Coronavirus - 29th April

Summary for Wednesday, 29th April

• The US has confirmed one million virus cases, making up almost a third of the total global tally
  
• With more than 58,000 deaths, more Americans have died with Covid-19 than died in the Vietnam War
  
• China's parliament will meet again next month, a sign officials believe the virus is under control there
  
• The US Congress has abandoned plans to return to Washington next week after lawmakers revolted
  
• President Trump has ordered meat processing plants, which have become virus hotspots, to remain open
  
• All staff and residents of UK care homes will be tested for the virus whether or not they have symptoms
  
• France will make face masks compulsory on schools and public transport when it begins easing the lockdown
  

Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We’re writing to you from Singapore this morning and will be joined by our teams across Asia and in London later today.

• A grim milestone in the US as the number of virus cases passed one million, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are now 1,012,399 cases in the US, with 3,114,659 confirmed cases worldwide
  
• France is to become the latest country in Europe to make face masks compulsory in certain situations. From 11 May, people will have to wear them on public transport and in secondary schools
  
• Neighbouring Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift its strict lockdown, hoping to return to a "new normality" by the end of June
  
• And in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has admitted there is a shortage of protective equipment for medics, saying that what they had now was "still not enough"
  

More Americans with virus have died than in Vietnam War

Peter Bowes
North America correspondent
More people have now lost their lives, over a few months, than the 58,220 Americans who died over nearly two decades in Vietnam - highlighting the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the United States.
One of the leading White House medical advisers, Dr Anthony Fauci, has issued a sobering warning that the outbreak is far from being over. He said the country could be in for a bad autumn if researchers fail to find an effective treatment.
Dr Fauci said it was inevitable that the virus would come back - and may not go away at all during the summer.

US Congress abandons plan to return to Washington

The US House of Representatives will not reconvene next week following a revolt from lawmakers who complained that it was too soon to return.
On Monday, members were told to return to the Democratic-controlled chamber.
However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday the plan was scrapped after consulting the House doctor.
Read our full story here

Australian PM urges 'millions more' to download app

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on millions more Australians to download the nation's virus contact-tracing app - saying wide usage would be the "ticket" to normal life resuming as soon as possible.
Australia has succeeded in flattening its virus curve, with only one case from an unknown source reported yesterday. The nation has around 6,700 cases and 88 deaths.
But Mr Morrison said the nation's true success depended on society re-starting with protections in place.
He praised the 2.8 million Australians who had already downloaded the CovidSafe app since Sunday night but said: "I would ask millions and millions and millions more to do the same thing."
The government has previously said it needs 40% of the 25-million population for it to be effective. The PM also compared the app's necessity to that of sunscreen.
"I would liken it to the fact if you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have to put sunscreen on. This is the same thing," he said.
Authorities have previously not ruled out making the app mandatory. Critics have raised privacy issues with the app, which reports information to a centralised server only accessible by health officials.
Several Australian states this week announced an easing of lockdown rules, with the worst-hit state, New South Wales, to allow households visitors from Friday.

Trump says US will be doing 5 million tests a day

Two of the reasons the US has such high numbers of confirmed cases is the large population (around 330 million), and the large number of tests being carried out.
The US has carried out around 5.7 million tests over the past two months according to the Covid Tracking Project. That figure sounds pretty high, but according to data by scientific online publication Our World in Data, the US had conducted 16.3 tests per 1,000 people - behind Italy at 30.6 per 1,000 people.
President Trump has suggested the US could soon carry out as many as five million tests a day, saying "we're going to be there very soon".
However, his forecast seems optimistic. Reports say the US is currently testing around 200,000 people a day.
It's not clear who qualifies to be tested in the US - access to tests varies by state.
But the limited number of tests does mean higher priority patients do get, well, priority. These include those who are hospitalised, healthcare workers, and those living in shared facilities like care homes or prisons.

