The Latest: Night curfew in Melbourne after 671 new cases

The “Oilworkers” sculpture by Beatriz Blanco is reflected in the sunglasses of a woman wearing a stylized protective face mask as a precaution against the new coronavirus, on Sabana Grande boulevard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020.

A man walks his dog as the sun sets in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

The Staatsphilharmonie plays a concert on the lake stage on the Gro’er Dutzendteich in front of spectators who watch the concert on their own boats, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in Nuremberg, Germany. Due to the musical events Bardentreffen, Klassik Open Air and Stars in Luitpoldhain, which were cancelled due to the coronavirus, the project office in the Culture Division of the City of Nuremberg has organized three different concerts with an open-air concert weekend on the banks of the Dutzendteich.

Austin, Texas made Tito’s Handmade Vodka visits Brownsville, Texas Sports Park Satruday, Aug. 1, 2020, to distribute thousands of Tito’s made hand cleanser sanitizer to thousands of Brownsville residents to help fight the spread of COVID-19./The Brownsville Herald via AP)

Austin, Texas made Tito’s Handmade Vodka visits Brownsville, Texas Sports Park Satruday, Aug. 1, 2020, to distribute thousands of Tito’s made hand cleanser sanitizer to thousands of Brownsville residents to help fight the spread of COVID-19./The Brownsville Herald via AP)

FILE- In this May 13, 2020, file photo, registered nurse Stephanie Mundo conducts a COVID-19 test at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. New York broke a COVID-19 testing record Friday, July 31, 2020, by conducting 82,737 tests, the highest number ever conducted in a single day in the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday in a written statement.

FILE- In this July 8, 2020 file photo, Eric Antosh has a nasal swab taken by a nurse at a COVID-19 testing site in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York broke a COVID-19 testing record Friday, July 31, 2020, by conducting 82,737 tests, the highest number ever conducted in a single day in the state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday in a written statement.

Deborah Thurman votes at the Brainerd Youth and Family Development Center on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Saturday marked the end of the early voting period.

Cones indicating the distance people should wait apart are seen lining the way to the voter check-in area at the Brainerd Youth and Family Development Center on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Saturday marked the end of the early voting period.

People vote at the Brainerd Youth and Family Development Center on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Saturday marked the end of the early voting period.

A shoeshiner, wearing a protective face mask, brushes a shoe on Sabana Grande boulevard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., walk from Pelosi’s office following a meeting at the Capitol with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on a COVID-19 relief bill, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in Washington.

People cross the streets in Tokyo Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. Confirmed coronavirus cases are hovering at near record levels in Japan, raising worries the pandemic may be growing more difficult to control. The Tokyo government reported more than 290 new cases Sunday, about half in their 20s.

A couple wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus travel on a two wheeler in Kolkata, India, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. India is the third hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world after the United States and Brazil.

Vendors wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus sell vegetables at roadside stalls in Kolkata, India, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. India is the third hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world after the United States and Brazil.

Parishioners wearing masks as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID19 pray during a Mass at the Our Lady of Consolation Parish on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Quezon city, Philippines. Coronavirus infections in the Philippines continues to surge Sunday as medical groups declared the country was waging “a losing battle” against the contagion and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital.

A man prays with only a few other parishioners as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID19 during Mass at the Our Lady of Consolation Parish on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Quezon city, Philippines. Coronavirus infections in the Philippines continues to surge Sunday as medical groups declared the country was waging a losing battle against the contagion and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital.

Catholic priest Fr. Ian Espartero distributes communion during Mass to only a few parishioners as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID19 at the Our Lady of Consolation Parish on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Quezon city, Philippines. Coronavirus infections in the Philippines continues to surge Sunday as medical groups declared the country was waging a losing battle against the contagion and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital.

A woman’s temperature is measured before riding a passenger jeepney to help curb the spread of COVID19 as drivers at the Tandang Sora terminal were recently allowed back on the road after months of not being able to work on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020 in Quezon city, Philippines. Coronavirus infections in the Philippines continues to surge Sunday as medical groups declared the country was waging a losing battle against the contagion and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital.

People make their way on a street in Tokyo Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. Confirmed coronavirus cases are hovering at near record levels in Japan, raising worries the pandemic may be growing more difficult to control. The Tokyo government reported more than 290 new cases Sunday, about half in their 20s.

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa exceeded half a million confirmed cases of the coronavirus, even as President Cyril Ramaphosa said he sees “promising signs” that the rapid growth of cases is stabilizing and that the country’s strained health system is managing to cope in most areas.

South Africa’s caseload represents more than 50% of all reported coronavirus infections in Africa’s 54 countries. Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize announced 10,107 new cases Saturday night, bringing the country’s cumulative total to 503,290, including 8,153 deaths.

South Africa, with a population of about 58 million, has the fifth-highest number of cases in the world, behind the U.S., Brazil, Russia and India, all countries with significantly higher populations, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say the true toll of the pandemic worldwide is much higher than confirmed cases, due to limited testing and other reasons.

Ramaphosa, in a letter to the nation on Sunday, said that despite the high number of confirmed cases, he sees some positive developments, including that the daily increase in infections appears to be stabilizing in the provinces of the Western Cape, which includes Cape Town, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, which is home to Johannesburg and Pretoria.

South Africa’s hospitals have been stretched to the limit but in most provinces they are succeeding in providing treatment to COVID-19 patients, he said.