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Coronavirus live news: Spain deaths lower for fourth day in a row as Germany sees further case drop Coronavirus live news: Italy reports lowest day-to-day rise in infections in a week
(32 minutes later)
Japan prepares for state of emergency; US faces ‘hardest and saddest week’; UK PM Boris Johnson in hospital; Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive Spain deaths lower for fourth day in a row; Germany sees further case drop; Japan prepares for state of emergency; US faces ‘hardest and saddest week’
Angela Merkel has said it’s too early to talk about a relaxation of lockdown measures in Germany, despite expectations she might do so, Kate Connolly reports from Berlin.
The German chancellor said any talk of lifting or relaxing the lockdown was dependent on a range of factors, and one figure about which many have been focussing intently – how many days it has taken for the current figure of confirmed infections to have doubled – is only one of them.
She said even when it was considered the right time, a relaxation of the rules would only happen gradually.
Germany now has over 101,000 confirmed infections, a figure that has doubled in the last 10 days. Fourteen days is frequently mentioned as a desirable goal. The number to have died from the virus is 1,623.
A reported 25,280 people have recovered, though as many of those who have had it will not have been tracked, this is seen to be a considerable underestimate.
Merkel said she could not name a date for an “exit”, as she referred to it. “The worst thing would be to declare a relaxation only to have to take it back, if there are more deaths,” she said. Both the government and the 16 German states, have agreed that the current lockdown rules should stay in place until 19 April at least.
She was speaking from the chancellory in Berlin, having only recently returned from a two-week quarantine after her doctor was diagnosed with the virus. Merkel has tested negative for the virus three times.
Merkel thanked Germans for their “ongoing discipline” in keeping a physical distance from each other.
Iran’s health spokesman has been forced to backtrack after he described Chinese official figures on the coronavirus outbreak as a sick joke, Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports. Chinese Iranian relations are normally warm partly since China is one of the major markets for Iranian oil.
Kianoosh Jahanpour made the remarks at a press conference and a tweet on Sunday adding China had given the impression that coronavirus was just influenza but with fewer deaths. His tweet led led to a reproach from the Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua. He said that the Ministry of Health of China has a press conference every day. “I suggest that you read their news very carefully in order to draw conclusions”.
Criticisms of Chinese coronavirus figures has in the past come exclusively from the West, but Jahanpour insisted he just making a comment on how China’s epidemiological assessment of Coronavirus was not shared by Iran.
After representations to the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs Jahanpour, a familiar face on Iranian TV screens , said on Monday “We should also see the glass half-full. At the very least, we all decided that we had to respect principles of diplomacy.” The Iranian foreign ministry also insisted it was grateful for China’s generosity.
The move came as the government’s anti-corona headquarters announced plans to ban the publication of print newspapers except on-line in a bid to stop the spread of the disease. Editors of seven newspapers, including editors of the reformist Etemad and Ebtekar protested the decision saying it would bankrupt them, and represent a further erosion of press freedom
Alireza Zali, the commander-in-chief of the anti-coronavirus HQ in Tehran warned: “Especially in Tehran province, we have witnessed a very serious change in the presence and movement of people in cities, and unfortunately, at a time when we are witnessing this increase in motor traffic, the numbers entering Tehran’s hospitals is still increasing.”
He said there had been a 25 % increase in hospital admissions and a 15 % increase in intensive care units as of Sunday, 5 April, and said public referrals to hospitals had increased by 28 % compared to the previous day.
The move came as Iran announced on Monday that 3,739 Iranians had lost their lives to coronavirus and a total of 60,500 had been infected. Over the previous 24 hours 136 had lost their lives and 2,274 had become infected.
There were 636 more deaths from coronavirus in Italy on Monday, 111 more than the number registered on Sunday, bringing the death toll in Italy to 16,523, Angela Giuffrida reports from Orvieto.
The number of current new infections increased by 1,941, a rise of 2% since Sunday and the lowest day-to-day rise registered since 30 March. For the third day in a row, there was a decrease in the number of intensive care beds in use.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy to date, including deaths and 22,837 people recovered, stood at 132,547 as of Monday, according to figures from Italy’s civil protection authority.
A group of 24 senior diplomats and defence officials, including four former Nato secretary generals, have urged Donald Trump to ease medical and humanitarian sanctions on Iran, writes Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.
The call has the backing of the former EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, the former director general of the World Health Organization Gro Harlem Brundtland, and senior American diplomats in the Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations.
