Some 2.8 million people have been
reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and
196 298 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 0200 GMT
on Saturday.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
* The World Health Organization said there was currently "no
evidence" that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have
antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus
infection.
* Britain could hit the grim milestone of 20,000 Covid-19 deaths
later on Saturday, when the daily count is added to the current
toll of 19,506 people who tested positive for the illness and
died in hospital.
Mounted police officers are seen along a deserted Mall, during lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak in London. Picture: Alberto Pezzali/AP
* Poland plans to reopen outdoor sports areas on May 4 and will
allow top league football matches to be played at the end of
next month, as part of an easing of coronavirus
restrictions.
* Spain's daily coronavirus deaths fell to the lowest in more
than a month on Friday, prompting the government to declare the
most acute phase of the epidemic over as it prepared criteria to
ease one of Europe's strictest lockdowns.
AMERICAS
* 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.
* Makers of household cleaners took the unusual step of urging
people not to drink or inject their products, after Trump
suggested researchers try using them to cure Covid-19
patients.
A pair of bicyclists, foreground, wave to musicians George Sheldon, left, and Sandra Carter as they perform a neighbourhood concert in Sacramento, California. Picture: Rich Pedroncelli/AP
* A key US government trial of Gilead Sciences Inc's
experimental coronavirus treatment may yield results as early as
mid-May, according to the study's lead investigator, after
doctors clamored to enroll their patients in the
study.
* The US Food and Drug Administration cautioned against the
use of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in Covid-19 patients
outside of hospitals and clinical trials, citing risks of
serious heart rhythm problems.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* The Indian government allowed a limited reopening of shops in
neighbourhoods and residential areas from Saturday, more than a
month after the nation went into a lockdown, officials
said.
* Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed
among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan
after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an
official said on Saturday.
The area around Jama Masjid mosque is seen deserted on the first day of Ramadaan, during a lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in Prayagraj, India. Picture: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP
* Tokyo reported 103 new cases of coronavirus infections on
Saturday, Kyodo news reported, amid concerns that the start of a
holiday season could lead to an increase in
infections.
* China's northwestern province of Shaanxi reported on Saturday
seven new imported coronavirus cases, all in citizens returning
home from Russia, even as domestic cases in the country were
largely curbed.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The holy month of Ramadaan began on Friday with Islam's holiest
sites in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem largely empty.
Residents wait in line to fill their jerry cans, as people often have to walk half an hour to the closest water point several times a day and wait in crowded lines in order to get enough water to wash hands, bathe and cook, on the outskirts of Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso is one of Africa's nations hardest hit by the coronavirus with one of the highest number of fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa. Picture: Sam Mednick/AP
* South Africa plans to reopen its agriculture sector and allow
some manufacturing and retail to resume as the country balances
the need to restart economic output and curb the spread of the
new coronavirus, Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said on
Saturday.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Low cost airline Wizz Air said it would restart some
flights from London's Luton Airport on May 1, becoming one of
the first European carriers to begin to restore services which
have been grounded during the coronavirus pandemic.
* EU countries will soon be able to grant subordinated debt to
prop up virus-hit economies, people familiar with the matter
said on Saturday, as state aid regulators once again loosened
rules to make it easier for companies get state
support.
* The Greek economy, hit by coronavirus restrictions, is
expected to shrink by 5-10% this year, the country's finance
minister said on Saturday.
Neighbours gather at dawn to commemorate Anzac Day in a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. Many New Zealanders participated in the "Stand At Dawn" initiative to commemorate Anzac Day after the traditional services were cancelled due to Covid-19. Picture: Mark Baker/AP
* Senior World Bank officials warned that developing economies
could see a deeper recession than currently expected if
consumption and investment do not rebound quickly after the
pandemic.
* Global equity benchmarks struggled on Friday as some US states began reopening businesses despite the disapproval of
health experts, and as the European Union put off addressing
details of its new economic rescue plan.