Tuesday – 13.37 : More than 3,079,972 people have been infected across the world and over 212,265 have died but at the same time 928,995 people have recovered.
THE PANDEMIC IN NUMBERS
COUNTRY INFECTED CASES DEATHS DUE TO VIRUS
USA 1,010,507 56,803
SPAIN 229,422 25,521
ITALY 199,414 26,977
FRANCE 165,842 23,293
GERMANY 158,758 6,126
UNITED KINGDOM 157,149 21,092
NIGERIA 1337 40
WORLDOMETER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN NUMBERS (Updated continuously)
REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS
REUTERS TRACKING THE SPREAD IN THE USA
All the latest news in brief as it happens
12.30 Putin to speak on Russia’s coronavirus situation later on Tuesday
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin would give a speech about the coronavirus situation in the country later on Tuesday.
“President Putin has a big speech planned, but I am not going to announce anything, let’s wait until the meeting,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
12.29 German retailers seek full reopening from May 4
German retailers sought on Tuesday to persuade the government to let all stores operate normally from May 4, saying customers had not stormed back into the smaller shops that were allowed to reopen last week and were behaving prudently.
Stores of up to 800 square metres (8,600 square feet) were allowed to open again last week, along with car and bicycle dealers and bookstores, provided they adhere to strict social distancing and hygiene rules.
The national retailers association (HDE) has criticised the decision to only allow smaller stores to open, calling the move unfair for bigger chains, confusing for customers and saying both large and small shops were capable of respecting the rules.
12.19 Japan watching coronavirus data to decide whether to extend emergency – Nishimura
Japan’s economy minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, said on Tuesday the government would closely monitor coronavirus data to decide whether to extend the state of emergency beyond May 6. Nishimura also told reporters that jobs availability data were expected to worsen further in April
12.01 Indonesia reports 415 new coronavirus cases, eight deaths
Indonesia confirmed on Tuesday 415 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 9,511.
Health ministry official Achmad Yurianto also reported eight new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 773. He said 1,254 people have recovered
11.58 Airline SAS cuts up to 5,000 jobs due to pandemic
Scandinavian airline SAS said on Tuesday it could reduce about half its workforce as it struggles to survive the coronavirus outbreak.
Big airlines across the world are cutting costs and anouncing layoffs over plunging demand and travel restrictions due to the pandemic.
11.57 Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll falls to 301
Spain recorded 301 fatalities from the novel coronavirus overnight, down from 331 on the previous day, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The overall death toll from the virus rose to 23,822 while the number of diagnosed cases rose to 210,773 from 209,465 on Monday, the ministry said.
11.47 COVID-19 deaths in England and Wales 35% higher than early stats showed- ONS
The death toll involving COVID-19 in England and Wales was 35% higher than the daily figures for deaths in hospitals released by the government as of April 17, according to official data that include deaths in the community.
The Office for National Statistics said it had recorded 21,284 fatalities that mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate as of April 17, compared with 13,917 in the daily hospital death stats published by the government.
11.46 Malaysia reports 31 new coronavirus cases and one death
Malaysian health authorities on Tuesday reported 31 new coronavirus cases, raising the cumulative total to 5,851.
The health ministry also reported one new death, bringing total fatalities to 100.
11.14 Coronavirus reproduction rate in Germany is at 1.0 – Robert Koch Institute
The reproduction rate of the coronavirus is currently at 1.0 in Germany, the head of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday. That means one person with the virus infects one other on average.
Academics suggested public life may gradually return to normal if certain conditions are met, including an infection rate stabilising at a low level.
11.06 Philippines nears 8,000 coronavirus infections
The Philippines’ health ministry on Tuesday reported 19 more coronavirus deaths and 181 infections.
In a bulletin, the health ministry said total deaths have increased to 530 while confirmed cases have risen to 7,958. But 43 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 975.
10.58 Russia reports record daily rises in new coronavirus cases and deaths
The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia climbed on Tuesday to 6,411, a record daily rise, bringing its nationwide tally to 93,558, the country’s coronavirus crisis response centre said.
The number of deaths rose by 72, also a daily record, taking the total number of fatalities to 867.