Trump reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran in May 2018 after withdrawing from an international deal that put curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The bipartisan group is not pressing for a generalised lifting of the sanctions but instead a targeted effort to ease US rules that prevent Tehran trading in medical and humanitarian goods. The group says the move “could potentially save the lives of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iranians and, by helping to curb the virus’s rapid spread across borders, the lives of its neighbours, Europeans, Americans and others”.
The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest test the European Union has faced in its history, Angela Merkel said on Monday.The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest test the European Union has faced in its history, Angela Merkel said on Monday.
Speaking before a key eurozone finance ministers’ conference to draw up an economic rescue plan for the bloc, the German chancellor told journalists:Speaking before a key eurozone finance ministers’ conference to draw up an economic rescue plan for the bloc, the German chancellor told journalists:
At Monday’s press conference, Merkel reiterated her government’s stance of activating the European stability mechanism bailout fund, which German finance minister Olaf Scholz has said could be triggered “with no senseless conditions” to help struggling states, AFP reported. But she made no mention of the controversial common debt facilities dubbed “coronabonds”.At Monday’s press conference, Merkel reiterated her government’s stance of activating the European stability mechanism bailout fund, which German finance minister Olaf Scholz has said could be triggered “with no senseless conditions” to help struggling states, AFP reported. But she made no mention of the controversial common debt facilities dubbed “coronabonds”.
Merkel also said a lesson to be learnt from the pandemic was that Europe needed to develop “self-sufficiency” in manufacturing of crucial medical gear such as masks.Merkel also said a lesson to be learnt from the pandemic was that Europe needed to develop “self-sufficiency” in manufacturing of crucial medical gear such as masks.
The director general of the World Health Organisation has said new guidance will be issued on the use of face masks in public to support countries that have decided to implement their wider use.The director general of the World Health Organisation has said new guidance will be issued on the use of face masks in public to support countries that have decided to implement their wider use.
Speaking in the daily WHO press briefing, Tedros Adhanom said:Speaking in the daily WHO press briefing, Tedros Adhanom said:
After falls in the daily death tolls reported by Spain and the UK today, and Italy yesterday, the latest figures released by health authorities in Greece are also offering a glimmer of hope, Helena Smith reports from Athens.After falls in the daily death tolls reported by Spain and the UK today, and Italy yesterday, the latest figures released by health authorities in Greece are also offering a glimmer of hope, Helena Smith reports from Athens.
In his daily briefing the government’s spokesman on coronavirus, prominent infectious diseases expert, Sotiris Tsiodras, said data suggested the country was “flattening the curve.”In his daily briefing the government’s spokesman on coronavirus, prominent infectious diseases expert, Sotiris Tsiodras, said data suggested the country was “flattening the curve.”
Overnight 20 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed compared to 62 on Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,755.Overnight 20 new coronavirus cases had been confirmed compared to 62 on Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,755.
Similarly the death toll was also displaying signs of stabilising, rising by six to 79 – compared to the five fatalities announced on Sunday. Of those hospitalised, an additional 90 people remain in intensive care.Similarly the death toll was also displaying signs of stabilising, rising by six to 79 – compared to the five fatalities announced on Sunday. Of those hospitalised, an additional 90 people remain in intensive care.
But although Greece appears to have kept transmissions of the potentially lethal virus under control – after enforcing strict restrictions on movement early on - officials have repeatedly warned that this is not the time to be less vigilant.But although Greece appears to have kept transmissions of the potentially lethal virus under control – after enforcing strict restrictions on movement early on - officials have repeatedly warned that this is not the time to be less vigilant.
Addressing the same health ministry briefing, the deputy civil protection minister Nikos Hardalias predicted that what would happen this month would be key – even if there were signs that “the chain of transmission” could be broken.Addressing the same health ministry briefing, the deputy civil protection minister Nikos Hardalias predicted that what would happen this month would be key – even if there were signs that “the chain of transmission” could be broken.
“April will be the most difficult and crucial month. If we relax the measures we could pay the price and regret it,” he said.“April will be the most difficult and crucial month. If we relax the measures we could pay the price and regret it,” he said.
Mahmoud Jibril, the Libyan politician most closely involved in the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Libya’s troubled transition to democracy, has died from Coronavirus in exile in Egypt, Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports.Mahmoud Jibril, the Libyan politician most closely involved in the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Libya’s troubled transition to democracy, has died from Coronavirus in exile in Egypt, Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, reports.
Jibril was Libya’s first post transition head of government, and was supported by the French President Nicholas Sarkozy, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the British prime minister David Cameron.Jibril was Libya’s first post transition head of government, and was supported by the French President Nicholas Sarkozy, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the British prime minister David Cameron.
