Asia Growth Hit by Delta; Hong Kong Extends Curbs: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) — French President Emmanuel Macron rebuffed accusations that he’s handling the Covid-19 crisis in an authoritarian way and renewed his call for people to get vaccinated. The president blasted opponents for exploiting the pandemic “to win political market share.”

Less than 1% of U.K. school students and staff tested positive for Covid-19 in June, significantly lower than last autumn, giving credibility to the government’s plan to put students into “bubbles” and ask those with symptoms to stay home.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reaffirmed his decision to ban school districts from instituting mask mandates as students begin classes across the Sunshine State.

South Korea surpassed 2,000 daily infections for the first time as the delta variant runs rampant across much of Asia, setting off anti-government protests in Thailand and leading to the lockdown of another…