Easing of Australia restrictions 'not too far away'

Here's some more from the Australian leader's press conference. Scott Morrison reiterated that authorities would consider easing social restrictions from 11 May.
"[It] is not too far away and you're already seeing that happen with many states and territories," he said.
New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia have all loosened some household movement restrictions this week.
However, Mr Morrison reiterated that attendance at sports matches and church services was unlikely to resume "for a while".
"I look forward to the time where [Australians] can sit down for a meal at a restaurant or a cafe or a pub again.
"But I can't see them going along to a game for a while, those larger mass gatherings."

What's happening in Asia?

As much of Asia starts its day, here's a quick look at what's happening in the region:

• China reported 22 new cases, 21 of which were imported, and no new deaths - bringing its confirmed number of cases to 82,858
  

• Singapore reported 528 new virus cases, its smallest daily rise in almost two weeks, bringing its total number of cases to 14,951
  
• India is slowing climbing towards 30,000 infections, making it the country with the second highest number of infections in Asia. Experts say the rise will make it difficult to lift a six-week lockdown that is due to end this weekend
  

Bolivians in Chile return home, via quarantine

Chile and Bolivia have reached a deal to allow the return of about 400 Bolivian migrants stranded in a makeshift camp in Chile's capital Santiago because of the virus.
The Bolivians will be transported to the northern Chilean city of Iquique, to the west of the Atacama desert, where they will remain in quarantine for 14 days before being allowed to go home.
Bolivia has closed its borders to try to halt the spread of the virus.
The Chilean authorities have expressed concern about the growing number of Bolivians sleeping in tents in and around Santiago, after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.
Thousands of Bolivians live and work in Chile, one of the wealthiest countries in South America.

Vietnam is 'pushing back' the virus

Vietnam reported no new cases of the disease on Wednesday morning, going 13 straight days with no community transmissions, authorities said.
With 270 total cases and no deaths in a population of 95 million people, Vietnam's ratio of infections per million is among the lowest in the world, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Tuesday.
He said Vietnam was successfully pushing back the virus, but asked people to remain vigilant.
Vietnam has not carried out mass testing at the level of South Korea or Germany. But it responded early to the outbreak in neighbouring China stopping flights and eventually closing the border.
The one-party communist state also enforced mass quarantines on entire districts to stop the spread.
Last week the country started easing lockdown restrictions.

Man named Tupac Shakur files for unemployment

The US governor of Kentucky has apologised to a resident named Tupac Shakur for assuming he recently applied for unemployment benefits under that name as a prank.
"We had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur. [They] may have thought they were being funny," said Andy Beshear at a press briefing.
But the man, who shares his name with the best-selling American rapper who died in 1996, is actually named Tupac Malik Shakur.
"I'm really embarrassed. That's just my name," Shakur told local paper the Lexington Herald-Leader. He said he had applied for unemployment on 13 March, as the virus forced millions of Americans out of work.
"I've been struggling for like the last month to figure out how to pay the bills," said Shakur.

Trump orders meatpacking plants to stay open

US President Donald Trump has ordered meat processing plants to stay open to protect the nation's food supply amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He invoked a Korean War-era law to mandate that the plants continue to function, amid industry warnings of strain on the supply chain.
An estimated 3,300 US meatpacking workers have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 20 have died.
Read more here.

Date set for China's delayed congress meeting

China's National People's Congress (NPC) will hold its annual session on 22 May, after postponing the meeting due to the coronavirus outbreak.
State media are quoting the parliament's top decision-making body as saying that conditions have improved to such an extent that the event can now take place.
The NPC was initially due to gather on 5 March. It's the first time since the Cultural Revolution in 1966-76 that the legislature's meeting has been delayed.
Around 3,000 delegates normally attend the gathering in the capital Beijing, but it is not clear whether the format will be changed this year.
The NPC is seen in the West as a rubber-stamp body where key decisions are agreed by the China's Communist Party even before a meeting takes place.

What's the latest from India?

