Spain sees no new Covid-19 deaths, first time since March – latest updates

Monday, June 1, 2020 

Spain reports no virus deaths for first time since March

Spain's health ministry reported no new deaths from the new coronavirus, with the total death toll unchanged from Sunday at 27,127, the health ministry said.

It said the total number of Covid-19 infections increased by 71 from Sunday to 239,638.

Spain reported its first two deaths on March 3. 

Another was reported two days later. Spain's number of infections and death jumped exponentially. On April 2, it recorded 950 deaths in 24 hours, the peak death toll.

The official death toll now stands at 27,127, with 240,000 confirmed cases.

Spain in recent weeks has gradually been relaxing its strict lockdown as the outbreak ebbs.

Italy records 60 new coronavirus deaths

Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 60, against 75 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to just 178 from 355 on Sunday.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on February 21 now stands at 33,475, the agency said, the third-highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain.

The number of confirmed cases amounts to 233,197, the sixth-highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, and Britain.

UK records lowest daily virus death toll since lockdown

Britain on Monday reported 111 more coronavirus deaths, the lowest daily toll since the start of the nationwide lockdown on March 23.

Reporting is often lower after a weekend but Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a news conference it was a sign of "significant progress" in tackling the outbreak.

Active coronavirus cases fall to 30,000 in Turkey

Active coronavirus cases in Turkey fell to 30,000 in the past 24 hours, said the health minister on Monday.

The number of patients who recovered from Covid-19 in Turkey reached almost 128,947 as 974 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, reporting the latest official figures.

Turkey reported a total of 827 new cases, bringing the infection tally to 164,769, Koca added.

The death toll from the pandemic rose to 4,563 as the country reported 23 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data.

A total of 651 patients are being treated in intensive care due to Covid-19, the figures showed.

 No evidence potency of coronavirus changing - WHO

There is no evidence the new coronavirus has been altering either in its form of transmission or severity of the disease it causes, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Monday.

"In terms of transmissibility, that has not changed, in terms of severity, that has not changed," Maria Van Kerkhove, aWHO epidemiologist, told a media briefing.

"What's important is that there are measures in place to reduce and to suppress transmission."

Pakistan says it's relaxing a ban on tourism

Pakistan’s prime minister says he is relaxing more coronavirus restrictions implemented in March, including a ban on tourism, as authorities reported 60 more Covid-19-related deaths.

Imran Khan said Pakistanis must learn how to live with the coronavirus, as lockdown is not a treatment for the disease.

His blunt televised remarks drew criticism on social media when he said the virus would continue to spread, causing more deaths if people did not observe social distancing rules.

Pakistan has registered 1,543 fatalities amid 72,460 cases.

Peru sees record number of new cases

Peru on Sunday reported 8,800 new Covid-19 infections, setting a new daily record for a country that already has the second-highest number of novel coronavirus cases in Latin America after Brazil.

The death toll is now at 4,506, the third-highest in the region – itself the new hotspot of the deadly disease – after Brazil and Mexico, with President Martin Vizcarra warning the country is only halfway through the crisis.

Chile reports 57 new deaths

Chile on Sunday reported 57 more fatalities in the past 24 hours, a new record that brings the country's Covid-19 death toll to 1,054.

"We are facing the largest pandemic of the past 100 years," said Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza, as she announced the latest figures. 

Emirates could take four years to resume flying to entire network

Emirates' outgoing President Tim Clark on Monday said it could take the state carrier up to four years to resume flying to its entire network, which has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Dubai-based airline, which flew to 157 destinations in 83 countries before the pandemic, grounded passenger flights in March and has since operated few, limited services.

“I think probably by the year 2022/23, 2023/24 we will see things coming back to some degree of normality, and Emirates will be operating its network as it was and hopefully as successfully as it was," Clark said in a webcast interview with aviation consultant John Strickland.

Sweden to probe Covid-19 response 

Sweden will launch an inquiry into the country's handling of the pandemic before the summer, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a newspaper interview on Monday, amid growing criticism over nursing home deaths and the lack of testing.

Lofven, whose Social Democrats rule in coalition with the Greens but also depend on backing from two centre-right parties, had previously said a commission would be appointed once the crisis was over but was under pressure to act sooner.

"We need to take an overall approach to see how it has worked at national, regional and local levels," Lofven told Swedish daily Aftonbladet in an interview. 

"We will make a decision for a commission before the summer," he said.

Qatar sees 1523 cases

Qatar has recorded 1,523 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the Qatari Ministry of Health said on Monday.

