The Latest: Saudi Arabia: Residents show vaccination proof

A Saudi health worker carries a tray of Pfizer coronavirus vaccines, at a vaccination center in the old Jiddah airport, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

COVID-19 patients rest at the Dr. Norberto Raul Piacentini hospital, in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, Saturday, May 1, 2021, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. As Argentina experiences record COVID-19 tolls, hospitals struggle to keep up with the demand. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to examine the FY 2022 budget request for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)

People enjoy a breakfast at a café terrace Wednesday, May, 19, 2021 outside the cathedral in Strasbourg, eastern France. Café and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life — sipping coffee and wine with friends outdoors — to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Daily wage laborers wearing protective face masks wait at a pavement for transportation during a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, May 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Healthcare workers seal a coffin of a COVID-19 victim patient at Llavallol Dr. Norberto Raúl Piacentini Hospital in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, Friday, April 23, 2021. Argentina has so far reported more than 67,300 confirmed deaths and more than 3.1 million people sickened by the disease. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., signs the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 19. 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

People queue outside a restaurant, Wednesday, May, 19, 2021 in Lille, northern France. It's a grand day for the French café and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life — sipping coffee and wine with friends outdoors — to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., speaks during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hybrid hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The hearing is examining Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland biotech firm whose Baltimore plant ruined millions of doses of the coronavirus vaccine. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

People drink outside a cafe, Wednesday, May, 19, 2021 in Lille, northern France. It's a grand day for the French café and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life — sipping coffee and wine with friends outdoors — to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Healthcare workers demand better working conditions and more COVID-19 vaccines during a protest outside the Clinicas Hospital in San Lorenzo, Paraguay, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. The Health Ministry reported that a record number of people died from COVID-19 on Tuesday, May 18. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks during a coronavirus media briefing in Downing Street, London, Wednesday May 19, 2021. (Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP)

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks with former French NBA player Tony Parker during a visit to mark the reopening of sporting activities and facilities after closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, in Pont-Saint-Marie, eastern France, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. France's 7 p.m. nightly curfew was pushed back to 9 p.m. and museums, theaters and cinemas reopened along with outdoor cafe terraces and sports activities. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

People enjoy a drink at a café terrace Wednesday, May, 19, 2021 in Lille, northern France. It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a pandemic shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life in France. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Brazil's former Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, right, arrives to testify before the Senate for an investigation of the government's management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Paramedics wearing PPE suits carry umbrellas as they walk inside a hospital premises during heavy rain in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. India recorded the pandemic's highest single-day death toll in the world on Wednesday, as coronavirus infections continued to spread through its vast rural areas with weak health systems. (AP Photo/Ishant Chauhan)

Malawi's Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda, places COVID-19 vaccines in an incinerator, in Lilongwe, Malawi, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Malawi has burned nearly 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines because they had expired. The government incinerated over 19,000 doses of the vaccine at Kamuzu Central Hospital in the capital Lilongwe. According to Health Secretary Charles Mwansambo the vaccines were the remainder of 102,000 doses that arrived in Malawi on March 26 with just 18 days until they expired on April 13. (AP Photo/Jacob Nankhonya)

Saudi physician Hala Alkattan takes the temperature of Egyptian resident, Kamal Hamza, before giving him a Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center at the old Jiddah airport, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A woman wearing a face mask to protect against COVID-19 waits in front of a billboard in the central business district in Beijing, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia says starting in August, residents must show proof of vaccination to enter government offices, use public transportation, attend schools and other activities.

The move is the first by the kingdom to tie the economic reopening to its vaccination campaign. It follows similar steps by other Gulf Arab emirates, including the city-state of Dubai and island nation of Bahrain.

The brief statement from the official Saudi Press Agency, citing the Interior Ministry, declared on Aug. 1 that vaccination would be obligatory for those wishing to attend sporting and entertainment events, participate in cultural activities and enter various private and public establishments.

It didn’t say how authorities would implement the restrictions in the country of more than 30 million beyond that residents would need to show their vaccination status on the government-approved health app. Saudi Arabia, relying on Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots, has vaccinated some 11.5 million residents with at least one dose.

This week, the kingdom loosened a yearlong, virus-induced travel ban, allowing vaccinated Saudis to leave the kingdom. Despite the inoculation campaign, the daily case count rose above 1,200 on Wednesday for the first time in several months.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— India reaches global record of 4,529 confirmed daily deaths

— Grand day for the French: Cafe and bistro outdoor terraces reopen

— ‘City in transition’: New York vies to turn page on pandemic

— Mexico pushes to get all 3 million school teachers vaccinated to reopen schools, perhaps by June.

