Major cities tighten coronavirus restrictions

Schools in certain New York City neighborhoods will have to cancel classes starting on Tuesday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the closures on Monday after Mayor Bill de Blasio asked for new restrictions in nine ZIP codes in Brooklyn and Queens in which COVID-19 cases are rising. Cuomo, a Democrat, also threatened to close churches and temples in the neighborhoods, where many Orthodox Jews live, if residents didn’t start following guidelines more closely.

Are other cities clamping down again? Paris went on maximum virus alert on Monday. Restaurants will stay open with some limitations, but authorities closed bars and banned student parties and gatherings in public places. France reported nearly 17,000 new cases on Saturday, the highest number in one day since it implemented widespread testing. The United Kingdom has also reimposed restrictions to curb a spike in infections in recent days.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings on the possible lab-based origins of COVID-19.