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Coronavirus live news: Brazil’s health system on verge of collapse, medics warn Coronavirus live news: Brazil’s health system on verge of collapse, medics warn
(32 minutes later)
Leader of US group peddling bleach as ‘miracle’ cure wrote to Trump before remarks; Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac Day from drivewaysLeader of US group peddling bleach as ‘miracle’ cure wrote to Trump before remarks; Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac Day from driveways
Catch up on our global report here.
Nearly 60 new cases found on cruise ship in Japan, as Thailand reports more infections, and report says China pressured EU to tone down assessment of disinformation campaign by Beijing.
With the US coronavirus death toll topping 51,000 and nearly one in six workers out of a job, Georgia, Oklahoma and several other states took tentative steps at reopening businesses on Friday, despite disapproval from President Donald Trump and medical experts.
Sri Lanka has reimposed a countrywide 24-hour curfew after a surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, most of them navy sailors who were hunting those evading quarantine.Sri Lanka has reimposed a countrywide 24-hour curfew after a surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, most of them navy sailors who were hunting those evading quarantine.
The 46 new infections on Friday were the highest in a day, bringing the total to 420, including seven deaths.The 46 new infections on Friday were the highest in a day, bringing the total to 420, including seven deaths.
Sri Lanka partially lifted a monthlong curfew on Monday during daytime hours in more than two thirds of the country.Sri Lanka partially lifted a monthlong curfew on Monday during daytime hours in more than two thirds of the country.
The new curfew remains in effect until Monday. Police have arrested more than 30,000 violators.The new curfew remains in effect until Monday. Police have arrested more than 30,000 violators.
Among the newly infected were 30 navy sailors from a camp on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo. A total 60 sailors so far have been infected and the camp isolated.Among the newly infected were 30 navy sailors from a camp on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo. A total 60 sailors so far have been infected and the camp isolated.
Boris Johnson is expected to return to work soon after his recovery from Covid-19, as pressure mounts on his government to explain how to get Britain out of lockdown.Boris Johnson is expected to return to work soon after his recovery from Covid-19, as pressure mounts on his government to explain how to get Britain out of lockdown.
Johnson, 55, has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat, Chequers, outside London since his release from hospital on 12 April.Johnson, 55, has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat, Chequers, outside London since his release from hospital on 12 April.
But there have been increasing signs his return to Downing Street could be imminent, after officials said he had spoken to Queen Elizabeth II and also US President Donald Trump.But there have been increasing signs his return to Downing Street could be imminent, after officials said he had spoken to Queen Elizabeth II and also US President Donald Trump.
The Daily Telegraph, Johnson’s former employer, suggested he could be back at his desk on Monday, and hold briefing meetings with individual cabinet ministers.The Daily Telegraph, Johnson’s former employer, suggested he could be back at his desk on Monday, and hold briefing meetings with individual cabinet ministers.
But health secretary Matt Hancock was more cautious, despite the prime minister’s progress.But health secretary Matt Hancock was more cautious, despite the prime minister’s progress.
“I spoke to him yesterday, he’s cheerful, and he’s ebullient and he’s definitely on the mend in a big way,” he said on Friday.“I spoke to him yesterday, he’s cheerful, and he’s ebullient and he’s definitely on the mend in a big way,” he said on Friday.
“When exactly he comes back is a matter for him and his doctors.”“When exactly he comes back is a matter for him and his doctors.”
Australia’s national sporting codes - like most in the world - have been shut down by the pandemic, but its national rugby league competition is determined to come back as soon as possible.Australia’s national sporting codes - like most in the world - have been shut down by the pandemic, but its national rugby league competition is determined to come back as soon as possible.
There’s been talk of staging a televised competition on an island, or another dedicated site cut off from the outside world. The organisation also went rogue and declared it would restart in May, despite government advice or a plan on how to do it.There’s been talk of staging a televised competition on an island, or another dedicated site cut off from the outside world. The organisation also went rogue and declared it would restart in May, despite government advice or a plan on how to do it.
