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Coronavirus live news: Japan extends state of emergency; US hands $50m Covid-19 aid to fossil fuel firms Coronavirus live news: India extends coronavirus lockdown for two weeks
(32 minutes later)
Donald Trump contradicts intelligence on virus origin; worldwide recoveries pass 1m; outbreak increasing in AfricaDonald Trump contradicts intelligence on virus origin; worldwide recoveries pass 1m; outbreak increasing in Africa
South Africa began to ease its strict coronavirus lockdown on Friday, allowing some industries to reopen after five weeks of restrictions, AFP reports.
Africa’s most industrialised nation was already teetering with low growth and high debts when the lockdown kicked in on 27 March.
Its easing comes after the ratings agency S&P on Wednesday downgraded the country’s credit rating further to junk.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised May Day speech:
With 5,647 confirmed cases and 103 fatalities, South Africa has the continent’s highest Covid-19 death toll.
But a mid-April government survey published on Friday showed that respondents were more concerned about a potential economic collapse than contracting coronavirus.
People living in the poorest parts of the UK are dying from Covid-19 at double the rate of people in the richest areas, a data analysis has found, writes Caelainn Barr, the Guardian’s data projects editor.
The most deprived areas had 55.1 deaths per 100,000 people – more than double that of people in the least deprived areas, where the death rate was 25.3, according to figures from England and Wales published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday.
The findings have lead to calls for the government to support the most vulnerable and prompted questions about why poorer people appear to be dying in greater numbers than the wealthy.
Javed Khan, the chief executive of Barnardo’s, said the crisis highlighted “deep-rooted inequalities that have been papered over for decades”. He went on:
India is to extend its coronavirus lockdown - the world’s biggest by population - but with some easing of restrictions in areas with few cases, according to AFP.
The home ministry said in a statement that in view of “significant gains in the COVID-19 situation”, areas with few or no cases would see “considerable relaxations”.
The lockdown imposed near the end of March has caused misery for millions of workers in India’s vast informal sector and dealt a major blow to Asia’s third-biggest economy.
Air travel and passenger trains ground to a halt because of the lockdown and only the transport of “essential goods” was allowed, causing major problems as well as considerable confusion for industry and agriculture.
However the stringent restrictions have been credited with keeping confirmed cases of coronavirus to about 35,000 cases as of Friday, with 1,152 deaths.
The government said Friday that many activities will remain prohibited nationwide including air and rail travel - except for “select purposes” - schools, restaurants and large gatherings such as places of worship.
Restrictions are being lifted largely according to what colour an area has been assigned in a government rating system.
India is split into red zones with “significant risk of spread of the infection”; green zones with zero cases or no confirmed cases in the past 21 days; and those in between as orange.
An outbreak of Covid-19 among workers in a meat factory in Tipperary has raised fears that the virus is spreading through abattoirs and meat-processing plants in Ireland, writes Ella McSweeney, for the Guardian’s Animals Farmed project.An outbreak of Covid-19 among workers in a meat factory in Tipperary has raised fears that the virus is spreading through abattoirs and meat-processing plants in Ireland, writes Ella McSweeney, for the Guardian’s Animals Farmed project.
Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on agriculture, Brian Stanley, told the Irish parliament last night that 120 workers at the Rosderra Meats plant in Roscrea had tested positive for the virus. He also said that of 350 workers at the plant, up to 140 were off sick last week. Rosderra is the largest pork-processing company in Ireland.Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on agriculture, Brian Stanley, told the Irish parliament last night that 120 workers at the Rosderra Meats plant in Roscrea had tested positive for the virus. He also said that of 350 workers at the plant, up to 140 were off sick last week. Rosderra is the largest pork-processing company in Ireland.
Michael Creed, Ireland’s agriculture minister, told MPs that he was aware of six meat-processing plants with two or more confirmed cases of Covid-19 among workers, although he did not name them.Michael Creed, Ireland’s agriculture minister, told MPs that he was aware of six meat-processing plants with two or more confirmed cases of Covid-19 among workers, although he did not name them.