Hello to those waking up in India. Here's the latest news:

• India recorded its highest daily spike yet on Tuesday as 1,840 new infections took the total number of cases to more than 30,000. More than 1,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the country
  
• The northern state of Uttar Pradesh will begin bringing back around one million of its migrants, who have been stranded across the country since 25 March when India imposed a lockdown
  
• The government has emphatically warned that plasma therapy - which involves transfusing antibody-rich blood into Covid-19 patients - has not yet been approved for treatment. It can only be used for research and trials for now, officials said
  
• Meanwhile, China has defended the quality of its rapid antibody testing kits after after India cancelled orders for about half a million of them, calling them "faulty"
  

Ardern criticises rush for burgers in NZ

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has criticised a local burger chain which failed to keep people apart, as the country eased its lockdown.
She said officials had been in contact with Burger Fuel - after pictures on social media showed dozens of people standing closely to each other at one of its outlets.
New Zealand yesterday moved into alert level three, allowing restaurants to provide takeaway services and some non-essential businesses to open.
Many rushed out to get the coffees and takeaway food that they had missed.
But yesterday alone, there were 104 breaches of the level three alert, say local media reports.
Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield warned that non-compliant premises could still be closed.
There were two new virus cases reported today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,126.

Brazil's death toll tops 5,000, surpassing China

Brazil has now recorded more than 5,000 coronavirus-related deaths, surpassing China.
The health ministry in Brasília reported 474 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall number to 5,017.
Brazil is the worst-hit country in Latin America, with nearly 72,000 confirmed infections.
In China, where the coronavirus outbreak started late last year, 4,633 people have died.
Earlier this month Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro came under criticism for joining protesters demanding that restrictions on movement introduced to stop the spread of coronavirus be lifted.
Mr Bolsonaro has in the past dismissed coronavirus as "little more than a flu".

US jets salute medical teams

The US's Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds flew over the New York and Philadelphia area to salute the medical teams fighting coronavirus.
To adhere to social distancing guidelines, residents were told to watch the spectacle from their homes

The man giving dignified burials to virus victims

Shaili Bhat - BBC Gujarati
For three decades, Abdul Malabari has been an undertaker for unclaimed bodies. But he never thought he would have to bury people whose families wanted to say goodbye but couldn't because of Covid-19.
"My work has no fixed timings," says the 51-year-old undertaker. "As soon as we get a call, we proceed with the kit."
Every time someone dies of coronavirus in Surat - in India's western state of Gujarat - officials call Malabari. So far the city has recorded 19 deaths, and 244 cases. There are 3,548 in Gujarat.
It is not the first time Malabari has gone above and beyond for people he does not know.
It was his compassion for a stranger three decades ago - when a different disease was snaking its way through the population - which led to his work today.
Read the full story here

Germany records 202 more deaths

Germany has recorded another 202 Covid-19 deaths, according to official figures, and another 1,304 cases.
The country now has more than 157,000 cases and 6,115 deaths - far fewer than most of its major European neighbours.

'Masked' asteroid to fly by Earth

An asteroid is expected to have a near-miss - relatively speaking - with Earth later on Wednesday.
Known as 1998 OR2, it will pass within about 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km). This is about 16 times further than the distance from our planet to the Moon.
The space rock, which is about 1.5 miles-wide, poses no danger, scientists say.
Some observers think it's an appropriate "visitor" for 2020 - joking that it looks like a "masked asteroid" because of debris and dust around it.

Malawi gives cash to virus-hit households

Ugandan MPs give themselves $2.6m 'awareness budget'

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has blasted members of parliament for allocating themselves a total of 10bn Ugandan shillings ($2.6m; £2m) to raise awareness on coronavirus.
The president said it was "morally reprehensible" for the MPs to allocate themselves the money, instead of funding district committees created for that purpose.
President Museveni said he would write to the Auditor General to investigate MPs who had already spent the money to buy relief items for their constituents.
Uganda has so far confirmed 79 cases of coronavirus. The country is on a lockdown that ends on 5 May.

