Coronavirus - 21st April

Summary for Tuesday, 21st April


Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're bringing you the news this morning out of Asia and will be handing over to our colleagues in London later this afternoon. Here's a quick look at what's taken place overnight:

• Virgin Australia has gone into voluntary administration, putting around 16,000 jobs at risk. The airline is now seeking new buyers and investors, after failing to get a loan from Australia's government.
  
• The price of US oil continues to slump - turning negative for the first time in history. This means producers are now paying buyers to take oil off their hands.
  
• The number of deaths worldwide has topped 170,000, with more than 2.47m confirmed cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
  
• Singapore now has the highest number of cases in South East Asia, after a huge spike of 1,426 new cases in one day brought the total number of cases to 8,014.
  
• And now for a bit of better news. Over in Italy, the number of people officially identified as infected with coronavirus has fallen for the first time since the country's outbreak began.
  

US deaths rise above 42,000

The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in the US now stands at 42,094, by far the highest toll globally. The same goes for the number of confirmed infections which is more than 784,000.
But despite the continuing spread in some parts of the country, several states are easing lockdown restrictions or are planning on doing so shortly.
South Carolina has allowed retail shops, including department stores, to reopen and Georgia will allow places like gyms and hairdressers to open from Friday, followed by restaurants and cinemas on Monday. Most businesses in Tennessee will reopen on 1 May. In all three states though, social distancing measures will remain in place.
There have been protests across the US against state restrictions.

Australia in a spin after Virgin collapse

Good morning from Sydney, where Australia's second airline slumping into voluntary administration is dominating discussion.
Virgin Australia's collapse had been flagged for weeks now, sparking calls for the government to part-nationalise the airline to support 16,000 workers and overall tourism.
But while Canberra has repeatedly said it wants two airlines serving Australia's vast landmass, it has been loathe to support one commercial airline over another.
The government did not want to spend taxpayer dollars on saving a firm part-owned by Etihad, Singapore Airlines, two Chinese airlines and Richard Branson's Virgin group.
Yesterday, the billionaire offered his private Caribbean island to the UK government as security for a bailout for Virgin Atlantic.This morning, he released a video praising Virgin Australia's 20 years of operation, and warning against Qantas - the national carrier- gaining a near-total hold of the market.
In a glimmer of hope for the industry, the rate at which Australia has suppressed the virus suggests domestic flights could resume earlier than expected. Only a few dozen new cases were reported overnight.
Read more on Virgin Australia's collapse here.

What's happening in Asia?

Here are the latest updates from the region at a glance:

• Hong Kong has just announced it will extend social restrictions for another 14 days. A ban on public gatherings was originally supposed to end on 23 April. Gyms, cinemas and other public entertainment spots have also been closed
  

• China has reported 11 new cases on Monday, of which four were imported. Of the local cases, six were from the province of Heilongjiang, which sits on the border with Russia
  
• The number of foreign-worker linked cases in Singapore continue to rise, as more workers get tested. The leap in cases now means Singapore has the highest number of cases in South East Asia with 8,014
  

Trump plays clip of Cuomo 'praising' him

The US president has raised eyebrows at the latest White House press briefing by playing a carefully chosen clip of one his most outspoken critics.
In the video footage, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo praised the US federal government's response to the coronavirus outbreak – in contrast to the recent exchange of criticism between him and Donald Trump.
A CNN reporter asked if the clip was appropriate given the US had reached the "grim milestone" of 40,000 deaths.

Trump to suspend immigration into the US

US President Donald Trump has said on Twitter that he will temporarily suspend immigration into the US as a result of the "attack from the invisible enemy" - a term he has used before to refer to the coronavirus:

  :tweet:  :Left Quotes: Donald J. Trump:
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!

Hong Kong extends restrictions

As we've mentioned, Hong Kong has just announced it will extend its restrictions aimed at tackling the spread of the virus by 14 days.
On Monday, the territory recorded no new virus cases for the first time in nearly two months. Overall, there have been 1,025 positive tests and four deaths in Hong Kong.
Social distancing measures will now remain in place until 7 May. Public gatherings of more than four people are banned while entertainment venues, bars, cinemas and gyms are closed and foreign arrivals at the airport have been suspended.

How New Zealand managed to successfully tackle the virus

Jacinda Ardern's leadership during the pandemic has been widely praised

New Zealand said yesterday it would be lifting its lockdown restrictions next week after successfully containing the virus.
Its "going hard and going early" approach has been globally hailed - just five new cases were announced overnight adding to the 1,445 total.
No doubt its remote location and small five million population helped its efforts. But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's leadership and skill in reassuring the public during the tough shutdown have also been widely praised.
"Jacinda is a brilliant communicator and an empathetic leader," one government adviser told the BBC's Shaimaa Khalil.
Read more about how New Zealand tackled the virus here.

Facebook bans events that violate social distancing orders

Protests have been taking place across the US calling for the lifting of stay-at-home orders, but Facebook has said it will no longer let people list any event that violates local social distancing policies.
On Monday, it removed the listing for anti-quarantine protests in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska.
The discussion sparked outrage from some, including the son of President Donald Trump who said this violated free speech.
Facebook said it consulted with local governments and would only take down events that violated the state guidelines.
The social media network has been working to remove false information about Covid-19 from its platforms. Its aggressive action against coronavirus fake news has led some to question why the company seemed to have trouble managing false claims in the past.
Read the full story here

A grim boom in business for the funeral industry

Amid the pandemic, one industry has seem a grim surge in business - the funeral industry.
For funeral directors W Uden & Sons in south-east London, their workload has doubled in recent months.
The pandemic has also changed the way they operate: undertakers have to wear full protective equipment when collecting Covid-19 victims from hospital mortuaries.

Analysis: Trump's late night immigration tweet

Anthony Zurcher - BBC North America reporter
Donald Trump’s efforts at governing by social media should always be taken with a sizable grain of salt. His track record on following through on Twitter directives is decidedly mixed.
The details of his temporary ban on all immigration, announced a few hours before midnight on Monday, will shed considerable light on the breadth – and legality – of his actions.
Still, it’s no secret that the president, and several key advisers, have long viewed immigration not as a benefit to the nation, but as a drain.
And the text of his tweet - that the move is necessary not only to protect the nation’s health but also “the jobs of its great American citizens”- only emphasises this.
There’s little doubt the proposal, in whatever form it takes, will be vigorously opposed by pro-immigration groups, some business interests and the president’s ideological adversaries.
That’s probably just fine with a man who loves drawing political battle lines and goading his opponents whenever possible.
Four years ago, the president campaigned on an aggressive anti-immigration platform, including a total, if temporary, ban on all Muslims entering the country.
Now, with an uphill re-election fight looming, he’s found a similarly combative measure to champion.

Virgin Australia victim to 'worst aviation crisis in history'

Virgin Australia's chief executive has given a press conference where he said the firm had sunk in "the worst aviation crisis we've ever seen in our history".
"We're not immune to that," said Paul Scurrah. Indeed, all airlines are suffering now because of the global travel bans.
But in some good news - the firm's administrators said they had already received interest from 10 different investors. There were no plans for redundancies among the 16,000 workforce, they said.
Virgin's comments came shortly after Australia's treasurer reiterated that Canberra had no plans to bail out the airline. Josh Frydenberg said there were still market options on the table.
"Virgin Australia is a very good airline performing a very important role and this is a difficult day for its staff, for its suppliers, and for the aviation sector more broadly," said the minister.
"But the government was not going to bail out five large foreign shareholders with deep pockets who, together, own 90% of this airline."
Read more: Virgin Australia slumps into voluntary administration

Could India see a clean air movement?

Spot the difference between these two photos of Delhi. One was taken before, the other after India went into lockdown, shutting down schools, suspending transport and diverting flights.
It was only six months ago that authorities said air quality in the Indian capital had reached "unbearable levels".
So could this outbreak trigger the policy changes needed to clean up India's air for good?
The BBC's Soutik Biswas looks into this here.

Few details on Trump immigration ban

US President Donald Trump has not given any more details beyond his earlier tweet that he will suspend immigration. He attributed the decision to both the fight against the virus and the protection of US jobs, but it's not clear what exactly the move will mean or when it will come into force.
The US has already agreed with both Canada and Mexico to extend border restrictions on non-essential travel until at least mid-May. Travel is also sharply restricted from Europe and China, though people with temporary work visas, students and business travellers are exempted.
On Monday, the US said it would continue to expel migrants it encounters along the border with Mexico for at least another month.

Give me your tired, your poor, but not your ill?

Herbal remedies and other claims fact-checked

What can you do to shield yourself against the virus? It's a question on everyone's mind and a perfect breeding ground for false and misleading information.
Examples of that have been spreading widely on Indian news channels and social media.
We've been fact checking some of the most prominent examples, from fabricated studies to misinformation about how effective tea and herbs are.

A quick news roundup

If you're just joining us now - welcome. Quite a lot has happened over the past few hours - here's what you need to know to catch you up:

• US President Donald Trump announced two hours ago that he would temporarily suspend immigration into the US in light of the virus, as well as "the need to protect jobs". This comes as the White House argued that the worst of the pandemic was over and the country could begin reopening.
  
