Police chiefs have urged the public in England to take personal responsibility and observe the new “rule of six” regulations following a weekend rife with illegal gatherings. Overall crime dropped dramatically during the coronavirus lockdown, when police were handed powers to enforce regulations designed to limit the spread of the disease. But Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said demand for the police was now close to that before the outbreak of the pandemic and urged the public to do their part by limiting gatherings indoors and outdoors to six people: Victoria, Australia sees lowest case rise in nearly 3 months Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria on Monday reported seven deaths from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours and 35 new cases, its lowest daily rise in infections since late June. The state has eased some restrictions in its largest city Melbourne from Monday by shortening the overnight curfew by an hour and doubling the amount of time people are able to spend outside to two hours per day. Victoria has continued a steady downward trend in daily cases in recent days with the rise in infections falling to double digits thanks to the hard lockdown from a peak of more than 700 cases in a single day in early August. The southeastern state, which is at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in Australia, reported 41 cases and seven deaths a day earlier. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Israel becomes first country to reimpose lockdown Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second-wave surge of new cases, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, becoming the first country worldwide to reimpose a strict national lockdown. Reuters reports that during the lockdown, which comes during the Jewish high-holiday season, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis. Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. The public sector will operate with fewer staff, but non-governmental offices and businesses will not have to close, as long as they do not accept customers. “I know those measures will exact a heavy price on us all,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “This is not the kind of holiday we are used to. And we certainly won’t be able to celebrate with our extended families.” Netanyahu, who has faced increasing criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, said he instructed his finance minister to come up with a new economic package to assist businesses hurt by the lockdown. Of that record one-day case increase, the largest individual country infection totals were from India, the United States and Brazil, according to the WHO. India reported 94,372 new cases, followed by the United States with 45,523 new infections and Brazil with 43,718. Both the US and India each reported over 1,000 new deaths and Brazil reported 874 lives lost in the past 24 hours. The previous WHO record for new cases was 306,857 on 6 September. On 17 April, the agency reported a record 12,430 deaths. Summary Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest global Covid-19 news for the next few hours. As always, it would be great to hear from you. You can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com. The World Health Organization reported a record single-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday. In the 24 hours to Sunday, 307,930 new infections were confirmed globally. The previous WHO record for new cases was 306,857 on 6 September. The agency reported a record 12,430 deaths on 17 April. Global officially recorded deaths from Covid-19 rose by 5,537 in the same period to a total of 917,417. Here are the key developments from the last few hours: The World Health Organization reported a record single-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, as the tally surged by a further 307,930 infections in just 24 hours. Israel’s government will impose a new three-week nationwide lockdown that will start on Friday, after the rate of infection during the past two weeks became the highest recorded since the outbreak began. South Africa’s finance minister, Tito Mboweni, warned Sunday the economy could shrink by more than the 7% forecast for 2020, stressing that public finances are “overstretched”. Spain plans to extend until the end of the year a measure preventing employers from using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to fire staff. Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit will begin mid-stage trials of its Covid-19 vaccine in Spain on Monday. Saudi Arabia will partially lift its suspension of international flights as of 15 September to allow “exceptional categories” of citizens and residents to travel. Around 4,000 health workers demonstrated in Brussels on Sunday, calling for more spending on the healthcare system.