Evening roundupMonday's key coronavirus developments in Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 180 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday, with five additional deaths registered.

• The Ministry of Education is in discussions with the unions regarding student and teacher safety following the autumn half-term.

• [block type="summary”]The National Health Directorate has been reluctant to make use of coronavirus rapid tests thus far, worried they are potentially not accurate enough. This November, however, an initial purchase will be made to facilitate 5,000 tests a day.

  • The Prime Minister’s suggestions of a state of emergency in the Chamber were “provocative” and “totally superfluous”, according to CSV MP Claude Wiseler, who was invited to RTL’s morning show on Monday.
  • Travellers entering Germany and coming from a risk zone, including Luxembourg, must electronically register themselves prior to their trip. This new measure implemented by the German government has come into force this week.

  And from abroad

  • [block type="summary”]A vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials, the companies announced Monday.

    • Fast-food giant McDonald’s saw earnings beat expectations on a US sales rebound in the most recent quarter, but the chain said Monday it remains cautious about the outlook amid a spike in Covid-19.

    • Taiwan on Monday said Chinese “obstruction” had prevented it from attending a key World Health Organization meeting focused on the coronavirus, accusing the global body of prioritising politics over health.

    • US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named the scientists who will lead his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, signaling his plans to prioritize Covid-19 from the outset.

    • The World Health Organization’s chief called Monday on everyone to keep fighting Covid-19, warning that while we may be sick of battling the pandemic, the virus is “not tired of us”.

    • From ancient mosaics to world-famous canvasses -- the trafficking of cultural treasures has gathered pace during the coronavirus pandemic with criminals increasingly conducting the trade online.