26th May 2020 – (Hong Kong) Total worldwide COVID-19 cases have reached 5,623,242 with 348,743 deaths as of 10.45pm today. As Brazil and India struggle with surging coronavirus cases, a top health expert is warning the world is still smack in the middle of the pandemic, dampening hopes for a speedy global economic rebound and renewed international travel. “Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally,” said Dr Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s executive director.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday (May 26) that Dutch workers apparently infected with COVID-19 by minks could be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Europe
Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will open their borders to each others’ citizens from midnight on Tuesday, with some conditions, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.
The Spanish government declared a 10-day official mourning period from Wednesday to honour the nearly 30,000 people who died from the coronavirus pandemic in one of the world’s worst-hit countries, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said.
A junior minister resigned Tuesday after the UK Prime Minister stood by his aide Dominic Cummings, who has admitted to travelling to northern England during the country’s lockdown. Britain will provide anti-viral drug remdesivir to certain COVID-19 patients that it is most likely to benefit as part of a collaboration with manufacturer Gilead Sciences, the health ministry said on Tuesday
A total of 4,210 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in the UK in the week ending 15th May, the lowest figure since the week ending April 3, when 3,801 deaths were recorded.
McLaren Group, which owns the Formula 1 team and supercar maker, plans to lay off 1,200 staff as part of a proposed restructuring.
Partners of Danish citizens will now be able to reunite with their significant others after Denmark lifted some coronavirus border restrictions on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said on Twitter that his government will “massively” increase its support for the industry, in an attempt to mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s elderly mother died on 13th May. He obeyed virus restrictions and did not visit her in the weeks before her death, although he was able to be with her on her final night.
A global fund established to support and accelerate the development of a coronavirus vaccine and effective treatments has raised about $10.4 billion, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Excluding Sweden from moves to open borders across the Nordic region as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic would be a political decision and not justifiable on health grounds, Foreign Minister Ann Linde has said.
Germany plans to extend social distancing until 29th June, newspaper Bild said, citing a draft document that still needs to be approved by the federal states.
U.S. and Canada
US stocks rallied at the start of the shortened week, boosted by optimism over the continued reopening of the US economy and a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The Dow kicked off 2.5%, or 615 points, higher. After months of electronic-only trading, the New York Stock Exchange is set to reopen the trading floor today.
The Trump administration is promising to buy 100 million testing swabs and vials by the end of the year and distribute them to states as part of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report to Congress obtained by CNN.
Most House Republicans are expected to return to the Capitol this week to vote in person despite the new rules allowing lawmakers to vote remotely, showing the continuing divide between the two parties over whether it’s safe to return to work.
A New Jersey pastor defied state orders and held mass on Sunday, saying that the governor needs to classify churches as “essential.”
Memorial Day weekend traffic at airports was up significantly from recent weeks.
The Transportation Security Administration says it screened about 1.5 million people between Thursday and Monday. That is still about 12.6% of the 12.2 million people it screened over the same period last year.
Mall owner Related Companies Chairman Stephen Ross says the retail industry is one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as many businesses have been forced to temporarily close their doors.
Home prices were still gaining steam in March, as the country began shutting down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. On a national level, prices in March rose 4.4% annually, up from 4.2% in February, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index.
Many Americans flocked to beaches and pools to mark Memorial Day, ditching the face masks and social distancing urged by health officials.
US biotech firm Novavax has started trials of the novel coronavirus vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, it is developing.
China and Hong Kong
According to CGTN, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will take questions from reporters after the conclusion of the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The event will be held via a video conference due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wuhan conducted more than 6.5 million COVID-19 tests in nine days.
Hong Kong reported zero cases again today.
Elsewhere in the world
Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on 24th June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a televised videoconference Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin said Russia has passed the peak of coronavirus infections. Russia has said 174 people with the coronavirus have died in the past 24 hours, a record one-day number that pushed the nationwide death toll to 3,807. Officials reported 8,915 new cases on Tuesday, pushing its overall case tally to 362,342.
Saudi Arabia will allow mosques to open for Friday prayers, state TV has reported, as the kingdom eases restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Qatar Airways said it plans to fly a summer schedule to over 80 destinations worldwide.
Iran further eased restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus by allowing restaurants to accept customers, as it announced another 57 deaths from the virus.
Mosques in the West Bank have welcomed worshippers as the Palestinian authorities lifted most of the restrictions put in place to fight the virus outbreak.
Indian states witnessing millions of migrant labourers returning from the big cities are recording rising coronavirus infections, officials said on Tuesday, fearing that the pandemic could spread through villages where medical care is basic at best.
A coronavirus cluster was detected on a freight ship berthed in the Australian west coast port of Fremantle, raising questions about why local authorities were not alerted to the danger. Six of 48 crew members from the Al Kuwait tested positive for the virus four days after the livestock carrier arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan said.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the country won’t open its borders “anytime soon”, but the government was continuing to discuss a travel corridor with New Zealand.
Brazil recorded 11,687 new coronavirus cases within 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Monday, taking the nationwide total to 374,898. Brazil has confirmed a total of 23,473 deaths from the coronavirus as 807 more deaths were reported over the past 24 hours.
Brazilian federal police on Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel as part of a COVID-19 corruption probe, targeting one of President Jair Bolsonaro’s political foes as the pandemic sweeps the nation.
Peru has reported 173 new deaths from the coronavirus disease in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said.
Mexico’s capital registered 8,072 more deaths in the first five months this year than the average for the same period over the previous four years, an analysis by independent researchers showed on Monday, suggesting a surge in fatalities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Taiwan announced it would lift coronavirus-related restrictions on mass gatherings and the sale of masks next month, as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed in the island nation.
LATAM Airlines Group, the largest air carrier in Latin America, has filed for bankruptcy in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost 200 schools in the South Korean capital of Seoul and the country’s North Gyeongsang province will postpone school reopenings that were originally scheduled for Wednesday, education authorities said.
Singapore’s health ministry has confirmed 383 more cases of the new coronavirus, taking the city-state’s tally to 32,343.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, even as some countries resume in-person classes. Malaysia reported 187 new coronavirus cases, with illegal migrants held at a detention centre accounting for most of them, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 7,604.
The Indonesian military and police will be activated to enforce social distancing measures under a “new normal” scenario, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday.
