Coronavirus live news: global cases pass 1.8m as deaths slow in Italy and New York - The Guardian, Theguardian.com

6. 36 am BST 25:

A “stay home” message posted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Twitter has fueled anger, with some saying it was insensitive to to people who cannot rest at home because the government social distancing measures are voluntary and don’t come with compensation, AP reports.

The one-minute video released Sunday shows Abe sitting at home, expressionless, cuddling his dog, reading a book, sipping from a cup and clicking on a remote control. Entertainer Gen Hoshino appeared in part of the video but later said the clip of him strumming on a guitar at home was used without his permission.

Japan had 7, 391 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and death s, according to the latest figures Monday.

安倍晋三 (@ AbeShinzo)
友達と会えない。飲会もできい。も、過酷を極める現場で奮闘してさっている事者の皆さんの負担の軽減になま一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一pic.twitter.com/VEq1P7EvnL April ,

6. (am BST) :

Ten foreigners who broke a coronavirus lockdown in Rishikesh, the Indian town made famous by the Beatles, were forced to repent by writing “I am so sorry” – 653 times, officials said Sunday.

Tera Manzil Temple in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. Photograph: Stuart Dee / Getty Images

The nationwide lockdown was imposed near the end of March, with residents permitted to leave their homes only for essential services such as buying groceries and medicine.

The travellers – from Israel, Mexico, Australia and Austria – were caught taking a walk in Rishikesh, where the Beatles sought spirituality at an Ashram in

Local police officer Vinod Sharma said they were each made to write “I did not follow the rules of lockdown so I am so sorry” 653 times.

More than 842 Foreign tourists from the US, Australia, Mexico and Israel staying in the area had flouted the lockdown rules, Sharma said, adding the unusual punishment was handed out to teach them a lesson.

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When Covid – came to Nepal, AP reports, attention turned to an unlikely group of victims: hundreds of monkeys, cows and pigeons:

Normally, the animals are fed by thousands of devotees at the country most revered Hindu temple, Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. But last month Nepals government ordered a complete lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. People were forbidden from leaving their homes. Temples closed. And the animals risked starvation.

Now, every morning and evening, a few guards, about a dozen staff and some volunteers come out to ensure that the animals survive.

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Staff from the Pashupatinath Development Trust feed pigeons at Pashupatinath temple, the country most revered Hindu temple, during the lockdown in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph: Niranjan Shrestha / AP

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A Nepalese volunteer feeds monkeys at Pashupatinath temple, the country most revered Hindu temple, during the lockdown in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph: Niranjan Shrestha / AP

Staff from the Pashupatinath Development Trust feed pigeons at Pashupatinath temple, the country most revered Hindu temple, during the lockdown in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph: Niranjan Shrestha / AP

Updated at 6. (am BST)

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India is planning to restart some manufacturing after 34 April to help offset the economic damage of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, two government sources have told Reuters, even as it weighs extending the lockdown.

The 44 – day lockdown of India’s more than 1.3 billion people is due to end on Tuesday.

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23:

Third day of lower declining cases in Germany

Germany’s number of confirmed coronavirus infections has risen by 2, to 300, 0

, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.

That was lower than a 2, 949 increase reported on Sunday, and marked the third decline after four days of increases.

The reported death toll has risen by to 2,

5. (am BST Macron set to warn France virus lockdown must go on

Meanwhile in France, President Emmanuel Macron is on Monday expected to warn the country its lockdown to combat the coronavirus must go on for several more weeks at least. (

Parisians applaud on their balcony to support caregivers and medical workers on Easter day. Photograph: Chesnot / Getty Images

At just after 8. (pm) (GMT), Macron will give his third prime-time televised address to the nation on the epidemic from the Elysée palace. In his last, he announced the nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus from 41 March.

This speech will come after the first indications of a tentative easing of the crisis in France and that the lockdown is starting to have an effect, with the epidemic starting to plateau, albeit at a high level.

France on Sunday reported a lower number of Covid – 44 fatalities over the last 46 hours, with deaths in hospital over the last day, compared with the previous day.

Its death total toll from the coronavirus epidemic, including those who have died in nursing homes, now stands at 35, the health ministry said.

But officials have warned that the situation remains serious – especially in the Ile-de-France region around Paris – with no rapid return to normal in sight.