Today, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission has floated the possibility of having rugby fans download an app and “self-isolate” for 14 days if they want to go to the State of Origin - one of the year’s most significant and competitive series of games.Today, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission has floated the possibility of having rugby fans download an app and “self-isolate” for 14 days if they want to go to the State of Origin - one of the year’s most significant and competitive series of games.
Peter V’landys made the comments to Triple M radio this morning, saying he was looking at ways to hold the event with a safer or smaller crowd.Peter V’landys made the comments to Triple M radio this morning, saying he was looking at ways to hold the event with a safer or smaller crowd.
The ARLC has already announced that a three-game Origin series will be held at the end of the year, but the exact details are yet to be determined.The ARLC has already announced that a three-game Origin series will be held at the end of the year, but the exact details are yet to be determined.
Today V’landys floated a number of possibilities, including holding the games in a way that “rewards health workers”.Today V’landys floated a number of possibilities, including holding the games in a way that “rewards health workers”.
“We may not have the crowds of a normal State of Origin, but a limited crowd with social distancing, and there’s a few ideas we have in rewarding the emergency workers,” he said.“We may not have the crowds of a normal State of Origin, but a limited crowd with social distancing, and there’s a few ideas we have in rewarding the emergency workers,” he said.
“There’s another one where we put people on an app and if you’re a really hardcore supporter and you can stay at home for 14 days and isolate yourself and we track you on the app, you can go to the game.“There’s another one where we put people on an app and if you’re a really hardcore supporter and you can stay at home for 14 days and isolate yourself and we track you on the app, you can go to the game.
“There’s a few things we can do in that period of time.”“There’s a few things we can do in that period of time.”
Why do female leaders seem to be more successful at managing the coronavirus crisis? Plenty of countries with male leaders have also done well. But few with female leaders have done badly, write my colleagues John Henley and Eleanor Ainge Roy.Why do female leaders seem to be more successful at managing the coronavirus crisis? Plenty of countries with male leaders have also done well. But few with female leaders have done badly, write my colleagues John Henley and Eleanor Ainge Roy.
Jacinda Ardern, 39, New Zealand’s prime minister, has held Kiwis’ hands through the lockdown, delivering empathetic “stay home, save lives” video messages from her couch and communicating daily through non-combative press conferences or intimate Facebook Live videos, her favourite medium.Jacinda Ardern, 39, New Zealand’s prime minister, has held Kiwis’ hands through the lockdown, delivering empathetic “stay home, save lives” video messages from her couch and communicating daily through non-combative press conferences or intimate Facebook Live videos, her favourite medium.
In Germany, Angela Merkel has been hailed for direct but uncharacteristically personal public interventions, warning that up to 70% of people would contract the virus – the country’s “greatest challenge” since 1945 – and lamenting every death as that of “a father or grandfather, a mother or grandmother, a partner …”In Germany, Angela Merkel has been hailed for direct but uncharacteristically personal public interventions, warning that up to 70% of people would contract the virus – the country’s “greatest challenge” since 1945 – and lamenting every death as that of “a father or grandfather, a mother or grandmother, a partner …”
Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen responded equally fast, activating the country’s central epidemic command centre in early January and introducing travel restrictions and quarantine measures. Mass public hygiene measures were rolled out, including disinfecting public areas and buildings.Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen responded equally fast, activating the country’s central epidemic command centre in early January and introducing travel restrictions and quarantine measures. Mass public hygiene measures were rolled out, including disinfecting public areas and buildings.
Read more:Read more:
About 150 Australians and New Zealanders are scheduled to leave Buenos Aires on Saturday afternoon local time in what will be the final government-supported repatriation flight from Argentina.About 150 Australians and New Zealanders are scheduled to leave Buenos Aires on Saturday afternoon local time in what will be the final government-supported repatriation flight from Argentina.
The Qantas flight is due to land in Melbourne at 7.30pm on Sunday. It was announced last weekend, after an earlier attempt to organise a commercial flight was delayed.The Qantas flight is due to land in Melbourne at 7.30pm on Sunday. It was announced last weekend, after an earlier attempt to organise a commercial flight was delayed.