He was critical to persuading western leaders that Gaddafi had to be stopped from trying to enter the eastern city of Benghazi to commit a massacre in 2011. He then worked especially closely with the United Arab Emirates and France on plans to liberate Tripoli from Gaddafi’s rule issuing the decisive broadcast that was the signal for the uprising in the capital.He was critical to persuading western leaders that Gaddafi had to be stopped from trying to enter the eastern city of Benghazi to commit a massacre in 2011. He then worked especially closely with the United Arab Emirates and France on plans to liberate Tripoli from Gaddafi’s rule issuing the decisive broadcast that was the signal for the uprising in the capital.
He had been in quarantine since 26 March in Cairo, and aged 67 suffered from a complex of health issues, including a heart condition. As head of Libya’s executive office of the national transition council, he led the apologies to the British people of the new regime for the Lockerbie bombing and provision of arms to the IRA. He resigned soon after Gaddafi was ousted.He had been in quarantine since 26 March in Cairo, and aged 67 suffered from a complex of health issues, including a heart condition. As head of Libya’s executive office of the national transition council, he led the apologies to the British people of the new regime for the Lockerbie bombing and provision of arms to the IRA. He resigned soon after Gaddafi was ousted.
He gradually lost the support of Islamist militia and proved unable to bring the country together as the country’s battered civil institutions tried to adjust to the end of Gaddafi’s dictatorship. In 2012 he stood for the premiership only to be defeated by two votes when the national assembly voted by 96 to 94 for his rival.He gradually lost the support of Islamist militia and proved unable to bring the country together as the country’s battered civil institutions tried to adjust to the end of Gaddafi’s dictatorship. In 2012 he stood for the premiership only to be defeated by two votes when the national assembly voted by 96 to 94 for his rival.
The British embassy in Libya said on Monday it had heard of his passing with great sadness and said he has played an important role in helping usher Libya towards a more democratic future.The British embassy in Libya said on Monday it had heard of his passing with great sadness and said he has played an important role in helping usher Libya towards a more democratic future.
His death comes as the disease only slowly starts to take a grip in Libya itself. A total of 18 cases have been detected with only one death inside the country. There is a widespread concern that the country is badly prepared for any outbreak.His death comes as the disease only slowly starts to take a grip in Libya itself. A total of 18 cases have been detected with only one death inside the country. There is a widespread concern that the country is badly prepared for any outbreak.
Fighting in the Libyan civil war continues with Turkish supplied drones backing the UN recognised government of national accord based in Tripoli causing damage on Sunday and Monday to eastern forces led by General Khalifa Haftar.Fighting in the Libyan civil war continues with Turkish supplied drones backing the UN recognised government of national accord based in Tripoli causing damage on Sunday and Monday to eastern forces led by General Khalifa Haftar.
The World Health Organization is beginning its media briefing.The World Health Organization is beginning its media briefing.
The department of health and social care said as of 5pm yesterday 5,373 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died in UK hospitals.The department of health and social care said as of 5pm yesterday 5,373 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died in UK hospitals.
As of 9am today, 208,837 people had been tested for the virus, of which 51,608 had tested positive.As of 9am today, 208,837 people had been tested for the virus, of which 51,608 had tested positive.
ITV reporter Paul Brand has done the sums:ITV reporter Paul Brand has done the sums:
Before reading too much into the UK figures, it is worth reading this article by the Guardian’s data team about why what we think we know about the UK death toll is wrong.Before reading too much into the UK figures, it is worth reading this article by the Guardian’s data team about why what we think we know about the UK death toll is wrong.
Authorities in New York City may soon start temporarily burying bodies in parks as the city grapples with overrun morgues because of the coroanvirus crisis, city councilman Mark Levine said.Authorities in New York City may soon start temporarily burying bodies in parks as the city grapples with overrun morgues because of the coroanvirus crisis, city councilman Mark Levine said.
Levine also noted that the city is likely undercounting its coronavirus death toll because as many people are dying at home without receiving a test.Levine also noted that the city is likely undercounting its coronavirus death toll because as many people are dying at home without receiving a test.
It is an interesting thread. Worth clicking through to see the rest of what he has to say. Truly apocalyptic scenes seem to be unfolding in New York City.It is an interesting thread. Worth clicking through to see the rest of what he has to say. Truly apocalyptic scenes seem to be unfolding in New York City.
