Tuesday, May 5: Coronavirus global update

Tuesday, 12.30: More than 3,663,760 people have been infected across the world and over 252,758 have died but at the same time 1,202,904 people have recovered.

THE PANDEMIC IN NUMBERS

COUNTRY	INFECTED CASES	DEATHS DUE TO VIRUS
CYPRUS	874	15
USA	1,212,955	69,925
SPAIN	248,301	25,428
ITALY	211,938	29,097
UNITED KINGDOM	190,584	28,734
FRANCE	169,462	25,201
GERMANY	166,199	6,993

All the latest news in brief as it happens

17:41 WHO urges countries to investigate early cases

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that a report that COVID-19 had emerged in December in France, sooner than previously thought, was “not surprising”, and urged countries to investigate any other early suspicious cases.

16:23 Virgin Atlantic to cut 3,150 jobs

British airline Virgin Atlantic said on Tuesday it planned to cut 3,150 jobs and would move its flying programme from London Gatwick to Heathrow airport as it counts the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The spread of the novel coroanvirus has virtually brought airports around the globe to a standstill, leaving airlines taking drastic steps to make savings.

14:59 Macron says major foreign travel to be limited this summer

French President Emmanuel Macron said it was unlikely that French people would be able to undertake major foreign trips this summer and that even trips within Europe may have to be limited in order to reduce the risk of a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic.

14:31 Bavaria plans tourism revival this month

The southern German state of Bavaria will partially reopen for tourism this month, the state’s premier Markus Soeder said on Tuesday, with superstores, beer gardens, restaurants and hotels resuming operations, albeit with restrictions.

The announcement comes as states across Germany ready plans to partially defrost an economy that went into lockdown in March to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that was then wreaking havoc in northern Italy.

12.56 Indonesia reports biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections

Indonesia reported on Tuesday its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections with 484 new cases, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 12,071, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

Yurianto reported eight new deaths, taking the total to 872, while 2,197 have recovered.

More than 88,900 people have been tested, he said. (

12.19 Spain reports coronavirus daily death toll of 185

The daily number of coronavirus deaths registered in Spain remained below 200 on Tuesday for a third consecutive day, the country’s health ministry said, as it reported 185 deaths in 24 hours.

The overall coronavirus death toll in the country rose to 25,613 on Tuesday up from 25,428, the ministry said, while the overall number of diagnosed cases rose to 219,329 up from 218,011 the day before.

11.44 UK COVID-19 death toll rises above 30,000, highest in Europe – data

More than 30,000 people in the United Kingdom have died with suspected COVID-19, the highest official toll yet reported in Europe, according to data published on Tuesday.

The Office for National Statistics said 29,648 deaths had taken place as of April 24 in England and Wales with COVID-19 mentioned in death certificates.

Including deaths for Scotland and Northern Ireland, the toll on this measure now exceeds 30,000. That is more than Italy, though the recording of deaths there has differed.

11.43 Malaysia reports 30 new coronavirus cases and one death

Malaysian health authorities on Tuesday reported 30 new coronavirus cases, bringing the cumulative total to 6,383 cases as the country entered the second day of relaxed curbs on movement and businesses.

The health ministry also reported one new death, raising the 7total fatalities to 106.

11.30 Uganda starts easing one of Africa’s strictest lockdowns

Uganda began to loosen one of Africa’s strictest anti-coronavirus lockdowns on Tuesday after President Yoweri Museveni declared the infection “tamed.”

The country of 42 million reported 97 confirmed cases and no deaths in 45 days of restrictions, and Museveni said it was now better equipped to trace and detect new infections faster.

“We have somehow tamed the virus,” Museveni said in a televised address late on Monday.

“It is high time we … start slowly and carefully to open up, but without undoing our achievements.”

Uganda, alongside neighbouring Rwanda, had some of Africa’s strictest lockdown measures, including the shuttering of all but absolutely essential businesses, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on both private and public transport vehicles.

11.22 Lebanon set to extend coronavirus shutdown until May 24

Lebanon’s supreme defence council will advise the government to extend a shutdown to curb the spread of coronavirus by two weeks until May 24, a security source said after the council convened on Tuesday.

A decision is expected at a cabinet meeting later on Tuesday.

Lebanon has recorded 740 cases of the novel coronavirus and 25 deaths. The government has started to ease some restrictions, this week allowing restaurants to open but at only 30% of their capacity.

11.07 Philippines reports 14 deaths, 199 more coronavirus infections

– The Philippines’ health ministry on Tuesday reported 14 new coronavirus deaths and 199 additional infections.

In a bulletin, the health ministry said total deaths from the outbreak have reached 637, while confirmed cases have increased to 9,684. But 93 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,408.

10.47 Russia reports 10,102 new coronavirus cases

The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 10,102 over the past 24 hours, compared with 10,581 the previous day. This brought Russia’s nationwide tally to 155,370, the country’s coronavirus crisis response centre said on Tuesday.