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Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s Prime Minister Florin Citu says new relaxation measures will start June 1, regardless of how many people are vaccinated.

During the past month, Citu has repeatedly expressed a goal to vaccinate 5 million people by June 1, a date earmarked for new relaxations. Reaching that target now looks uncertain, but in recent weeks coronavirus infections have significantly dropped in the Eastern European nation.

“We can reach five million (vaccinated), but the goal, in fact, is not to reach a certain figure,” Citu said after a government meeting Wednesday. “The goal is to overcome the pandemic, and this is only possible through vaccination. I believe Romanians have understood the message and will get vaccinated.”

So far, Romania has administered 7 million vaccine doses, with about 3 million people fully vaccinated.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina is hitting records of coronavirus infections and deaths, despite managing to get at least one dose of vaccine to nearly 20% of its people.

The Health Ministry reported 745 more deaths and 35,543 new infections on Tuesday in the country of about 45 million people. Those were the worst figures yet in the pandemic for Argentina, which has more than 71,000 total confirmed deaths.

The government recently imposed a nighttime curfew, closed schools and suspended other activities. Intensive care beds remain 72% occupied nationally, according to officials.

“The situation is desperate,“ said Claudio Belocopitt, president of the Argentine Union of Private Health Entitities.

The country has given at least one vaccination to more than 10 million people, although only about 2 million have received both shots.

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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is easing coronavirus-related restrictions amid a steady decline in infections and deaths.

The announcement comes hours after Pakistan reported 104 single-day deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours. According to a government announcement, schools will reopen Monday in those districts where positivity rates are less than 5%.

The government will allow outdoor marriages and outdoor dining at restaurants, with adherence to social distancing rules. The closure of cinemas, gyms, shrines and a ban on indoor dining will remain in place.

Pakistan has reported more than 886,000 infections and 19,856 confirmed deaths.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina is getting billions of dollars more from the federal government through another COVID-19 relief package.

Now Gov. Roy Cooper is ready to tell lawmakers how he wants them to spend the money. Cooper scheduled a Wednesday news conference to unveil his recommendations for North Carolina’s share of American Rescue Plan funds. The state learned last week its portion would be $5.4 billion.

The Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers worked well in tandem last year when they agreed how to spend $3.6 billion in coronavirus relief funds. State government coffers are already flush with revenues from state taxes and fees.

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PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s senators are joining a push to make the use of telehealth easier as the country moves beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King say the use of telehealth among Medicare beneficiaries increased dramatically during the pandemic. They want to expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare and make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent.

The senators are supporting a proposal called the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2021.

Also Wednesday, Maine officials say the number of daily coronavirus cases continued a downward trend. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in the past two weeks decreased from 297 on May 3 to 236 on Monday. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths remained at nearly two per day in the same period, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

About 55% of the eligible people have been fully vaccinated. The state reported more than 66,000 coronavirus cases and 807 total confirmed deaths.

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PARIS — It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a pandemic shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life in France.

The French government is lifting restrictions incrementally to stave off a resurgence of the coronavirus and give citizens back some of their signature “joie de vivre.” As part of the first stage, France’s 7 p.m. nightly curfew is being moved back to 9 p.m. Museums, theaters and cinemas are reopening with limited capacity, along with outside areas of restaurants.

Starting June 9, France will welcome tourists from non-EU destinations provided they have some sort of coronavirus passport or health pass. The final phase of the three-stage reopening plan is scheduled for June 30, when the curfew will end and all other restrictions will be lifted, if pandemic conditions allow.

Belgium, Hungary and other nations already started allowing outdoor dining, while drinking and eating indoors began Monday in Britain’s pubs.

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BRUSSELS — The European Union has taken a step toward relaxing travel for visitors from outside the bloc, with EU ambassadors agreeing on measures to make it easier for fully vaccinated visitors to get into countries.

They also agreed on easing the criteria for nations to be considered a safe country, from which all tourists can travel. Up to now, that list included only seven nations. EU countries have yet to formally approve the measures.

The EU imposed strict measures last year to contain coronavirus outbreaks. The 27 ambassadors now say many of those measures for non-essential travel should lifted.

The European Council “will now recommend that member states ease some of the current restrictions” for those who have been vaccinated, says EU Commission spokesman Christian Wigand. He didn’t give a precise date for when the borders will reopen.

