Thursday, May 7: Coronavirus global update

Thursday, 11.30 More than 3,836,183 people have been infected across the world and over 265,364 have died but at the same time 1,307,608 people have recovered.

THE PANDEMIC IN NUMBERS

COUNTRY	INFECTED CASES	DEATHS DUE TO VIRUS
CYPRUS	883	15
USA	1,263,224	25,857
SPAIN	253,682	25,687
ITALY	214,457	29,684
UNITED KINGDOM	201,101	30,076
RUSSIA	177,160	1,625
FRANCE	174,191	25,809
GERMANY	168,162	7,275

All the latest news in brief as it happens

17:38 Paris region will end lockdown more slowly than rest of France

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Thursday France would gradually end its lockdown from Monday, May 11, but some restrictions would remain in place in the Paris region where the new coronavirus is still circulating.

“From Monday we will progressively unwind the lockdown that started on March 17… but the country is cut in two, with the virus circulating more quickly in some regions, notably in the Ile de France region, which is very densely populated,” he said.

16:45 Public masses to resume in Italy, May 18

Italy’s government and Roman Catholic bishops signed an agreement on Thursday to allow the faithful to attend Masses again from later this month, ending a standoff between the Church and state over the coronavirus lockdown.

The government banned attendance at Masses in early March, part of its prohibition on gatherings as it sought to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many Catholics asserted that church services should have been permitted along with other essential activities such as food shopping.

15:51 UK to announce very limited lifting of lockdown

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a very limited easing of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown next week, adopting a cautious approach to ensure there is no second peak of infections, his spokesman said on Thursday.

Johnson is due to announce the next steps in Britain’s battle to tackle the novel coronavirus on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current measures that have all but shut the economy and kept millions at home.

13.29 German officials warn coronavirus is far from over

German officials warned on Thursday that the coronavirus crisis is far from over despite the country slowly reopening its economy and trying to get life back to normal.

Germany has reported more than 166,000 infections and more than 7,000 deaths but the European Union’s most populous country has fared better than some of its peers due to early testing and distancing measures.

“We are not living after the pandemic now – rather we are living in the middle of a pandemic, one that will be with us for a while – at least for this year and that’s being very optimistic,” Helge Braun, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, told Deutschlandfunk radio on Thursday.

13.04 After football horseracing to return to Germany

Horse racing resumes in Germany on Thursday two months after a ban due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a limited number of races in front of empty stands in Hanover and strict health conditions, Germany’s racing organisation said.

The handful of races on Thursday are the first for Deutscher Galopp since March and an easing of lockdown restrictions in the past days in Germany with numbers of coronavirus infections dropping. More races are scheduled for Friday in Cologne.

Deutscher Galopp said the races and the preparations for them were tightly controlled by its own health safety plan that limited access to the horses, riders and race areas and required face masks for anyone on or around the track.

12.22 Russia overtakes Germany and France in coronavirus case numbers after record daily rise

Russia’s coronavirus case tally surged to 177,160 on Thursday after a record daily rise in infections, meaning it now has the fifth highest number of registered cases in the world and more cases than in Germany or France.

The number of new cases of the novel virus jumped by 11,231 in the last 24 hours, the country’s coronavirus taskforce said.

More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak, which on Thursday reported a record overnight increase of 6,703 new cases.

Russia’s official death toll, which remains far lower than in many countries, rose to 1,625 after 88 people died overnight, the taskforce said.

12.16 Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll falls again on Thursday

pain’s coronavirus daily death toll fell on Thursday to 213 down from 244 the day before, the health ministry reported.

The overall number of coronavirus deaths rose to 26,070, up from 25,857 on Wednesday. The number of diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the country rose to 221,447 from 220,325 the previous day.

11.48 Black, Indian and Pakistani people more likely to die from COVID-19 – UK stats

Black people and those of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnicity have a significantly higher chance of dying from COVID-19 than white people, the British statistics office said on Thursday.

“The risk of death involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) among some ethnic groups is significantly higher than that of those of White ethnicity,” the Office for National Statistics said.

“Black males are 4.2 times more likely to die from a COVID-19-related death and Black females are 4.3 times more likely than White ethnicity males and females,” the ONS said.

“People of Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Indian, and Mixed ethnicities also had statistically significant raised risk of death involving COVID-19 compared with those of White ethnicity.”

11.47 Malaysia reports 39 new coronavirus cases; no new deaths

Malaysia reported 39 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total to 6,467 infections.

The health ministry reported no new deaths. The total number of fatalities from the outbreak stands at 107.

11.30 German economy minister: We’ll prevent Lufthansa from being sold out

The German government will prevent Lufthansa, the country’s flagship carrier, from being sold out, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Bild newspaper on Thursday.

“Lufthansa, like other companies, is part of our economy’s family silver,” Altmaier said. “That’s why we’ll prevent this … from being sold out.”

He also said: “We’ll defend ourselves against foreign investors who think they can get bargain prices for famous and renowned German companies.”

