12 May 2020

Covid-19: The latest news from around the world

8:55 pm on 12 May 2020

More than 4.19 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 285,119 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Here is what is taking place around the world in Covid-19 news.

A staff member checks the body temperature of a customer before entering the Apple store in Cologne, Germany

A staff member checks the body temperature of a customer before entering the Apple store in Cologne, Germany Photo: AFP

Europe

- United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a cautious plan on Monday (local time) to get Britain back to work, including advice on wearing home-made face coverings.

- Around 136,000 people in England are currently infected with Covid-19, according to early results from the first large-scale study in Britain into the spread of the disease.

- Total cases in Germany rose by 933 to 170,508 and the death toll rose by 116 to 7533.

- Deaths in France on Monday (local time) were almost four times higher than Sunday and new confirmed cases more than doubled over 24 hours, as the country started unwinding an almost two-month national lockdown.

- Spain's daily death toll fell on Monday to 123, its lowest level in seven weeks.

- Italy said it would give regions the power to roll back restrictions, in a move that is likely to see most remaining curbs lifted next week.

Americas

- More than 1.35 million people have been infected in the United States and 80,606 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

- The White House directed all people entering the West Wing, where the daily operations of President Donald Trump's administration are carried out, to wear masks.

- California, Oregon, Washington and other states involved in a western states pact to coordinate coronavirus response have asked the federal government for a combined $US1 trillion ($NZ1.64t) in aid.

- Factory workers began returning to assembly lines in Michigan, paving the way to reopen the US auto sector but stoking fears of a second wave.

  • If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP

- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said she would follow a modified self-quarantine plan in case she was exposed to the new coronavirus during a visit to the White House last Wednesday or meetings in Iowa with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday.

- The chief of the US National Guard tested negative, in his second negative test since receiving a positive result at a routine screening.

- Twitter Inc will add labels and warning messages on some tweets with disputed or misleading information about Covid-19.

- Brazil reported 5632 new cases and 396 additional deaths, bringing the national tally to 168,331 and 11,519 deaths. President Jair Bolsonaro declared gyms and hair salons as essential services that can stay open.

- Mexico confirmed 1305 new cases and 108 additional fatalities, while Chile has surpassed 30,000 cases.

- Panama announced plans to begin a phased reopening of its economy this week, including e-commerce, mechanical workshops and fishing.

A worker wearing a face mask checks passengers body temperatures and a health code on their phones before they take a taxi after arriving at Hankou railway station in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province on May 12, 2020.

Photo: AFP

Asia-Pacific

- China reported just one new case for 11 May, down from 17 a day earlier. The total case tally now stands at 82,919 and death toll remained unchanged at 4633.

- The Bank of Japan will do "whatever it can" to mitigate the growing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said.

- India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country would look to ease its nearly seven-week lockdown.

Middle East and Africa

- The International Monetary Fund approved Egypt's request for $US2.77 billion ($NZ4.55b) in emergency financing.

- Senegal announced the re-opening of mosques and churches and easing of other restrictions, even as the largest one-day jump in cases was recorded on Monday.

Economic fallout

- Asian shares skidded on growing worries about a second wave of coronavirus infections after the Chinese city where the pandemic originated reported its first new cases since its lockdown was lifted.

- China's factory prices fell at the sharpest rate in four years in April.

- Reuters

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