LONDON — Britain’s Office for National Statistics says an estimated 654,000 people in private households in England tested positive for the coronavirus between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6.

The previous week, there were 618,700 positive tests, the agency said. The weekly survey tests thousands of people whether they have coronavirus symptoms or not.

The survey straddled the period ahead of the start of the latest lockdown in England on Nov. 5, which was imposed following a sharp increase in virus infections.

The current lockdown requires, pubs, restaurants and storesto remain closed until at least Dec. 2. Unlike the spring lockdown, schools and universities remain open, along with construction sites and factories.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— States ramp up for biggest vaccination drive in US history

— Virus ward doctor runs from dawn to dark in Italy, fears the devastation of the coming winter

— Daily infections hit new highs in Russia, Germany, Lithuania and Greece

— Meatpacking plant worker who died from COVID-19 left legacy of compassion

— India’s festive mood ahead of Diwali raises fears of surge of coronavirus

— Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s prime minister says the government will provide the coronavirus vaccine, when it becomes available, to all Greeks free of charge.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the comments while chairing a ministerial meeting about the government’s vaccination strategy for COVID-19. Greece has seen a resurgence of the virus’s spread that is putting pressure on the country’s health system.

“I insist on the free access of all Greeks to the vaccine, because this government has treated the vaccine as a public good from the start,” Mitsotakis said. “That is why it will be provided free of charge to all, with no exceptions.”

On Thursday, Greece announced a record number of new daily coronavirus deaths and infections, with more than 3,300 new confirmed infections and 50 deaths in this country of 11 million people. Greece currently has more than 66,600 confirmed cases and 959 deaths.

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MOSCOW — Coronavirus infections in Russia kept on rising this week, with authorities reporting a record 21,983 new cases on Friday, bringing the country’s total to nearly 1.9 million.

Russia, which has the fifth-highest tally of confirmed cases in the world, has been swept by a rapid resurgence of the outbreak since September. Despite the spike, Russian authorities insist there are no plans to impose a second lockdown or shut down businesses nationwide, even as media report overwhelmed hospitals, inundated doctors and shortages of medicines.

A series of restrictions aimed at curbing the outbreak took effect Friday in Moscow. The city authorities ordered restaurants, bars and nightclubs to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., told university students to move to online classes, ordered theaters and cinemas to limit capacity to 25% and halted all mass entertainment events.

The restrictions will remain in place until Jan. 15 and will apply to New Year holidays as well, Moscow officials said.

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PRAGUE — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have been declining for more than a week after rising for over two months to record levels.

The Health Ministry says the daily increase of new confirmed cases reached 7,874 on Thursday, about 5,400 less than the same day a week ago.

The new cases hit a record high of 15,727 last week and has been dropping since. Still, Health Minister Jan Blatny is expected to further extend the state of emergency that enables the government to keep in place its strict restrictive measures.

The country has also seen a decline in hospitalizations to 7,564, about 700 less than a week ago. But COVID-19 deaths are still on the rise.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths has risen from 1.36 deaths per 100,000 people on Oct. 29 to 1.90 deaths per 100,000 on Thursday. Of the country’s 5,755 virus dead, 2,270 died in November.

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BERLIN — Germany’s disease control center is reporting a new daily record of coronavirus infections as the country nears the halfway point of new lockdown measures.

The Robert Koch Institute says Germany’s states had reported 23,542 daily cases Friday, slightly more than the previous record of 23,399 set on Saturday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold talks with state governors on Monday, the midway point into a series of measures the government has called “lockdown light.”

Germany embarked Nov. 2 on the four-week partial shutdown aimed at flattening a sharp rise in new infections. Restaurants, bars, sports and leisure facilities have closed, but schools and nonessential shops remain open. Officials say it is still too early to tell whether the new measures are having the desired effect.

Merkel on Thursday warned Germans to expect “difficult winter months.” Health Minister Jens Spahn said nobody should be expecting to hold Christmas parties with more than 10 or 15 people.

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VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania has once again seen a record high number of new infections, with 2,066 reported Friday.

Lithuania’s Health Ministry says it's the highest number since the pandemic started.

The southernmost Baltic country, home to 2.8 million, has reported 24,284 confirmed cases and 253 deaths.

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ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia reported a record 43 deaths and more than 3,000 coronavirus cases on Friday.

Authorities say 3,056 more people tested positive, placing a burden on the health system.

Croatian officials says they won't impose a strict lockdown but have limited gatherings and called on the people to wear face masks and respect social distancing.