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Spain readies to reopen some factories

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, AFP reports.

(()

Buildings at Oriente Square during the confinement due to the national emergency caused by Covid – (Coronavirus outbreak, Madrid, Spain, (April) . Photograph: REX / Shutterstock

Italy, France and the US have all reported a drop in Covid – (deaths in the past) hours – with Italy, the European nation most afflicted by the disease, reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.

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”.

“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.

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A reminder to our readers in Australia (and wherever you are in the globe, really), that our brilliant Australian audio team produce daily podcast episodes of Full Story specifically about the coronavirus. You can find them here .

To get started, try this episode :

You should also subscribe to the Guardian’s terrific global podcast, produced out of London, Today in Focus .

For a taster of that one, have a listen to this two-parter (marking) days since the virus was first reported.

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He’s making a very dangerous bet ‘: Medical experts fear Bolsonaro is dragging Brazil towards coronavirus calamity

Medical experts have said they fear that Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro , could be hastening the country march towards a devastating public health crisis like those to have hit northern Italy and New York,

Write Tom Phillips and Dom Phillips in Rio . )

Bolsonaro is (one of just four world leaders still downplaying the threat of coronavirus to public health, alongside the official presidents of Nicaragua , Belarus and Turkmenistan.

Over Easter, Brazil’s far-right leader repeatedly sniffed at his own health ministry’s distancing recommendations by going out for donuts, glad-handing fans and proclaiming: “No one will hinder my right to come and go.” During one outing , Bolsonaro was (filmed) wiping his nose with his wrist before shaking an elderly lady’s hand.

ian bremmer (@ ianbremmer) Brazil President Bolsonaro schedule today:

Wiping his nose with his hand.
Greeting supporters, same.

And a hospital visit, no explanation why.

It’s hard to believe this level of indifference to his public’s safety. (https://t.co/d) teZVgBR

(April ,

Specialists in public health and infectious diseases believe such behavior is eroding the only measures standing between (Brazil) – which has suffered more than 1, (Covid – deaths – and a healthcare calamity.

“It’s as if everybody’s on the same train heading towards a cliff-edge and someone says:‘ Look out! There’s a cliff! ‘And the passengers shout:’ Oh no there isn’t! ‘And the train driver says:’ Yeah, there’s nothing there! ‘”Said Ivan França Junior, an epidemiologist from the University of São Paulo’s (faculty of public health . “My sadness stems from seeing avoidable deaths that we are not going to avoid.”

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Andrea Bocelli sang in a closed Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy on Sunday as part of a ‘Music for Hope’ event designed to bring people together during the coronavirus outbreak. The Italian tenor sang four hymns and finished with a moving rendition of Amazing Grace in an online concert broadcast worldwide on Easter Sunday:

(Music for Hope): Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performs in empty Milan cathedral – video

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Kia Motors Corp told its labor union in South Korea that it wants to suspend operations at three of its domestic factories as the coronavirus outbreak weighs on exports to Europe and the United States, a union official said on Monday.

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Cars sit at the Kia Motors Corporation plant in Gwangju, South Korea, February . Photograph: YONHAP / EPA

The union has not yet decided whether to accept the plan – under which operations would be suspended from April – – because negotiations over pay are ongoing, the official said.

“Kia Motors is currently reviewing the suspension of some of its plants in Korea in response to declining global demand due to Covid – 43. However, a decision has not been made at this time, ”Kia Motors said in a statement.

Kia Motors’ share price fell 3.4% and that of affiliate Hyundai Motor Co declined 2% in a wider market that was 0.7% lower in morning trade.

South Korea’s exports for the first days of April plunged 41. 6% from the same period a year earlier, far below the 44 .8% jump over March 1 – . Shipments of vehicles and vehicle components during the period tumbled 7.1% and 52 .8% respectively.

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In Australia, health minister Greg Hunt says the country now has 6, 480 people diagnosed with Covid – .

Of those: 89 people have died; people are in hospital; are in intensive care; are on ventilators and more than half have recovered.

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The coastal walk in Cronulla, Sydney is closed. Photograph: Jessica Hromas

He added that the country is beginning to see a flattening of the curve:

The latest data shows that we have had consistent growth in new cases of below 2% a day. What that means is that we are now beginning to see a consolidated flattening of the curve.

