Top story: Worldwide cases top 2 million
Good morning – Warren Murray with you again. Shall we begin?
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has announced new proposals to allow people to be with relatives in care homes who are gravely ill with coronavirus before they die, so that they can fulfil their “right to say goodbye”. A&E chiefs are alarmed at an increase in the number of people dying at home, and not necessarily from coronavirus, but other conditions that need urgent treatment. “People don’t want to go near hospital,” said minutes of a meeting between London A&E heads. “As a result salvageable conditions are not being treated.” Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “If patients are dying at home because they are fearful of seeking medical attention, or concerned about being a burden, then it is incredibly concerning. We would reassure them that the NHS is here for them, and we will do whatever we can to keep them as safe as possible when they access care.”
South Korea, one of the countries worst hit early on by Covid-19, has managed to carry off a national election in which the left-leaning ruling party has overnight recorded a landslide victory. In the first big election of the coronavirus era, the political tide turned in President Moon Jae-in’s favour over his government’s rigorous handling of the outbreak. As of this morning confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide have passed 2 million, with at least 136,938 deaths recorded since the start of the outbreak. The US has reported more than 25,000 new cases, bringing total infections to more than 600,000 according to the CDC. Deaths rose by 2,330 to 24,582 in the latest count.
Donald Trump has again questioned China’s transparency over the coronavirus outbreak, casting doubt on the origins of the virus and number of cases, while signalling the US would soon join countries across Europe in easing its lockdown. “Do you really believe those numbers in this vast country called China?” the US president replied, when asked about the severity of the US death toll at a White House press briefing. “We report everything, we’re reporting the cases and our reporting is good. We’re reporting every death.” Trump has said some US states may reopen before 1 May.
Asia’s economic growth this year will grind to a halt for the first time in 60 years, as the crisis takes an “unprecedented” toll on the region’s service sector and major export destinations, the International Monetary Fund has said. G20 finance ministers have agreed to suspend poorer countries’ debt payments. The measure will be in effect from 1 May until the end of the year as they prepare for increased spending on healthcare systems. More at our live blog throughout the day.
There’s more in our Coronavirus Extra section further down … and here’s where you can find all our coverage of the outbreak – from breaking news to factchecks and advice.
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Cough to court again – Charles and Diana Ingram will ask the court of appeal to overturn their convictions for cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The couple, portrayed on ITV’s hit miniseries Quiz which aired this week, were found guilty in 2003 of conning their way to win £1m by having an alleged accomplice cough to indicate the correct answers. The human rights lawyer Rhona Friedman told the Guardian she has taken on the case after becoming convinced the couple were the victims of a miscarriage of justice.
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Truce government eludes Israel – Benny Gantz has failed to form a coalition government in Israel after talks with Benjamin Netanyahu stalled, pushing the country further towards an unprecedented fourth round of elections. But first comes a 21-day wait while MPs in the Knesset can vote to nominate any candidate to be prime minister. Netanyahu and Gantz have been discussing power-sharing options in which they would take turns as PM.
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Brexit – yes you read that right … Live sport is still off but the EU and the UK government are poised to resume their tournament of post-Brexit talks next week. Attempts will be made via video link to thrash out trade and fishing rights. After Brexit day on 31 January, the EU and UK managed only one round of talks before coronavirus crashed them. Like Boris Johnson, Michel Barnier, the chief EU negotiator, came down with Covid-19 but has recovered.
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Apple hits redial on the SE – A new smaller, cheaper iPhone will go on sale tomorrow. The second-generation SE costs from £419 in the UK. Apple will be relying almost exclusively on online sales and those through network operators, given that it was forced to close all its retail stores outside China on 14 March.
Coronavirus Extra
They are at the centre of theories about how coronavirus might have crossed over into humans – so what are wet markets?
Banksy has shared a bit of whimsical lockdown art – a gang of his trademark rats causing havoc in a bathroom, knocking the mirror to one side, hanging on the light pull, swinging on a towel ring and stepping on a tube of toothpaste. Caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home.”
In politics, Martin Kettle predicts lasting change for the Tories once the urgency of the coronavirus crisis wanes.
Today in Focus podcast: Does hydroxychloroquine work?
The drug has been used to treat a number of diseases in the past half-century but after a French study claimed it was effective against coronavirus it was hailed by the US president as a cure. But there is scant evidence it is effective – and it could actually be harmful.
Lunchtime read: ‘No doubt President Trump will blame Africa …’
Gordon Brown has persuaded more than 200 ex-leaders and ministers, economists and medical experts to back detailed proposals for global cooperation that he hopes will make the agenda of this week’s meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The open letter they have signed calls for a global pledging conference where governments could collectively agree to fund the search for a vaccine, treatments, ventilators and personal protective equipment worldwide.
On Donald Trump freezing US funding for the WHO, the former British PM tells Gaby Hinsliff: “It’s illogical, it is counter-productive, it’s really sabotaging the efforts to coordinate global health and it’s an act of self-harm because it will rebound to hurt America. If the next wave of the virus comes out of Africa because the WHO and others have not been able to help them contain and suppress the disease, then no doubt President Trump will blame Africa and demonise them as well as the WHO.” Yet Brown hopes the US may still fund some arm’s-length WHO initiatives on coronavirus, and insists he hasn’t given up on a global response: “I still don’t rule out getting countries round the world to bring China and America back into cooperation.”
Sport
Owen Farrell, the England captain, is set to defer almost £300,000 in wages as part of drastic measures adopted by Saracens owing to the coronavirus crisis. A commitment to completing the season before the start of July is among the options being considered by Premier League clubs, the Guardian understands. The standoff between Arsenal and their players over wage reductions risks sending an untimely ripple through waters that seemed to have calmed since Mikel Arteta’s arrival in December.
The consortium close to completing a takeover at Newcastle does not expect the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test to pose any problems but Amnesty International has raised concerns about Saudi Arabia’s involvement. Deontay Wilder has continued to push back against the notion that he was beaten by a superior fighter when he lost his heavyweight crown to Tyson Fury. The head of McLaren has warned teams will be forced out of Formula One because of the financial impact of Covid-19 if the sport does not take decisive action. And the baseball Hall of Famer Roy Halladay had high levels of amphetamines in his system and was performing stunts when he lost control of his plane and nosedived into Tampa Bay in November 2017, a safety report has said.
Business
Asian stocks have been mostly lower after weak US retail and other data added to gloom about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Benchmarks in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai declined. The pound is worth $1.247 and €1.146 at time of writing.
The papers
Front pages today carry the heartbreaking story of Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong – the NHS nurse who died of coronavirus in pregnancy while her baby daughter was able to be saved by a caesarean delivery. “Miracle girl ‘beacon of light’,” says the Metro.
Other stories needing to be told: the Guardian reports on a surge in people dying at home – not only of coronavirus – with A&E chiefs saying those badly ill may be scared to go to hospital or not wish to be a burden. The Times says “Nation faces segmenting older family from young” under post-lockdown plans that are being considered. “Britain salutes our £10m NHS hero” – the Express honours Captain Tom Moore, 99, who has been walking laps of his garden to raise money.
“Unbelievable” – the Mirror is in uproar after the health secretary offered PPE-deprived care workers “a badge”. But the Mail claims the recognition as “Victory for our heroic carers” and its campaign on their behalf. So does the Sun, applauding their “Blue grit”. The i seeks to shed light on “Reality of working in a coronavirus care home”. The Telegraph paraphrases the chief medical officer: “Virus finally reaching the peak.” The FT has “Trump condemned for WHO fund freeze as coronavirus rages”.
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