Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday that there are nearly 39.7 million COVID-19 infections worldwide and 1.1 million deaths from the virus.  The U.S. continues to lead the world in COVID cases, with 8.1 million infections. India said Sunday it had recorded more than 61,000 COVID-19 cases in the previous 24-hour period. India has almost 7.5 million COVID-19 cases, with more than 114,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins statistics.In Italy, where a new record for daily cases – 11,705 – was set Sunday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has given mayors the power to close public squares and other places people gather after 9 p.m.”The situation is critical. The government is there but everyone must do their part,” he told a news conference. Conte’s government is trying to avoid another shutdown like the one imposed in March.Italy was one of the hardest hit countries in Europe, and as a second wave of the coronavirus has hit, it has ordered such measures as mandatory mask wearing in public, restricting the hours when restaurants can offer table service and banning festivals. Paris streets were deserted Saturday night as the city began a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, designed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.At least seven other French cities, including Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Lille, Rouen and Saint-Étienne are also under the nighttime curfew, scheduled to be in place for four weeks. Belgium will be placed under a 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. nationwide curfew Monday to combat the country’s rising COVID-19 caseload. In addition, Belgium has ordered all cafes, bars, and restaurants shuttered, starting Monday.Two European foreign ministers – Austria’s Alexander Schallenberg and Belgium’s Sophie Wilmès – have been infected with the coronavirus.  Both attended a European Union meeting in Luxembourg on Oct. 12.  The Dutch king and queen cut their vacation to Greece short amid criticism that they were doing the opposite of what the Dutch people have been advised to do during the pandemic – stay home as much as possible to flatten the spread of the virus.  King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima left The Hague Friday but returned Saturday. “We do not want to leave any doubts about it: in order to get the Covid-19 virus under control, it is necessary that the guidelines are followed,” the couple said in a royal statement.  “The debate over our holiday does not contribute to that.”
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