A spokesperson for Rosderra Meats confirmed to the Guardian that a number of employees had tested positive for coronavirus. They said that the company had implemented stringent measures to ensure the safety of employees, and added that production will be scaled down until all staff return to work.A spokesperson for Rosderra Meats confirmed to the Guardian that a number of employees had tested positive for coronavirus. They said that the company had implemented stringent measures to ensure the safety of employees, and added that production will be scaled down until all staff return to work.
The World Health Organization’s daily coronavirus briefing is starting now. Today, the UN health agency is expected to announce a joint effort with the European Investment bank to support countries in addressing the health impact of Covid-19.The World Health Organization’s daily coronavirus briefing is starting now. Today, the UN health agency is expected to announce a joint effort with the European Investment bank to support countries in addressing the health impact of Covid-19.
The partnership between WHO and the world’s largest international public bank is meant to boost cooperation to strengthen public health, supply of essential equipment, training and hygiene investment in countries most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO said in a release on Friday.The partnership between WHO and the world’s largest international public bank is meant to boost cooperation to strengthen public health, supply of essential equipment, training and hygiene investment in countries most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO said in a release on Friday.
It will will benefit from the EIB’s planned €1.4bn response to address the health, social and economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.It will will benefit from the EIB’s planned €1.4bn response to address the health, social and economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.
Efforts will include: scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance; improving the effectiveness of malaria treatment; scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistanceEfforts will include: scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance; improving the effectiveness of malaria treatment; scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said:Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said:
As of 30 April, Vietnam has a coronavirus death count of zero and only 270 cases. Trang Bui, a Vietnamese freelance journalist based in Ho Chi Minh City, has written for the Guardian’s Comment section about how the south east Asian nation achieved it.As of 30 April, Vietnam has a coronavirus death count of zero and only 270 cases. Trang Bui, a Vietnamese freelance journalist based in Ho Chi Minh City, has written for the Guardian’s Comment section about how the south east Asian nation achieved it.
Rwanda is to ease its coronavirus lockdown from Monday, allowing limited movement of people and restricted re-openings of restaurants and hotels, according to Reuters.Rwanda is to ease its coronavirus lockdown from Monday, allowing limited movement of people and restricted re-openings of restaurants and hotels, according to Reuters.
Movement between provinces in the central African country will still not be allowed, while schools will also remain shut until September, according to a government statement released late on Thursday.Movement between provinces in the central African country will still not be allowed, while schools will also remain shut until September, according to a government statement released late on Thursday.
All resumed services must adhere to health guidelines ... mask wearing and social distancing.All resumed services must adhere to health guidelines ... mask wearing and social distancing.
Rwanda alongside neighbouring Uganda implemented some of the strictest lockdown measures in Africa to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, including shuttering all but the most essential businesses.Rwanda alongside neighbouring Uganda implemented some of the strictest lockdown measures in Africa to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, including shuttering all but the most essential businesses.
As of Thursday it had 243 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.As of Thursday it had 243 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.
Scientists working for the US military have designed a new Covid-19 test that could potentially identify carriers before they become infectious and spread the disease, Giles Tremlett reports for the Guardian.Scientists working for the US military have designed a new Covid-19 test that could potentially identify carriers before they become infectious and spread the disease, Giles Tremlett reports for the Guardian.
In what could be a significant breakthrough, project coordinators hope the blood-based test will be able to detect the virus’s presence as early as 24 hours after infection – before people show symptoms and several days before a carrier is considered capable of spreading it to other people. That is also around four days before current tests can detect the virus.In what could be a significant breakthrough, project coordinators hope the blood-based test will be able to detect the virus’s presence as early as 24 hours after infection – before people show symptoms and several days before a carrier is considered capable of spreading it to other people. That is also around four days before current tests can detect the virus.
The test has emerged from a project set up by the US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) aimed at rapid diagnosis of germ or chemical warfare poisoning. It was hurriedly repurposed when the pandemic broke out and the new test is expected to be put forward for emergency use approval (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within a week.The test has emerged from a project set up by the US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) aimed at rapid diagnosis of germ or chemical warfare poisoning. It was hurriedly repurposed when the pandemic broke out and the new test is expected to be put forward for emergency use approval (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within a week.