• Airline Virgin Australia has gone into voluntary administration, with its chief executive calling it the "worst aviation crisis we've ever seen in our history". Administrators say they've already received interest from 10 investors.
  
• Over in Hong Kong, authorities are extending its restrictions by 14 days, with social distancing measures to be in place until 7 May.
  

Why did US oil prices turn negative?

Justin Harper - Business reporter


Here are the answers to some questions you might have about the crash in US oil prices.
Why is this happening?
As economic growth slumps, so too has the demand for oil. Factories and manufacturing plants have been closed and they consume a lot of oil. Transport has also been hit hard with planes grounded and less car usage.
So if there's an over supply, why not just stop producing oil?
Sadly it's not as simple as turning on and off a tap. It takes time to pump the oil and stop production. Plus it's very costly to restart operations.
The other issue is oil companies don't want to stop as this is their only source of revenue, and they don't want to lose market share.
So it's a supply and demand issue?
Not exactly. The price crash on Monday was also driven by oil trading. Oil is traded in contracts based on its future price. Contracts for oil for May were approaching their expiry date so traders were rushing to sell them.
What does it mean for the industry?
Oil companies are being battered by these unprecedented price falls and there are fears hundreds of oil firms in the US could go out of business.
Why was this just US oil?
Oil prices have two general prices - US oil is priced using West Texas Intermediate (WTI) as a benchmark. The rest of the world uses Brent as its benchmark. The futures contracts coming up for expiry were WTI based. Lack of storage is also one issue specifically facing the US.

What's happening in India?

As India's day gets under way, here's a quick breakdown of its latest news:

• One person inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) has tested positive, local media reports say. More than 100 people have reportedly been asked to self-isolate.
  
• Officials say that India's doubling time is increasing, meaning the spread is slowing down - it's taking an average of 7.5 days for cases to double now in comparison to 3.4 days a few weeks ago.
  
• More than 1,000 Kashmiris who were stranded in Punjab state for 20 days were sent home after they were initially denied entry because of the lockdown.
  
• Meanwhile, Punjab state will set up special quarantine centres for police, who have been on the frontline across India to enforce the lockdown.
  
• India has confirmed just over 18,000 cases and nearly 600 deaths so far, according to data from the health ministry.
  

What is an executive order?

President Trump announced that he would use an "executive order" to suspend immigration. What does that mean?

• An executive order is a written order issued by the president to the federal government, which does not require congressional approval
  
• Authority for issuing the orders is rooted in Article II of the US constitution
  

• If an order is deemed to be unacceptable, it can be subject to a legal review
  
• Congress can also pass a law to override the executive order, but a president still has a veto over that law
  
• Mr Trump has issued 14 in 2020 alone, according to the Federal Register
  

Read more on executive orders here.

Crew evacuated off virus-hit ship

The cruise ship, with around 1,000 crew on board is currently docked south of Sydney

Remember the Ruby Princess cruise ship - the virus-hit vessel which docked in Sydney last month and let off 2,700 passengers without tests?
Well now at least 21 deaths have been linked to the ship, and there are multiple criminal and government investigations. In addition, more than 200 of the 1,000 crew on board the vessel have now caught the virus.
They've been stuck on board the ship for the past four weeks - with many progressively getting sicker. But 49 crew members - from the US, UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand - will be taken off the ship today and flown to their home countries on Wednesday.
However repatriation still hasn't been organised yet for the hundreds of other crew stuck on board. The ship is due to leave Australian waters on Thursday and head to the Philippines.

Half a million Australians have applied for payments

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed 517,000 Australians have applied for unemployment welfare in the past month.
He's previously described the economic impact of the pandemic as immense. The government has predicted around 10% of the workforce, or 1.4 million people, will be jobless by mid-year.
However, speaking in Canberra, the PM and medical authorities reiterated that Australia "had a sustained and consolidated flattening of the curve".
"We have to stick to our plan. Our plan is working," Mr Morrison said.
Most of the current lockdown measures will remain for another few weeks, but he announced some re-opening of non-emergency medical services, with elective surgery and IVF among those able to resume in a week.

Indonesia bans Ramadan mass exodus

Resty Woro Yuniar - BBC News, Jakarta
Indonesia's president has banned the mass exodus of Muslims at the end of the Islamic fasting month Ramadan, to try and curb the spread of coronavirus.
But it's a move that experts say comes too late.
Nearly one million people in the country are thought to have left Jakarta and returned to their hometowns and villages. And many of them have done so weeks before Ramadan begins later this week.
For many in the world’s most-populous Muslim-majority nation, it is unthinkable not to return to their families back home, Indonesians have a unique ceremony during Eid called halal-bi-halal, a social gathering where people ask for mutual forgiveness from each other.
On Eid, which falls at the end of May this year, football fields, parking lots, and neighborhood alleys would usually be transformed into outdoor mosques to host mass Eid prayers, where many would flaunt their new clothes and prayer dresses.
However, health experts are warning it could be a disaster given the lack of testing and proper healthcare facilities in remote areas.
"During Ramadan we are supposed to be joyful, but some of us will end up in hospital, and some of us will die, because of circumstances that we can actually prevent," says epidemologist Pandu Riono of the University of Indonesia.

Who is emigrating to the US?

While it's still unclear if and when Trump's claim of a ban on immigration will transpire, let's look at the statistics available on who and how many would usually come to US.
In 2019, just over one million people got lawful permanent resident status in the US. The top countries of origin were Mexico, China, India, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Cuba.
More than half of those, though, were cases of "adjusted status from within the US" - meaning they were already there - and only 459,000 arrived from abroad. The latter group would be the ones presumably affected by an immigration ban.
When it comes to refugees, there were 30,000 people admitted into the US in 2019, most of them from Congo, Myanmar, Ukraine, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria.

Germany's latest figures as restrictions ease

Germany reports 1,785 people tested positive over the past day, taking the overall official number to more than 143,000 cases, according to the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.
The deaths of 194 people have so far been linked to Covid-19 and the overall death toll stands at 4,598.
The new numbers are a slight increase in new infections after two days of declines.
The government has said the virus is tentatively under control and is allowing some smaller shops to reopen and some school years to resume classes this week.

If you're just joining us...

For those of you joining us in the UK and wondering what you've missed, here are some of the latest overnight developments:

• US President Donald Trump has announced he will temporarily suspend immigration into the US in the fight against the virus and to protect jobs. He gave no details.
  
• The US death toll has risen by 1,433 taking the total above 42,000.
  
• Facebook say they will stop people listing events that violate local social distancing policies in the US after protests calling for stay-at-home orders to be lifted.
  
• Hong Kong has announced an extension to social distancing measures until 7 May. There have been 1,025 positive tests and four deaths in the territory.
  
• China reported 11 new cases on Monday, of which four were imported. Of those, six were from the province of Heilongjiang, which is on the border with Russia.
  
• Virgin Australia, which Sir Richard Branson's group part-owns, has gone into administration.
  

• The price of US oil continues to slump - turning negative for the first time in history and meaning producers are now paying buyers to take their oil.
  
• Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma says he will donate 100 million masks, one million N95 masks and one million test kits to the World Health Organization.
  

Trump ban faces 'certain legal challenge and political furore'

Peter Bowes - North America correspondent
President Trump’s tweet announcing his intention to sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the United States came as a surprise.
In the absence of any further explanation or elaboration from the White House, there are many questions about the practicality and legality of such a move.
It is not clear whether an executive order has been drafted and if so, when the president intends to act.
It seems certain that there will be an immediate legal challenge and political furore. Mr Trump's critics are saying it is an attempt to detract from the failings of his administration’s response to Covid-19, while his supporters are welcoming the move as necessary to protect Americans.

Australia PM deplores attacks on Asian Australians

Scott Morrison has called for a stop to racist attacks

Earlier, Australian PM Scott Morrison spoke out about the spate of attacks in recent weeks on Asian people in Australia, telling people to "stop it".
Videos and posts shared on social media have shown street attacks on Asian people, and racist graffiti in Chinese communities. Many appear to blame Chinese people for the spread of the virus in Australia.
However very few of Australia's infections have come from China. Instead the majority have come from travellers from North America, Europe or via cruise ships.  Mr Morrison said he wanted to "remind" the public that the Chinese-Australian community had effectively self-isolated during the first weeks of the virus' presence in Australia.
"They were the ones who first went into self-isolation, they were the ones who were returning from family visits up into China ... It was through their care, their patience that actually Australia was protected in their first wave."

Lifting of lockdowns must be gradual - WHO

As many countries seek an end, or partial end to their lockdowns, the World Health Organization has once again given a warning that this should be a gradual process.
Premature relaxations may lead to a surge of new Covid-19 infections, the organisation said on Tuesday.
"At least until a vaccine, or a very effective treatment, is found, this process will need to become our new normal," Takeshi Kasai, Regional Director for the Western Pacific said, adding that lockdown measures have proved effective.
Any governments that are thinking of easing measures should plan to do it in stages while continuously monitoring the situation, he added.
"Individuals and society need to be ready for a new way ofliving," he said.
Countries like Japan and Singapore have seen recent surges in new infections, prompting concerns over a second wave of Covid-19 cases.