Argentina has closed its borders, meaning the flight was only open to those already in the country. Another flight is due to leave Uruguay on Sunday.Argentina has closed its borders, meaning the flight was only open to those already in the country. Another flight is due to leave Uruguay on Sunday.
The US navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives from coronavirus, officials have said.The US navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives from coronavirus, officials have said.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Brett Crozier to the defence secretary, Mark Esper, on Friday, three weeks after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the navy for stronger measures to protect the crew.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Brett Crozier to the defence secretary, Mark Esper, on Friday, three weeks after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the navy for stronger measures to protect the crew.
Crozier was fired by the navy’s top civilian, then-acting navy secretary Thomas Modly, against the recommendations of uniformed leaders, who suggested he wait for an investigation into the letter’s leak.Crozier was fired by the navy’s top civilian, then-acting navy secretary Thomas Modly, against the recommendations of uniformed leaders, who suggested he wait for an investigation into the letter’s leak.
Modly’s decision backfired badly, as members of the crew hailed their captain as a hero in an emotional sendoff captured on video that went viral on social media.Modly’s decision backfired badly, as members of the crew hailed their captain as a hero in an emotional sendoff captured on video that went viral on social media.
Around one quarter of the crew on board an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan have been diagnosed with Covid-19, after 57 new cases were reported on Saturday.Around one quarter of the crew on board an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan have been diagnosed with Covid-19, after 57 new cases were reported on Saturday.
All 623 crew members on board the Costa Atlantica have been tested, with almost 150 returning a positive reading, TV Asahi and NHK reported. One person is in hospital.All 623 crew members on board the Costa Atlantica have been tested, with almost 150 returning a positive reading, TV Asahi and NHK reported. One person is in hospital.
The ship has been docked at Nagasaki since February for repairs and maintenance after the pandemic prevented scheduled repairs in China.The ship has been docked at Nagasaki since February for repairs and maintenance after the pandemic prevented scheduled repairs in China.
Nagasaki authorities had quarantined the vessel on arrival, and ordered its crew not to venture beyond the quay except for hospital visits.Nagasaki authorities had quarantined the vessel on arrival, and ordered its crew not to venture beyond the quay except for hospital visits.
But prefecture officials said earlier this week that some of the crew had departed without their knowledge, and sought detailed information on their movements.But prefecture officials said earlier this week that some of the crew had departed without their knowledge, and sought detailed information on their movements.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has downgraded its outlook for Greece on forecasts the economy will plunge into recession on the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, while maintaining the country’s credit rating.Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has downgraded its outlook for Greece on forecasts the economy will plunge into recession on the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, while maintaining the country’s credit rating.
S&P forecast the Greek economy would contract by around 9% in 2020 on “uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and resulting economic crisis”, revising its outlook from “positive” to “stable”.S&P forecast the Greek economy would contract by around 9% in 2020 on “uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and resulting economic crisis”, revising its outlook from “positive” to “stable”.
After a nearly decade-long debt crisis and the loss of almost a quarter of GDP, the Mediterranean country had expected growth of at least 2.4% for 2020.After a nearly decade-long debt crisis and the loss of almost a quarter of GDP, the Mediterranean country had expected growth of at least 2.4% for 2020.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, recently warned of a “deep” recession due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, before a recovery in 2021.The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, recently warned of a “deep” recession due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, before a recovery in 2021.
Meanwhile Italy’s economically punishing coronavirus lockdown, combined with big-spend stimulus packages to support families and firms, will push public debt and deficit to dizzying heights, the government said on Friday.Meanwhile Italy’s economically punishing coronavirus lockdown, combined with big-spend stimulus packages to support families and firms, will push public debt and deficit to dizzying heights, the government said on Friday.
The cabinet approved the spring budget document (DEF), which forecast that the eurozone’s third-largest economy would plunge into a deep recession this year, with gross domestic product retracting by 8%.The cabinet approved the spring budget document (DEF), which forecast that the eurozone’s third-largest economy would plunge into a deep recession this year, with gross domestic product retracting by 8%.
The government is widening the budget deficit by €55bn, the “shock cure necessary to enable the country to face this difficult phase”, Riccardo Fraccaro, cabinet undersecretary, was quoted as saying by Italian media.The government is widening the budget deficit by €55bn, the “shock cure necessary to enable the country to face this difficult phase”, Riccardo Fraccaro, cabinet undersecretary, was quoted as saying by Italian media.