10.45 UK says some children have died from syndrome linked to COVID-19
Some children in the United Kingdom with no underlying health conditions have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome which researchers believe to be linked to COVID-19, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.
Italian and British medical experts are investigating a possible link between the coronavirus pandemic and clusters of severe inflammatory disease among infants who are arriving in hospital with high fevers and swollen arteries.
Doctors in northern Italy, one of the world’s hardest-hit areas during the pandemic, have reported extraordinarily large numbers of children under age 9 with severe cases of what appears to be Kawasaki disease, more common in parts of Asia.
10.42 Pope says obey rules during exit from coronavirus lockdowns
Pope Francis on Tuesday urged people to obey rules aimed at preventing a devastating second wave of infections as their leaders begin to ease coronavirus lockdowns.
Francis spoke at the start of his daily private morning Mass, where he has been dedicating brief opening comments to various themes related to coronavirus.
From Europe to the United States to Asia, officials have been dealing with tensions and criticism of stay-at-home orders
10.40 U.S. coronavirus deaths projected at over 74,000 by August
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus outbreak could exceed 74,000 by August, according to the University of Washington’s predictive model, often cited by White House officials and state public health authorities.
Late on Monday, the university’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model raised its projected U.S. death toll to 74,073 by Aug. 4, up from nearly 67,000 predicted a week ago, and 60,000 predicted two weeks ago.
10.30 FTSE 100 dips as pandemic hammers BP, HSBC profits
London’s FTSE 100 index headed lower on Tuesday, as oil major BP and lender HSBC became the latest blue-chip firms to report a slump in their quarterly profit due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The commodity-heavy index was down about 0.1%, with BP Plc shedding 1.5% as its first-quarter profit tumbled by two-thirds and debt rose sharply.
The wider energy index fell 1.1%, also pressured by another dive in oil prices, as the world runs out of storage space with the health crisis crushing demand.
10.26 German economy to contract by 6.6% in 2020 – Ifo
German economic institute Ifo on Tuesday said it expected the economy to contract by 6.6% in 2020 year-on-year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It said Europe’s largest economy shrank by 1.9% in the first three months of 2020 and is expecting a 12.2% contraction in the second quarter.
A return to the pre-crisis level is expected for the end of 2021, Ifo said.
10.23 Singapore confirms 528 new coronavirus cases
Singapore’s health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 528 more coronavirus infections, the smallest daily rise in almost two weeks, taking the city-state’s tally of cases to 14,951.
Most of the new cases are among migrant workers living in dormitories in the city-state, which has among the highest number of coronavirus infections in Asia.
10.22 British grocery sales growth slows to 5.5% in four weeks to April 19 – Kantar
British grocery sales grew 5.5% in the four weeks to April 19, a slowdown from record growth of 20.6% in March when shoppers built up stocks before the country went on coronavirus lockdown, industry data showed on Tuesday.
Market researcher Kantar said Britons still spent 524 million pounds ($651 million) more on groceries in the four weeks versus the same period last year.
9.49 Austria loosens lockdown further, allowing gatherings of up to 10 people
Austria is loosening its general lockdown rules by allowing gatherings of up to 10 people, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said on Tuesday.
The rules, which include guidance that the public only leave their homes for a limited number of reasons including shopping or exercise, are due to expire on April 30. Anschober told a news conference there was no need to extend them.
9.35 German minister eyes gastronomy rescue fund if lockdown very long
Germany is ready to offer further financial aid to companies if necessary due to the coronavirus and a fund for the gastronomy sector may be needed if the lockdown lasts longer than expected, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday.
“As Economy Minister, I am saying if, contrary to expectations, it lasts a long time until a full opening is possible, we will have to reconsider aid, then we would need something like a rescue fund for gastronomy,” he told ZDF television.
9.29 UK tells parents: be vigilant on child inflammatory disease
Parents should be vigilant about a severe inflammatory disease among infants that some medics fear may have a link to COVID-19, a junior British interior minister said on Tuesday.
“It demonstrates just how fast moving this virus is and how unprecedented it is in its effect,” Victoria Atkins told Sky News.
“The chief medical officer has said that it’s extremely rare but we must all be watching very carefully through this virus,” she said.
