COVID-19

Customers can ask for a refund if they can no longer travel due to ill health or financial hardship caused by the pandemic.

The policy has been in place since the start of the pandemic, and the airline said a large number of people had re-booked using their credits.

But it recognised travel was still out of reach for some people and wanted to remind them of potential refunds.

Macron said that schools would move to remote learning from next week.

Lockdown measures, introduced in some areas of France earlier this month, are also being extended to other districts.

All non-essential shops are to close from Saturday and there will be a ban on travelling more than 10km from home without good reason.

France's Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 59,038 new coronavirus cases.

The ministry added that 5053 patients were in intensive care units, down from a 2021 record of 5072 on Tuesday.

The 85% shortfall comes two days after Brisbane entered another snap lockdown to combat a small outbreak.

Last week the government said the vaccine rollout did not demand urgency given Australia's low infection rates.

The country has recorded 909 deaths and 29,300 cases since the pandemic began - far fewer than many other nations.

But sporadic outbreaks have led to six lockdowns in cities in recent months. Critics say situations like Brisbane's outbreak show why a quick vaccine programme is still needed.

Tendulkar, who will turn 48 next month, retired from the professional game in 2013 after notching a still unmatched 100 international centuries in a prolific 24-year career.

He returned to the crease recently as captain of the India Legends team in a promotional event called the Road Safety World Series in Raipur, in the state of Chhattisgarh.

"I have been testing myself and taking all the recommended precautions to ensure Covid is kept at bay. However, I have tested positive today following mild symptoms," Tendulkar said on his Twitter handle.

The number of new deaths from the coronavirus levelled off after a six-week decrease, with just over 60,000 new deaths reported.

Europe and the Americas continued to account for nearly eight in 10 of all cases and deaths, while the only region to report a decline in fatalities was the Western Pacific, down nearly a third, compared to the previous week.

Infections rose notably in South East Asia, the Western Pacific, Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the World Health Organisation’s Weekly Epidemiological Update.

The death of Richard Mendani, who was 53, was announced over the weekend.

The Pandemic Controller David Manning said Medani's death came one year to the day that the first coronavirus infection was detected in PNG.

He said Mendani was admitted to the Pacific International Hospital Emergency Department on 24 February after suffering Covid symptoms.

He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia but as his condition worsened he was referred for further evaluation where it was confirmed he had Covid-19.

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 2,491, including 31 deaths.

Authorities said a lack of compliance with the "New Normal" or "Niupela Pasin" order had been a major challenge as the country continued to wrestle with the coronavirus.

The new cases come from 10 provinces, of which the National Capital District reported the 53 cases.

Additionally, there were two exported cases from PNG to a quarantine hotel in Brisbane, Australia.

Since early this year, the number of Covid-19 cases in PNG have continued to rise.

The French territory entered a lockdown earlier this month after new community cases of the coronavirus were confirmed.

Furthermore, covid cases have exploded in the neighbouring French territory of Wallis and Futuna, adding further risks.

Authorities in New Caledonia suggest the lockdown has controlled the latest surge of infections.

But they have issued an extension to ensure the end of community transmission.

By April, France is expected to have supplied 42,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to New Caledonia.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the doses would be sent immediately, along with other critical care equipment.

Papua New Guinea's fragile healthcare system is under huge strain.

Officially, there are 1,400 active cases in the country, but the true number is thought to be much higher.

Testing has been an issue for the island nation. As of 10 March, only 50,000 tests had been carried out in a country with a population of nine million.

The government’s Covid-19 protocol requires the passengers to complete 14-days of mandatory quarantine and Covid-19 tests.

According Dr Posikai Samuel Tapo, the Lead – National Health Incident Management Team, 121 passengers are currently in quarantine.

As of 7 March 2021, a total of 3936 tests for SARS CoV-2 have been conducted.

Vanuatu has reported three positive cases at border quarantine.

The first case was on 10 November 2020 and two were confirmed on 6 March 2021.

Photo file RNZ Pacific