Vietnam sees 'new normal' life resume

It's been about a week since Vietnam eased a nationwide lockdown, and life has slowly but surely started to go back to normal - kind of.
Plastic partitions in between diners, social distancing at street markets, and mandatory face masks have become the "new normal".
Vietnam has been lauded for its success in dealing with the virus.
Despite sharing a land border with China and having a population of 97 million people, it's only recorded only about 270 cases, and not a single death.
It closed its borders as early as January, aggressively contact traced, and also had a nationwide information campaign.
Some of their measures weren't quite so positive - like people being encouraged to keep watch over their neighbours.
And being an authoritarian one-party state means other countries might find it hard to replicate certain facets of Vietnam's success.

Maradona hopes 'Hand of God' can end pandemic

Argentine football legend Maradona says he hopes the "Hand of God" can beat the coronavirus pandemic after fate helped the club he coaches avoid relegation.
Maradona's La Plata-based Gimnasia side were saved from dropping out of the Argentine top-flight after the league was restructured because of the pandemic.
The 59-year-old famously used his hand to score against England in the 1986 World Cup, labelling the act as the Hand of God.
"This happened to us [Gimnasia] and many people are calling it a new Hand of God," he said.
"I am asking for that hand to do away with the pandemic so people can get back to living their lives, with health and happiness."

Who can now get a test in England?

As we mentioned in our UK roundup, millions more people in England can now get tested for the virus.
The government had previously said all essential workers showing symptoms could be tested.
Under the new rules, these people are also eligible for tests:

• All NHS and social care staff, whether they are showing symptoms or not
  
• Care home residents
  
• Symptomatic workers who cannot work from home
  
• Everyone over the age of 65 with symptoms - and other members of their household also showing symptoms
  

If you're eligible, then you can book a test on the government's website here

Sport should return from the 'bottom up'

Sports should return from the "bottom-up not the top-down" when the coronavirus lockdown lifts, according to a public health adviser to the World Health Organization.
Dr Brian McCloskey, former public health director for London 2012, said community sport could be the first type of sport to return.
That comes after:

• The chief doctor at football's world governing body Fifa warned against restarting the interrupted 2019-20 campaign
  
• France's top two football divisions were ended when Prime Minister Edouard Philippe banned all sporting events until September
  
• Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said the Games would be "scrapped" if they could not go ahead in their new dates starting in July 2021
  

'Massive expansion in testing'

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
This represents a massive expansion of who is eligible for testing in the UK - and means we are now one step away from allowing everyone to access a test if they have symptoms.
That will be crucial when lockdown restrictions are eased as part of the "test, track and trace" strategy to keep coronavirus at bay.
It is being made possible by the roll-out of home-testing kits and mobile units staffed by the armed forces.
The problems already experienced in getting more people tested have - to some extent - been because the network of drive-through testing centres have not always been in convenient locations.
There is plenty of lab capacity to process the tests now the three mega labs are up-and-running in Milton Keynes, Glasgow and Cheshire.
The expansion has also allowed the government to do something that could prove crucial in tackling the epidemic in care homes - the testing of residents and staff without symptoms.
A big concern is that the virus has been able to get a foothold in care homes via people transmitting it before they develop symptoms or if they are asymptomatic.
But promising something is one thing - delivering it is another.
While the capacity looks like it will be there to test 100,000 a day by the end of the month, the numbers actually getting tested are currently less than half that.

Stranded Brits 'feel forgotten' in India

David Pittam - BBC News
Thousands of British citizens, many of them elderly, are still stuck in India a month after the country went in to lockdown, the UK's Foreign Office has admitted.
Some have been running out of medicine or have been scared to go outside amid reports of violence against foreigners.
Relatives and MPs have called for more urgency in getting people home, asking for more flights to be organised.
British authorities said they were working hard to get people back.
You can read the full story here.