11.18 Japan’s emergency could be lifted early in some areas -econmin

Japan’s state of emergency over the novel coronavirus could be lifted early in some areas of the country that have seen declines in new infections, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday.

Nishimura told a news conference it was possible the emergency would be removed for some areas around May 14. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended the nationwide state of emergency until May 31.

11.00 World watches on as South Korea’s K League kicks off

South Korea’s K League will have a profile it has never enjoyed before when the delayed 2020 season kicks off in Jeonju on Friday, providing top-flight soccer action to a world starved of live sport.

Defending champions Jeonbuk Motors open the season when they host Korean FA Cup holders Suwon Bluewings at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in a fixture put back more than two months by the coronavirus outbreak.

Broadcasters from 10 countries, mostly in Asia and Europe, have bought rights for the season and Friday’s match will be streamed live with English commentary on the league’s Twitter feed and YouTube.

10.48 Russia reports new record daily rise in coronavirus cases

Russia on Thursday reported 11,231 new cases of the novel coronavirus, a record daily rise that pushed the national case total to 177,160.

Russia’s coronavirus taskforce said 88 people had died overnight, bringing the coronavirus death toll to 1,625. Moscow, the worst-hit area, also reported a record overnight case increase of 6,703 new cases.

Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday that the case total was rising in the capital because the amount of testing had been stepped up.

10.46 China says supports WHO, opposes U.S., others trying to politicise COVID-19

pts by the United States and some other countries to politicise the issue and attack Beijing.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments comparing the outbreak to Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks, said the enemy the United States faced was the coronavirus and not China.

10.34 European stocks lifted by surprise rise in Chinese exports

European shares edged higher on Thursday as a surprise rise in China’s exports overshadowed another set of grim results and a warning from Air France-KLM that demand could take “several years” to recover.

The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.6% by 0715 GMT, following a steady session in Asia after Beijing reported a 3.5% rise in April exports, confounding market expectations for a sharp fall, as factories restarted production after the coronavirus pandemic.

Europe’s miners and retailers, exposed to the health of the worlds No. 2 economy, led gains with a 1.5% rise.

Air France dipped 2.7% as the group predicted operating losses to widen “significantly” in April-June quarter, with 95% of flights expected to remain grounded.

However, British Airways-owner IAG rose 0.5% after saying it was planning for flights to return to service in July although passenger capacity would be about 50% lower.

Britain’s largest telecoms group BT tumbled 6.5% and was the biggest decliner on UK’s FTSE 100 after it suspended its dividend until 2021-22 and pulled its financial outlook in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

10.26 Swiss govt sees jobless payouts rising to 20 bln Sfr

The Swiss government expects the cost of unemployment benefits and short-time working compensation from the coronavirus crisis to rise to some 20 billion Swiss francs ($20.51 billion) this year from 6 to 7 billion francs normally, an official said on Thursday.

The country’s economy faced uncharted territory with an uncertain outcome, said Boris Zuercher, from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), adding the crisis unleashed by the global pandemic defied comparison but that it conjured images of the Great Depression of the 1930s.

“We will need another 14 billion in additional financing for the unemployment fund in 2020,” Boris told reporters. “That’s our current forecast, although I don’t have a crystal ball.”

10.13 Singapore reports 741 new coronavirus cases, taking total to 20,939

Singapore has registered 741 new coronavirus infections, its health ministry said on Thursday, taking the city-state’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 20,939.

The vast majority of the new cases are migrant workers living in dormitories, the health ministry said in a statement. Five are permanent residents.

9.48 Bank of England forecasts a real wake up call – UK minister

Bank of England forecasts that Britain could be facing the biggest economic slump for 300 years are a “real wake up call”, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said on Thursday.

In what it called an illustrative scenario, the BoE said it saw a plunge of 14% in Britain’s economy in 2020 followed by 15% bounce-back in 2021.

9.08 Norwegian Air’s April passenger count drops 99% year-on-year

Norwegian Air’s passenger volume fell by 98.7% in April from a year ago as most of its fleet was grounded amid travel restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the budget carrier said on Thursday.

The company transported 41,311 passengers, down from 3.14 million in April 2019.

7.53 S.Korean findings suggest ‘reinfected’ coronavirus cases are false positives

South Korean health authorities raised new concerns about the novel coronavirus after reporting last month that dozens of patients who had recovered from the illness later tested positive again.

But after weeks of research, they now say that such test results appear to be “false positives” caused by lingering – but likely not infectious – bits of the virus.

7.52 Thailand reports three new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand on Thursday reported three new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 2,992, a senior official said.

Of the new cases, two were Thai men who had returned from Kazakhstan and have been in state quarantine, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman of the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.

The third case was a 59-year-old Thai woman in the southern province of Yala, he said.

Thailand has recorded 55 fatalities from the coronavirus since the outbreak began in Januaray. Authorities have been cautiously allowing some businesses to reopen this week after weeks of near-lockdown.