Poland’s health minister, who is also a cardiologist, said Friday that delaying next month’s presidential election untill 2022 would be “the only safe option” given the coronavirus pandemic.
“One option would be to put this whole issue on hold for two years and really deal with the epidemic. I think that’s the best option and I recommend it,” Minister Lukasz Szumowski told Poland’s Polsat commercial television.
Despite pressure from the opposition, medical workers, the majority of the public and even members and allies of the ruling conservative party, the government has refused to postpone the May 10 ballot.
Reuters: China sought to block a European Union report alleging that Beijing was spreading disinformation about the coronavirus outbreak, according to four sources and diplomatic correspondence reviewed by Reuters.
The report was eventually released, albeit just before the start of the weekend Europe time and with some criticism of the Chinese government rearranged or removed, a sign of the balancing act Brussels is trying to pull off as the coronavirus outbreak scrambles international relations.
The Chinese Mission to the EU was not immediately available for comment and China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to faxed questions about the exchange.
An EU spokeswoman said “we never comment on content or alleged content of internal diplomatic contacts and communication with our partners from another countries.”
Another EU official Reuters said that the disinformation report had been published as usual and denied any of it had been watered down.
Four diplomatic sources told Reuters that the report had initially been slated for release on April 21 but was delayed after Chinese officials picked up on a Politico news report hat previewed its findings.
A senior Chinese official contacted European officials in Beijing the same day to tell them that, “if the report is as described and it is released today it will be very bad for cooperation,” according to EU diplomatic correspondence reviewed by Reuters.
The correspondence quoted senior Chinese foreign ministry official Yang Xiaoguang as saying that publishing the report would make Beijing “very angry” and accused European officials of trying to please “someone else” - something the EU diplomats understood to be a reference to Washington.
The four sources said the report had been delayed as a result, and a comparison of the internal version of the report obtained by Reuters and the final version published late Friday showed several differences.
For example, on the first page of the internal report shared with EU governments on April 20, the EU’s foreign policy arm said: “China has continued to run a global disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and improve its international image. Both overt and covert tactics have been observed.”
In Australia, remote Indigenous communities have been closed to outsiders for weeks.
The communities are at high risk from Covid-19 because of the much lower life expectancy, poorer health outcomes and higher rates of pre-existing conditions, and drastically reduced access to the level of healthcare available elsewhere in Australia.
In Arnhem Land, in the country’s north, this means that important cultural gatherings and a number of events planned for the approaching dry season have been cancelled, including the annual Garma festival.
It’s a blow to tourism, and a huge interruption to cultural life. But as Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, reports, some are finding a way around it.
Artists in north-east Arnhem Land are giving free performances online instead, with live music and bunggul (dance) to keep people connected.
Yirrmal Marika is the son of Witiyana Marika, manikay singer for Yothu Yindi and an accomplished singer-songwriter in his own right.
“We sing stories about the country, what we feel and what we have been told by our elders, and that’s what we’re sharing,” Marika says, on the phone from Nhulunbuy.
“Elders are really scared because the virus would impact them and they have great knowledge to teach us, for the next generation who will stand strong in this part of the country,” Yirrmal Marika said.
“And they see that Arnhem Land is the most beautiful country and they see we are lucky enough that we still have language here in this part of the country, so that’s why we all have to be aware of it and really alert.”
There are moves to scale back Donald Trump’s public presence on the US’s coronavirus response, the AP reports.
There have been discussions within the White House about changing the format of the briefings to curtail the president’s role, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
The briefings often stretch well beyond an hour and feature combative exchanges between Trump and reporters.
Trump was angry after a day of punishing headlines Friday, largely about his comment at the previous evening’s briefing wondering if it would be helpful to inject disinfectant into people to fight the coronavirus.
That idea drew loud warnings from health experts who said the idea was dangerous and sharp criticism from Democrats.
Trump did answer questions from reporters earlier Friday and claimed that his suggestion about disinfectant had been sarcastic.”