China to hold delayed parliamentary gathering

John Sudworth - China Correspondent, Beijing
China has announced that it will hold its delayed annual parliamentary gathering at the end of next month after it was postponed due to the virus.
The National People's Congress is, largely, a rubber stamp parliament - but it still matters, not just as a showcase of Communist Party authority, but as a forum for outlining major policy changes.
If the announcement of its postponement, back in February, was a sign of just how serious the virus was, its rescheduling is a clear signal that the authorities believe they now have it under control.
But the event - which normally sees 3,000 delegates traveling to Beijing from all over China - poses an infection risk in itself, and there's speculation that some may be asked to join via video link.
China has faced allegations that it downplayed and covered up the initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan. But its subsequent strict quarantine measures and widespread enforcement of social distancing do appear to have dramatically reduced the number of infections.

New York mayor criticises Jewish funeral gathering

Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, has criticised some Hasidic Jews in the city after hundreds gathered for the funeral of a rabbi who had died with the virus.
De Blasio went to the scene to disperse the crowds.
Writing on Twitter, he described such gatherings as unacceptable and warned it would only lead to more deaths.
The city has been hit hard by coronavirus. More than 17,000 people have died.
De Blasio said he had instructed police to summons or arrest people gathering in large groups.
His comments about the gathering have been criticised online for singling out one group of people.
Many people noted that earlier in the day crowds had gathered to watch a flypast by the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds aerobatics teams.

Here are the latest headlines from around the world

To those of you just joining us, welcome to our coronavirus coverage.
Here are the latest headlines from around the world:

• The number of virus cases in the US has now passed one million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 57,000 people have died
  

• China has announced it will hold its delayed parliamentary gathering at the end of next month after it was delayed due to the virus
  
• France is the latest country to set out plans for easing its lockdown. Many shops will reopen from 11 May but bars and restaurants will remain closed
  
• Australia has marked the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's voyage, but under lockdown. The government was forced to shelve its A$48.7m (£25.5m; $31.7m) commemorations due to the pandemic
  

Next expects 40% sales drop amid virus crisis

Next has warned that sales will suffer this year with shoppers kept away amid coronavirus.
The British fashion retailer said on Wednesday that full-price sales in-store and online could drop by up to 40%.
The company said that it was hard to think of a time when sales and profit had "been more difficult to predict".
Read the full story here.

How effective are contact tracing apps?

Australia and Singapore have contact-tracing apps - and the UK might get one within weeks.
They work by tracking a user's location and then alerting them if they come into contact with an infected person.
In Australia, the government's telling residents that downloading its tracing app is the ticket out of lockdown - so far almost three million people have done so.
But one expert from the National University of Singapore says these apps aren't without their problems - privacy for one, is an issue.
"There is a broader question of how data will be protected, where it will be stored and how long will it be used for? The idea is that it is used only for contact tracing," said Prof James Crabtree. "[But] the temptation will be to keep it and use it for other things."
He also adds that there are limitations to such apps.
"Imagine sitting in a cafe, you leave some virus on the table and an hour later someone else comes in and picks it up. The app won't tell you that," he told the BBC.
"The risk is the app gives people a false sense of confidence. It is not a magic bullet."

Will Boris Johnson return to Prime Minister's Questions today?

Norman Smith - Assistant political editor
The short answer is we don't know. It is all very odd. I've tried to contact Downing Street this morning to get clarification - and no answer.
I can only surmise that it is a health issue and they are calculating whether Mr Johnson is up to it.
Although we saw him give that statement on Monday, it was only six minutes and Prime Minister's Questions is an entirely different occasion. It is not the bear pit it normally is because it is a virtual Prime Minister's Questions.
Nevertheless, it is an hour long and to remain on your feet answering questions for an hour is a significant physical ordeal.
I imagine Number 10 is calculating whether to risk it because it will be broadcast and they would not want the PM to be seen having difficulties.  (See below)

'British Airways needs government help'

Why is British Airways not receiving help from the UK government like other flag carriers? - a question the pilots’ union Balpa is asking.
BA is set to cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 42,000-strong workforce due to a collapse in business because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airline's parent company IAG, which also owns Spanish airline Iberia and Ireland's Aer Lingus, said it would take several years for air travel to return to pre-virus levels.
“Why is the French government bailing out Air France, why is the German government bailing out Lufthansa, why is IAG itself not doing anything with other flag carrier airlines, only BA?” Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Why in the UK is our aviation industry getting hammered? Other countries are supporting theirs.
“I’d like the chancellor to keep his promise of a bespoke package to help the aviation industry. We haven’t seen it yet.”