9.28 Still no agreement with German government on Lufthansa rescue packageLufthansa and the German government have not yet agreed on a rescue package for the airline, company and government sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
Lufthansa declined to comment and a spokeswoman for the economy ministry had no immediate comment.
9.20 300,000 coronavirus masks sent to pregnant women in Japan may be faulty
Some 300,000 coronavirus masks sent to pregnant women in Japan as part of a government handout have been found to be faulty, media reports said, the latest in a string of complaints about how the government has dealt with the pandemic.
The efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government to distribute protective cloth masks in its fight against the coronavirus have been marred by complaints about mould, insects and stains in a number of the masks handed out so far.
Just days after it began supplying every household with two washable, reusable masks at a total cost of $430 million, complaints emerged of soiled or defective products, many of them from pregnant women.
9.17 Marks & Spencer strengthens liquidity to cope with coronavirus impact
British retailer Marks & Spencer said it had taken steps to secure more liquidity to help it cope with the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and it had significant facilities available to it for 18 months.
Marks & Spencer said on Tuesday that its banks had agreed to relax or remove covenant conditions later this year and in 2021, and it had also accessed a UK government coronavirus corporate finance scheme.
The retailer also said it did not anticipate paying a dividend for the 2020/21 financial year, saving it 210 million pounds of cash.
7.56 Thailand reports seven new coronavirus cases, two new deaths
Thailand on Tuesday reported seven more coronavirus cases and two new deaths, bringing the total number of infections since the outbreak began in January to 2,938 cases and 54 fatalities.
The numbers extended a trend in fewer new cases, which had been over 100 per day earlier in past weeks.
7.20 Freed New Zealanders head to fast food outlets and beaches
New Zealanders queued for burgers, fries and coffee takeaway on Tuesday after they were freed from a month-long lockdown, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has credited with eliminating domestic transmission of the coronavirus.
Around 400,000 people returned to work after Ardern shifted the country’s alert level down a notch, loosening some of the tough movement restrictions that shut down businesses for weeks.
“It’s hard to explain how good this tastes,” Christopher Bishop, a lawmaker, said on Twitter after posting a picture with a takeaway coffee cup.
7.07 Germany reports 1,144 new coronavirus cases, 163 more deaths
The number of Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 1,144 to 156,337, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
The death toll rose by 163 to 5,913, according to the tally.
5.53 Asian shares fall on fresh rout in crude prices
Asian shares and U.S. stock futures dipped into the red on Tuesday, erasing earlier gains as a renewed decline in oil prices overshadowed optimism about the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions seen globally.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.3%. Shares in China fell 0.7% and South Korean shares fell 0.22%.
Oil futures slumped after the largest U.S. oil exchange-traded fund said it would sell all its front-month crude contracts to avoid further losses as prices collapse.
5.39 China’s Shaanxi province reports 20 new imported coronavirus cases
China’s northwestern Shaanxi province reported 20 new imported COVID-19 cases between 8 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper reported.
The report said the patients were all Chinese nationals who had arrived on an Air China flight from Moscow. There were five other passengers who were confirmed to be asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, the paper said.
5.05 Hong Kong civil servants to start returning to work from next week
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday most civil servants will gradually return to work from May 4, although the government had not yet decided whether to ease travel and social distancing restrictions that are due to expire next week.
The global financial hub on Monday reported no new coronavirus infections for a second day, bringing relief to a city whose economy has been battered by the coronavirus that came on the heels of crippling anti-government protests.
3.55 Mainland China reports 6 new coronavirus cases vs 3 a day earlier
Mainland China reported 6 new coronavirus cases for April 27, up from 3 reported a day earlier, putting its total number of COVID-19 infections to date at 82,836.
The National Health Commission said in a statement on Tuesday the number of imported cases involving travellers from overseas rose to 3 on Monday from a day earlier. New asymptomatic cases, involving patients infected with the virus but not showing symptoms, rose to 40 on Monday from 25 the previous day.
3.17 Mexico reports 852 new coronavirus cases, 83 deaths
Mexico’s health ministry reported on Monday 852 new known coronavirus cases and 83 new deaths, bringing the total to 15,529 known cases and 1,434 deaths.
The government has said the real number of infected people is significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
1.21 Trump says China could have stopped coronavirus from spreading, U.S. investigating
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting “serious investigations” into what happened.
