People wearing face masks take a walk during a lockdown in Santiago, Chile, May 19, 2020. (Photo by Jorge Villegas/Xinhua)

- Chilean government urges citizens to follow preventive health measures

- Staffer on Democratic presidential nominee Biden's plane tests positive

- Almost half of intensive care units in Paris occupied by COVID-19 patients

- Europe should "gradually escalate" targeted measures to curb the spread of COVID-19: WHO

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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SANTIAGO -- The Chilean Ministry of Health on Thursday called on citizens to continue to follow measures for preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) ahead of possible demonstrations that will mark the first anniversary of the wave of social unrest that began in the country on Oct. 18, 2019.

"(We must) remember that all marches must be carried out with preventive measures to avoid contagion, such as masks and physical distancing, to avoid a high number of positive cases that could prevent people from voting" in the plebiscite on Oct. 25, which will focus on whether a new national constitution should be drafted, Chilean Undersecretary of Assistance Networks Arturo Zuniga said.

Voters line up to vote during the in-person early voting for U.S. president in Fairfax, Virginia, the United States, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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WASHINGTON -- A charter staffer who flew on U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign plane has tested positive for COVID-19, the Biden campaign announced on Thursday.

The staffer flew with Biden to the midwest U.S. state of Ohio on Monday and southeastern state Florida on Tuesday, but they were always over 50 feet away from each other and wore masks, Biden's campaign said in a statement.

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YANGON -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 32,531 as of Thursday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

A total of 1,026 more COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported in the country.

A medical worker wearing protective equipment takes a swab sample from a man for a COVID-19 PCR test at a temporary screening center in front of the city hall of Paris, France, Aug. 31, 2020. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

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PARIS -- French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that 46 percent of intensive care units in Paris are occupied by COVID-19 patients, as the country is struggling to contain a worrying resurgence of the coronavirus.

France will re-impose a state of health emergency at 12 midnight on Friday for at least four weeks, Castex said at a press conference. "This decision is valid for a period of four weeks and will last beyond if the Parliament validates it," he said.

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THE HAGUE -- The number of daily COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands reached a new high on Thursday, as a party on the parliament's doorstep triggered public outrage.

From Wednesday to Thursday a total of 7,833 new novel coronavirus infections were reported by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 537 more than the 7,296 cases reported in the previous 24 hours.

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NEW DELHI -- Several services like cinema halls, theatres and swimming pools opened up in India on Thursday after almost seven months as per the Unlock 5 guidelines issued on September 30.

As per the guidelines, the cinema halls will be allowed to operate with only 50 percent sitting capacity. Alternate seats inside the cinema halls and multiplexes have been marked as "Not to be Occupied" in a bid to maintain social distancing.

Community workers patrol on a beach in Barcelona, Spain, July 27, 2020. (Barcelona City Hall/Handout via Xinhua)

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COPENHAGEN -- Europe should "gradually escalate" targeted measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, said at a virtual press conference here on Thursday.

He presented troubling figures on the evolving epidemiological situation in Europe. According to Kluge, COVID-19 is now the "fifth leading cause of deaths and the bar of 1,000 deaths per day has now been reached."

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MUSCAT -- The Omani Health Ministry on Thursday announced 520 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 108,296, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

Meanwhile, 321 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall number of recoveries to 94,229, while eight others reportedly died, raising the tally to 1,069, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA. ■