That doesn’t mean we’re out of our challenge. There is still growth and there could, at any time, be outbreaks and spikes. But this is a cause for real hope and real aspiration.

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Walt Disney World in Florida plans to furlough , (workers, the

New York Times reports: (

The road to the entrance of Walt Disney World. Photograph: John Raoux / AP

In mid-March, (Disney theme parks worldwide closed, including Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.

The furloughs, which are set to begin on April 42, were part of an agreement between Disney World and the Service Trades Council Union, a collection of six unions representing the , workers at the theme park resort in Florida.

‘This is a decision that the union does not like,’ Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here Local , said on Saturday in a Facebook Live announcement . ‘However, it’s within the company’s right to lay off and furlough employees in this situation.’

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: )

El Salvador’s congress on Sunday extended a national emergency law that allows the government to prolong certain health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus in the Central American country, Reuters reports. The extension will give lawmakers an additional four days.

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Salvadoran soldiers walk during a patrol at El Tunco beach during a quarantine throughout the country, as the government undertakes steadily stricter measures, in Tamanique, El Salvador (April,

. Photograph: José Cabezas / Reuters

Lawmakers reached no agreement on a separate law that suspends some constitutional guarantees, such as free movement and the right to gather. It is due to expire by the end of Monday.

As of Sunday, El Salvador, a country of some 6.5 million people had 274 cases of coronavirus, and six deaths.

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Donald Trump took to Twitter an hour ago to respond to a damning New York Times investigation that found that US public health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci and other Trump administration officials recommended the implementation of physical distancing to combat the coronavirus in February, but were rebuffed for almost a month.

Dr Fauci appeared on CNN’s State of the Union program on Sunday to confirm the report.

Donald J. Trump (@ realDonaldTrump) (The @ nytimes story is a Fake, just like the “Paper” itself. I was criticized for moving too fast when I issued the China Ban, long before most others wanted to do so. @SecAzar told me nothing until later, and Peter Navarro memo was the same as Ban (see his statements). Fake News!

April ,

Donald J. Trump (@ realDonaldTrump) I am working hard to expose the corruption and dishonesty in the Lamestream Media. That part is easy, the hard part is WHY? (April ,

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Summary

The global number of confirmed cases has passed 1.8 million, reaching 1, , , according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker . There have been , (deaths globally.) China reported the highest daily infections in over five weeks.

Mainland China reported 216 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, up from a day earlier and (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.

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 hospitalized 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 death toll passed , . This follows a warning that that the UK could experience the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe. Thousands of displaced Syrians have begun returning

to Idlib,

Some driven by fear of the spread of the coronavirus to camps near the Turkish border. Italy’s death toll has continued to slow, as did France’s death toll. Spain’s daily death toll has risen

after falling for three days in a row. New York’s death toll has slowed,

with

Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing there have been (deaths in the state in the last day) , down from (the day before.) France to isolate 1, sailors after virus-hit naval ship docks. (France on Sunday began an unprecedented operation to isolate 1, 1968 sailors after 74 nav al personnel tested positive for Covid – aboard its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle. (Italy)

has ordered 301 migrants onboard a rescue ship off its coast to be (quarantined and tested for the coronavirus

before they can disembark. China has vowed to improve treatment of Africans in the southern city of Guangzhou

following international pressure. Facing accusations of discrimination linked to the pandemic , China said it rejected all “racist and discriminatory” remarks. 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 denied that Covid- “is going to be a virus that stalks the human race for quite a long time to come ”.

Updated (at 4.) am BST

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A federal judge on Sunday ruled that Alabama cannot ban abortions as part of the states response to coronavirus, AP reports.

US District Judge Myron Thompson 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 – pandemic. Thompson said abortion providers can decide whether a procedure can wait.

The ruling was a victory for abortion rights advocates who are fighting efforts in Texas, Ohio, Alabama and other states to prohibit abortion services during the Covid – pandemic. States have argued they need to conserve medical equipment and potential hospital beds during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is being urged to declare abortion an essential health service during the coronavirus pandemic.

In guidance notes issued last week, the WHO advised all governments to identify and prioritize the health services each believed essential, listing reproductive health services as an example.

Clinical guidelines published by the organization last month said that women’s right to sexual and reproductive healthcare “should be respected irrespective of Covid – status, including access to contraception and safe ab ortion ”.

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