It also reported 95 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total death toll in Russia to 1,451.

10.13 London stocks gain as economies reopen from lockdown

UK stock markets headed higher on Tuesday as investors counted on a revival in economic activity with several countries lifting coronavirus-induced restrictions, while energy stocks tracked a jump in oil prices.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 1.6%, with BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc providing the biggest boost, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 added 1.3%.

Both benchmark indexes were set to snap a three-day losing streak, supported by broad-based gains for miners, banks, and travel and leisure stocks, as hard-hit countries including the United States and Italy relaxed stay-at-home orders.

10.12 Singapore’s health ministry confirms 632 new coronavirus cases
Singapore’s health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 632 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state’s tally of infections to 19,410.

10.10 EU has not been naive in dealings with China -Thierry Breton

The European Union has not been naive in its dealings with China, said EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton on Tuesday, as rifts emerge between the United States and China over the origins of the coronavirus.

“We are absolutely not naive,” Breton told France Info radio on Tuesday, when asked if the EU might have shown any gullibility in its dealings with China.

Britain said on Monday that China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the coronavirus outbreak, while the United States has scaled up its rhetoric over Chinese culpability for the virus in recent days.

9.52 Ryanair passengers down by 99.6% in April

Europe’s biggest budget airline Ryanair posted a 99.6% fall in passenger numbers in April, while smaller low cost carrier Wizz Air said numbers plunged 97.6%, as the novel coronavirus halted most flying across Europe.

Ryanair said it flew 40,000 passengers in April compared to the 13.5 million it carried in the same month in 2019. It said it expected numbers to stay minimal during May and June due to ongoing travel restrictions.

9.44 France hoping to deploy StopCovid app by June 2 – minister

France is hoping to deploy its state-supported “StopCOVID” contact-tracing app by June 2, the Minister for Digital Affairs, Cedric O, said on Tuesday.

“We hope to have something by June 2,” Cedric O told BFM Business TV. “We are pursuing our roadmap,” he added.

France’s state-supported “StopCOVID” contact-tracing app should enter its testing phase in the week of May 11 when the country starts to unwind its lockdown, the minister said earlier this month.

9.25 Tokyo governor Koike to ask businesses to refrain from operating until end of May – NHK

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will ask businesses in Japan’s biggest city to refrain from operating until the end of this month, following the central government’s extension of the state of emergency, a public broadcaster NHK reported.

The Tokyo government will pay more financial aid to businesses that remain closed during the period, the report said, adding that she will announce details at a media briefing later on Tuesday.

9.17 Wizz Air passenger numbers plunge 98% in April

Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air said its passenger numbers plunged 98% in April compared to the same month last year as the novel coronavirus halted most flying across Europe.

Wizz Air said that it carried 78,389 passengers in April, but its figures will improve this month as it became one of the first European airlines to restart commercial routes from London Luton and Vienna on 1 May.

8.23 Thailand reports one new coronavirus case, no new deaths

Thailand on Tuesday reported one new coronavirus case and no new deaths, the lowest number of new infections since March 9.

The new case is a 45-year-old Thai man from the southern province of Narathiwat, authorities said.

The number of new cases have been declining in the last two weeks with the exception of a cluster at an immigration detention centre in southern Thailand that has seen 60 new cases in that period, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.

8.17 Australia, New Zealand start work on plan for travel between them

Australia and New Zealand have agreed to begin work on allowing travel between both countries and this arrangement could be eventually extend to other Pacific island nations, the countries said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Such an arrangement would be put in place once it is safe to do so and necessary health, transport and other protocols had been developed and met, the statement said without giving a time frame for the move.

8.07 Australia PM says new coronavirus most likely emerged from Chinese wildlife market

The most likely source of the novel coronavirus was a wildlife market in China, Australian Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week said he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab.

Morrison, however, said Australia has seen no evidence to change its view that it originated from a wildlife market, though he would not rule out Trump’s theory.

“We can’t rule out any of these arrangements that’s what I said the other day, but the most likely has been in a wildlife wet market,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

6.15 Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 685 to 163,860 – RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 685 to 163,860, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.

The reported death toll rose by 139 to 6,831, the tally showed.

5.02 Researchers double U.S. COVID-19 death forecast

A newly revised coronavirus mortality model predicts nearly 135,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 by early August, almost double previous projections.

The ominous new forecast from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reflect “rising mobility in most U.S. states” with an easing of business closures and stay-at-home orders expected in 31 states by May 11, the institute said.

4.38 New Zealand records no new coronavirus cases for a second day

New Zealand recorded no new coronavirus cases for a second day in a row on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the outcome of her discussions with Australia on a travel bubble between the two countries would be announced later in the day.

