The United States has posted a record 53,000 new coronavirus cases as the deadly pandemic accelerated across the Americas, but its slowdown in Europe has led Britain to announce the first exemptions to its quarantine rules, AFP reported.

With Europe looking to turn the page on the biggest public health crisis in modern history, travelers arriving into Britain from Germany, France, Spain and Italy will no longer be required to self-isolate starting July 10.

Meanwhile, the US has notched more than 53,000 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed, a new one-day record as infections surge around the country.

Opinion

Editorial

Larijani’s killing
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Larijani’s killing

The late Larijani was one of the most powerful men in Iran — a thinker and a soldier.
War’s hunger toll
19 Mar, 2026

War’s hunger toll

THE conflict between the US, Israel and Iran continues to widen with far-reaching repercussions.The UN’s World ...
Let them in
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Let them in

THE government need not be so difficult. Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, have not ...
Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...