US coronavirus cases top 50,000 for second day

The UK emerged from lockdown on Saturday as the US celebrated Independence Day

Guests wearing protective face masks watch the fireworks display from the South Lawn of the White House as they celebrate US Independence Day. Reuters

People, wearing masks, flock to the souvenir market in the city centre, Tijuana, Mexico. Reuters

A resident looks out of a window from a public housing tower in North Melbourne, Australia. Police are enforcing a lockdown at towers in Melbourne after Victoria recorded over 100 new coronavirus cases. EPA

People gather to watch fireworks on the banks of the East River to celebrate Independence Day in Queens, New York City. AFP

A person reacts to Black Lives Matter protesters who arrived at a rally against restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, in Phoenix, Arizona, US. Reuters

Social distancing signs are seen on the floor at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. The signs read: "Safe Distance." AP Photo

Beachgoers walk along the boardwalk in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, California. Many beaches have been shut down for the Fourth of July weekend across California. AFP

Fireworks are seen lighting up the sky in New York City.AFP

A worker disinfects a ball before the start of a Mexican tournament football match between Guadalajara and Atlas in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico. AFP

Voters and members of Election Management Committee wearing protective face masks are seen at a voting station for the Tokyo Governor election, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

Reveller socialise in the street during the evening in Soho, London, Britain. Pubs, restaurants, places of worship, hairdressers and other businesses have reopened their doors across the UK on 'Super Saturday' after more than three months of lockdown. EPA

A family considers candidate posters, including current governor Yuriko Koike, for the Tokyo Governor election in front of a voting station in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

The North Melbourne Public housing flats in Melbourne, Australia. Nine public housing estates have been placed into mandatory lockdown and two additional suburbs are under stay-at-home orders as authorities work to stop further Covid-19 outbreaks. Getty Images

Jessica Terreros places candles around flowers arranged in the form of a Catholic rosary at the cross-raising ceremony of her aunt Luz Maria Gonzalez, in the family home in Valle de Chalco, on the outskirts of Mexico City. Gonzalez, 56, who had long suffered from asthma, diabetes and hypertension, died two days after her 29-year-old son, who was hospitalised for breathing problems and a cough before dying of complications said to be related to pneumonia and undiagnosed diabetes. AP Photo

A street seller wears a mask in Riobamba, Ecuador. EPA

Buddhist monks hold candles and flowers as they lead devotees around giant Buddha statue to mark Asalha Bucha Day in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat amid Covid-19 restrictions. AFP

Buddhist devotees offer food to monks during an event to mark Asalha Bucha Day in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat. AFP

A St. John Ambulance volunteer sprays disinfectant at a secondary school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA

Indians fish with nets during a fresh lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus, in the river Brahmaputra in Gauhati, India. AP Photo

A Pakistani health worker collects samples for testing of local residents in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

People wearing protective masks visit a cattle market set up for the upcoming Muslim festival Eid al-Adha in Peshawar, Pakistan. AP Photo

Infections in the US topped 50,000 for the third day in a row on Friday, taking the number of cases to more than 2.8 million and fatalities to 129,657.

New hot spots emerged as states struggled to contain the spread, with Florida witnessing a record rise of 11,458 new cases on Saturday while California reported 6,510 new cases and 50 more deaths from Covid-19.

As the country hosted independence day celebrations on July 4, US President Donald Trump once again blamed testing for the record rise.

“Cases, Cases, Cases. If we didn’t test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases,” he tweeted.

His cavalier approach was echoed by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who attended a US independence day celebration in Brazil’s capital without a face mask, having vetoed their obligatory use in private settings a day earlier.

Brazil is another global hot spot of the pandemic, with more than 1.5 million confirmed cases and 64,265 deaths, though both are thought to be undercounts due to insufficient testing.

Saturday’s spiralling infection rates were also reflected globally with World Health Organisation member states reporting the highest single-day increase so far at 212,000 confirmed cases worldwide.

By Sunday, global coronavirus cases had passed 11.2 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Despite the ongoing spread of the virus, countries are continuing to lift restrictions in a bid to reboot their economies.

Crowds thronged the streets outside bars and restaurants in Soho, London as the UK emerged from a three-month lockdown. Hairdressers, cinemas and museums alongside other public sites have reopened across the country, with strict social distancing rules in place.

There are fears that the UK, which has the third-highest death toll from the virus worldwide at 44,198 - after the US and Brazil - is coming out of lockdown too soon, prioritising its ailing economy over efforts to contain the disease.

Last week the British government opened up 60 low risk countries to UK holidaymakers in an attempt to save the airline industry from collapse.

India, which imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, is reopening all monuments, including the Taj Mahal, on Monday.

Visitors to the 17th-century landmark will be required to wear masks and refrain from touching its marble surfaces as they return after a three-month closure due to Covid-19.

A maximum of 5,000 tourists divided into two groups will be allowed per day – a far cry from the 80,000 people who swarm into the mausoleum daily during peak season.

Cases currently stand at 675,453 in India with 19,303 deaths from the disease as most of the country reopens, except for the areas deemed most at-risk.