New York state will reinstate restrictions on businesses, houses of worship and schools in and near areas where coronavirus cases are spiking, governor Andrew Cuomo said. The new rules will affect parts of Brooklyn, New York and Queens in New York City, sections of Orange and Rockland counties in the Hudson Valley, and an area within Binghamton in the Southern Tier. This restrictions will take effect no later than Friday. (ABC News)
The number of daily cases in Malaysia reaches 691, a record for two consecutive days. The Health Ministry's director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah says that of those new cases, 397 of them were from Kedah, with most of them being caused by an outbreak in a prison. (The Straits Times)
The United Arab Emirates surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases. In addition, six people have died in the past 24 hours, the highest single day figure since May. (The National)
Finland reports its highest daily number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 227 new cases reported, surpassing the previous peak in April. They also exceed the rate that the country has set for other countries before their citizens are allowed to visit without being quarantined. (Reuters)
The Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State announces that as of 7 October it will also be mandatory to wear masks outdoors when it is not possible to maintain a safety distance. This rule will also apply in the extraterritorial properties of the Vatican in the city of Rome. (Catholic News Agency)
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity," and to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea M. Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy." (CBC)
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2018. Mars will not be closer to Earth again until 2035. (Space.com)