Mainland China reported 12 new Covid-19 cases on 20 September, up from 10 cases a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Monday. The National Health Commission said in a statement all new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas. It also reported 25 new asymptomatic infections, up from 21 a day earlier, though China does not classify these symptomless patients as confirmed Covid-19 cases. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in mainland China now stands at 85,291, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634. A very pandemic Emmy Awards will be starting soon – follow the latest on our live blog: Air New Zealand CEO says Trans-Tasman travel bubble unlikely in next six months Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian: Australians and New Zealanders have long pinned their hopes on an eventual trans-Tasman bubble that would allow travel between the two countries to resume without a fortnight in government-run quarantine at either end. But the chief executive of Air New Zealand has told an Australian newspaper he doesn’t expect the “bubble” to be in place for at least six more months. Greg Foran, who heads New Zealand’s flag carrier airline, made the comments to the Sydney Morning Herald, adding that he “certainly do[es] not believe we will see anything across the Tasman this calendar year.” “It’s hard to believe it would be before March next year and could well be longer,” he said. The prime ministers of both countries have frequently been asked about the proposed “bubble” since the idea was first floated, but neither would commit to a timeline before the coronavirus is brought under control. There are 909 active cases of the virus in Australia and Melbourne remains in lockdown. New Zealand has 71 active cases. UK at ‘critical point’ over Covid-19, top scientists to tell public Heather Stewart and Josh Halliday report: Britain’s most senior government scientists will make a direct appeal to the public on Monday, warning that the coronavirus trend is “heading in the wrong direction” and “a critical point has been reached”. As Downing Street considers imposing nationwide curbs to contain a sharp jump in cases, the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, will make a rare live televised address alongside the UK chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. The scientists will set out the latest data on the spread of the disease, and urge people to exercise caution. Whitty is expected to warn: “We are looking at the data to see how to manage the spread of the virus ahead of a very challenging winter period.” Their intervention comes after ministers were accused of eroding trust, from failings and broken pledges on testing and tracing to scandals such as Dominic Cummings’ lockdown journeys. London could become the latest area to be subject to regional restrictions, with the mayor, Sadiq Khan, meeting council leaders on Monday. A spokesperson for Khan said: “The situation is clearly worsening … it is better for both health and business to move too early than too late”: 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, as the US nears the devastating milestone of 200,000 dead. The number of deaths currently stands at 199,481 on the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The US case total stands at 6,792,075. Britain meanwhile is at a critical point in the Covid-19 pandemic and faces a very challenging winter, one of the government’s top medical advisers will warn at a public briefing on Monday. “The trend in the UK is heading in the wrong direction and we are at a critical point in the pandemic,” England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty is expected to say in an address set for 10am on Monday. Here are the key developments from the last few hours: Cases in Britain are on the increase in what Boris Johnson has labelled a second wave of the virus, with large areas of the country subject to restrictions on social freedom and London expected to be next in line. The UK reported 3,899 new cases on Sunday after four-month high of 4,422 on Saturday. Tens of thousands of private renters in England and Wales could be at risk of losing their homes when the ban on evictions ends on Monday, campaign groups say.Renters in England and Wales have been protected from eviction during the Covid-19 outbreak by a ban announced in March which was then extended, meaning anyone served with an eviction notice since August 29 has been given a six-month notice period. Lebanon on Sunday said it confirmed 1,006 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, in a new record for the crisis-hit country, according to AFP. Thousands of demonstrators calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to resign have gathered in Jerusalem, despite an Israeli national lockdown that went into force on Friday. The French health ministry has reported 10,569 new cases in 24 hours, down from the previous day’s record increase of 13,498. 12 more deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, with the death toll rising to 31,585. The latest increase in deaths from yesterday’s toll may reflect late-arriving data for earlier fatalities, according to Reuters. The US performed a record one million tests on Saturday – but experts say the country needs to be hitting targets of between six and ten million a day to get the outbreak under control. Myanmar has announced a stay-at-home order for its largest city, Yangon, from Monday, following a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases on Sunday. The UK has reported an additional 3,899 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases. This brings the total to 394,257. The death toll has risen by 18 to 41,777, according to government data. Authorities in China’s northeastern Jilin province have found the coronavirus on the packaging of imported squid, health authorities in the city of Fuyu said on Sunday, urging anyone who may have bought it to get themselves tested. Russia has reported 6,148 new cases. It was the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399. Indonesia has reported 3,989 new cases, taking the total to 244,676. Data from the country’s health ministry also showed 105 new deaths, taking the total to 9,553, the biggest death toll in Southeast Asia.