belgium Covid-19: Belgium sees huge spike in cases As coronavirus cases surge in Europe, the World Health Organization says it's very concerned about the ability of health services to manage the rise in cases. Belgium is suffering one of the largest infection levels in Europe. The former prime minister, who led the response to the pandemic earlier this year is in an Intensive Care Unit herself. dog Ontario dog first in Canada to test positive for COVID-19, but researcher says there are likely more Dogs are 'innocent bystanders' when it comes to virus, says professor at University of Guelph vet college An Ontario dog living with four human COVID-19 patients is the first dog in Canada to test positive for the virus. But researchers say the discovery doesn't mean pet owners need to worry. The animal is from the Niagara Region and lived in a home where four out of six people had the virus, according to Dr. Scott Weese, chief of infection control at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College. Research in other countries shows that dogs are particularly susceptible to COVID-19 in the animal kingdom, Weese said. He said he suspects there have been other Canadian dogs with the virus, but they weren't tested. "This is the first confirmed positive we've found," he said, though he noted "this is probably not the first and probably won't be the last." (More...) germany Coronavirus: Germany to impose one-month partial lockdown New restrictions for the next month Restaurants and bars will close, except for take-away Large events will be canceled again Unnecessary travel is strongly discouraged Overnight stays in hotels for tourist purposes is banned All those who can work from home should do so and employers should ease a transition into working from home Meetings in public will be restricted to just two households of up to 10 people total. Entertainment facilities such as theaters and cinemas will be closed Public recreation centers such as swimming pools, gyms and saunas will be closed No crowds at sports events What is allowed Schools and kindergartens will remain open Church services and protests will be allowed to continue due to constitutional concerns Nursing home residents will be allowed to receive visitors Shops will remain open, with one customer allowed per 10 square meters (108 square feet) Borders remain open

masks Masks made mandatory to early 2021 Temporary bylaw first enacted in July extended to at least January People in Ottawa will be required to wear masks in public spaces and on transit until at least early 2021 after city council voted to extend the temporary mandatory mask bylaw Wednesday morning. Council first approved the temporary bylaw last July at the recommendation of the medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches. It called for most people to wear masks on OC Transpo vehicles and in transit stations, as well as any indoor public spaces including retail stores. The bylaw is temporary in nature, and was renewed once in August when council extended mandatory mask wearing to the lobbies, elevators and hallways of apartment and condo buildings. The bylaw was set to expire Sunday. Council has extended the bylaw until the first council meeting of the new year, during which councillors may vote to extend it further, which is what Mayor Jim Watson said he expects will happen. penn Pa. reaches 200,000 COVID-19 milestone as over 2,200 new cases recorded The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 2,228 new positive cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total past the 200,000 mark. There have been 200,674 cases of COVID-19 officially recorded in Pennsylvania since March. Of those cases, 8,718 people have died. There are currently 1,187 people hospitalized from the virus, with 114 of them on a ventilator.