The Latest: Istanbul imposes new coronavirus restrictions

ISTANBUL — Istanbul’s governor has introduced new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, banning all boating companies from hosting weddings and similar gatherings.

In a statement late Friday, the governor’s office also reintroduced a ban on concerts and festivals in open spaces. The statement said the restrictions were needed because precautions like physical distancing were not being adequately heeded and the virus’ spread had increased.

Istanbul, with about 16 million residents, is Turkey’s most populous city. Turkey has seen a spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths, which began increasing after Turkey loosened restrictions in June but has intensified since late August, returning to levels last seen in mid-May.

On Friday, the health ministry announced 56 deaths and 1,671 new cases, bringing the total death toll to 6,951 and number of cases to nearly 290,000.

___

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

— Antarctica is still free of COVID-19. Can it stay that way?

— Venice Film Festival closes amid cheers for daring to open amid coronavirus

— UN General Assembly approves pandemic resolution; US, Israel object

— Daily US virus deaths decline, but trend may reverse in fall

— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

___

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

PRAGUE — The coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in the Czech Republic, infecting a record number of people in one day for the third time this week.

The Health Ministry says the day-to-day increase in the new confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 1,447...