Cyprus Mail 4 May 2020 - Reuters News Service
Monday, 7.15: More than 3,566,295 people have been infected across the world and over 248,286 have died but at the same time 1,154,060 people have recovered.
THE PANDEMIC IN NUMBERS
| COUNTRY | INFECTED CASES | DEATHS DUE TO VIRUS |
| CYPRUS | 872 | 15 |
| USA | 1,188,122 | 68,598 |
| SPAIN | 247,122 | 25,264 |
| ITALY | 210,717 | 28,884 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 186,599 | 28,446 |
| FRANCE | 168,963 | 24,895 |
| GERMANY | 165,664 | 6,866 |
- WORLDOMETER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (Updated continuously)
- UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS – KIOS AND RESEARCH CENTRE (Cyprus only)
- JOHNS HOPKINS CORONAVIRUS RESOURCE CENTRE
- HEALTH DATA CORONAVIRUS PROJECTIONS
- REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS
- REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD IN THE USA
- DEEP KNOWLEDGE GROUP SAFEST COUNTRIES RANKING
All the latest news in brief as it happens
11.30 Wearing masks, South Korean students to go back to school
South Korea on Monday said it will reopen schools in stages starting from May 13, as the daily number of domestic cases of the new coronavirus has fallen close to zero over recent days.
But health authorities urged vigilance once some 5.5 million elementary, middle and high school students gather in classrooms and they are conducting mock drills and preparing guidelines in the event of any upsurge in infection.
Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus without the extensive lockdowns seen in other countries.
11.09 Russia’s coronavirus cases rise again by over 10,000
The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 10,581 over the past 24 hours compared with a record of 10,633 on the previous day.
This brought Russia’s nationwide tally to 145,268, the country’s coronavirus crisis response centre said on Monday.
It also reported 76 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total death toll in Russia to 1,356.
11.07 Philippines has 16 new coronavirus deaths, 262 more infections
The Philippines’ health ministry on Monday reported 16 new coronavirus deaths and 262 additional confirmed cases.
The health ministry said total confirmed cases have risen to 9,485 while 623 people have died. But 101 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,315.
10.38 European stocks drop, kick off May on dour note
European stocks tumbled on Monday as investors returned from a May Day break to a fresh spat between the United States and China over the coronavirus crisis that triggered losses in cyclical sectors.
The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 2.5% in a downbeat start to May after the index recorded a 6% gain in April.
Oil & gas, automakers, banking and technology indexes were the biggest drags on the index, falling between 3.6% and 5%.
Germany’s Thyssenkrupp slumped 13% after a report that the pandemic could cause a new financial squeeze despite the sale of its elevator business.
10.26 Swimming-FINA postpones 2021 Fukuoka world championships to May 2022
The 2021 aquatics world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, will now be held from May 13-29, 2022, swimming’s governing body FINA said in a statement on Monday.
The decision follows the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After liaising with the relevant stakeholders and receiving feedback from them, we have no doubt that the decision taken will provide the best possible conditions for all participants at the championships,” said FINA president Julio Maglione.
10.20 Singapore’s health ministry confirms 573 new coronavirus casesSingapore’s health ministry said on Monday it confirmed 573 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state’s tally of infections to 18,778.
10.08 UK says China has questions to answer over novel coronavirus outbreak
China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the novel coronavirus outbreak but a post mortem over its role should come later, Britain’s defence minister said on Monday.
Asked by LBC radio if China had questions to answer over how quickly it made the world aware of the extent of the crisis, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I think it does.”
9.28 ‘Bloody awful’: British defence minister describes having COVID-19
Having COVID-19 was “bloody awful,” British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday, saying that the virus had sapped his energy, reduced his will and temporarily taken away his sense of taste and smell for days.
Asked by Sky News how it was to have COVID-19, Wallace said: “Bloody awful if you want the honest truth.”
“It wasn’t severe but it mentally taps your will because it comes and goes, it ebbs and flows,” said Wallace, who was infected with the virus at the end of March. “I sat on my own in my flat in London for 8 days and I lost taste and smell, and it’s a sort of energy sapping thing that reduces your will.”
9.26 European stock futures drop as U.S., China spar over virus origin
European stock index futures tumbled on Monday, as investors returned from a May Day break to a fresh trade spat between the United States and China over the coronavirus crisis.
The Euro STOXX 50 futures fell 3.3% by 0613 GMT, suggesting a downbeat start in May after the STOXX 600 recorded a 6% gain in April.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday there was “a significant amount of evidence” that the new coronavirus emerged from a Chinese laboratory, ratcheting up tensions with the country after last week’s warning from President Donald Trump of retaliatory measures against China over the pandemic.
8.31 Japan to seek extension of state of emergency to May 31 on Monday – economy minister
Japan’s government will seek to extend the country’s nationwide state of emergency to May 31 later on Monday, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said in parliament.
The government-issued state of emergency is due to expire on Wednesday, the last day of a week-long national holiday.
7.57 Thailand reports 18 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Thailand’s new coronavirus cases rose to 18 on Monday, after falling to single-digits for the past week, but the country reported no new deaths.
