Hong Kong has relaxed pandemic restrictions with Disneyland and museums reopening and nighttime restaurant dining resuming as the city’s worst COVID-19 outbreak appears to be fading.

(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)MELBOURNE – The health minister in Australia's Victoria state has resigned in the fallout from an inquiry into why security guards were used instead of police or the military at quarantine hotels. Lapses in security at the hotels were given as the major reason for a second wave of COVID-19 cases. Victoria reported just one more coronavirus death as Melbourne’s new case average continued to fall. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, his predecessor Graham Ashton, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and multiple senior public servants also said it wasn’t their decision. Health officials say the annual Chuseok harvest festival that begins Wednesday and continues through the weekend will be a critical period in the country’s anti-virus campaign.

(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)NEW DELHI – India reported another 86,052 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, a declining trend with recoveries exceeding new cases this week. India's newly reported infections have remained below 90,000 for five straight days after hitting a record 97,894 on Sept. 16. The total number of tests have crossed 67 million so far in the country with nearly 1.4 billion people. Antigen tests look for virus proteins while RT-PCR tests look for genetic material from the virus. Hong Kong reported seven new cases on Friday for a total of 5,056, including 104 deaths, according to China’s National Health Commission.

The directive comes amid concerns about an uptick in coronavirus cases in certain Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods with large Orthodox Jewish populations. New York City’s current overall infection rate remains low, but official figures indicate the affected neighborhoods accounted for 20% of the city’s coronavirus cases in recent weeks. ___BOSTON — An outbreak of coronavirus infections at a major Boston hospital has grown to 19 confirmed cases. ___DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa has reported a jump of 1,086 new coronavirus cases, the second consecutive day of new cases exceeding 1,000. There are currently nearly 985,000 worldwide coronavirus deaths.

HONG KONG Renewed restrictions took effect in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with restaurants limited to takeout after 6 p.m., as the Asian financial center battles a resurgence of the coronavirus. Mask-wearing has been made compulsory on public transport for the first time, with fines of up to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars ($650). Hong Kong Disneyland, which had reopened last month, shuttered again in accordance with the renewed restrictions. Its two new cases recorded Wednesday and all 27 of its active cases are people quarantined after foreign travel. South Korea requires two-week quarantines on all passengers arriving from overseas.

Hong Kong Disneyland is once again closing its gates. The resort, which reopened on June 18, is shutting down after Hong Kong tightened its social-distancing measures following a rise of 52 new coronavirus cases in the city. "As required by the government and health authorities in line with prevention efforts taking place across Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland park will temporarily close from July 15," a Disney spokesperson said. The hotels at the Hong Kong Disneyland resort will remain open with "adjusted levels of services," according to the spokesperson. The re-closure of Hong Kong Disneyland comes days after the company opened its most important resort: Walt Disney World.

Also, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged China to reveal all it knows about the coronavirus outbreak that is believed to have originated in the country. Indias total deaths reached 12,237, a rise of 334 in the past 24 hours, according to a Health Ministry statement on Thursday. South Korea reported 59 cases as infections continue to steadily rise in the greater capital area. Figures released by Statistics New Zealand capture the first week of the virus lockdown, which lasted more than two months. The theme park closed temporarily at the end of January due to the coronavirus outbreak, and is the second Disney-themed park to re-open worldwide, after Shanghai Disneyland.

Hong Kong Disneyland, which has been closed since January due to the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen with limited visitor capacity. ___BEIJING China has reported 49 new confirmed coronavirus cases as the capital Beijing reinstated measures to contain a new outbreak. ___ACCRA, Ghana Ghanas president says Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu is being treated for COVID-19 at a hospital. In a state broadcast Sunday night, President Nana Akufo-Addo said the health minister had contracted the virus in his line of duty leading the West African nations fight against COVID-19. If the health minister is contracting the disease, what is the guarantee that my son will be safe? said Peter Owusu, whose son studies at the University of Cape Coast.