6.33 India now has 52,952 cases of coronavirus, death toll 1783

The number of coronavirus infections rose to 52,952 in India, up by 3,561 over the previous day, the health ministry said on Thursday, with no signs of abating despite a strict weeks-long lockdown in the world’s second most populous country.

The death toll was up by 89 to 1783, still low compared with the United States, United Kingdom and Italy which officials said was because the government imposed the stay-at-home order on 1.3 billion people much earlier in the cycle.

6.14 China April exports unexpectedly rise 3.5% y/y; imports down 14.2%

China’s exports rose 3.5% in April from a year earlier, confounding market expectations for a sharp fall, as factories restarted production after the coronavirus pandemic, customs data showed on Thursday, while imports shrank 14.2%.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast exports would tumble 15.7% from a year earlier after a 6.6% drop in March.

5.41 Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,284 to 166,091

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,284 to 166,091, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday.

The reported death toll rose by 123 to 7,119, the tally showed.

3.10 Mexico coronavirus infections rise to 27,634 cases and 2,704 deaths

Mexico’s health ministry on Wednesday reported 1,609 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 197 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 27,634 cases and 2,704 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

What happened on Wednesday, May 6

EUROPE

The European Union is backing calls for a timely review of the international response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization’s performance, according to the draft of a resolution for ministers to debate at the WHO.
Deaths in Italy climbed by 369 on Wednesday, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new infections also rose by 1,444.
Spain has extended the state of emergency imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for two more weeks from Sunday, allowing the government to control people’s movements as it gradually relaxes a national lockdown.
In France, data from the INSEE statistics office shows a nationwide increase in deaths at home, particularly pronounced in some of the low-income suburbs ringing central Paris.
Germany’s confirmed cases increased by 947 to 164,807, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom has drawn up a three-stage plan to ease the lockdown that was first imposed at the end of March, The Times newspaper said.
Russia plans to ease its restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus in three stages, officials said on Wednesday.
Russian soldiers and medical workers providing coronavirus assistance in Italy will start returning to Russia from Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported, as the number of new cases in Russia rose by more than 10,000 for the fourth consecutive day.
Russia’s culture minister tested positive, becoming the third confirmed cabinet member to catch the disease, the TASS news agency reported.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will open their borders to each others’ citizens from May 15, creating a Baltic “travel bubble” within the European Union.

AMERICAS

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would announce new members of his coronavirus task force by Monday, as its focus turns to medical treatments and easing restrictions on businesses and social life.
Death toll in Canada rose by about 5% to 4,111 on Wednesday, official data posted by the public health agency showed.Colombia’s mandatory quarantine will be extended by a further two weeks, its president said, although additional sectors will be allowed to start returning to work.
The Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) will loan Argentina $4 billion to help finance projects to combat the growing coronavirus impact. Confirmed cases topped 5,000 on Tuesday, though they remain far below the level of large neighbouring countries Chile, Brazil and Peru.
Confirmed cases in Peru have now exceeded 50,000.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

China will expand its funding if needed to support the United Nations initiative to speed up development of vaccines and treatment for COVID-19, the foreign ministry said.
Singapore’s health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 788 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state’s tally to 20,198. Hundreds of Indian police have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, raising alarm among an over-stretched force as it attempts to enforce the world’s largest lockdown to contain the pandemic.
India’s eastern Chhattisgarh state’s chief minister has accused federal government-run NMDC Ltd NMDC.NS of diverting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) money owed to the state to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coronavirus fund, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
COVID-19 has set Indonesia’s poverty eradication efforts back by a decade, its finance minister said after regional elections were postponed.
Australia will have a COVID-19-safe economy up and running by July, its prime minister said as his government seeks to get one million unemployed people working again.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Turkey said it has brought the coronavirus outbreak under control, two months after it first erupted across the country, and will set out new social guidelines and business practices to prevent any resurgence.
Shops and industrial enterprises in Bahrain can open from Thursday while restaurants will stay closed to in-house diners, the Health Ministry said, as the Gulf state eases restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
The World Bank will grant $7 million to Zimbabwe to help it fight the new coronavirus pandemic that is expected to worsen an already struggling economy and food crisis, a bank spokesman said on Wednesday.
Yemen on Wednesday reported the first three cases of the novel coronavirus in the southern province of Lahaj, one of whom has died, and another infection in the southern port of Aden.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

Global shares struggled on Wednesday as weak economic data, doubts about the easing of coronavirus lockdowns and simmering U.S.-China tensions cast a pall over markets.
Investment firms must take particular care to treat their customers fairly as trading by less experienced retail investors surges in volatile markets, the European Union’s securities watchdog said.
Italy’s public debt is set to rise to nearly 160% of gross domestic product this year as the economy shrinks due to the crisis, the EU executive estimated.
India’s services activity suffered a shock collapse in April as the lockdown crippled global demand, causing a historic spike in layoffs and reinforcing fears of a deep recession in Asia’s third-largest economy, a private survey showed.
South African private sector activity fell to a new record low in April, a business survey showed, as company closures due to lockdown led to a collapse in demand.