WHO cautions against further lifting of lockdown in England England’s coronavirus lockdown should not be further lifted until the government’s contact-tracing system has proven to be “robust and effective”, the World Health Organization has said after widespread criticism of the first results of the new tracking operation. As shops across England prepared to reopen, and people were encouraged by the government to come out of their homes and on to the high street, Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s director for Europe, cautioned that the UK remained in a “very active phase of the pandemic”. His remarks came as ministers confirmed a review of the 2-metre distancing rule, with the government coming under pressure from business leaders, Tory backbenchers and rightwing media to further ease the lockdown. Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the falling numbers of coronavirus cases has given the government “more margin for manoeuvre” in easing the 2-metre physical distancing rule. In response to data showing the government had failed to trace the contacts of a third of those testing positive in the first week of the new system, Kluge warned in an interview with the Guardian against rushing into reopening the economy. The WHO official said the tracking in England of about 31,000 contacts of 8,000 infected people was encouraging and a cause for congratulations. But he added that Downing Street needed to be convinced it could “aggressively” track infections as the prime minister looks to reopen the economy. At least 10 Chinese cities, including Harbin and Dalian, have urged residents not to travel to the capital or to report to authorities if they have done so recently. Reuters reports that Huaxiang, a neighbourhood in the same district as the food market and which has one of China’s biggest used car centers, raised its epidemic risk level to high on Sunday, becoming the only neighbourhood in the country to be on high alert. This status means there can be no economic activity until the outbreak is controlled. As of 3pm on Sunday, 10 neighbourhoods in Beijing had raised their risk levels from low to medium. Like other countries around the world, China is concerned to prevent a second wave from emerging after easing lockdowns that hammered its economy earlier this year. Beijing has entered an "extraordinary period" says city spokesman After weeks with almost no new coronavirus infections, Beijing has recorded dozens of new cases in recent days, all linked to a major wholesale food market, raising concerns about a resurgence of the disease, Reuters reports. On Sunday night Beijing ordered all companies to supervise 14-day home quarantine for employees who have visited the Xinfadi market or been in contact with anyone who has done so. A restaurant chain selling traditional Beijing noodles shut down a few outlets after two employees tested positive. There had been almost no new coronavirus cases in the city for almost two months until an infection was reported on 12 June, and since then the total number has climbed to 51, including eight reported in the first seven hours of Sunday. According to the Beijing’s health authority, contact tracing showed all the infected people had either worked or shopped inside Xinfadi, said to be the largest food market in Asia, or had been in contact with someone who was there. “Beijing has entered an extraordinary period,” city spokesman Xu Hejian told a news conference on Sunday. The market was closed before dawn on Saturday and the district containing the market put itself on a “wartime” footing. The Beijing outbreak has already spread to the neighbouring northeastern province of Liaoning, where the provincial health authority said the two new cases confirmed on Sunday were both people who had been in close contact with confirmed cases in Beijing. Summary Hello and welcome to today’s live global coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan. If you have questions, comments, tips or news from your part of the world, get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com. After weeks with almost no new coronavirus infections, Beijing has recorded dozens of new cases in recent days, all linked to a major wholesale food market, raising concerns about a resurgence of the disease. The capital is taking steps to try to halt the outbreak including ramping up testing. On Sunday night Beijing ordered all companies to supervise 14-day home quarantine for employees who have visited the Xinfadi market or been in contact with anyone who has done so. “Beijing has entered an extraordinary period,” city spokesman Xu Hejian told a news conference on Sunday. The market was closed before dawn on Saturday and the district containing the market put itself on a “wartime” footing. We’ll have the latest on that story throughout the day. Here are the other key developments from the last few hours: Cases worldwide near 7.9 million. According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, which relies on official government figures, there have been 431,543 known coronavirus deaths worldwide since the start of the pandemic. The number of confirmed cases stands at 7,854,514. Brazil has registered a further 612 deaths, taking the country’s death toll to 43,332, Reuters reports. The health ministry announced 17,110 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to 867,624. Chilean copper miners’ unions have demanded a re-evaluation of the operational continuity plans of the country’s biggest mines during what they said was an “alarming” increase in coronavirus cases among workers. Veteran Congolese politician Pierre Lumbi, once an advisor to former president Joseph Kabila and a leading opposition figure, has died from the coronavirus, Reuters is reporting. France has reported nine new coronavirus deaths taking the total to 29,407 and marking the fifth day with under 30 fatalities, Reuters reports. England’s coronavirus lockdown should not be further lifted until the government’s contact-tracing system has proven to be “robust and effective”, the World Health Organization has said after widespread criticism of the first results of the new tracking operation. French president Emmanuel Macron has said that all of France will move into the ‘green zone’ regarding coronavirus risks from Monday. Gatherings will remain tightly controlled but restaurants will reopen in the Paris region. The number of new coronavirus cases in Turkey rose to 1,562 in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Sunday, almost double the level to which they had fallen in early June when Ankara lifted travel restrictions and reopened facilities. Egypt will reopen all its airports on 1 July, the civil aviation minister said on Sunday, after suspending regular international flights in March.