Two deaths were recorded, and the total number of deaths reached 40. 

The total confirmed coronavirus cases have risen to 58,433.

US factories sink in May for third straight month

American factories slowed for the third consecutive month in May as they continued to sustain economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said on Monday that its manufacturing index came in at 43.1 last month after registering 41.5 in April. 

Anything below 50 signals that US manufacturers are in retreat. New orders, production, hiring and new export orders all fell in May but at a slower pace than they did in April.

The pandemic and the lockdowns, and travel restrictions meant to combat it, have brought economic activity to a near-standstill.

Lufthansa board nods through $10B bailout plan

The supervisory board of Lufthansa has given its blessing to a $10 billion government bailout plan thrashed out between the airline, the German government, and the European Union.

In a statement on Monday, the German carrier quoted Lufthansa Chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley saying it had been "a very difficult decision."

"We recommend that our shareholders follow this path, even if it requires them to make substantial contributions to stabilizing their company," said Kley. 

"It must be clearly stated, however, that Lufthansa is facing a very difficult road ahead."

UK eases more restrictions 

Britain moved to further ease lockdown restrictions despite warnings from some health officials that the risk of spreading Covid-19 was still too great.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma told the BBC that the government is taking action in phases to ease restrictions first put in place since March 23. But many are worried, as infection rates remain high. “This is not a dash,″ Sharma said. “These are very cautious steps that we are taking.″

Some schools are reopening in England and some social restrictions have been relaxed, allowing people to have limited contact with family and friends as long as it is done outdoors and with social distancing.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also easing lockdowns, in slightly different ways.

Iran minister warns of second wave

Iran declared almost 3,000 new coronavirus infections, its highest daily count in two months, as it warned of "another dangerous peak" in the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.

"People seem to think the coronavirus is over... some officials also believe everything" is back to normal, said Health Minister Saeed Namaki.

"The coronavirus is not only far from over, but we could at any moment see (another) dangerous peak," he said in a televised interview.

Malaysia reports 38 new cases with no new deaths

Malaysian health authorities reported 38 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's cumulative total to 7,857 cases.

The health ministry also reported no new deaths, keeping total fatalities at 115.

Indonesia reports 467 new cases, 28 deaths

Indonesia reported 467 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 26,940, said Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

The Southeast Asian country also reported 28 new deaths from COVID-19, taking the total to 1,641. Meanwhile, 7,637 people have recovered as of Monday.

Rise in India's cases continues

India has registered 230 deaths during the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 5,394 as the country begins its three-stage reopening on Monday.

The lockdown is being eased in most places except for the containment zones now isolated due to coronavirus outbreaks.

The Health Ministry said India had 190,535 cases, which is the 7th most worldwide, exceeding Germany and France. More than 60 percent of India's Covid-19 fatalities have occurred in just two states — Maharashtra, the financial hub and entertainment hub of India, and Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Experts say that although India’s cases are increasing rapidly, it is nowhere close to the peak of the outbreak. But the government is still easing the lockdown to ease some of the economic pain and hardship.

Armenian PM tests positive as cases surge

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his family have tested positive for the coronavirus, he said, as the rate of new infections soared in the Caucasus nation.

"My coronavirus test was positive yesterday," Pashinyan said in a self-recorded video message on Facebook, adding that his family were also infected. He said he had no "visble symptoms" of the virus and would be working from home.

The ex-Soviet republic of some three million has so far reported 9,492 cases of the coronavirus and 139 deaths.

Russia reports 9,035 new infections

Russia reported 9,035 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the nationwide tally of infections to 414,878.

The country's coronavirus response centre said 162 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll from the virus to 4,855.

Turkey eases coronavirus measures

Turkey reopens restaurants, cafes and parks and lifts inter-city travel curbs as the country eases restrictions taken to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

The coronavirus outbreak has claimed more than 4,500 lives in the country, and infected 

Turkey has registered more than 160,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with at least 4,500 deaths and close to 128,000 recoveries.

Restaurants, cafes, gyms and swimming pools, beaches, parks, libraries and museums are set to resume operations from Monday. Daycare centres and kindergartens are also reopening, but restrictions on the movements of those aged over 65 and under 18 will continue. 

Singapore confirms 408 new cases

Singapore confirmed 408 new coronavirus cases, its health ministry said, bringing the city-state's tally to 35,292.

The outbreak in Singapore makes it he worst-affect country in Southeast Asia.

