12.45: More than 2,496,660 people have been infected across the world and over 171,240 have died but at the same time 655,888 people have recovered.
THE PANDEMIC IN NUMBERS
INFECTED CASESDEATHS DUE TO THE VIRUS
USA 792,913 USA 42,517
SPAIN 200,210 ITALY 24,114
ITALY 181,228 SPAIN 20,852
FRANCE 155,380 FRANCE 20,265
GERMANY 147,065 UK 16,509
WORLDOMETER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (Updated continuously)
REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS
REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD IN THE USA
7.35 WHO warns lifting of coronavirus lockdowns must be gradual
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections.
Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function while the coronavirus is being kept in check, said Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.
7.30 Virgin Australia falls to virus crisis, appoints administrator to find investor
Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd on Tuesday succumbed to third-party led restructuring that could lead to a sale, making Australia’s second-biggest airline the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest victim of the coronavirus crisis gripping the industry.
Airlines around the world have been seeking government aid to survive after grounding the bulk of their fleets due to an unprecedented plunge in travel demand that is forecast to cost the industry $314 billion in revenue.
7.22 Indonesia bans Ramadan mass exodus tradition to curb coronavirus spread
Indonesia will ban the mass exodus tradition, locally known as ‘mudik,’ at the end of the Muslim fasting month in May in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in the Southeast Asian country, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.
“I have taken the decision that we will ban mudik,” Widodo told a cabinet meeting. “That is why the relevant preparation needs to be done.”
7.02 Japan tests show 11 dead were infected with coronavirus -media
Japanese police reported last month the deaths of 11 people deemed to be unnatural before tests showed the victims had been infected with the new coronavirus, media said on Tuesday.
Japan, with more than 260 virus-related deaths according to public broadcaster NHK, has avoided the kind of explosive outbreak that has plagued the United States and many European nations, raising questions whether it is testing sufficiently.
Some of the 11 died at home and one was found lying in the street, the Nikkei business daily and other media said, citing the National Police Agency.
What happened on Monday
EUROPE
- President Vladimir Putin said Russia had managed to slow the spread of the coronavirus but warned the peak of the outbreak still lay ahead after confirmed infections surged past 47,000 nationwide on Monday.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled readiness to finance economic recovery in Europe from the pandemic through a bigger European Union budget and the issuance of joint debt via the European Commission.
- Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG said it will test the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in a randomized trial to see if the much talked about medicine is actually effective against COVID-19.
- The spread of the coronavirus in Spain seems to be slowing despite more than 200,000 people now having been infected, officials said.
- Police and youths clashed for a second night in a low-income Paris suburb on Sunday as strict lockdown rules threaten a fragile social peace in deprived areas.
- Britain needs to be sure that any lifting or easing of social distancing measures does not lead to a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
AMERICAS
- U.S. Democrats and Republicans feuded over who was responsible for delay even as they worked on details of a possible $450 billion-plus deal to provide more aid to small businesses and hospitals hurt by the pandemic.
- U.S. coronavirus deaths topped 41,000 on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as more protesters gathered in state capitals to demand an early end to the lockdowns, while officials advised caution until more testing becomes available.
- At least 15 migrants from several countries tested positive for coronavirus at a northern Mexico shelter, Tamaulipas state authorities said, adding that a man carrying the virus and deported from Houston had infected most of the others.
- The New York State Nurses Association sued the state and two hospitals to force them to provide safety equipment and adopt measures to prevent COVID-19 from spreading among its members.
- Guatemala said a total of 50 migrants deported by the United States to the country have tested positive for the coronavirus.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
- China’s health authority called for a stronger and more rigorous testing regime to ensure that the new coronavirus does not escape detection.
- More than 150 Australian economists warned the government against easing social distancing rules.
- New Zealand will extend lockdown measures by a week and move to a lower level of restriction from April 27.
- South Korea extended its social distancing policy for another 15 days but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures
- Singapore’s health ministry confirmed an additional 1,426 cases of the COVID-19 infection, a record daily jump.
- Thailand’s king approved laws to implement spending measures worth 1.9 trillion baht to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Shopping malls and bazaars reopened in Iran despite warnings by health officials that a new wave of infections could ripple through the country.
- The coronavirus crisis is stirring anti-Semitism around the world, fuelled by centuries-old lies that Jews are spreading infection, researchers in Israel said.
- South Africa will increase welfare provision to help poor households suffering because of a nationwide lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
- With shuttered mosques, coronavirus curfews and bans on mass prayers from Senegal to Southeast Asia, some 1.8 billion Muslims are facing a Ramadan like never before.
- Kuwait will extend the suspension of work in the public sector until May 31 and expand a nationwide curfew to 16 hours, a government spokesman said.
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a four-day lockdown would be imposed in 31 cities from Thursday.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
- Plunging U.S. crude oil prices pulled global equity markets lower on Monday, kicking off a busy week of data and earnings that will further reveal the economic damage of the pandemic.
- Neiman Marcus Group is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, becoming the first major U.S. department store operator to succumb to the economic fallout from the outbreak, people familiar with the matter said. * British employers have put more than a million staff on temporary leave due to the coronavirus, finance minister Rishi Sunak said.
- Japan’s exports slumped the most in nearly four years in March. The country boosted its new economic stimulus package on Monday to a record $1.1 trillion.
- Switzerland’s tourism industry is unlikely to recover fully from the economic fallout from the coronavirus until 2022, the government said on Monday.
- For the first time since September 2004, no merger and acquisition deal worth more than $1 billion was announced worldwide last week, according to Refinitiv.
REUTERS