Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
Spain’s daily death toll drops below 300 for the first time in weeks
The number of overnight coronavirus deaths in the country has dropped below 300 for the first time in weeks. On Sunday, children under 14 were allowed out to exercise for the first time since mid-March, and the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that adults could also be allowed to exercise outside from next weekend if efforts to contain the spread of the virus continue to pay off.
Global death toll passes 200,000
The number of confirmed deaths in the coronavirus pandemic increased to 203,332 on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University, with 2,908,527 confirmed cases.
French PM to present strategy for emerging from lockdown
The prime minister of France, Edouard Philippe, will on Tuesday present a national strategy for emerging from the coronavirus lockdown to the national assembly, his office told AFP.
UK government resists calls to publish plan for easing lockdown
The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has rejected calls for setting out the options for easing the lockdown saying this risked confusing the public. Raab said: “Until we can be confident, based on the scientific advice, that we’ll make sure-footed steps forward which will protect life but also preserve our way of life, frankly, it’s not responsible to start speculating about the individual measures.” He said it would be “unimaginable” to open schools without social distancing measures and said the resumption of amateur sport this summer would be “very difficult”. But professional sport “could be different,” he said.
UK warns against counting on an early vaccine
Dominic Raab said a vaccine is “not likely to come to fruition this year”. He confirmed the government is considering ordering millions of antibody tests to gauge how many people have had the virus, but he cautioned that there was still doubt about the reliability of the tests.
India’s PM urges citizens to abide by the lockdown as new cases continue to rise
Narendra Modi gave a radio address to urge its 1.3 billion citizens to strictly comply with the nationwide lockdown as the number of confirmed cases increased steadily despite the month-long curfew. He said the country was in the midst of a “war” and said Indians must maintain the “people-driven” fight and not be misled into believing the spread of the virus has been brought fully under control.
Beijing cracks down on ‘uncivilised’ behaviour
Beijing’s city government has banned “uncivilised” behaviour, such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene and combat the coronavirus.
Daily death toll in Iran falls to lowest level in weeks
Officials in Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, said there were 60 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 5,710 – but down from an average of about 90 over the past 10 days,
WHO warns against ‘immunity passports’
The World Health Organization has warned against “immunity passports” for recovered patients, seen as a possible tool for countries preparing to reopen their economies.
White House considers replacing health and human services chief
Reports have emerged that Donald Trump’s administration is considering replacing its secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, because of early missteps in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kim Jong-un’s train possibly spotted in resort
As rumours about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continue to circulate, including reports that he is sheltering from Covid-19, a US-based monitoring group released satellite images of what may have been his train parked at an exclusive resort town in the country’s east.
Australian study finds little transmission between children
A preliminary report, cited by Australia’s chief medical officer as the government advocates the reopening of the country’s schools, says children are unlikely to transmit Covid-19 between each other or to adults.
Saudi Arabia partially lifts curfews, reopens some commercial activity
State media in Saudi Arabia are reporting that the curfew will be partially lifted for all regions starting Sunday, but that a 24-hour curfew will be maintained in Mecca, according to Reuters. Some economic and commercial activities, including retail stores, will be reopened during Ramadan, from 29 April to 13 May.
UK prime minister to return to work on Monday
Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday and is “raring to go”, a Downing Street spokeswoman has confirmed. He returns to face a dilemma over whether to ease the coronavirus lockdown, as leading scientists warn that the number of new cases remains much too high.
