Nearly 70k daily Covid-19 cases reported in Brazil
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Brasilia: The national Covid tally of Brazil rose by 69,826 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total case load to 7,110,434, the Health Ministry said.
Besides the new cases on Thursday, the Ministry also registered an additional 1,092 fatalities that raised the death toll to 184,827.
With these figures, Brazil currently accounts for the world's third highest caseload after the US and India, and also the second largest death toll just after the US.
Meanwhile, Sao Paulo, the state which is Brazil's Covid-19 epicentre, has decided to start the 2021 school year in February with mandatory face-to-face classes and social-distancing regulations.
Also, the Rio de Janeiro State Court ordered closure of Buzios, a tourist resort, and asked all visiters to leave the site and return home in 72 hours, so that hotels and restaurants could be closed.
Meanwhile in the capital Brasilia, the Federal Supreme Court voted unanimously to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory and authorise public and private entities to demand proof of immunization for entry into certain places or regions.
(IANS with minor edits)