The latest in the UK

For those of you just joining us, here is some of the latest news in the UK:

• NHS managers have warned that the supply of face masks to frontline staff could be put at risk if the UK government advises the public to wear them
  
• Dentists in England are facing "critical shortages" in personal protective equipment, forcing patients with urgent problems to treat themselves, says the British Dental Association (BDA)
  
• War veteran, captain Tom Moore, 99, who raised over £27m for the NHS, has been sent more than 25,000 birthday cards
  
• Some UK airports are "at risk" of closure because of the loss of business during the coronavirus pandemic
  
• The House of Commons has introduced a raft of changes to its working arrangements in preparation for MPs' return later
  
• Eligible farmers in Northern Ireland can apply for support under a government scheme to help the self employed cope with the fallout from coronavirus.
  

US medics confront anti-lockdown protests - in pictures

Hundreds of people gathered across the US on Sunday to protest again lockdown restrictions across the country.
But as protesters drove through the western city of Denver, two healthcare workers briefly staged their own counter-demonstrations.
Images of the exchange were captured by freelance photographer Alyson McClaran and have been widely shared on social media since.

The health workers blocked cars of anti-lockdown protesters driving through the city...




...and stood in silence despite being shouted at by some demonstrators.




The pair were eventually moved off the road after a request from police, reports say.

Twenty held for preventing India doctor's funeral

At least 20 people have been arrested in south India for violently preventing the burial of a prominent doctor who died with Covid-19.
Dr Simon Hercules' friends and family were attacked by a mob with sticks and rods when they took his body to a burial ground in Chennai on Sunday night.
Resident nearby were worried that burying bodies of patients who died with coronavirus would help spread the disease, police said.
One of his friends had to quietly bury him in the early hours of Monday without any family members present.
"He was not shown even basic humanity. Even his wife and son couldn't be there to say goodbye," Dr Pradeep told the News Minute website.
Read the full story here.

Dr Simon Hercules was a neurosurgeon

Should UK public start wearing masks?

To mask or not to mask? That's the question scientific advisors in the UK are due to discuss later on today.
Hospital bosses have warned that telling everyone to wear a face mask could put the NHS' supplies at risk - leaving fewer masks available for medical workers. And the WHO has said there's no evidence to support the use of face masks.
But in other countries masks are common, with some arguing that they can help reduce the risk of people with the virus passing it on to others.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has even called for the wearing of masks while travelling in the city to become compulsory.
So should the UK public start wearing face masks? Read more here.

Sri Lanka remembers Easter bombing amid lockdown

Church bells have rung out across Sri Lanka, marking one year since more than 250 people were killed by a group of suicide bombers.
But there are no other large-scale events planned to remember the men, women and children killed - from worshippers celebrating Easter in church to tourists enjoying hotel breakfasts..
In a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Sri Lanka has been observing a curfew since March.
Click here to read our full story on how Sri Lanka is remembering the attacks one year on.

Germany cancels Oktoberfest

Everyone's favourite beer drinking festival Oktoberfest will not be taking place in its capital Munich this year, the German state of Bavaria has said.
The event, which was due to take place from 19 September to the 4 October, is typically attended by around six million people.
The cancellation is going to be a huge blow to Munich's economy. Reuters say that the festival generates more than €1 bn ($1.07 bn; £0.87 bn) for the city each year.
If you need something to tide you over, head to your fridge, grab a beer and look at these Oktoberfest photos that were taken in better times.

TYeah, that's not happening this year

MPs advised to stay at home as Parliament resumes

UK House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has urged MPs to “stay at home” as Parliament returns following the Easter recess.
New working arrangements have been put in place including reduced hours and virtual committee meetings.
Sir Lindsay told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My advice is please stay at home, let’s do it remotely.
“Those that insist on coming – we can have up to 50, I’m not expecting 50 members in at once, far from it, I’m hoping that number is much reduced.”
Read more

India rescues tourists stuck in cave amid lockdown

The foreigners are from five countries

Officials have rescued six tourists who were living in a cave in the foothills of the Himalayas following the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The four men and two women had moved to a cave in Rishikesh after they were stranded in the country with very little money.
Air, rail and road transport have been suspended since 24 March.
The six foreign nationals have tested negative for Covid-19 and have been moved into quarantine, officials said.
Read the full story here.

A 'different universe' in reopened UK parliament

Laura Kuenssberg - Political Editor, BBC News
It will be a different universe. There won’t be the roar of the commons chamber, the crammed green benches for moments like Prime Minister's questions and no votes for now.
MPs will sit for limited hours, on limited days, in limited numbers, spaced out strictly in the chamber with screens installed for remote contributions and let’s hope they have all learned to use the mute button.
On another occasion this would be a huge day because of a return to parliament under the new management of the main opposition party.
There will be plenty of tough questions for MPs to put to ministers, whether that is on pressure points on kits for doctors, on testing or those who have fallen through the gaps in the government's economic safety net.
The political mood has become more scratchy but there is broad consensus on the lockdown measures which is holding. The government will face difficult questions but are satisfied that the two key aims at the start of the outbreak, to stop the NHS becoming overwhelmed and to slow the spread of the disease have been achieved to quite some extent.

Three in 10 deaths linked to virus in England and Wales

More than three in 10 deaths in England and Wales are linked to coronavirus, figures show.
The Office for National Statistics said in the week ending 10 April, the virus was mentioned on 6,213 death certificates.
It pushed the total number of deaths in that week to over 18,000 - the highest weekly total since the start of 2000.
Read more

The latest from Europe

German football matches could restart as soon as 9 May, officials say

Spain is deciding how to ease its strict lockdown measures for children while Bavaria cancels Oktoberfest. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• Under its tight restrictions, children in Spain are not allowed outside for any reason. The government is expected to announce how to let children out next week, with reports suggesting children up to the age of 12 being allowed to leave their homes
  
• Germany’s football league, the Bundesliga, could restart as early as 9 May. State leaders and football officials have suggested matches could go on behind closed doors under strict new hygiene measures. “A weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football," Bavaria’s Premier Markus Söder said
  
• But Bavaria has also announced some less positive news: Oktoberfest, the famous German beer drinking festival, will not take place in the state this year. Usually about six million people travel to Munich for the annual event
  
• A group of about 50 people have gone on hunger strike in Bosnia. They have been placed in quarantine for more than two weeks in a student dormitory in the capital Sarajevo, to stop the spread of the virus. But many say they have not been given their test results, or even tested at all.
  

Kensington Palace marks Queen's birthday

It's the Queen's 94th birthday today.
To mark the occasion, Kensington Palace has shared a picture of her in happier times before the outbreak, attending last year's Chelsea Flower Show with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

  :tweet:   :Left Quotes: Kensington Palace:

Wishing Her Majesty The Queen a very happy 94th Birthday today!

Nigeria sorry for 'mistakes' at presidential aide's burial

Chi Chi Izundu - BBC News, Lagos

Abba Kyari was buried at a cemetery in the capital, Abuja

The Nigerian government has apologised for “mistakes” made during the burial of President Muhammadu Buhari's chief of staff, Abba Kyari, who died from coronavirus.
A funeral was held for Mr Kyari on 18 April in Abuja, but images have been shared of people huddling around his grave.
Officials have admitted the service was inconsistent with government rules on public gatherings and social distancing in the city.
Authorities have refrained from a nationwide lockdown, but strict measures have been in place since 30 March in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states. Most businesses have been forced to close because of the new rules, and the government has banned large gatherings and all but essential travel.
Over 665 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Nigeria, along with 22 virus-related deaths

Debate heats up over face masks for public

David Shukman - Science editor, BBC News
More and more countries are convinced that the spreading of coronavirus can be reduced by the public covering their faces.
In their view, this is not about protecting yourself but about protecting others, by minimising the risk of you passing on the infection.
In the US, government experts point to the growing scientific evidence that people can release the virus even if they don’t show any symptoms – what’s known as “asymptomatic transmission”.
That’s why public mask-wearing is now official US policy, as in many other countries.
And to allay concerns about a drain on precious PPE for medical professionals, the CDC advocates making your own face covering – using anything from scarves to T-shirts.
Studies have shown that these “informal” masks can trap a significant proportion of any virus you might breathe out so could be invaluable where social distancing isn’t possible – including supermarket checkouts and public transport.
As the UK’s advisers weigh their advice to government, they’ll be considering the role that face coverings may play as lockdown measures start to be eased – wearing them may help cut the risks of a second spike in cases.
But they’ll also worry that people might assume some kind of mask makes them safe and that they’ll become careless about other crucial measures like handwashing.

WHO employee killed in gunfire in Myanmar

An employee of the World Health Organisation has died and a government official injured in Myanmar's Rakhine state after their car was hit by gunfire, authorities have confirmed.
The man was a WHO employee who worked as a driver.
The BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports that the car, marked as a UN vehicle, had been collecting Covid-19 samples and was on the way back to Yangon when the attack took place on Monday.
The incident occurred in an area which has seen several clashes between the military and insurgents from the Arakan Army, who have escalated their campaign for self-rule in Rakhine state in the past two years, our correspondent says.
One of the poorest regions in the country, Rakhine State relies heavily on international assistance.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe prison leave extended

British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her temporary leave from prison in the Iranian capital Tehran extended for another month.
The 41-year-old was released from Evin prison on 17 March because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been at her parents' home in Tehran since being freed but is required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300m of the property.
Her husband, Richard, says she is “very relieved" but there is no news yet on whether she will be granted clemency.
She was jailed in 2016 on spying charges that she has always denied.

Negative oil price a 'quirk'

This week we've reported on historic plunges in US oil markets.
On Monday, for the first time ever, futures for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - the benchmark for US oil - fell into negative territory.
And today, the price of Brent Crude - the benchmark used by Europe and the rest of the world - slipped below $20 for the first time in 18 years.
The milestones illustrates how volatile global markets have become amid the pandemic.
Oil prices have weakened because of a huge drop in demand, spurred by lockdown measures. This has, in turn, created an oversupply of oil, and a shortage of space to store it in.
One analyst told the BBC that he expects prices to remain weak in the near-term, but negative pricing is a "quirk," not the new normal.
Read more here.

Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day in shadow of pandemic

Israel has reported 13,700 cases of Covid-19 and 181 associated deaths

Israel has been marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.
As is traditional, the entire country came to a halt when sirens sounded on Tuesday morning to remember the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices during World War Two.
Drivers stopped their cars, got out and stood to attention for two minutes.
But with so many Israelis at home because of the restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of Covid-19, people also came out on to their balconies.




A ceremony at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre on Monday night, which typically draws thousands of people, was recorded in advance without an audience. It included messages from President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The dangers of the present cannot diminish from the spirit of this holy day,” Mr Rivlin said.
“Even in this difficult time of facing a pandemic... we listen and make room to the memory of the past, to the victims and to you, the survivors,” he added. “You, who survived humanity’s darkest hour.”

Latin America update: Anger at Peru mask shortages

Medical personnel at one of the main hospitals in Lima demand more masks

Stranded in Chile and protests in Colombia - here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America.

• Medical personnel in Peru have protested against the lack of protective equipment in hospitals which they say is forcing them to re-use single-use masks. According to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, Peru has more than 16,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus - second only to Brazil in Latin America.
  
• Hundreds of Bolivians have been allowed to enter their country after being stranded in neighbouring Chile for two weeks. The two countries reached a deal to temporarily open the closed border to let 450 Bolivians return home. Bolivia says it has set up shelters where the returnees - who lost their jobs in Chile's informal economy - will be quarantined
  
• In Colombia, residents of the poor suburbs of Bogotá barricaded streets in protest at what the say is the failure of the authorities to deliver the food parcels they had been promised to see them through the quarantine.
  

Life in UK lockdown: Getting dressed up for the supermarket

With restaurants and bars having been closed for nearly a month, some Britons are finding a new excuse to get dressed up... the weekly shop.
"I'm missing nights out with the girls, so this is my way of at least looking and feeling nice," says Kinga Bellan, 31, outside a Tesco in Edinburgh.
For Sophie Coffey, 40, making an effort with her outfit simply to head to the supermarket makes her "feel so much better".
And they're not alone. Other Edinburgh shoppers have been telling BBC News why they have been dressing up for the weekly shop.

Critics of lockdown in Russia protest online

Vitaliy Shevchenko - BBC Monitoring
Quarantine rules in Russia have forced critics of the government to use online platforms to voice dissent.
Opponents of the lockdown have used Russia's popular search engine Yandex and its Maps services to leave comments on particular locations.
Comments are normally about traffic, but in this campaign include, "how do we pay our mortgage?" and "we are hungry, what do we do?," in a show of dissatisfaction.
Metropicket, a rights movement which held protests outside Moscow’s metro stations every Friday before the lockdown, held its first Zoom protest on 17 April, with demonstrators holding posters up to cameras at home.
Another opposition event is planned for 28 April on YouTube.“Holding a street rally right now would be irresponsible, but we want to try something other than boring petitions, addresses or Facebook posts,” prominent journalist and campaigner Ilya Azar said on Facebook.
It comes with US Democratic governors asking the White House to urge Americans to obey stay-at-home orders amid anti-lockdown protests stoked by President Donald Trump.

When might we get a vaccine?

James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
Most experts are predicting any vaccine would be likely to be ready at the earliest by the middle of 2021, about 12 to 18 months after the coronavirus first emerged.
There are about 80 groups around the world working on this, and some have begun trials.
They are working flat out to speed up a process that would normally take years, if not decades.
There’s a huge amount of work to do to ensure a vaccine is safe, and to get it mass produced and distributed globally. But even then, it’s not clear just how effective it might be.
Read more here.

Pamplona's bull-running festival cancelled

The week-long San Fermin festival takes place in Pamplona, northern Spain and was scheduled to start on 6 July

Spain's famous annual San Fermin bull-running festival in July has been cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.
"As expected as it was, it still leaves us deeply sad," said acting mayor Ana Elizalde in a statement from the local Pamplona town hall.
The festival, which draws thousands of participants and was made famous in Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises", has seldom been cancelled in its history.
It is the second major European tourist event to be cancelled today after it was announced that Oktoberfest, the famous annual German beer-drinking festival which sees six million people travel to Munich, will not take place.

Testing available for every UK frontline worker, health chief says

Any front line worker who needs to be tested for the virus should now be able to be tested, the government's coronavirus testing co-ordinator, Professor John Newton, has told the BBC.
In an interview with BBC health editor Hugh Pym, Prof Newton said 27 drive-in testing centres were now up and running in the UK and more were planned.
But he acknowledged some key workers were finding it difficult to get to drive-in testing centres.
Government scientists are also now delivering testing swabs to hospitals and other work places so testing can be carried out there. In addition they are delivering test kits to people's homes so people can take their own swab.
Professor Newton says the testing scheme has been extended to all front-line workers. As well as NHS staff and care home workers, this includes police officers, prison officers, teachers and other front line key workers.
Health secretary Matt Hancock has set a target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.
Asked whether this would be met Professor Newton said: "You would need to talk to the secretary of state about his target. But we are confident we have the lab capacity to deliver the testing service the country needs."

PM Johnson to speak to Queen

The prime minister is expected to hold an audience with the Queen at some point this week, Downing Street has said.
The telephone conversation will be the first between Boris Johnson and Her Majesty for three weeks, as he has been ill with coronavirus.
The prime minister is also due to speak to President Trump this afternoon.
Downing Street said the call would be an opportunity for an update on the response to the virus by G7 countries - currently chaired by the US - and to “thank the president for the messages of support that he has sent” during Mr Johnson's illness.
The prime minister is “continuing his recovery at Chequers and not formally doing government work,” his spokesman said.
He has been “receiving updates from No 10 on the coronavirus response and has spoken with the first secretary of state [Dominic Raab] and senior members of his team.”

Scotland death toll rises by 70

The number of people who have died in hospitals in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 70 in a day, to a total of 985.
So far, there have now been 8,672 confirmed cases of the virus in Scotland - an increase of 222 over 24 hours.
These numbers do not include deaths in the community, in places such as care homes.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was cautiously optimistic that the increase in cases was stabilising.
UK-wide figures are expected later.

NFL quarterback Brady breaches lockdown rules

With sports facilities closed around the world, athletes are struggling to stay fit, but NFL quarterback Tom Brady has fallen foul of lockdown rules in Tampa, Florida - by training in a public park.
During a Facebook Live chat on Monday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said a parks worker "saw an individual working out in one of our downtown parks, she went to tell him it was closed - and it was Tom Brady."
Neither Brady, 42, nor his American football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has responded publicly and US media has reported that Brady was not fined.
A tweet from the official City of Tampa account then said: "Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can’t wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles — until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve."

'Not true' UK government ignored manufacturer on PPE

The government has had more than 8,000 offers from suppliers of personal protective equipment (PPE) and is prioritising those of “larger volumes”, Downing St says.
Amid criticism that companies have not had offers taken up, the prime minister’s spokesman said the government needed to make sure they met safety and quality standards.
The spokesman said it was “not true” that the government had ignored one particular company, Veenak, saying “they registered the offer on April 5th and would have got an immediate response.”
“We are working as hard as we can with international partners to bring PPE in and at the same time trying to increase domestic supply,” he said.
Regarding a consignment of PPE from Turkey, the government was “continuing to work to ensure this shipment is delivered as soon as it is ready.”
There had been consternation after the government said the shipment would arrive on Sunday, but it turned out not to be ready.

Analysis: What do record death tallies tell us?

As we reported earlier, the number of deaths in England and Wales has reached a 20 year high.
Office for National Statistics figures show that 18,516 people died in the week up to 10 April - about 8,000 more than would be expected.
And the data makes clear the impact of the coronavirus.
A third of all deaths, and about 80% of these "extra” deaths were linked to it, says BBC News' Head of Statistics Robert Cuffe.
And the data shows that since the arrival of coronavirus, the weekly number of deaths in care homes has doubled, he points out.
Meanwhile, it hasn’t increased by as much in hospitals or at home (up by three-quarters and a half respectively).
But rises in non-coronavirus deaths are also playing a role, and this suggests the indirect effects of the pandemic and lockdown are also having an impact, says BBC Health correspondent Nick Triggle.


He highlights that the number of deaths caused by flu and pneumonia was three times higher than the number of coronavirus deaths over the course of the year.
"This will narrow quickly in coming weeks as more coronavirus deaths are reported, but provides some important context," he said.

UK government committed to 100,000 tests a day target

The government is "absolutely standing by” its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests per day by the end of April, Downing St has said - despite capacity being lower than 40,000 on Monday.
The prime minister’s spokesman said the total capacity for tests was currently 39,250 per day.
In the 24 hours until 09:00 on Monday, 19,316 tests were carried out.
The government also reiterated its plans to review the advice on face masks. Currently, the government only recommends their use in health and social care settings, but some other countries have recommended them for the general population.
As announced last week, the scientific advisory group for emergencies (SAGE) is meeting to consider “further evidence” on the effectiveness of face masks, Downing St said, and the government will set out its position once it has reached a decision.

Number of people facing acute hunger could nearly double - UN

The coronavirus pandemic could nearly double the number of people around the world facing acute hunger, the UN's World Food Programme has warned.
"The number of people facing acute food insecurity stands to rise to 265m in 2020, up by 130m from 135m in 2019, as a result of the economic impact of Covid-19," the WFP said its projections had shown.
The warning came as the WFP and other partners released a new report on food crises around the world.
The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises found that food insecurity was already on the rise last year before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis.

Captain Tom, 99, receives more than 25,000 birthday cards

Captain Tom Moore, who has raised more than £27m for the NHS by completing 100 laps of his garden, has been sent more than 25,000 birthday cards ahead of his 100th birthday on 30 April.
Stephen James, manager at the South Midlands Mail Centre, said: "None of the team have ever known one person receive so much mail."
Meanwhile, British Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has spoken to Capt Moore via a video chat and offered him a tour around the McLaren F1 factory.
"Nothing would give me more pleasure - it would be absolutely phenomenal to go around McLaren because I've always been a McLaren fan and still am," said Capt Moore.
Norris, 20, added: "I want to say a big congratulations for everything you have achieved - it's my honour to speak to you."

England death toll rises by 778

A further 778 people who tested positive for coronavirus in hospitals in England have died over a 24-hour period, NHS figures show.
It takes the total number of hospital deaths to 15,607.
The latest death figures do not include those in the community, or in places such as care homes. There is a time lag in that data but you can find the latest for England and Wales here.
Daily figures for the entire UK are expected later.

Trump’s immigration ban stokes divisions

President Donald Trump's announced on Twitter  late on Monday night that he would temporarily suspend all immigration to the US has been met with passionate responses both by those who agree with the move and those who oppose it.
Trump said the move was necessary to protect American jobs and defend the country from coronavirus but gave few further details of what it might entail.
But whatever form it takes, the controversial ban is virtually guaranteed to divide opinion.
Joe Biden, the presumptive presidential candidate for the Democrats, reprimanded Trump in a tweet, apparently in response to the ban.
“The President needs to stop blaming others and do his job,”he tweeted.
Other Democrats were more explicit in their criticism. California Senator Kamala Harris, for example, said Trump was using the outbreak to push his anti-immigrant stance.
Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, echoed that sentiment, accusing Trump of seeing immigrants as “the easiest to blame”.

  :tweet:  :Left Quotes: Ali Noorani:
This is not about the policy. It is about the message the president wants to send. He wants people to turn against “the other.” And, regardless of the valuable contributions immigrants are making to the response and recovery, he sees immigrants as the easiest to blame.

In contrast, Republicans cheered the move. Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar said immigration should be halted until “every American who wants a job has one”.
Matt Mowers, an adviser to the US State Department, said he supported the ban “because we need to put America’s interests first as we begin our economic comeback”.

Latest roundup from Asia

Singapore has extended its partial lockdown until 1 June. The measures - called circuit breakers by the government - include school closures and almost everyone working from home. Social gatherings are banned.
Hong Kong has extended its social distancing measures until at least 7 May. The region reported four new cases on Tuesday. Chief executive Carrie Lam warned: "This is not the time to be complacent. If we relax, the good work we have done will be in vain."
Football clubs in South Korea will be allowed to hold practice matches behind closed doors from Tuesday, according to the K League. The season has already been delayed by two months due to the pandemic.
On Tuesday, China’s state media said more than 4,106 people have been screened after two clusters of Covid-19 infections were discovered at hospitals there. Harbin is close to the Russian border and not too far from Suifenhe, one of the two hotspots that the government seems nervous about.

Global coronavirus cases close to 2.5 million

There are currently 2,494,915 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide and 171,152 recorded deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on 21 April at 12:00 BST.
The virus, which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

Wales death toll rises by 25

A further 25 people have died with coronavirus in hospitals in Wales, taking the total number to 609, according to the latest daily figures.
Public Health Wales (PHW) said there were an extra 304 new cases since the last count, taking the total to 7,850.
The true number is likely to be higher as most people with symptoms are not tested. Find the latest on deaths outside of hospitals here.
Daily updates for Northern Ireland and across the whole UK are expected shortly.

Twitter says it has no evidence linking UK government to fake NHS accounts

Marianna Spring - Disinformation and social media reporter


Twitter says it does not currently see evidence that the UK government has tried to manipulate coronavirus conversations using fake accounts.
It comes after claims began circulating on social media implying the Department of Health and Social Care was behind a network of Twitter accounts pretending to be NHS staff.
These accounts, which were allegedly posting in support of the government, appear to have been deleted.
The Department of Health tweeted that the claims were “categorically false”.
Twitter adds that it “will remove any pockets of smaller coordinated attempts to distort or inorganically influence the conversation”.
The BBC also currently has no evidence to support the suggestion these allegedly fake accounts had anything to do with the UK government.
Our teams are fact-checking some of the most popular fake and misleading coronavirus stories on social media. Take a look at some of that work here. And read our top tips for tackling misleading information here.

UK MPs return to social distancing in the Commons

UK MPs have returned to the House of Commons after an extended Easter recess amid the coronavirus crisis.
But there is a difference - MPs must maintain a 2m (6ft) distance from each other, helped by tape markings on the floor, and there are also markings on the famous green benches.
Their first move is to discuss a motion allowing a "hybrid" Parliament, with some MPs in the chamber and others connected via video link. We have more on this in our story here.
Meanwhile, peers in the House of Lords have already approved new measures and the House's first virtual sitting has begun.

Nurses protest outside White House for PPE

Nurses from the National Nurses United union are holding a protest outside the White House, calling on governors and federal officials to provide safety gear for medical staff fighting the pandemic.
Wearing a surgical mask, one woman read a letter to officials:
“We demand that you immediately get PPE to nurses, doctors and healthcare workers on the front lines of this pandemic.
"If you don’t protect us, we can’t protect our patients.”
Protesters held photos of nurses and doctors who have died from Covid-19, and signs saying: "20 seconds won't scrub 'hero' blood off your hands."
The union includes 150,000 nurses, and is the largest association of registered nurses in the US.

Austria to reopen bars and restaurants in May

Bethany Bell - News Correspondent
Thousands of Austrian shops reopened last week - albeit with strict rules on social distancing and face masks made mandatory nationwide - as the country eased its lockdown.
Now Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says that if the number of coronavirus infections stays low, restaurants and cafes will be able to re-open from 15 May.
Social distancing rules about the size of groups and the number of guests permitted will be announced next week. It’s expected that serving staff will have to wear masks.
Religious services will also resume, while schools will slowly reopen in a step-by-step process from the start of May.
The chancellor said Austria was moving faster than other countries towards something like a new normality. But he warned that the government was ready to slam on the brakes if infections start to rise again.

UK hospital death toll rises by 823

A further 823 people have died in hospitals across the UK in a day, taking the total to 17,337 - latest government figures show.  The number of cases has also increased by 4,301 in 24 hours, bringing the total of 129,044.
Meanwhile, 18,206 tests were carried out on Monday, the government said. Ministers have set a target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.
The latest death figures do not include those in the community, in places such as care homes. There is a longer time lag in that data but you can find the latest here.
Health officials have previously warned against over-interpreting daily figures of people dying, with many hard-pressed hospitals understandably not reporting deaths over a weekend until the middle of the following week.

UK opposition: Gap between government thinking and reality on PPE

Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, says that there is a gap between the government’s words and reality in relation to the delivery of protective equipment (PPE) to health and care workers treating patients with coronavirus.
In an interview with the BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir said: “It would be a struggle for any government to get exactly the right kit to the right place at the right time.
"But what we’re seeing here is an increasing gap between what the government says or thinks is happening and what the front line are telling us."
He added: "And this gap has to be closed as soon as possible because people are putting their lives literally on the line when they’re going to work – they need the proper equipment in the right place.”
The government has been under increasing pressure on the issue, as health workers continue to report PPE shortages. It has repeatedly said it is doing all it can to ensure supplies.

What's the latest picture in the UK?

We should be hearing from the UK government in the next 30 minutes, but let’s take a look at the latest from the country first.

• The Office for National Statistics has said there were 18,500 deaths in the week up to 10 April in England and Wales - about 8,000 more than is normal at this time of year
  
• An organisation representing UK dentists has said dentists in England are facing “critical shortages” in personal protective equipment (PPE)
  
• The UK government says it has had more than 8,000 offers from suppliers of PPE – after criticism that it had not responded to some firms who had offered to supply protective equipment
  
• And hospital bosses have warned that NHS supplies of face masks could be put at risk if the government starts advising the public to wear them
  

Shipment of PPE from Turkey expected in UK later

Jonathan Beale - BBC defence correspondent
The BBC has been told the first batch of Turkish personal protective equipment (PPE) destined for the UK has arrived at Istanbul Airport and is now in the process of clearing customs.
An RAF aircraft which flew out to Istanbul last night is expected to be loaded with the protective equipment for the NHS later this afternoon.
Quality control checks on the equipment would normally be carried out before the aircraft is loaded.
Once the checks have been made and the equipment has been loaded, the RAF plane will return to Brize Norton. The Ministry of Defence is not confirming details or timings.

How close to developing a vaccine are we?

We will be hearing from the UK government shortly with its daily briefing on coronavirus.
But, while we wait, our health team have answered some of the big questions about vaccines and how long one for coronavirus could take.
Have a read of their piece here

16:49

Flight containing 19 tonnes of medical equipment to land in the UK shortly

While we wait to hear more about the consignment of PPE that is expected to leave Turkey for the UK, there's news that another consignment of personal protective equipment from Shanghai, China, is expected at Heathrow Airport shortly.
The cargo-only Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 flight contains 19 tonnes of medical equipment and PPE and 28,000 individual items including approximately 6,000 protective gowns and more than 20,000 ventilators.
The airline says it is operating eight cargo-only flights this month, in partnership with the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care. Since 3 April five flights have already arrived, carrying more than 80 tonnes of PPE, including 3.5 million individual items.
Virgin Atlantic says the consignments have included 50 ventilators, 1.8 million face masks, 600,000 face shields and visors, a million disposable gloves, 38,000 items for eye protection, and 75,000 protective coveralls and isolation gowns.
Yesterday, Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson said in an open letter to staff  he was asking for a commercial loan, believed to be £500m, from the UK government to save the airline from collapse.
Virgin Australia has also entered voluntary administration - making it Australia's first big corporate casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

Should we all be wearing masks now?

We should be hearing from the UK government in the next few minutes.
But that gives you time to read our explainer on face masks, amid growing discussion about the potential benefits of the public wearing masks.
The World Health Organization has said there is no evidence to support the use of face masks by the general population.
Read more: Should we all be wearing masks now?

What did we learn from today's UK government briefing?

Today's briefing was led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
He started by addressing the key area of pressure facing the government: the provision of PPE for health and social care workers. He said the government was working with suppliers and manufacturers, including 159 in the UK.
But Mr Hancock faced more questioning on PPE. He denied that the government had made a political decision not to be involved in an EU scheme on ventilators, a claim made by a top Foreign Office official earlier today. Sources have since said the official misspoke.
Mr Hancock said the UK had put more money into an international vaccine fund than any other country.
A vaccine developed in Oxford will begin trials in people this Thursday; a stage which can often take years to reach.
Asked whether Britain was on course to have one of the worst outcomes in Europe, Mr Hancock said that it was important, when looking at international comparisons of death rates, to look at the populations of the countries. (We have more here on the difficulties of comparing countries.)
Prof Jonathan Van Tam updated us on the data. On the number of new virus cases, he says we still are not seeing a downward trend, and so we remain in a "dangerous time".
While there has probably been a peak of people in hospital in London, this is not true for other nations and regions; instead the numbers have plateaued. He says we must continue to push these numbers down. We also need to see a fall in the number of deaths, he said.

'Recovering' Boris Johnson holds phone call with Donald Trump

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told US President Donald Trump that he is "feeling better and on the road to recovery", the White House has said.
In a phone call a short while ago, the two leaders discussed the need for an international response to the coronavirus pandemic and a post-Brexit trade deal, Downing Street said.
The US added that they also reaffirmed their close co-operation "to reopen global economies and ensure medical care and supplies reach all those in need".
Mr Johnson is also expected to speak to the Queen in another telephone call later this week, for the first time in three weeks.

Appeal for volunteers for UK vaccine trial

The UK has announced it is giving more than £40m to two British projects searching for a vaccine for coronavirus - with one trial to start this week.
One of those projects, led by Imperial College London's Department of Infectious Diseases, is appealing for volunteers.
In a tweet, the college's trust said it was looking for healthy people aged between 18 and 55, and that successful applicants would be paid up to £625 for taking part.

Captain Tom opens new UK field hospital

Captain Tom Moore - the 99-year-old British war veteran who raised over £27m for the NHS - has opened a new field hospital in Yorkshire.
A virtual ceremony was held to open the 500-bed facility at Harrogate Convention Centre, the first of seven field hospitals built outside a city.
Captain Tom, as he is affectionately known, appeared via video link at the opening on Tuesday.
The Yorkshireman raised the huge sum by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday,
Speaking earlier, he told the BBC: "For me to be opening a new hospital in Harrogate is outstanding.
"All the people in that area have done so well to produce a new hospital in such a short time."
He celebrates his 100th birthday on 30 April.

Italy’s active cases fall for second day

There's encouraging news from Italy, where the number of current coronavirus cases has dropped for the second consecutive day.
As of Tuesday, there were 528 fewer active cases in the country, bringing the total down to 107,709, Italy’s civil protection agency said.
Yesterday, Italy reported its first reduction in the number of people currently positive for the virus since the outbreak began.
BBC Rome Correspondent Mark Lowen said the drop in active cases was “good news”, but stressed that “Italy is still losing too many each day”.
The country's death toll jumped to 24,648 on Tuesday, a rise of 534 in the past 24 hours. That’s an increase of 80 compared to Monday, when 454 deaths were reported.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said it would be “irresponsible” to fully reopen the country when the lockdown ends on 4 May.
"I would like to be able to say, let's open everything. Right away," Conte wrote on Facebook. "But such a decision would be irresponsible."
He said Italy would reopen in line with "serious scientific policy", suggesting it would be a gradual process.

US Congress nears new bailout agreement

The White House and Congress are nearing a deal to approve a new US aid package worth around $470bn (£380bn).
If approved by the Senate, as expected later on Tuesday, the bill will be taken up by the House as early as Thursday.
Much of the money covers a programme providing loans to small businesses - last week the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it had already spent its entire $350bn budget bailing out firms disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats had sought new protections for food assistance and other state-level social safety net programmes, but the deal is not expected to approve funding for their wish-list.

New York governor travels to Washington to talk 'testing'

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has delivered his daily briefing from the city of Buffalo, before departing for Washington DC to meet President Trump at the White House.
Cuomo said 478 deaths had been recorded in New York state in the previous 24 hours, the lowest total in more than two weeks.
He noted that only 7% of total virus cases were outside the New York City region, and that some parts of the state “do not have a Covid issue”, so hospitals there will be able to resume elective surgeries soon.
He said that “some economies” around the state could soon reopen.
The governor said that the subject of his meeting with Trump would be testing.
He added that states will take charge of testing samples, but the federal government should be responsible for sourcing the kits and providing them to the states.

Ghana party-goers fined $15,000 over lockdown rules

Here's a round-up of some of the main coronavirus stories from Africa, where there are now more than 23,000 confirmed cases and 1,158 deaths.

• A court in Ghana has fined six people a total of $15,000 (£12,200) for attending a birthday party last Saturday in a suburb of Accra. Gatherings were banned under a three-week lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19. The lockdown was partially lifted on Monday
  
• The Nigerian government has apologised for “mistakes” made during the burial of President Muhammadu Buhari's chief of staff, who died from coronavirus. People were pictured in huddles around the grave site on 18 April, failing to observe strict rules on mass gatherings
  
• In Sierra Leone, President Julius Maada Bio has gone into self-isolation after one of his bodyguards tested positive for coronavirus. The president said that he, himself, was in good health
  
• In Rwanda, people have started wearing face masks in public after the government made it mandatory. In the capital Kigali, police could be seen questioning those with no masks, but no arrests were made
  
• And in Niger, after several days of violent demonstrations against the restrictions put in place due to the virus. Young people set up barricades on the streets, angry at the overnight curfew and the ban on collective prayers
  

UK government official admits repatriation response 'not ideal'

James Landale - Diplomatic correspondent
More than 1.3m travelling Britons have been helped to return to the UK on commercial flights after the global lockdown, according to the civil servant at the head of the Foreign Office.
Sir Simon Macdonald told MPs that an additional 12,124 British nationals had been repatriated via 64 special government charters from 20 countries.
He told the Foreign Affairs Committee there remained “tens of thousands” of Britons – many in the Indian subcontinent – who still want to return to the UK.
Many Britons and their families have complained about poor communication and a slow response from the Foreign Office during the crisis, and Sir Simon acknowledged there had been “problems” with the department’s initial reaction.
"There were real problems that many calls were not getting through," he said. The Foreign Office response had at times been "not ideal". And he told the MPs he was "sorry" that some of their constituents had been left in a difficult position.
But he told MPs that for every complaint the Foreign Office had received, it had also received about 20 expressions of thanks.
He also accepted that it had taken longer to get Britons home compared to citizens of some other countries. But he defended the decision made by ministers to focus on getting Britons on commercial flights and delaying special charter flights until they were really needed. He said this protected the taxpayer from having to pay for a huge number of flights that could be covered by travel and insurance companies.

Missouri sues China for 'sinister campaign of malfeasance and deception'

Anthony Zurcher - BBC North America reporter
The US state of Missouri is suing China, the Chinese Communist Party, and other government officials over what it calls a "sinister campaign of malfeasance and deception" which, it claims, led to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt argued that China's early actions led to an "unnecessary and preventable" outbreak.
The federal lawsuit seeks damages for "the enormous loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil" that has occurred in the state.
A spokesman for the attorney general's office called the move "historical".
But the lawsuit will face significant legal and procedural obstacles.
US law, for instance, gives foreign governments sweeping immunity from such actions.
Missouri may be less concerned with securing monetary damages, however, than with scoring political points and pinning blame on China for the devastating health and economic consequences of the pandemic.

UK denies 'political decision' to snub EU over medical kit

James Landale - Diplomatic correspondent
The row over why the UK failed to sign up to the EU's medical equipment procurement scheme has been resurrected today with an appearance before MPs by the head of the Foreign Office, Sir Simon McDonald.
Last month the government was criticised for not taking part in the scheme to bulk buy medical equipment that could be used to tackle the coronavirus.
Ministers -including Michael Gove- were forced to deny that anti-EU sentiment had played a part in the decision. There were also claims of missing emails and a communication confusion.
But today Sir Simon McDonald,appearing via video link, told MPs it was a deliberate decision by ministers to turn down the invitation from Brussels. "It was a political decision, our mission briefed minsters on what was available, and what was on offer, and the decision is known," he said.
This prompted a robust response from the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, at the Downing Street news conference. He said that he had spoken to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, and as far as he knew there had been no political decision not to participate.
He revealed that he had now accepted an invitation from the EU to join that particular scheme which he said had not yet delivered a single item of medical equipment.
And Whitehall sources have since suggested Sir Simon "misspoke" and that a clarification of his remarks will be forthcoming.

Global coronavirus cases exceed 2.5m

There have now been more than 2.5 million coronavirus infections worldwide, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University in the US.
By their count, the death toll currently stands at 171,810.
These figures are from an interactive dashboard produced by the university's researchers.  It collates reported cases and deaths in real-time, drawing on data from a number of sources, including health authorities.
It is worth noting that each country has different reporting standards and testing regimes, meaning country-to-country comparisons can be misleading.
Read more: Why are international comparisons difficult?

Italian boy, 6, wins football shirt design contest

The winning painting and next season's shirt

Some lighter news from lockdown Italy: a six-year-old boy, Luigi D'Agostino, has designed the football shirt to be worn by Italian second division team Pescara next season.
His was the winning design in a club competition, launched to relieve the tedium for Italian children stuck indoors since 9 March. Hundreds of other children took part in what became a social media hit. The motto was "give a kick to Covid-19".
The Pescara team, based in an Adriatic beach resort, appropriately has a dolphin as its emblem.

Latest data from the UK

Here's the latest information we have on the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

Analysis: Criticism and contradictory comments at press briefing

Jonathan Blake - BBC political correspondent
Matt Hancock’s announcement that human trials of a vaccine against coronavirus will begin this week is undoubtedly significant.
“In normal times reaching this stage would take years,” he said.
But he was also careful to manage expectations, stressing that the entire process was about trial and error and nothing was certain.
An effective vaccine is the one guaranteed way of ensuring the UK can lift lockdown restrictions and begin to think about life after coronavirus with confidence.
But it may yet be a long way off.
In the meantime the government’s decisions now and early on in this crisis continue to come under scrutiny.
After apparently contradictory comments by the top civil servant at the Foreign Office and the secretary of state for health there is, to put it mildly, confusion over whether the UK has joined an EU joint procurement scheme to obtain medical equipment.
One claims it was “a political decision” not to and the other said it was no such thing… we hear a clarification will be forthcoming.

The latest from Europe

Austria plans to reopen bars and restaurants in mid-May, while Italy’s prime minister urges “maximum caution” in easing its lockdown. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he would announce a plan by the end of this week to slowly exit lockdown starting from 4 May, but urged “maximum caution”. Latest figures on Tuesday show deaths rose by 534 in the last 24 hours, but the country registered its second daily decline in the number of people currently confirmed to have the virus
  
• Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says bars and restaurants will be able to reopen from 15 May – although staff will probably have to wear face masks, and there will be rules on group sizes and closing times. Religious services could also resume then. But if infection rates rise again, the government will reimpose tighter restrictions
  
• Children have not been allowed outside at all under Spain’s lockdown rules. But as of Monday, children under 14 can accompany their parents to the pharmacy and on grocery trips – though they still won’t be able to go out and play. The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until 9 May
  
• In France, the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care fell for the 13th consecutive day, dropping from 5,683 to 5,433 in the past 24 hours. Deaths continued to rise, however, increasing by 531 to 20,796 in total on Tuesday
  
• And a six-year-old in Italy has won a competition to redesign his club’s football kit. Pescara launched the competition in a bid to ease the boredom for kids stuck inside.
  

WHO: No evidence for virus lab release

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said evidence indicates the coronavirus is of animal origin, dismissing reports it was produced in a Chinese laboratory.
Last week US President Donald Trump said his administration was looking into unsubstantiated claims that coronavirus originated from a lab in Wuhan.
Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei province, saw the first cases of Covid-19 late last year.
On Tuesday, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said all evidence suggested the virus was “not manipulated or constructed in a lab or somewhere else”.
“It is probable, likely, that the virus is of animal origin,” she told a WHO media briefing in Geneva.
How the virus was transmitted from animals to humans is not yet clear, she added.
“It most likely has its ecological reservoir in bats - but how the virus came from bats to humans is still to be seen and discovered,” she said.
Read more: Is there any evidence for lab release theory?

Who will make the UK's PPE kit?

Faisal Islam - BBC Economics Editor
The sense from the health secretary was that the mass of immediate PPE supplies the UK now needs is likely to come mainly from abroad.
Twice he singled out China, and the work diplomats are doing to secure such supplies. But work is also going on to co-ordinate the deluge of offers from domestic British manufacturers who have offered PPE, with the help of outside consultants.
Mr Hancock did seem to stress that some of those offers were not credible. Certainly there are very specific standards for use in healthcare, and some manufacturers won’t be able to manufacture at the scale required. And part of the problem is not the ability to manufacture, but the dwindling supply of specialist materials with which to make the kit.
But such is the sheer mass of PPE required to manage this ongoing crisis - “billions of items per month” Mr Hancock acknowledged - that domestic manufacturing will have now to play a big part.

Trudeau promises assault weapons ban - when the virus permits

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will push a ban on assault weapons through parliament, but that timing is up in the air because of coronavirus.
Trudeau said his government was on the verge of introducing legislation before parliament was suspended on 13 March due to the virus and concerns about social distancing.
The issue was raised during his Tuesday press briefing in light of the shooting in Nova Scotia over the weekend, which killed at least 19 people, making it Canada's deadliest mass shooting.
"The tragedy in Nova Scotia reinforces how important it is for us to move forward on gun control," he said.
Police have not said whether the suspected gunman, who was killed by police, obtained his weapons legally or not.
On Monday the House of Commons agreed to have regular video meetings, but only one in-person meeting a week, which could delay legislation.

Ireland extends ban on mass gatherings to September

There have been no sport events at Croke Park since 1 March, although it was used for drive-through testing

Major public gatherings of more than 5,000 people will remain banned in the Republic of Ireland until at least 1 September.
Large gatherings have been restricted since 24 March. The government said on Tuesday that local authorities had been advised not to consider licences for any such events.
It means no major sporting fixtures or concerts will take place in the country this summer.
On Tuesday the government confirmed there had been 44 more coronavirus-linked deaths in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total to 730. Some 388 new cases have also been confirmed, with the total now 16,040.

FC Barcelona to sell stadium naming rights for Covid-19 fight

Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium has a capacity of more than 99,000 people

FC Barcelona will be offering sponsorship naming rights to their famous Nou Camp football stadium for the first time in the 2020-21 season - with all proceeds going to help the fight against Covid-19.
"We consider it vital at this time of humanitarian crisis to use all of the resources available to fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences," said club first vice president Jordi Cardoner.
In the UK, both the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and Brighton's Amex Stadium are being used as coronavirus testing sites, and Manchester City have opened up their conference rooms and executive boxes to be used by the NHS.
Meanwhile Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium is being used as a storage and distribution centre for medical materials.