“We’re doing very serious investigations … We are not happy with China,” Trump said at a White House news conference.
“We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn’t have spread all over the world.”
What happened on Monday, April 27
EUROPE
- EU banks are to receive more capital relief so they can help companies struggling in the coronavirus pandemic, without having to make crippling loan provisions to reflect a looming deep recession, sources said.
- The number of people who have died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 437 to 23,293, the health ministry said
- Turkey’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by 2,131 in the past 24 hours, and 95 more people have died taking the death toll to 2,900, health ministry data showed
- Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 333, the Civil Protection Agency said, but the daily tally of new cases declined to 1,739, posting the lowest reading since March 10.
- Russia overtook China in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, when its tally climbed above 87,000, as pressure rose on the government to consider easing lockdown restrictions for businesses
- Germany’s economy minister urged its 16 federal states on Monday to go slow in lifting coronavirus restrictions to avoid the outbreak spreading further and possibly force them to reintroduce another round of lockdowns
- The northern region of Veneto, one of Italy’s early coronavirus hotspots, broke ranks with the national government and announced it would lift some lockdown restrictions a week ahead of schedule
AMERICAS
- The United States will be able to lend an additional $2 billion to small businesses through its Paycheck Protection Program, the top official on the program said.
- Georgia started letting residents dine at restaurants and watch movies at theatres as more U.S. states from Minnesota to Mississippi took steps to ease coronavirus restrictions even though health experts warned it may be too early
- Oklahoma’s governor has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to declare the coronavirus pandemic an “act of God,” a step to help oil-producing states contend with a crude glut
- Scientists at New York City’s health department have begun to analyse the novel coronavirus’s genetic material to allow them to trace the origins of any future outbreaks in the coming months
- Trump slammed U.S. cities and states seeking billions of dollars in more federal aid to offset huge losses amid the coronavirus outbreak as lawmakers spar over the next round of potential economic relief along sharp party lines.
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine outlined the “first steps” to begin reopening the Midwestern state’s economy, starting with non-essential surgeries on May 1 and then moving on to the manufacturing and retail sectors after that.
- The Trump administration is focusing on protocols to keep U.S. factories open, including screening workers for potential cases, White House adviser Peter Navarro said.
- Mexico’s unemployment rate fell in March, official data showed, but experts said the true figure was likely higher than reported due to restrictions on data collection amid the virus outbreak
- Argentina has banned until September ticket sales for commercial flights as part of its coronavirus response, prompting an industry outcry
- Peruvian copper mine Antamina, owned by global miners BHP and Glencore reported 210 positive cases of coronavirus.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
- Singapore has confirmed 799 more coronavirus infections, its health ministry said, taking the city-state’s tally of cases to 14,423.
- China’s foreign ministry denied claims that Beijing is spreading misinformation about the coronavirus following a European Union report that said there was “significant evidence” of covert Chinese operations on social media.
- Metropolitan Tokyo confirmed 39 more cases on Monday, the fewest since March 30 and the second consecutive day of new cases below triple digits.
- India’s federal medical research agency asked state government to stop using testing equipment from China because of conflicting results.
- Thailand will extend a state of emergency until the end of May, but will consider easing some restrictions on businesses and public activities as the number of new cases has eased.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
- Israel will begin a staggered reopening of schools next week if the latest health data does not warn of heightened coronavirus risk, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she expected the Fund to have provided Nigeria with significant emergency financing by the end of April
- Egypt has asked the IMF for financial support and will begin talks with it within days.
- Thirty workers at an offshore oil platform in Equatorial Guinea have tested positive, sources told Reuters.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
- Stock markets rallied on Monday as investors cheered news more countries were easing lockdowns and the Bank of Japan expanded stimulus, though the oil price took another tumble with storage running out.
- Banks in the European Union are to get more capital relief so they can help struggling companies without having to make crippling provisions for loans hit by a looming deep recession, sources said on Monday.
- Boeing will need to borrow more money over the next six months and does not expect to pay dividends again for years, CEO Dave Calhoun told shareholders.
- Millions of pounds of beef, pork and chicken will vanish from U.S. grocery stores as livestock and poultry processing plants have been shuttered by coronavirus outbreaks among workers, the chairman of Tyson Foods said.