Dozens of doctors have been arrested in Pakistan after fighting with police during a protest over the lack of safety equipment to protect them while treating patients infected with Covid-19, AFP reports.Dozens of doctors have been arrested in Pakistan after fighting with police during a protest over the lack of safety equipment to protect them while treating patients infected with Covid-19, AFP reports.
The arrests occurred after more than 100 doctors and paramedics rallied near the main hospital in Quetta and then moved to protest in front of the chief minister’s residence.The arrests occurred after more than 100 doctors and paramedics rallied near the main hospital in Quetta and then moved to protest in front of the chief minister’s residence.
Police used batons to disperse the group after they tried to enter the chief minister’s home. Abdul Razzaq Cheema, a senior police official, told AFP that 53 doctors were detained for several hours until the provincial government ordered their release.Police used batons to disperse the group after they tried to enter the chief minister’s home. Abdul Razzaq Cheema, a senior police official, told AFP that 53 doctors were detained for several hours until the provincial government ordered their release.
Liaqat Shehwani, a spokesman for the provincial Balochistan government, told AFP that the doctors were protesting over the unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and goggles.Liaqat Shehwani, a spokesman for the provincial Balochistan government, told AFP that the doctors were protesting over the unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and goggles.
“We had assured them that the PPE would be provided soon but they started the protest,” Shehwani said, adding that authorities were planning to distribute protective equipment after receiving supplies from the federal government earlier on Monday.“We had assured them that the PPE would be provided soon but they started the protest,” Shehwani said, adding that authorities were planning to distribute protective equipment after receiving supplies from the federal government earlier on Monday.
Yasir Achakzai, president of the doctors association in Quetta, told reporters that the government was not following the World Health Organization’s guidelines for protecting doctors and other health workers.Yasir Achakzai, president of the doctors association in Quetta, told reporters that the government was not following the World Health Organization’s guidelines for protecting doctors and other health workers.
“So they forced us to protest for our rights,” said Achakzai.“So they forced us to protest for our rights,” said Achakzai.
Pakistani has recorded 3,277 COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths caused by the virus, however, the true tally is thought to be many times larger.Pakistani has recorded 3,277 COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths caused by the virus, however, the true tally is thought to be many times larger.
Black people are underrepresented in high-level decision making about tackling the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a failure to address the specific health risks faced by people of African descent, UN experts have warned.Black people are underrepresented in high-level decision making about tackling the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a failure to address the specific health risks faced by people of African descent, UN experts have warned.
The lack of representation also posed the risk that racism and implicit bias could creed into policies to tackle the pandemic, the UN’s working group of experts on people of African descent said in a statement.The lack of representation also posed the risk that racism and implicit bias could creed into policies to tackle the pandemic, the UN’s working group of experts on people of African descent said in a statement.
Underlying health conditions that could place people of African descent at greater risk include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, lupus and autoimmune disorders. The working group also pointed to the disproportionate overrepresentation of black people working in service industries.Underlying health conditions that could place people of African descent at greater risk include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, lupus and autoimmune disorders. The working group also pointed to the disproportionate overrepresentation of black people working in service industries.
The Covid-19 epidemic is under control in Norway, the country’s health minister said on Monday, pointing to the low rate of transmission of the disease, Reuters reports.
Bent Hoeie told a news conference that a person infected with the coronavirus in Norway now spreads it to an average 0.7 other individuals. The government’s goal was to limit the spread to maximum one other person.
The government will decide on Wednesday whether to extend ongoing restrictions, including the closures of schools and nurseries, beyond mid-April.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has described the coronavirus pandemic as the EU’s biggest test since its creation.
Merkel, who leads the continent’s industrial powerhouse, is calling for European self-sufficiency in mask production. Most face masks are produced in China, and there have in recent days been several well-publicised instances of shipments bound for European countries being diverted at the last minute to the US.
Thailand has extended its ban on incoming passenger flights until 18 April, the Thaiger reports.
An initial three-day ban on incoming flights imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand had been due to end tonight.
State and military aircraft, humanitarian aid and medical or relief flights, repatriation flights and cargo aircraft are exempt from the ban, as are emergency landings.
Passengers already on their way to the country will be subject to a 14-day quarantine once they arrive.
British tourists stranded in Nepal say they have had to turn to the embassies of other European countries for help, after the British government failed to rescue them, Pete Pattison reports.
Maria Terziska was trekking in the Everest region when she heard that the Foreign Office was advising British nationals to return home. By the time she reached Kathmandy, she was was unable to get any information about flights from the embassy. She arrived back in the UK yesterday on a French rescue flight. She said:
Another British trekker, Scott Hopkinson, who managed to return to the UK on a German rescue flight, said:
The British embassy in Kathmandu announced today that rescue flights for British nationals would be leaving on Wednesday and Friday, almost two weeks after German and French tourists began to be evacuated.
A seat on the flights arranged by the British embassy costs £800, twice the cost of the French rescue flight.
James Capel, who is still waiting to leave Nepal, after a trek in the Everest region, said:
Foreign secretary Dominc Raab announced last week that the government had allocated £75m for rescue flights to repatriate British citizens stranded abroad by the coronavirus.
On 22 March, the Nepal government banned all international flights. The announcement came at the height of the tourist season when tens of thousands of visitors arrive to trek and climb in the Himalayas.
Two days later the government announced a lockdown, leaving many trekkers trapped in remote regions, struggling to return the capital Kathmandu, which has the country’s only international airport.
The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
Movement in and out of four coronavirus “infected areas” in Kenya, including the capital Nairobi, has been banned for three weeks, AFP reports.
Announcing the measures in a televised address, president Uhuru Kenyatta stopped short of a full lockdown within the areas, but issued a warning that “we must be ready to go even further if necessary.”
He ordered “cessation of all movement by road, rail or air in and out of” Nairobi, and the coastal towns of Kilifi and Kwale and the country’s second largest city of Mombasa for 21 days, starting from Monday at 7pm local time. Transport of food supplies and other cargo would be exempt, he said.
Kenya currently counts 158 cases and six deaths from the virus, most of them in the capital, with a few cases also along the coast. It is the second worst-hit nation in eastern Africa after Mauritius which has 227 cases.
The trajectory of coronavirus infections in Iran appears to have started a “gradual” downward trend, the government said Monday, AFP reports.
In a televised news conference, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour reported 136 Covid-19-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s overall toll to 3,739.
Iran registered 2,274 new cases of infection over the same period, he said, putting the total number at 60,500 across the country.
The figure shows a drop in officially reported new cases of coronavirus infection for the sixth consecutive day, after a peak of 3,111 new cases on 31 March. Jahanpour said:
Iran, which announced its first Covid-19 cases on 19 February, is by far the country most affected by the pandemic in the Middle East, according to official tolls released by each state.
In an attempt to limit the spread of the disease, authorities have not confined the population but have adopted other restrictions such as closing most businesses deemed non-essential.
The UN’s World Food Programme is calling for an urgent $350m funding boost to help it keep going in the face of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, which it says threatens millions of people already as risk of food shortages.
In its latest weekly situation report the organisation issued a warning that humanitarian supply chains were becoming blocked by measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, just as many areas were entering their annual lean season. According to the document:
Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, has asked international lenders for $6.9bn to help it weather an economic crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.
As it attempts to battle the outbreak within its borders, including by locking down its two largest cities, the country, which is also Africa’s biggest oil producer, is suffering from a slump in the price of crude. Finance minister Zainab Ahmed told journalists:
Ahmed said Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, had also requested $2.5bn from the World Bank and $1bn from the African Bank of Development.
US officials on Monday girded the country for a “peak death week” from the coronavirus pandemic as the accelerating American death toll closed the gap with Italy and Spain, Reuters reports.
Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, told ABC’s Good Morning America:
Giroir raised particular alarm for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Detroit. His comments echoed in starker terms those of Donald Trump on Sunday, who said the US would in coming days “endure the peak of this terrible pandemic”, and the US surgeon general, Jerome Adams, who warned the country that this week would be “our Pearl Harbour moment”.
The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases passed 336,000 on Sunday. The IS is now the world leader by a long way with nearly twice as many cases as in Spain and in Italy, according to a tally of official data kept by Reuters.
Roughly twice as many people a day are dying in the US as Spain and Italy, according to the data. The American death roll rose by 1,144 on Sunday, to 9,573.
In Mumbai, India’s largest city, a major hospital was declared a coronavirus containment zone and closed to new patients, AFP reports.
Three doctors and 26 nurses at the Wockhardt hospital tested positive for Covid-19, according to Vijay Khabale-Patil, a spokesman for the Mumbai city authority. “Three hundred staffers have been quarantined and the hospital is shut,” he told AFP.
The United Nurses Association (UNA) in Mumbai accused hospital management of failing to protect staff by refusing to let them wear appropriate safety gear. Akash S Pillai, UNA general secretary for Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said:
India has so far recorded more than 4,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, but experts say the real numbers are likely to be far higher, with the country carrying out little testing of its 1.3 billion population compared with many other countries.