In neighboring Slovenia, the government tightened its coronavirus lockdown late Thursday, shutting public transport for two weeks, banning socializing outside immediate family and widening quarantine restrictions for people who travel abroad.

Slovenia, home of U.S. first lady Melania Trump, on Friday reported 38 deaths and 1,508 new infections.

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BEIJING — Residents of Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar have been told to stay home as part of nationwide lockdown measures due to remain in place through Tuesday following the detection of new coronavirus cases.

Residents of the city of 1.4 million will be permitted to leave for necessary errands, such as to purchase groceries and medications, the official Montsame news agency reported.

Social distancing measures must be maintained when leaving home, and employees of hospitals and other essential facilities must show identification when commuting. Police and military personnel were being deployed to ensure compliance.

Ulannbaatar confirmed two cases of community transmission on Nov. 9 and another in an outlying area on Thursday. Since then, another six people who came into close contact with those infected have also tested positive.

A vast, but lightly populated nation landlocked between China and Russia, Mongolia has recorded just over 400 confirmed cases but no deaths.

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TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga raised concerns about coronavirus infections, urging officials to step up testing, tracing and cluster investigations.

He's reminding people to stick to wearing masks, handwashing and other basic preventive measures.

The country set a record Friday for daily new infections, with the health ministry reporting 1,649 new cases, bringing the national total to 113,298.

Suga says he has instructed health and economic revitalization ministers to “use maximum caution and take preventive measures firmly.” He says the current situation doesn't require another state of emergency or scaling down of domestic tourism.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Rep. Don Young says he has the coronavirus, shortly after winning his 25th term in the U.S. House.

The 87-year-old Young, the longest-serving Republican in the House, made the announcement Thursday on Twitter.

“I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska and ask for privacy at this time,” Young wrote in a tweet. “May God Bless Alaska.”

The diagnosis came after Young initially downplayed the seriousness of the virus at the onset, claiming it was overblown and fueled by the media. Young’s positive test came after he was campaigning for re-election in Alaska, which is experiencing a surge of cases. Alaska has more than 20,000 cases, including 477 cases reported Thursday. There have been 96 confirmed deaths.

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in 70 days, with the government fining people who fail to wear masks in public.

The 191 cases added to the country’s caseload on Friday represented the sixth consecutive day of more than 100. Most were from the Seoul metropolitan area.

The steady spread of the virus has alarmed government officials, who eased social distancing measures to the lowest level since October to soften the economic shock.

While this has allowed high-risk venues like nightclubs and karaoke bars to reopen, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun saya the continuing spread could force the government to “seriously consider” tightening social distancing again.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government could soon make wearing masks mandatory on public transit in Auckland and on planes nationwide as it continues to investigate a new community case of the coronavirus.

Virus Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are no plans to raise the nation’s alert level after genome testing linked the latest case, a student who also worked at a clothing store, with a military worker who caught the virus at a hotel used as a quarantine site.

Hipkins says he will recommend the mask mandate to the Cabinet for its approval on Monday. New Zealand has been largely successful in its efforts to stamp out community spread of the virus.

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LOS ANGELES — California has become the second state to record 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections. Texas reached the mark earlier this week.

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed Thursday that California surpassed the milestone. It comes nearly 10 months after the first cases were confirmed in the most populous state.

California was the first in the nation to implement a statewide stay-at-home order on its nearly 40 million residents in March.

After spiking in the summer, the rate of confirmed cases in California declined markedly into the fall but now is surging again, like much of the nation. This week, 11 counties had rates high enough that state restrictions were re-imposed on certain businesses and activities.

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CHICAGO — Chicago has issued new coronavirus restrictions, including limiting social gatherings to 10 people, in hopes of combating the surge in cases ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is urging people to stay home except for essentials, like work or getting groceries. The measures take effect Monday. Lightfoot says the city must work to counteract the rapid rise of cases, including canceling traditional Thanksgiving plans to gather with friends and family.

A month ago, Chicago reported 500 daily new infections on average. The city is now averaging roughly 1,900 daily cases.

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BEIJING — China’s government says it has helped facilitate the return home of more than 70,000 Chinese nationals from 92 foreign countries between the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Nov. 10.

Deputy Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui said some had returned home aboard chartered flights while others deployed separate means.

While local transmissions have been largely eliminated, the country remains on guard over imported cases. Most recently, China suspended five inbound international flights after significant numbers of coronavirus sufferers were reported among the passengers.

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