That doesn’t square with a transcript of his remarks.
For weeks, advisers have been urging the president to scale back his appearances at the briefings, saying that he should come before the cameras only when there is major news or a positive development to discuss, according to the officials.
Otherwise, they suggested, he should leave it to Vice President Mike Pence and health officials to take the lead.
Trump has been reluctant to cede the spotlight at the briefings, which are the closest thing he currently has to his beloved political rallies.
South and Central America is experiencing a significant crisis with the virus. We earlier reported on Brazil and fears that its health system was on the verge of collapse. Here are some more updates from the region:
In Brazil’s Manaus, the biggest city in the Amazon, officials said a cemetery has been forced to dig mass graves because there have been so many deaths. Workers have been burying 100 corpses a day, triple the pre-virus average of burials.
So far, the health ministry has confirmed nearly 53,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 3,600 deaths. Experts warned that paltry testing means the true number of infections is far greater.
Honduras has reported nearly 600 confirmed coronavirus cases to date, as well around 50 deaths. An estimated 40% of the population already live in extreme poverty and the pandemic has also pushed many more into homelessness, Reuters reports.
Since 25 March, the government has delivered to an estimated 3.2m people care packages of basic foodstuffs door-to-door, which include items like beans, rice, hand sanitiser, and face masks.
But the newly homeless who Reuters spoke said that without their own place, they had received nothing.“We’re all here because we don’t have anywhere else to go,” said Jose Cruz, a 27-year-old, who now camps out along with his mother.
In Ecuador, which has been hit particularly hard in Guayaquil on the coast, the official reported figure more than doubled after the release of delayed test results on Thursday. Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said it wasn’t a “rebound” of numbers, bu a reflection of an increased capacity to test.
People have died without being tested and autopsies have been complicated by social distancing measures.
To address those shortcomings, the government said Thursday it would begin conducting “verbal autopsies,” using consultations with family members about what symptoms a person had before dying to determine their cause of death.
Inmates at an Argentine prison in Buenos Aires set fire to mattresses and protested on the roof of the jail, demanding some people be released due to fears of infection by the coronavirus, according to local media and a Reuters witness.
Indigenous tribes in Peru’s Amazon say the government has left them to fend for themselves against the coronavirus, risking “ethnocide by inaction,” according to a letter from natives to the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Water shortages are leaving poorer Mexicans high and dry in the coronavirus fight.Grappling with the largest public health crisis in modern times, Mexican health authorities battling to stem a jump in new coronavirus infections have made the phrases “wash your hands” and “stay at home” their mantras.
The Costa Rican economy is seen contracting 3.6% this year due in large part to falling exports and consumer spending as the coronavirus pandemic causes widespread economic pain, the central bank announced on Friday.
A doctor in the Colombian city of Cali said this week that he was forced from his apartment just eight days after he moved in because other residents of the building feared he would bring the new coronavirus into their homes. It is the latest example of hostility to medical workers in Latin America, who have faced discrimination and even attacks amidst concerns they could be spreading the virus.
AP: New York reported its lowest number of daily Covid-19 deaths in weeks on Friday.The state said there were 422 deaths Thursday. That’s the fewest since March 31, when it recorded 391 deaths. More than 16,000 people have died in the state from the outbreak.
“Again, this is at an unimaginable level, and it’s dropping somewhat. But it’s still devastating news,” governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily briefing.
The total number of people hospitalised statewide continues to drop slowly, hitting 14,258, though the number of new patients coming into hospitals is basically flat at around 1,300, Cuomo said.
Though the overall trends provide some hope, the governor continued to stress that any gains could be lost quickly if social distancing restrictions are relaxed too quickly.
Some new reported figures.
Mainland China says it has 12 new cases, of which 11 were people who travelled into the country. One locally transmitted case was in Heilongjiang. The national health commission reported 29 new asymptomatic cases. More than 84,000 people have been reported to have had Covid-19 in China.
Panama has reported 172 new cases, bringing the country’s total number of people infected by Covid-19 to 5,338. 154 people have died.
n Australia and New Zealand it is Anzac Day, the annual day of remembrance for armed forces. With both countries under lockdowns or strict social distancing rules, there was not the usual parades or public dawn services.