Monday’s report brought the total number of cases to 2,987 since the new virus was detected in Thailand in January, with a total of 54 deaths.
The new cases were migrants who were entering Thailand through an immigration checkpoint in the southern province of Songkhla, which shares a border with Malaysia, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman of the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
6.53 Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 679 to 163,175 – RKI
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 679 to 163,175, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.
The reported death toll rose by 43 to 6,692, the tally showed.
5.43 New Zealand reports no new cases for first time since mid-March
New Zealand on Monday recorded no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time since March 16 and less than a week after the Pacific nation ended a strict lockdown that appears to have contained the outbreak.
Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a news conference the result was cause for celebration, noting the death toll remained at 20 with no additional virus-related fatalities.
3.17 Mexico reports 1,383 new coronavirus cases, 93 more deaths
Mexico’s health ministry reported 1,383 new coronavirus cases and 93 more deaths on Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 23,471 cases and 2,154 deaths.
Of Mexico’s 32 federal entities, only two have registered fewer than 100 cases, deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told a news conference.
1.00 U.S. CDC reports 1,122,486 coronavirus cases, 65,735 deaths
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 1,122,486 U.S. cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 29,671 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,452 to 65,735.
The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) on Saturday, compared with its count a day earlier.
00.15 Total coronavirus cases in Brazil rise above 100,000
There have been 4,588 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Brazil and 275 deaths over the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday, bringing total confirmed cases in the country to over 100,000.
The nation has now registered 101,147 confirmed cases of the virus and 7,025 deaths. The number of cases increased roughly 5% on Sunday from the previous day, while deaths rose by roughly 4%, the ministry said.
What happened on Sunday, May 03
EUROPE
- Parts of the world are starting to emerge from the pandemic and to cautiously resume some sort of normal life, but the new coronavirus will pose significant risks until vaccines are developed, the WHO’s top emergencies expert said.
- Spaniards revelled in a second day of freedom, heading outside in time-slots for age groups on the first weekend adults were allowed out since one of the world’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns was imposed in mid-March.
- The British government had a contingency plan for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s death as he battled COVID-19 in intensive care last month, he said in an interview with The Sun newspaper.
- Russia recorded its highest daily rise in confirmed coronavirus cases with 10,633 new cases, bringing the total to 134,687, with more than half of cases and deaths in Moscow.
- Roche Holding <AG ROG.S> received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said.
- Austria’s loosened lockdown means tennis players can return to the court as long as they stick to coronavirus-related rules – singles only, no touching each other’s tennis balls, and definitely no shaking hands at the net.
AMERICAS
- In the United States, sunny days and warm weather are proving to be as challenging to manage as restaurants, hair salons and other businesses as about half of states partially reopen their economies.
- Canada’s daily coronavirus death toll edged up by under 5% in another sign the outbreak has peaked and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised additional funding for mental healthcare services.
- Families in a poor satellite city of Mexico’s capital with one of the country’s highest coronavirus tallies have staged protests to demand news of sick relatives and the return of the bodies of the dead after videos surfaced showing cadavers at a hospital.
- An inmate uprising at a Brazilian prison stoked by fears of a coronavirus outbreak saw seven prison guards briefly taken hostage in Manaus, a state capital deep in the Amazon rainforest where public services have been overwhelmed by the pandemic.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
- South Korea will further relax social distancing rules from May 6, allowing a phased re-opening of businesses, as the nation has largely managed to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the government said.
- Japan could ease some coronavirus curbs by allowing places such as parks and museums to reopen, provided proper preventive measures were in place, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
- Singapore will progressively ramp up its manufacturing activities, its minister of trade and industry said, with the city-state looking to restart its economy as curbs start to ease over the next few weeks.
- India’s air force flew aircraft low over more than a dozen cities, part of a nationwide campaign by the armed forces to thank healthcare workers and other essential services personnel fighting the outbreak.
- China has published a short animation titled “Once Upon a Virus” mocking the U.S. response to the new coronavirus, using Lego-like figures to represent the two countries.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Muslims, many praying shoulder-to-shoulder and without face masks, crowded mosques in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou after the government lifted an order closing them.
- Jordan said it had lifted all restrictions on economic activity in the latest easing of lockdown rules.
- Israel reopened some schools but the bid to edge back to normality was boycotted by several municipalities and many parents who cited poor government preparation.
- Malls in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi began reopening to a restricted number of customers as the UAE eases lockdown measures.
- Iran plans to reopen mosques and schools in areas that have been consistently free of the coronavirus.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
- White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said he would not rule out any element in the next potential coronavirus relief bill, including more money for state and local governments and the small business program.
- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said the United States’ capacity to withstand crises provides a silver lining as it combats the coronavirus, even as he acknowledged that the global pandemic could significantly damage the economy and his investments.
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc sold its entire stakes in the four largest U.S. airlines in April, Chairman Warren Buffett said at the company’s annual meeting.
- Saudi Arabia’s stock market fell sharply on Sunday, snapping three sessions of gains as the prospect of more stringent measures to cope with the coronavirus and Moody’s downgrading of the kingdom’s outlook soured investor sentiment.