“The concept fills a diagnostic gap worldwide,” the head of Darpa’s biological technologies office, Dr Brad Ringeisen, told the Guardian, since it should also fill in testing gaps at later stages of the infection. If given FDA approval, he said, it had the potential to be “absolutely a gamechanger”.“The concept fills a diagnostic gap worldwide,” the head of Darpa’s biological technologies office, Dr Brad Ringeisen, told the Guardian, since it should also fill in testing gaps at later stages of the infection. If given FDA approval, he said, it had the potential to be “absolutely a gamechanger”.
Comoros has reported its first case of coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s Africa office said. Its daily round up of Covid-19 figures from Africa showed that South Africa and Egypt still have the most confirmed cases, while Algeria has recorded the most deaths.Comoros has reported its first case of coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s Africa office said. Its daily round up of Covid-19 figures from Africa showed that South Africa and Egypt still have the most confirmed cases, while Algeria has recorded the most deaths.
Riot police fanned out across Hong Kong on Friday after democracy activists threatened to defy a ban on gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic - but the streets remained largely calm, AFP reports.
Activists in the semi-autonomous financial hub, which had for months protested against a strengthening of control by China’s government, had issued calls to muster once more on May Day - despite emergency anti-virus laws banning more than four people gathering in public.
The threat largely failed to materialise, although hundreds of protesters did however gather in small groups at a shopping mall in the town of Shatin, chanting slogans and holding protest flags.
Riot police soon rushed into the mall and used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
One protester, a retired firefighter who gave his name as Lam, said:
A day after armed protesters against Michigan’s stay-at-home order entered the statehouse in Lansing, Donald Trump has once again expressed support for the rightwing movement, writes Joan E Greve, a Guardian US politics reporter.
Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, should, the president wrote in a tweet on Friday morning, “make a deal” with the demonstrators.
Some of the demonstrators in Lansing on Thursday carried assault rifles, causing alarm among legislators.
Some protesters, many without face coverings, entered the statehouse and demanded to be let on to the House floor, which is not allowed. The gallery was closed to the public to allow room for representatives and reporters to spread apart.
Cities around the world are taking the lead in post-coronavirus planning, with a raft of environmental initiatives being rolled out in places from Bogotá to Barcelona to ensure public safety and bolster the fight against climate breakdown, Guardian environment correspondents Matthew Taylor and Sandra Laville report.
Mayors from cities in Europe, the US and Africa held talks this week to coordinate their efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable recovery from the crisis as national governments begin to roll out huge economic stimulus packages.
Many cities have already announced measures, from hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in Milan and Mexico City to widening pavements and pedestrianising neighbourhoods in New York and Seattle.
The initiatives are designed to allow people to move around urban spaces safely in a world where physical distancing will be the norm for the foreseeable future – and do so without sparking a drastic increase in air pollution.
The mayors who took part in the newly formed economic taskforce this week believe these initial schemes point the way to more radical long-term measures that will help tackle inequality and the climate crisis.
The mayor of Milan, who is heading the taskforce run by the C40 group of cities, said:
Is expecting the worst the best way to handle the coronavirus crisis?
During the pandemic, it’s useful to see the role your coping mechanisms play, if only to stop yourself spiralling into anxiety, writes Oliver Burkemann, a Guardian writer based in New York, in his regular column on mental wellbeing.
Damien Gayle here back at the reins of the blog now, with thanks to my colleague Jessica Murray for covering my break for the past hour. Remember, if you want to send me any tips, comments or suggestions for coverage please drop me a line at damien.gayle@theguardian.com, or a via Twitter DM to @damiengayle.
Boris Johnson is of course no newcomer to Greece, a country he visited regularly in pre-corona times to sojourn at his father’s villa in Pelion, the peninsula off the mainland overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Greek diplomats and politicians voice admiration for his knowledge of the classics.
But Britain’s handling of the disease – its soft-touch approach and consequential catastrophic death toll - has been met with disbelief in a nation that, despite the odds has kept Covid-19 under remarkable control.
In contrast to the 26,771 people who have succumbed to the pandemic in the UK which has registered 165,221 coronavirus cases so far, Greece has recorded 2,591 infections and a death toll of 140 after enforcing tough measures to curb the spread of the disease early on.
