Coronavirus global updates, April 26: Boris Johnson to join work, Spain allows outdoor exercise from May 2
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Global Latest Updates: More than 2.9 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus while over 2,00,000 have died across the world. US has the maximum number of cases in the world, followed by Spain and Italy. And the World Health Organisation said there was no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 cannot fall sick again.
Here are some of the news on the coronavirus pandemic from across the world
US coronavirus cases inch closer to a million; over 53,000 deaths
The United States has around 9,56,000 cases of coronavirus and over 53,928 deaths dues to COVID-19. Around 36,491 new cases of coronavirus were reported in US on Friday, a record daily high, according to a Reuters tally.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that reopening businesses too soon would be risky. He said that his state began conducting antibody tests of nurses, doctors, police officers, grocery clerks and other essential workers while also allowing local pharmacies to collect samples for diagnostic tests. Hospitalisations in New York, the epicentre of the pandemic in US, fell to their lowest in three weeks.
Meanwhile, the states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska began loosening restrictions on businesses despite warning from experts.
British PM Boris Johnson to return to work tomorrow
After having recovered from a case of coronavirus that sent him to intensive care for three nights earlier this months, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back at work on Monday, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Saturday. Johnson will take back control of a government under pressure from the economic fallout of shutdowns aimed at curbing the spread of the highly infectious virus, as well as a rising death toll. UK became the fifth country in the world to report 20000 virus-related deaths.
Spain to allow outdoor exercise as kids prepare for taste of freedom
Cumulative deaths in Spain rose to 22,902 while the overall number of cases rose to 223,759 from 219,764 the day before.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced an easing of lockdown restrictions on Saturday, as children prepared to go outside for the first time in six weeks and figures confirmed a daily coronavirus death toll running well below the peak seen early this month.
In a televised address Sanchez said Spaniards will be allowed out to exercise alone from May 2 if the coronavirus toll continues to fall. People living together will be permitted to take short walks together. He also laid out the government’s wider plan to loosen the lockdown at different speeds across different regions, depending on whether they meet with criteria established by the World Health Organization. “We will not suddenly recover activity across all sectors,” he said.
Spain’s Health Ministry said 378 more people had died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, up slightly on Friday’s 367, the lowest in the past month, but well down on the high of 950 seen on April 2. Cumulative deaths rose to 22,902 while the overall number of cases rose to 223,759 from 219,764 the day before.
French PM to present plan to unwind lockdown on Tuesday
France prepared to ease one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns from May 11. French Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe will present the government’s plan to unwind the country’s coronavirus lockdown to parliament on Tuesday. The lockdown ordered by President Emmanuel Macron, which has been in place since March 17, is due to be lifted on May 11. The death toll due to coronavirus in France stands at 22,614, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Cuba sends doctors to South Africa to combat coronavirus
Cuba on Saturday sent 216 healthcare workers to South Africa, the latest of over 20 medical brigades it has sent worldwide to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported. Cuba has sent around 1200 healthcare workers mostly to African and Carribean nations but also to European countries such as Italy. Cuba has at least 1,227 cases of coronavirus and 51 deaths. The country has one of the world’s highest number of doctors per capita. South Africa has recorded over 4,361 cases of coronavirus, with 86 deaths.
Mexico coronavirus cases rise to 13,842
A street vendor sells acrylic face masks at a stop light in Tijuana, after the Mexican government declared a health emergency and issued stricter regulations to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tijuana, Mexico April 25, 2020. (Reuters)
Mexicos’s health ministry Saturday reported 970 new coronavirus cases and 84 deaths, bringing the total cases to 13,842 and 1,305 deaths. The government said the real number of infected people is likely considerably higher than the confirmed cases.
- Norway extended its ban on events involving more than 500 people until at least September 1.
- Italians celebrated the 75th anniversary of their liberation from occupation forces in World War II by coming out in their balconies or rooftops to sing a folk song linked to resistance fighters.
- In South America, testing shortages are a major problem in Brazil, which is inching closer to becoming a pandemic hotspot. Officials in Rio de Janeiro warned that their hospital systems were on the verge of collapse or already overwhelmed.
- The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 26,000 on Sunday, with at least 824 deaths.
- No new deaths were reported in China for the 10th straight day.
- South Korea’s daily increase in number or new cases remained less than 20 or the eighth day in a row, with no deaths for the second straight day. Sri Lanka partially lifted a month-long daytime curfew in more than two-thirds of the country, but reimposed a 24-hour countrywide lockdown until Monday after a surge of 46 new infections.
- Singapore is rapidly building bed space for coronavirus patients in exhibition halls and other temporary facilities as it faces a rise in cases, particularly among its migrant worker community. Singapore has recorded over 12,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths, Reuters reported.
- Thailand reported 15 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday and no new deaths, Reuters reported.
