee safety.

"This situation resulted in us having to make the difficult decision to forego production of our seasonal candies for Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day in order to focus on meeting the expected overwhelming demand for Peeps for next Easter season, as well as our everyday candies," according to the company's statement.

Chick-shaped Peeps are especially popular during Easter. Before the pandemic, about 5.5 million Peeps were produced every day, roughly 2 billion a year.

The pause in production also applies to seasonal varieties of the company's Hot Tamales and Mike and Ike fruit candies.

New York state’s Covid-19 infection rate has been below 1% for 37 straight days, according to a statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office Sunday.

"Our numbers continue to reflect the work of New Yorkers, who ultimately flattened the curve," Cuomo said. "For 37 days, our infection rate has remained below one percent, which is incredible when you think back to where we were in the spring. As we head into the fall and flu season ahead, we need everyone to continue to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands, and above all, stay New York tough."

New York reported 725 new cases and six deaths on Sunday, bringing statewide totals to 444,365 cases, including 25,390 deaths.

The World Health Organization received reports of 307,930 new Covid-19 cases worldwide in the past 24 hours -- the highest single-day increase in global infections since the pandemic began.

The previous daily high was set on September 6, when 306,857 cases were reported.

The total number of cases that have been reported to the WHO from around the globe now stands at 28,637,952.

There were also 5,537 new coronavirus deaths reported to the WHO over the past 24 hours, bringing the global death toll to at least 917,417.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

The Czech Republic reported a single-day high in new coronavirus infections, with 1,541 new cases recorded on Saturday, according to its Health Ministry.

The spike in cases coincides with increased testing, with an average of 15,000 people being tested every day. On Friday alone, 18,200 people were tested for the virus.

The Czech Republic's total Covid-19 caseload now stands at 35,401, with 453 deaths.

Australia's Victoria state recorded 35 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, according to Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services.

This is the state's lowest daily increase in infections since June 26, according to statistics from the department.

The total number of cases confirmed in Victoria now stands at 19,870. Seven deaths were also recorded on Sunday, bringing the total death toll in the state to 730.

Protests: Over the weekend, anti-lockdown protests were held in Melbourne, leading to the arrest of at least 88 people. Video of the demonstrations showed police in riot gear arresting protesters in the streets while onlookers chanted “freedom.”

On Sunday night, Victoria also began slowly lifting certain coronavirus lockdown restrictions, according to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. In Melbourne, playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment have been reopened, while those living alone or single parents are allowed to have one other person in their home.

Israel approved a second general lockdown Sunday evening as coronavirus cases surge across the country. The lockdown, which is expected to start Friday afternoon, will see the country return to many of the same severe restrictions of the first lockdown back in April. 

Schools, restaurants (except delivery), and entertainment venues will all close, as well as other businesses, for an initial period of three weeks. The public sector will operate with a limited workforce, while private sector businesses can operate as long as non-employees do not enter the workspace. 

People will be required to stay within 500 meters of their home. Emergency services, as well as pharmacies and food stores will remain open. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to 20 people, while indoor gatherings will be limited to ten. 

Restrictions will be eased once Israel records a sharp decline in infection rates, though no number has been put on what might constitute such a decline. 

At a cabinet meeting earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country's coronavirus czar had raised "a red flag regarding the ability of the health system to handle the challenges that are upon us, and [thus] the need to take the necessary steps as a result."  

By the numbers: Netanyahu announced the lockdown after coronavirus cases surged last week, hitting a record of 4,217 new cases in 24 hours on Thursday, the third day in a row with more than 4,000 new cases recorded.

The number of patients in serious condition has also steadily climbed, reaching a high of 513 serious cases and 138 on ventilators as of Saturday. 

 

Florida's health department reported 2,431 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the state's total number of cases to 663,994. 

Florida also reported eight new Covid-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 12,608. 

One thing to note: These numbers were released by the Florida Department of Health and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project 

There are at least 6,496,159 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 193,787 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

As of Sunday afternoon, 10,945 new cases and 94 new deaths have been reported in the US since midnight.     

The totals includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.