Addressing reporters at his daily briefing on Thursday, the Greek health ministry spokesman and infectious disease expert professor Sotiris Tsiodras spoke of “victory” saying incidents of the illness had clearly stabilised.
The UK is home to a large Greek community many of whom fled to Greece before commercial air traffic was suspended in March.
Indicative of the mood the popular Protothema newspaper reported the news of the birth of the prime minister’s latest child under the headline: “Johnson, father amid national sorrow over coronavirus.”
“In the midst of the national sorrow that has weighed down on British society, the birth of Boris Johnson’s son has once again brought his personal life, one that is as unconventional as he is, back in the public eye,” the paper wrote. “[A life] with two marriages, an engagement, three extra marital affairs and at least six children.”
Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, continued to fly in the face of science on Thursday when he called social isolation measures introduced by state governors and mayors “useless”.
He said:
The president has consistently sought to downplay the impacts of the pandemic, arguing that Brazilians would be immune because they jump in sewage, and mixing with supporters.
Brazil has 85,380 confirmed cases and 5,901 deaths with 435 reported in the last 24 hours as numbers accelerate.
His new health minister, Nelson Teich, earlier contradicted this view. “You can’t start freeing things up when you have a curve that is frankly ascending,” he said.
While there are no definitive studies about the impact of social isolation on the growth of Brazil’s cases, experts believe it has had a positive impact.
The worst-hit state of São Paulo, for instance, was supposed to see a peak in April but this has now been moved to May, the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper reported.
“Brazil had flattened the curve, yes, with isolation measures, but in the last two weeks we are seeing a loosening of isolation and what we are seeing is a new acceleration of the epidemic,” Fernando Bozza,a researcher in infectious diseases at the government research institute Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro who is modelling the pandemic, told the Guardian.
Malaysia on Friday detained hundreds of refugees and migrant workers for illegally living in the country, rights groups said, at a time of movement and travel restrictions imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Malaysia has around two million registered foreign workers but authorities estimate many more are living in the Southeast Asian country without proper documents.
Malaysia does not formally recognise refugees, regarding them as illegal migrants.
The arrests followed immigration raids in a neighbourhood in capital Kuala Lumpur where thousands of migrant workers and refugees live, according to human rights groups and photos shared on social media.
Human Rights Watch and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network said over 700 migrants were taken into custody including young children.
Malaysian police and the immigration department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rachel Tan, programme officer at the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, said the arrests were a “criminalisation of a people who toil in difficult and dangerous work conditions”.
The neighbourhood where the raids took place was close to an area with three buildings that had been placed under strict lockdowns last month after a surge in coronavirus cases there.
Malaysia has reported a total of 6,071 coronavirus cases and 103 deaths, and its prime minister said on Friday that most businesses will reopen from Monday following six-week long curbs that have caused a damaging economic slowdown.
Big Macs delivered on meal trolleys, hand washing stations at the entrance and designated waiting spots to separate customers could become a feature of McDonald’s restaurants in the Netherlands when they are allowed to reopen.
In a trial at a restaurant in the city of Arnhem, McDonald’s has been looking for ways to maintain social distancing when the coronavirus lockdown is relaxed.
McDonald’s Netherlands spokeswoman Eunice Koekkoek told Reuters:
Restaurants, bars and other public places in the Netherlands have been closed since 15 March.
But new infections have been dropping, prompting calls to loosen the lockdown after its current deadline of 19 May.
A decision on whether to reopen restaurants and bars is expected around 12 May, but the prime minister, Mark Rutte, has ruled out a return to normal.
If they do reopen, they will have to keep customers and staff at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart to avoid a new wave of infections.
McDonald’s says it could introduce table service, with burgers and fries wheeled to customers on trolleys from which they can pick up their orders.
Other new features would include hand-washing stations at the entrance and a host behind a plastic screen showing customers their place in line.
Many restaurant owners in the Netherlands fear social distancing will simply put them out of business.
But McDonald’s expects its new set-up will work at 180 larger restaurants out of its 252 franchises in the country.
Koekkoek said: