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Coronavirus live news: cases worldwide pass 1.85m as oil producers sign historic deal Coronavirus live news: cases worldwide pass 1.85m as oil producers sign historic deal
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China reports highest daily cases in over five weeks: WHO official warns Covid-19 will ‘stalk’ human race; New York deaths slow. Follow the latest updates China reports highest daily cases in over five weeks: WHO official warns Covid-19 will ‘stalk’ human race; New York deaths slow
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Malaysian scientists have created a barrel-shaped robot on wheels that they hope will make the rounds on hospital wards to check on coronavirus patients, reducing health workers’ risk of infection.
“Medibot” is a 1.5 metre tall (five foot) white robot, equipped with a camera and screen via which patients can communicate remotely with medics.
The invention, built by scientists at the International Islamic University Malaysia, is also fitted with a device to check patients’ temperatures remotely.
It is aimed at helping nurses and doctors working on the wards with social distancing, Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, a member of the team behind the invention, told AFP.
India restarting crucial industries The country is planning to restart some crucial manufacturing to ease the difficulties of the poor, despite expectations it will extend a 21-day lockdown beyond April 15, two government sources said.
Spain lifts some restrictions They have been lifted for some businesses on Monday after shutting down all non-essential operations nearly two weeks ago. This will allow businesses that cannot operate remotely, including construction and manufacturing, to reopen. The move has been criticised by some as risking a resurgence in the spread of the virus. WHO looking at reports of patients testing positive again The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was looking into reports of Covid-19 patients testing positive again after clinically recovering from the disease. South Korean officials had reported on Friday that 91 patients cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been “reactivated” rather than the patients being re-infected. Russian border becomes China’s new frontline China’s northeastern border with Russia has become its new frontline in the fight against a resurgence in the epidemic, as new daily cases rose to a six-week high. Half of the imported cases from the daily tally involved Chinese nationals returning home from Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District through border crossings in the Heilongjiang province. Widespread testing needed The US needs to ramp up testing for the coronavirus as the White House considers when and how to lift stay-at-home restrictions and lockdowns triggered by the pandemic, U. health experts said.Diagnostic testing determines if somebody is infected with the virus and antibody testing shows who has been infected and is therefore immune. Both will be important in getting people back into the workplace and containing the virus as that happens, the experts said.
Some 3.7 million Kazakhs, or 20% of the oil-exporting central asian nation’s population, have applied for financial aid offered by the government because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the cabinet said. Out of those applications, about 1.8 million have already been approved, labour minister Birzhan Nurymbetov told a briefing. The Nur-Sultan government has offered to pay 42,500 tenge (about $100) per month to every citizen who loses their source of income during the emergency period, which began on March 16 and is expected to last at least until the end of April. The authorities have locked down all provinces as well as several major cities where they also ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down.
Asia markets fell Monday with investors cautious on news of an international deal to shore up oil prices and tentative signs of progress in efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
OPEC producers dominated by Saudi Arabia and allies led by Russia thrashed out a compromise deal on Sunday to cut production by nearly 10 million barrels per day from May.
Oil futures surged in early Asian trade, with WTI climbing nearly eight percent and Brent up five percent before both benchmarks pared their gains in afternoon trade.
The rally followed months of slumping prices after the Covid-19 outbreak sapped demand as countries around the world put their populations under lockdown.
A Saudi-Russian price war also saw the ramping up of production as both countries bid to hold on to market share and undercut US shale producers.
OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo called the cuts “historic” in size but analysts said the measures may not go far enough to secure a long-term rebound.
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has slowed in some of the worst-hit countries, with Spain readying Monday to reopen parts of its economy as governments grapple with a once-in-a-century recession.The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has slowed in some of the worst-hit countries, with Spain readying Monday to reopen parts of its economy as governments grapple with a once-in-a-century recession.
Italy, France and the US have all seen a drop in Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, with Italy – the European nation most afflicted – reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.Italy, France and the US have all seen a drop in Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, with Italy – the European nation most afflicted – reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.
It came as Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented livestream message to a world under lockdown on Easter Sunday, and Britain’s Boris Johnson left hospital, thanking medics for saving his life.It came as Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented livestream message to a world under lockdown on Easter Sunday, and Britain’s Boris Johnson left hospital, thanking medics for saving his life.
More than half of the planet’s population is staying home as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, which emerged in China late last year and has now killed at least 112,500 people, overwhelming healthcare systems and crippling the world economy.More than half of the planet’s population is staying home as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, which emerged in China late last year and has now killed at least 112,500 people, overwhelming healthcare systems and crippling the world economy.
Spain’s death toll has fallen in recent days, but as a small bump in deaths was reported on Sunday, prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the locked-down country was “far from victory”.Spain’s death toll has fallen in recent days, but as a small bump in deaths was reported on Sunday, prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the locked-down country was “far from victory”.
“We are all keen to go back out on the streets... but our desire is even greater to win the war and prevent a relapse,” he said, as some companies were set to resume operations at the end of a two-weeks halt of all non-essential activity.“We are all keen to go back out on the streets... but our desire is even greater to win the war and prevent a relapse,” he said, as some companies were set to resume operations at the end of a two-weeks halt of all non-essential activity.
Singapore is preparing to house hundreds of foreign workers in accommodation vessels typically used for offshore and marine industry staff as it races to find alternatives to dormitories where the novel coronavirus has been spreading rapidly. Tens of thousands of migrant workers, many from South Asia, live in cramped dormitories across Singapore, which have become the biggest source of coronavirus infections in recent days. Authorities are moving some of the healthy residents of those facilities to other sites including military camps, an exhibition centre, vacant public housing blocks and the accommodation vessels, which they have called “floating hotels”. “Each facility can hold a few hundred occupants and can be suitably organised to achieve safe distancing,” minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan said in a Facebook post on Sunday after he visited one of the vessels. They are docked in a restricted area in a port terminal, Khaw said.Singapore is preparing to house hundreds of foreign workers in accommodation vessels typically used for offshore and marine industry staff as it races to find alternatives to dormitories where the novel coronavirus has been spreading rapidly. Tens of thousands of migrant workers, many from South Asia, live in cramped dormitories across Singapore, which have become the biggest source of coronavirus infections in recent days. Authorities are moving some of the healthy residents of those facilities to other sites including military camps, an exhibition centre, vacant public housing blocks and the accommodation vessels, which they have called “floating hotels”. “Each facility can hold a few hundred occupants and can be suitably organised to achieve safe distancing,” minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan said in a Facebook post on Sunday after he visited one of the vessels. They are docked in a restricted area in a port terminal, Khaw said.
I am now running the Guardian’s global live feed, bringing you all the latest news and information from around the world.I am now running the Guardian’s global live feed, bringing you all the latest news and information from around the world.
I’ve already been sent one photo of a cat, after my own feline assistant appeared in the live blog on Saturday. You can always count on Guardian readers to spread a little joy.I’ve already been sent one photo of a cat, after my own feline assistant appeared in the live blog on Saturday. You can always count on Guardian readers to spread a little joy.
Please do continue to share with me any information, insight or news tips with me via any of the means below. It’s always incredibly helpful when we run the blog.Please do continue to share with me any information, insight or news tips with me via any of the means below. It’s always incredibly helpful when we run the blog.
Twitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.comTwitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
Two mixed martial arts events planned behind closed doors in Singapore this month have been postponed after the city-state tightened restrictions to fight the coronavirus, organisers said.Two mixed martial arts events planned behind closed doors in Singapore this month have been postponed after the city-state tightened restrictions to fight the coronavirus, organisers said.
A spokeswoman for Asia’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, One Championship, confirmed that the events, on April 17 and 24, have been postponed.A spokeswoman for Asia’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, One Championship, confirmed that the events, on April 17 and 24, have been postponed.
Two more closed-door events next month could also be shelved because of the tougher restrictions imposed by the city-state, she told AFP.Two more closed-door events next month could also be shelved because of the tougher restrictions imposed by the city-state, she told AFP.
It is still unclear about the fate of another One Championship event scheduled for May 29 in the Philippines capital Manila, which is also under a government lockdown.It is still unclear about the fate of another One Championship event scheduled for May 29 in the Philippines capital Manila, which is also under a government lockdown.
“We are living through the most extraordinary of times. The good news is that these short-term restrictions will undoubtedly slow down the coronavirus, and flatten the curve,” One Championship chairman and chief executive, Chatri Sityodtong, said in a Facebook post last week.“We are living through the most extraordinary of times. The good news is that these short-term restrictions will undoubtedly slow down the coronavirus, and flatten the curve,” One Championship chairman and chief executive, Chatri Sityodtong, said in a Facebook post last week.
Singapore won praise for keeping its outbreak in check in the early stages but has seen a surge in cases this month, with many linked to foreign workers’ dormitories. Health authorities have reported 2,532 COVID-19 cases, including eight deaths.Singapore won praise for keeping its outbreak in check in the early stages but has seen a surge in cases this month, with many linked to foreign workers’ dormitories. Health authorities have reported 2,532 COVID-19 cases, including eight deaths.
The Guardian’s front page on Monday. The UK government has been warned that Britain risks having the highest death toll from coronavirus in Europe as the total number of fatalities from the disease in UK hospitals rose above 10,000.The Guardian’s front page on Monday. The UK government has been warned that Britain risks having the highest death toll from coronavirus in Europe as the total number of fatalities from the disease in UK hospitals rose above 10,000.
As Boris Johnson left hospital on Sunday, criticism of the government’s response to the pandemic was mounting from senior medics and politicians, particularly over its failure to get enough personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing to NHS and care home workers.As Boris Johnson left hospital on Sunday, criticism of the government’s response to the pandemic was mounting from senior medics and politicians, particularly over its failure to get enough personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing to NHS and care home workers.
People across the UK are being given incorrect information from the government about whether or not to isolate, with some wrongly instructed to remain indoors for 12 weeks, GPs have warned.People across the UK are being given incorrect information from the government about whether or not to isolate, with some wrongly instructed to remain indoors for 12 weeks, GPs have warned.
Doctors fear out-of-date information is being used as they are getting an increasing number of calls from people who do not understand why they have received a text or letter saying they are in the most at risk group. At the same time, some of those who are in priority groups are complaining they have been given no information, they said.Doctors fear out-of-date information is being used as they are getting an increasing number of calls from people who do not understand why they have received a text or letter saying they are in the most at risk group. At the same time, some of those who are in priority groups are complaining they have been given no information, they said.
The list of who to contact, which would normally take weeks to do, was compiled in 48 hours, and given the huge undertaking errors are likely to have crept in.The list of who to contact, which would normally take weeks to do, was compiled in 48 hours, and given the huge undertaking errors are likely to have crept in.
Last month, the government announced it would contact 1.5 million people by 29 March to tell them that they should be “shielding”, which means they are most at risk to the virus and should stay indoors for 12 weeks.Last month, the government announced it would contact 1.5 million people by 29 March to tell them that they should be “shielding”, which means they are most at risk to the virus and should stay indoors for 12 weeks.
Dr Francesca Silman, a London GP, said: “Unfortunately a number of people I know did not receive letters despite fitting in the shielding category, some only received letters in the past few days, and others have received letters even though they don’t actually need to shield.”Dr Francesca Silman, a London GP, said: “Unfortunately a number of people I know did not receive letters despite fitting in the shielding category, some only received letters in the past few days, and others have received letters even though they don’t actually need to shield.”
She added: “It is all a bit of a mess. Part of the problem was I think originally NHS England thought the GPs could do some of the searches – but this is not at all an easy task and the guidance for GPs to go ahead was retracted … Meanwhile, I think the public are unaware of this issue and likely to be following the letters they have or haven’t received unless they have been proactive themselves and looked up the guidance.”She added: “It is all a bit of a mess. Part of the problem was I think originally NHS England thought the GPs could do some of the searches – but this is not at all an easy task and the guidance for GPs to go ahead was retracted … Meanwhile, I think the public are unaware of this issue and likely to be following the letters they have or haven’t received unless they have been proactive themselves and looked up the guidance.”
Amazon will begin to put new grocery delivery customers on a waitlist and curtail shopping hours at some Whole Foods stores to prioritize orders from existing customers buying food online during the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Sunday. Many shoppers recently seeking to purchase groceries from the Seattle-based *e-commerce company found they could not place orders due to a lack of available delivery slots.Amazon will begin to put new grocery delivery customers on a waitlist and curtail shopping hours at some Whole Foods stores to prioritize orders from existing customers buying food online during the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Sunday. Many shoppers recently seeking to purchase groceries from the Seattle-based *e-commerce company found they could not place orders due to a lack of available delivery slots.
Amazon said it would have to relegate all new online grocery customers to a wait list starting Monday while working on adding capacity each week. In recent weeks, it increased the number of Whole Foods stores offering grocery pickup *to more than 150 locations, up from 80 previously.Amazon said it would have to relegate all new online grocery customers to a wait list starting Monday while working on adding capacity each week. In recent weeks, it increased the number of Whole Foods stores offering grocery pickup *to more than 150 locations, up from 80 previously.
Hello. I am taking over the Guardian’s global live feed, bringing you all the latest news and information from around the world. I’ve just sat down with a tea, as it’s the morning here in London.
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That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan. If I weren’t a little tired, maybe I’d make this pie:
Good thing my colleague Sarah Marsh is here to take you through the next few hours of global coronavirus news.
China infections rise as some Spanish companies prepare to restart work
China has seen a rise in Covid-19 cases along its northern border with Russia, as some Spanish factories and construction sites are preparing to resume work amid other continuing restrictions.
On Sunday China’s national health commission reported 108 new infections, the highest number in more than five weeks, surpassing Saturday’s 99, which was nearly double the 46 reported on Friday. All but 10 of the cases were imported, and seven of the local infections were in the Heilongjiang province, a northern region where authorities are increasing restrictions and monitoring after a rise in people with Covid-19 crossing the Russian border.
In Europe, Italy and France reported a drop in deaths in the past 24 hours – with Italy, the European nation most afflicted by the disease, reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.
Some Spanish companies will resume operations on Monday, at the end of a two-weeks halt to all non-essential activity. The country’s death toll has fallen over recent days, but as a small bump in deaths was reported on Sunday, the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, warned that the locked-down country was “far from victory”.
‘Now there is nobody’: living in a tourist attraction under lockdown
On a typical day, upwards of 3,000 tourists would stream through her home. But as Spain’snear-total lockdown stretches beyond Easter, Ana Viladomiu has found herself weeks into living a near-solitary life in one of Barcelona’s top tourist attractions.
For more than 30 years, Viladomiu has lived in La Pedrera, a modernist jewel built more than a century ago by famed architect Antoni Gaudí. The passing decades saw almost all the other tenants move out, supplanted by ever growing throngs of visitors lured by the building’s rippling stone facade and knotted balconies.
Coronavirus diplomacy: how Russia, China and EU vie to win over Serbia
As the pandemic gathers speed, major players are looking to use soft power and aid to fulfil their foreign policy goals. For the EU, it’s trying to prove that talk of European values and solidarity is not just empty words. For China, it’s changing the narrative to present the country as the solution to coronavirus, not its cause.
For Russia, it’s using more modest resources for maximum effect, with Russian military vehicles driving through Italy or a planeload of equipment despatched to the US partly produced by a sanctioned company.
The Americans, focused internally under the Trump administration, have largely been absent from the coronavirus diplomacy game.
Iran’s president has left nation open to second Covid-19 wave – critics
Iran’s president has been accused of leaving the country exposed to a second coronavirus outbreak after he relaxed social distancing rules in the face of concerns that as many as 7 million Iranians had been left jobless or suffering wage cuts because of the restrictions imposed by the government over the last month.
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The global number of confirmed cases has passed 1.85 million, to reach 1,850,527, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. There have been 114,245 deaths globally.
China reported the highest daily infections in over five weeks.Mainland China reported 108 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier and 46 reported on Friday.
Top oil-producing countries agreed Sunday on “historic” output cuts in a bid to boost plummeting oil prices due to the new coronavirus crisis and a Russia-Saudi price war.
Alabama cannot block abortions during coronavirus crisis, a judge has ruled.
Spain is readying to reopen parts of its economy as governments grapple with a once-in-a-century recession. Spain’s death toll has fallen over recent days, but as a small bump in deaths was reported on Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the locked-down country was “far from victory”.
French President Emmanuel Macron is on Monday expected to warn the country its lockdown will continue for several more weeks at least. France on Sunday reported a lower number of Covid-19 fatalities over the last 24 hours, with 315 deaths in hospital over the last day, compared with 345 the previous day.
France is set to isolate 1,900 sailors after virus-hit naval ship docks.
Germany had a third day of lower cases. Germany’s number of confirmed coronavirus infections has risen by 2,537 to 123,016. That was lower than a 2,821 increase reported on Sunday, and marked the third decline after four days of increases.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday refused to accept the resignation of his interior minister over an abrupt nationwide lockdown that triggered a spate of panic-buying.
Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital. He thanked the NHS for “saving [his] life” after leaving St Thomas’ hospital in south London where he had been hospitalised for a week.
The UK government is facing mounting criticism over its coronavirus response, particularly over its failure to secure enough personal protective equipment and tests for NHS and care workers as the country’s death toll passed 10,000. This follows a warning that that the UK could experience the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe.
Senior US public health officials have pushed back on Donald Trump’s eagerness to reopen the country quickly, as a senior World Health Organization figure warned that Covid-19 “is going to be a virus that stalks the human race for quite a long time to come”.
A federal judge has ruled that Alabama cannot ban abortions as part of the state’s response to the coronavirus.
The US district judge Myron Thompson on Sunday issued a preliminary injunction sought by clinics to prevent the state from forbidding abortions as part of a ban on elective medical procedures during the Covid-19 outbreak. He said abortion providers could decide whether a procedure could wait.
In the Alabama court judgement, Thompson said that based on the current record, the defendants’ efforts to combat Covid-19 did not outweigh the lasting harm imposed by the denial of an individual’s right to terminate her pregnancy, by an undue burden or increase in risk on patients imposed by a delayed procedure, or by the cloud of unwarranted prosecution against providers.
Authorities in northern Vietnam have ordered people working at a unit of Samsung Display factory in the country to be quarantined after a worker there tested positive for the new coronavirus.
A 25-year-old worker of the EQC-SI unit of the Samsung Display factory in Bac Ninh province tested positive on Sunday, according to a statement released on Monday by the anti-COVID-19 task force of neighbouring Bac Giang province.
Samsung confirmed the case, but said Samsung Display’s production lines in Vietnam had not been affected.