New twist in UK row over EU equipment scheme

There has been another development in the row over why the UK initially refused an invitation from the EU to join a scheme to obtain medical equipment to fight the coronavirus.
The government faced criticism last month for not taking part in the scheme. Ministers denied claims that anti-EU sentiment played any role in the decision and instead blamed a "communication confusion".
But earlier today the foreign office's top civil servant, Sir Simon McDonald, told MPs that ministers had been briefed on the scheme but took a "political decision" not to take part (you can watch the clip above).
Now - a few hours after Downing Street suggested Sir Simon had "misspoken" - the civil servant has issued a retraction. Sir Simon said his comments were wrong and had been made "due to a misunderstanding".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier on Friday said the UK had actually now joined the scheme but it had "yet to deliver a single item" of equipment.
The UK has left the European Union but is in a transition period during which it is able to participate in such schemes.

  :tweet:  :Left Quotes: Tom Tugendhat:
We’ve just received this clarification from ⁦@SMcDonaldFCO⁩ after today’s ⁦@CommonsForeign⁩ hearing.

Wisconsin reports seven virus cases linked to voting day

Wisconsin's poll workers wore PPE

The US state of Wisconsin has confirmed that at least seven people were infected with coronavirus when they went to polling places two weeks ago to vote in the presidential primary election.
Voting went ahead on 7 April, despite the governor's order for people to remain at home to control the virus's spread. Democrats pushed for a voting delay, but courts backed Republicans who argued the vote had to go ahead as scheduled.
The state's health commissioner told local media on Tuesday that six of the new cases involved Milwaukee voters. The other was Milwaukee poll worker.
Wisconsin voters were forced to wait in long lines after many polling stations were closed. In Milwaukee, 180 locations were reduced to just five.
Democrats are pushing for more mail-in ballots to be used in coming elections, but Republicans largely oppose absentee ballots. Donald Trump has suggested that increased turnout from easing balloting restrictions could harm Republican candidates.

Voters line up in a Wisconsin high school

185,000 firms applied for UK furlough scheme by midnight on first day

The government’s furlough scheme opened for applications on Monday, with 185,000 businesses applying on the first day.
The scheme helps firms deal with the impact of coronavirus by paying towards the wages of people who can't do their jobs.
More than half of firms are expected to use the scheme for at least some of their workforce, and 1.3 million workers have been furloughed so far.
Find out more here about how furlough works, who is most likely to be affected, and which firms are applying.

What's been happening in the Middle East

Anti-government demonstrators drove through Beirut, waving flags and honking their horns

Here are some key developments from the Middle East:
In Lebanon, anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Beirut on Tuesday, but stayed in their cars to guard against the coronavirus. Demonstrators wearing face masks waved flags and honked their horns as a convoy made its way through the city. They began demanding sweeping reforms of the political system last year. Earlier, Lebanon’s health ministry said it had recorded no new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours for the first time since its outbreak began.
The authorities in Saudi Arabia plan to ease curfews imposed on several cities during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to make it easier for people to shop for essential supplies, according to the state news agency. On Monday night, they extended the suspension of public prayers at Islam's two holiest sites for Ramadan. Night-time Taraweeh prayers will be held without worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
In north-eastern Syria, the Kurdish Red Crescent has set up a hospital with 120 beds to treat coronavirus patients. The move comes after the local Kurdish-led administration said a man with Covid-19 had died at a hospital in Qamishli run by the Syrian government on 2 April.

US approves first at-home testing kit

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the country's first at-home coronavirus test kit.
LabCorp, the company that produces the test, says it will prioritise distributing it to medical workers first.
Patients must stick a cotton swab up their nostril, then submit it to the company for the sample to be tested. The kit, called Pixel, currently costs $119 (£97).
Allowing patients to use it themselves means the risk of infecting clinicians declines, officials say.
Top US disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has repeatedly said that the US will require testing at two or three times the present rate in order for people's lives to begin to return to normal.

What can we expect from Trump’s media briefing?

US President Donald Trump is expected at the White House’s daily coronavirus briefing, which is scheduled to start at 17:30 local time (22:30 BST).
Here are some of the matters that are likely to be on the agenda.

• In a late-night tweet on Monday, Trump said he would sign an executive order to temporarily suspend all immigration to the US. The details are yet to be officially confirmed, but Bloomberg News has reported that it will involve a 90-day ban on most working visas, with some exceptions. There may be more clarity from Trump
  
• Trump met with New York state governor Andrew Cuomo at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. Cuomo said the meeting, which focused on state budget problems and testing, went well. Trump, who has been at loggerheads with Cuomo at times, is likely to comment on the outcome of their talks
  
• Trump is keen to reboot the US economy as soon as possible, so he is likely to address the federal government's role in ramping up testing, which is seen as a necessary step before the state economies can be reopened. Before the start of the press briefing, the US Senate agreed to pass a new stimulus bill addressing testing and business loans
  

Dutch primary schools to reopen next month

Anna Holligan - Netherlands correspondent, BBC News
Primary schools and daycare facilities in the Netherlands are to reopen next month as the government cautiously eases the country's partial lockdown.
Pupils will return in stages from 11 May - with smaller classes of children attending on alternate days - in the first tentative step towards a return to normality for a nation that's lost at least 4,000 people.
Bars and restaurants will remain closed, except for takeaways. Beauticians, hairdressers and most other close-contact professions won’t be allowed to reopen yet, and visits to relatives in care homes are still banned.
Professional football won’t kick off again until September. And summer music festivals have been cancelled. The social distancing rules won't be relaxed until the impact of the virus on the health service is considered "manageable".
While the number of people being transferred to Dutch intensive care units (ICUs) has been lower than feared, the pressure on hospitals remains intense, although the country appears to have flattened the upward curve in admissions

US Senate passes new $480bn relief package

The US Senate has unanimously passed a $480bn relief budget that includes new funds for small business loans and protective gear for hospital workers.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives before going to Trump, who has urged lawmakers to approve it quickly.
The US Congress has now approved stimulus funds of nearly $3tr to help the country's 22m newly-unemployed workers.
On Twitter, Trump said lawmakers will address funding for state governments - who are also reeling from a steep decline in tax revenue - in their next round of budget talks.

22:48

White House briefing begins

The White House coronavirus taskforce briefing has just begun.
Trump is joined in the White House briefing room by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The briefing comes as the US is faced with over 816,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and more than 44,000 deaths caused by the virus.

Trump: 'The country wants to reopen'

Trump starts the briefing sending condolences to virus victims and their families.
He notes that around 20 states, representing around 40% of US population, are now making plans to “safely re-start their economies”.
"The country wants to get back to work," Trump says. To date, there are over 816,000 Covid-19 cases and 44,000 deaths from the virus in the US.

Trump touts new bailout package

Trump praises the $480bn bailout package that was passed earlier today by the Senate, saying it will help struggling workers.
The bill goes to the House next, where Trump predicts it will find "tremendous support".
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the bill includes $310bn for the small business loan programme, which ran out of funds last week.
He adds that it also includes an "unprecedented amount of money for testing". The bill will also boost a separate small business emergency grant and loan programme by $60bn, give $75bn to hospitals and $25bn to a new coronavirus testing scheme.

Trump: 'Harvard will return funds'

President Trump says Harvard University, which has an endowment of around $40bn, will return the $9m in loans it got from a government programme intended to provide money to struggling small businesses.
He made the remark after a reporter asked about Shake Shack, a restaurant chain that said it would return the funds it got from the Small Business Administration.
Other major companies have been criticised for taking the money, which quickly ran dry after it was tapped last week.

Mnuchin: Large companies must return funds

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says some large companies may be forced to return the small business loans that they received from the federal bailout.
"The intent was not for companies that have liquidities and plenty of resources," he says.
Companies that do not return the funds will face "consequences" that could be "quite significant," he says.

Trump: US to ban immigration for 60 days to protect workers

Trump says there will be a 60 day ban on immigration in order to protect jobless Americans.
After 60 days, US officials will evaluate "any extension or modification" that will be "based on economic conditions at the time," he says.
It will "only apply to individuals seeking permanent residency" and not "to those entering on a temporary basis", Trump says.

US green cards: some facts and figures

In a typical year, nearly 1 million green cards are issued in the US, granting immigrants legal permanent residence and the opportunity to apply for American citizenship.
The majority of green cards - roughly 70% - go to those with relatives living in the US, according to a 2018 report from the US Senate.
For employment-based green cards, a common form of the residency status, roughly 80% are issued to those already in the country, shifting from a temporary visa to permanent residence.
The US also grants temporary employment through approximately 20 different visa programmes. These visas cover a wide range of jobs and skills, like those with “highly specialised knowledge” - including tech and engineering jobs - and temporary and seasonal agricultural workers. In 2016, there were 750,000 of such visas issued across all categories.