Germany's coronavirus cases rise to 181,815

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 333 to 181,815, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by 11 to 8,511, the tally showed

Coronavirus lockdown eases in Moscow

Residents of Moscow can leave their homes to take a stroll for the first time in nine weeks under a partial easing of a tough lockdown regime following a fall in novel coronavirus cases.

Shops in Moscow that were ordered to close in late March including car dealerships, dry cleaners, shoe repair stores, book shops and launderettes, are set to open.

Residents will be allowed out for walks three times a week on designated days that are determined by the address they live at. People can also jog or do outdoor sports, but only between 5am and 9am, officials say.

Officials are still reporting thousands of new infections every day across Russia's 11 time zones and the capital remains the worst-hit region in terms of the volume of confirmed cases.

But the rate of infection has fallen sharply in recent weeks. Moscow on Sunday reported 2,595 new infections. Daily infection increases were previously running at over 6,000.

China reports 16 new cases

China reported 16 new cases, the highest since May 11 and up from two cases reported a day earlier, the country's health commission reported.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that all of the new cases were so-called imported infections involving travellers from overseas.

The mainland also reported 16 new asymptomatic cases, those who are infected but do not show symptoms, compared with 3 a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 83,017, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.

Mexico registers 9,930 deaths

Mexico's Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said there were 151 new deaths and 3,152 new cases, for an accumulated total of 9,930 fatalities and 90,664 cases.

Occupied West Bank poor may double over pandemic: World Bank

Poverty in the occupied West Bank may double as Palestinians are slammed by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank warned.

The Palestinian territories have seen low infection rates after acting quickly to curtail the spread, with three deaths out of 450 cases registered among some five million residents in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

But the Palestinian Authority's financial situation is "expected to become increasingly difficult" due to loss of income and increased spending on healthcare and other areas, the World Bank said in a report.

The fallout is expected to see the number of households living below the poverty line increase this year from 14 to 30 percent in the occupied West Bank, largely due to Palestinians being unable to cross into Israel for work.

The PA last week announced an end to the lockdown it had imposed in early March across the occupied West Bank after an outbreak in the biblical city of Bethlehem.

Brazil passes 500,000 Covid-19 cases

Brazil registered 16,409 new cases raising the total of infected cases to 514,849 in the second worst outbreak  in the world after the United Sates, the health ministry said.

It said there were 480 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Brazil, for a total death toll of 29,314, the fourth highest in the global pandemic after the United States, Britain and Italy.

Spain seeks lockdown extension

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he will seek parliament's approval to extend Spain's state of emergency one final time, which would keep the lockdown in place until June 21.

The sixth extension since March will need to be ratified on Wednesday by the parliament.

Egypt tweaks curfew hours as coronavirus cases surge

Egypt shortened a night curfew by one hour as it recorded new highs in the daily increases and deaths.

The Health Ministry said 1,536 new cases had been confirmed including 46 deaths, bringing total cases to 24,985 and deaths to 959.

Earlier, the prime minister's office said a night curfew would end at 0300 GMT instead of 0400 GMT. The curfew begins at 1800 GMT, though its start had been brought forward to 1500 GMT last week during the holiday that follows the Eid holiday at the end of Ramadan.

The curfew is one of a number of measures including the closure of schools, cafes and places of worship, that are aimed at curbing the pandemic.

Lift and spike in Bangladesh

Bangladesh lifts its lockdown, with millions heading back to work in densely populated cities and towns even as the country logs a record spike in deaths and new infections.

'Everything will be different'

Pope Francis, speaking in a video message to mark the feast of Pentecost, says the post-pandemic world will be changed for "better or worse" by the coronavirus crisis.

"Once we emerge from this pandemic, we will not be able to keep doing what we were doing, and as we were doing it. No, everything will be different," he says.

US sends Brazil unproven malaria drug to treat Covid-19

The US has sent to Brazil more than 2 million doses of a malaria drug touted by President Donald Trump as potentially protecting against and treating the coronavirus, even though scientific evidence has not backed up those uses.

No large, rigorous scientific studies have found the drug, hydroxychloroquine, safe or effective for preventing or treating Covid-19, and some smaller studies have indicated worse outcomes from those taking the drug.

Brazil, now Latin America’s hardest-hit country, continues to see a surge in virus cases, and last week Trump announced that the US was restricting travel from the country to prevent travelers from spreading the virus in the US.

In a joint statement with the Brazilian government on Sunday, the White House said the doses of hydroxychloroquine had been sent to Brazil as a prophylactic for front-line health workers and as a therapeutic for those who may come down with the virus. The White House said it was also delivering 1,000 ventilators to Brazil.