Millions of people faced new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday as infections surged in several parts of the globe, with researchers warning the epidemic in the US is set to get even worse.
With signs of a deteriorating US situation, the world's largest retailer Walmart said it would require customers to wear masks at all its stores to help stop the virus spreading.
But one of the research groups said near-universal wearing of face masks could save 40,000 lives between now and November. The company has more than 5,300 Walmart and Sam's Club stores in the United States and is a giant presence in many of the southern and western states that have seen increases in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
Most of the city's residents voluntarily adopted face masks as a barrier against the virus when it was first detected in mainland China, but the Hong Kong government now requires passengers on public transport to wear them or risk a fine.There was alarm in Japan too, where Tokyo's governor warned that the capital was on its highest coronavirus alert level after a spike in infections.
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