Instead, people were encouraged to stand at the ends of their driveways for moments of silence.
New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern was one of many thousands of Kiwis who spent at least a minute of their mornings in contemplation by their letterbox, while Australia’s leader Scott Morrison attended a ceremony at the national War Memorial in Canberra.
The AP has this report from Brazil, which is on the way to becoming a major virus outbreak centre:
Cases of the new coronavirus are overwhelming hospitals, morgues and cemeteries across Brazil as Latin Americas largest nation veers closer to becoming one of the world’s pandemic hot spots.
Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities have warned that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse, or already too overwhelmed to take any more patients.
Health experts expect the number of infections in the country of 211 million people will be much higher than what has been reported because of insufficient, delayed testing.
Meanwhile, President Jair Bolsonaro has shown no sign of wavering from his insistence that Covid-19 is a relatively minor disease and that broad social-distancing measures are not needed to stop it. He has said only Brazilians at high risk should be isolated.
In Manaus, the biggest city in the Amazon, officials said a cemetery has been forced to dig mass graves because there have been so many deaths. Workers have been burying 100 corpses a day, triple the pre-virus average of burials.
Hello, and welcome to our continuing global coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. This is Helen Davidson in Sydney to take you through the next few hours.
Here’s a quick look at the latest big developments:
Global confirmed death toll passes 195,000
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, at least 195,920 people are confirmed to have died worldwide, while at least 2.7 million are known to have been infected.
The figures are likely to significantly underestimate the true scale of the pandemic due to suspected under-reporting and differing testing regimes.
Political adviser attends independent scientific advisory meetings
Questions are being raised about political interference as it emerges that the UK prime minister’s chief political aide has been participating in meetings of the government’s group of independent scientific advisers; membership of which Downing Street had insisted on keeping secret until the list was leaked to the Guardian.
After the news emerged, No 10 acknowledged that, while Dominic Cummings and another adviser have been attending and participating in the committee’s meetings, they are not members of the committee.
US authorities warn doctors against prescribing hydroxychloroquine
The US Food and Drug Administration warned doctors against prescribing the malaria drug Donald Trump has been touting, citing reports of sometimes fatal heart side effects among patients.
The warning excluded hospital and research studies.
Chinese delegation goes to North Korean leader’s aid – report
China has dispatched a team to North Korea that includes medical experts to advise on the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, according to a Reuters report. The news agency cites three people familiar with the situation.
The trip by the Chinese doctors and officials comes amid conflicting reports about the health of the North Korean leader. There was no indication of what, if anything, it signalled in terms of Kim’s health.
Air France to get state backing
The airline will receive a €7bn (£6.1bn) loan package backed by the French government to avert a cash crisis brought on by the pandemic, the country’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire announces.
France will issue €3bn in direct loans and guarantees on another €4bn in bank lending to the carrier, part of airline group Air France-KLM, Le Maire said.
US navy captain should be reinstated, say officials
Senior officials recommend the reinstatement of the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, who was fired after he pleaded for help with a coronavirus outbreak onboard.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, officials told the Reuters news agency the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier was made during a meeting on Friday between the US defence secretary, Mark Esper, and navy leaders.
UK records 684 more hospital deaths
The Department for Health and Social Care reports 684 more deaths in UK hospitals, bringing the death toll to 19,506. Friday’s update also showed an increase of 5,386 confirmed cases, bringing the UK total to at least 143,464.
Recoveries outstrip infections in Spain
Authorities in Spain, which has seen the second largest number of confirmed cases in the world, pointed out that more people are being diagnosed as cured than are falling sick for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak.
On Friday, there were 2,796 new infections confirmed while 3,105 overcame the infection. “With all the effort that we have done, the evolution of the epidemic is obviously beginning to be where it should be,” said Fernando Simón, the ministry’s health emergency centre coordinator.
Italy to ease lockdown, local media report
Newspapers in Italy are reporting that the country’s lockdown, the longest and toughest in Europe, is to be eased over the next four weeks. There has been no official confirmation, however.