The United States on Monday issued travel warnings for a number of African countries and the United Arab Emirates, while Portugal, Spain and Hong Kong announced new restrictions on travelers from the UK as countries struggle to contain the spread of the variant Delta, first discovered in India .

Hong Kong announced on Monday that it would ban all passenger flights from the UK from Monday as the UK finds nearly 95% of its COVID-19 cases are the Delta variant.

FILE – Hong Kong Fire Department members receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac Biotech at a community vaccination center in Hong Kong, China on Feb.23, 2021.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the UK recorded over 14,000 new cases of the coronavirus last day alone. Recently the country eased some restrictions as around 48% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Several of the UK’s top defense forces are in self-isolation after attending a meeting last week with Chief of the UK Armed Forces General Nick Carter, who tested positive for COVID-19. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and the chiefs of the Royal Navy, the RAF and the Strategic Command are now in self-isolation after Carter’s positive test results.

The US State Department announced on Monday that it had raised travel warnings for the United Arab Emirates, Liberia, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia to Level 4 – “Do not travel” – due to rising rates of COVID-19 infections.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, announced on Monday that a wide range of public spaces will soon only be accessible to people with a vaccination certificate. Moscow announced similar measures on Monday, particularly in its restaurants and cafes, as the capital faces a new surge in infections.

Boom in South Africa

South Africa is also experiencing an increase in COVID-19 infections. Health officials reported 15,000 new cases and 122 deaths on Sunday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday the Delta variant was the likely culprit behind the outbreak.

A man walks past a restaurant that was closed during the coronavirus outbreak as the country faces tougher lockdown restrictions on June 28, 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa.

New restrictions due to the explosion of cases include a ban on all public gatherings except funerals, which are limited to 50 people. The sale of spirits will also be banned and an extended night curfew will come into effect.

In Gauteng province, 66% of new infections occurred, officials said. Authorities fear the other provinces will soon see an increase in cases.

“Let us mobilize all the forces we have. Let us collect our reserves of courage and hold on until this wave also passes over us,” said Ramaphosa on a national broadcast on Sunday.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said early Monday that the global number of COVID-19 cases is more than 181 million. The USA has the highest number of cases with 33.6 million, followed by India with more than 30 million and Brazil with more than 18 million.

Fines in Australia

Sydney, Australia is currently on lockdown as it struggles with a growing COVID-19 outbreak. Two people who ignored the sunbathing restriction got more than they expected. The naked couple were “startled” by a deer, according to a report by Agence France-Presse, prompting the Scofflaws to run into the bushland of the Royal National Park to escape the animal. The men called the authorities for help.

Officials say a man was found “naked and with a backpack” on a hiking trail. The other man was later found partially clothed.

“By leaving home for no good reason … and then getting lost in the national park and diverting vital resources away from the health operation, I think she should be embarrassed,” said Mick Fuller, New South Wales Police Commissioner. “It’s difficult to legislate against idiots.”

The men were fined $ 760 for ignoring Sydney’s stay-at-home instructions.

This report includes information from the Associated Press and Reuters.