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NEW DELHI — India has recorded the highest single-day death toll since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health Ministry reported 4,529 deaths on Wednesday as the coronavirus spreads beyond cities into the vast countryside, where health systems are weaker. The number is considered an undercount by health experts.

The U.S. held the previous record for daily deaths at 4,475 on Jan. 12, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

India also reported 267,334 new daily infections, with daily cases dropping below 300,000 for the third consecutive day. The number of daily administered doses has fallen by about half in the last six weeks because of shortages. It's decreased from a high of 4 million a day on April 2 to around daily 2 million or fewer this week.

India has reached 25.4 million confirmed cases and 283,248 confirmed deaths, second highest in the world.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan recorded 267 new cases Wednesday and raised COVID-19 restrictions for the entire island.

Up until now, indoor gatherings of more than five people and outdoor gatherings of more than 10 had been banned in the capital Taipei and neighboring New Taipei city. They’re now in force elsewhere on the island.

Taiwan is facing its worst outbreak yet, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases since last week.

Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has largely kept the virus at its borders, but had faced a few outbreaks. Last week, it shut schools, restaurants, gyms and other public venues as it attempts to break the chain of transmission.

The most recent surge is likely driven by a variant first discovered in Britain.

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BERLIN — Restaurants, theaters, cinemas and sports facilities in Austria reopened Wednesday after more than six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hotels are allowed to receive guests as normal again, provided they can prove they’ve been vaccinated or tested negative. Digital or paper proof of one’s health status is required for anyone wanting to visit bars, spas, cinemas and other sites too. Children under 10 are exempt.

Customers are still required to wear masks, respect a 2-meter (6-foot) distancing rule and register their personal details to facilitate contact tracing. Up to 3,000 people can attend outdoor events with designated seating, or 1,500 people if the event is indoors. Events without seating are limited to 50 people.

To attract foreign visitors, Austria has also eased its quarantine requirements for people arriving from many European countries.

Official figures showed Austria had a rate of 62.2 new weekly cases per 100,000 inhabitants on Tuesday. About one in three Austrians have received a first vaccination for COVID-19.

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LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Strip and its surroundings will fully reopen to vaccinated diners, dancers, shoppers and club-goers on June 1.

Clark County lawmakers on Tuesday followed CDC guidelines and dropped plans to tie business occupancy to coronavirus vaccination rates.

The unanimous vote came after public speakers expressed anger and frustration with pandemic restrictions — especially their effects on schoolchildren.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday aligned state requirements with CDC recommendations issued a day earlier. The CDC says fully vaccinated people can stop social distancing and mask-wearing outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

Most Las Vegas casinos have already returned to 100% occupancy and no social distancing under oversight of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian lawmakers have voted to dismiss the health minister who has faced criticism for the slow pace of the nation’s coronavirus vaccination effort.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held Health Minister Maksym Stepanov responsible for the failure to quickly procure more vaccine. Shmyhal says the nation of 41 million people so far has received only 2.3 million doses, and only 948,3300 Ukrainians had received at least one shot as of Tuesday.

Stepanov argued in his defense that the ex-Soviet nation has faced tough competition as nations try to procure vaccines amid the pandemic. Supplies of the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine were suspended after infections in India surged.

Ukraine has registered more than 2.1 million infections and 48,469 confirmed deaths from COVID-19.

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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ governor says public schools must end mask requirements starting in June and is ordering Texas’ cities and counties to drop nearly all face covering mandates by the end of the week.

Tuesday’s announcement from Gov. Greg Abbott doesn't affect private businesses, which can still require customers or workers to wear masks. But the change is the biggest rollbacks of Texas’ pandemic safeguards since Abbott ended a statewide mask mandate in March.

Public hospitals, jails and state-supported living centers will be allowed to require masks.

The move comes as Texas’ coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths continue to plunge and vaccines are available to children as young as 12. Some Texas school have already ended mask mandates. The Texas State Teachers Association criticized Abbott’s decision as premature.

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MEXICO CITY — Mexico is mounting a final push to get all of the country’s 3 million school teachers vaccinated so it can reopen schools, perhaps by the second half of June.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says getting kids back into classrooms is an urgent necessity, as much for their social development as anything else. He says: “School is like a second home, and we need all students at all levels to return to in-person classes.”

Officials estimate 2.1 million teachers at private and public schools have already been vaccinated, and hope to inject almost 520,000 this week and a similar number in the last week of May.

Schools in four of Mexico’s least-affected states have gone back to in-person classes, but on a very limited scale. The other 28 states have been giving online classes since early last year.

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