Ardern joined Australia’s coronavirus cabinet meeting on Tuesday as the neighbouring countries discuss reopening their borders to travel following their successes in containing the disease.

3.25 Apple, Google ban use of location tracking in contact tracing apps

Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google on Monday said they would ban the use of location tracking in apps that use a new contact tracing system the two are building to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The companies plan to allow only public health authorities to use the technology.

3.12 Mexico registers 1,434 new coronavirus cases, 117 deaths
Mexico registered 1,434 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday and 117 new deaths, a health official said, bringing the total in the country to 24,905 confirmed cases and 2,271 deaths.

However, health officials have previously said that the real number of cases is much higher.

2.50 China reports one new coronavirus case in mainland
China reported one new coronavirus case for May 4, down from three the day before, data from the national health authority showed on Tuesday.

The new case was imported, the National Health Commission said.

The commission also reported 15 new asymptomatic cases for May 4, an increase of two from the previous day.

What happened on Monday, May 4

EUROPE

Britain’s COVID-19 death toll has risen by 288 to 28,734, according to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The COVID-19 death toll in Italy climbed by 195 on Monday, against 174 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, but the daily tally of new infections fell to 1,221 from 1,389 on Sunday.
Coronavirus deaths in France rose above 25,000 on Monday, making it the fifth country to pass that threshold after the United States, Italy, Britain and Spain.
World leaders promised $8 billion for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said France might allow religious services to resume before the end of May if a gradual easing of lockdown rules from May 11 did not result in the rate of coronavirus infections increasing.
Italy and Spain were among a slew of countries easing lockdown restrictions on Monday, but officials cautioned against moving too swiftly.
The head of the EU agency for disease control said Britain was one of five European countries yet to reach the peak, contradicting the British government’s line.
Germany’s coronavirus reproduction rate is currently estimated at 0.74 on average, its health minister said.
The coronavirus reproduction rate in Poland is falling and authorities expect it to reach 1 in the coming days, the health ministry said on Monday.
The number of cases in Russia has risen by 10,581 over the past 24 hours compared with a record of 10,633 the previous day.

AMERICAS

An internal U.S. government document projects a surge in coronavirus cases and a sharp rise in daily deaths by June 1, the New York Times reported on Monday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said bipartisan talks have begun on whether more federal government relief funding is needed, but that President Donald Trump is focused on tax changes and the travel industry.
The United States on Monday began requiring antibody tests for the coronavirus to undergo a regulatory agency review, acknowledging its earlier policy had opened the door to fraud.The health crisis will continue to idle U.S. meat plants and slow production, Tyson Foods Inc said, signalling more disruptions to the U.S. food supply after President Donald Trump ordered facilities to stay open.
There have been 4,075 new cases of the coronavirus in Brazil and 263 deaths over the last 24 hours in Brazil, the health ministry said on Monday.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Bangladesh reported more than 10,000 cases on Monday.
Thousands of Malaysians joined the morning rush hour on Monday as the government eased curbs on movement and businesses for the first time in six weeks.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

The death toll in Iran, one of the hardest-hit nations in the Middle East, rose by 74 in the past 24 hours to 6,277, the Health Ministry said.
A plane carrying aid supplies for use in the fight against the coronavirus crashed in Somalia on Monday, killing all six people on board, the Somali transport minister said.
Israel on Monday eased many curbs on the public, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu citing the country’s success in containing the virus so far.
Turkey will start easing containment measures from Monday, President Tayyip Erdogan said, lifting inter-city travel restrictions in seven provinces and easing a curfew imposed on senior and youth citizens.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the country could face a “real catastrophe” if coronavirus cases spike and overwhelm health services.
Egypt’s parliament approved new taxes on Monday, including groundbreaking levies on petrol and diesel, as it works to plug a revenue gap caused by a coronavirus-induced economic slowdown. In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, rising food prices point to what the United Nations and government officials have condemned as unscrupulous profiteering in times of crisis.
Zimbabwe is headed for a health and economic catastrophe from the pandemic because its debt arrears mean it cannot access foreign lenders, the finance minister warned in a letter to the IMF.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

Global stock markets fell on Monday on concerns U.S.-Chinese bickering over the origin of the coronavirus outbreak will ignite a new trade war, speculation that strengthened the dollar and drove gold prices higher.
The outlook for the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet is “highly uncertain” given the economic deterioration caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Fed said in a report.
The coronavirus outbreak has slowed progress in talks to rewrite international tax rules, although a year-end deadline is still in reach, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said.
Hong Kong’s economy recorded in the first quarter its deepest annual contraction since at least 1974, as the pandemic dealt a heavy blow to business activity, already in decline following months of anti-government protests last year.
South Africa’s economy could contract by as much 12% and unemployment balloon to more than a third of the workforce, the director-general of the National Treasury said.
Malaysia cancelled its biggest palm oil conference for the first time in 31 years.