What will happen to Europe’s tourism industry?

While those employed in aviation and tourism face particularly worrying times, many would-be holidaymakers are wondering whether they will able to go on their planned trips this year. Countries reliant on sun-seeking visitors are hoping they will be able to welcome them.
Tourism ministers from across the EU are meeting today to discuss how the industry can aim to restart and recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Greek tourism minister Harry Theoharis says they will be discussing how to allow travel in a “safe and responsible way”, including the possibility of people being tested before they get on a flight.
Greece sees about 20% of its economy generated by the holiday industry.
“We want people to come to Greece this summer,” Theoharis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Of course we will take precautions in terms of the requirements before travelling, but also in the way people travel and the way they stay. On sunbeds, etc, social distancing rules will apply.”

The latest from Europe

Germany looks set to extend its travel ban and Spain lays out its lockdown exit plan. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• According to Der Spiegel newspaper, Germany is going to extend its global travel warning until 14 June, cautioning against any trips abroad. Some German states start their summer holidays at the end of June, so there are worries that the warnings could affect people’s vacations
  
• Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is addressing parliament this morning about his plans to lift the lockdown, announced yesterday. There is no fixed schedule, but Mr Sanchez hopes for a return to “normality” by the end of June
  
• Health authorities in Switzerland say grandchildren can hug their grandparents. Daniel Koch, head of the country’s Federal Office of Public Health, told reporters: "It would be wrong to prohibit grandparents, who are already suffering from the situation, from hugging their grandchildren when they know they are not contagious"
  
• A ferry is docking in Italy for use as a hospital ship. Elderly coronavirus patients will be transferred away from rest homes where the illness could spread. The vessel will dock at the city of Trieste on Wednesday
  

More than a million cases - the latest from the US

The US has recorded one million cases of the virus, and Vice-President Mike Pence has toured a hospital without wearing a mask. Here's the latest from the US:

• Pence was pictured touring the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota without a face-covering despite there being a mask rule in place there. He appeared to be the only person not to wear one during the tour
  
• President Trump has ordered meatpacking plants to remain open to protect the country's food supply
  
• Almost 70 people have died with coronavirus at a home for ageing veterans in Massachusetts. Another 82 residents and 81 employees have tested positive there, according to Associated Press
  
• Congress has abandoned plans to return to Washington after some lawmakers complained it was too soon
  

10:07
UK PM Boris Johnson's fiancee gives birth

The fiancee of Boris Johnson - the UK PM who was recently in intensive care with Covid-19 - has given birth to a baby boy.

Mother and baby 'doing very well'

A spokeswoman for the UK PM said Carrie Symonds and the newborn were "doing very well" after the birth in a London hospital on Wednesday morning.
"The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team," a spokeswoman said.
Read more here

A busy time for Boris Johnson

The birth of his son is another milestone in a particularly intense period for the UK prime minister as his government faces the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.

• 27 March: Tests positive for Covid-19
  
• 5 April: Admitted to hospital
  
• 7 April: Moved to intensive care
  
• 27 April: Returns to work
  
• 29 April: Baby born
  

What's the latest from Asia?

Here's a quick look at what is the latest from across the region:

• China reported 22 new cases, 21 of which were imported, and no new deaths - bringing its confirmed number of cases to 82,858
  
• Vietnam woke up to no new cases on Wednesday - this means 13 days have passed with no signs of community transmissions, authorities said. It's been about a week since the country eased a nationwide lockdown, and life is slowly returning to normal
  

• The downward trend continues in South Korea where, after ballooning in February, daily infections have reduced drastically - only nine fresh cases were confirmed on Wednesday
  
• But in India, infections are slowly climbing. With just over 30,000 cases, the country now has the second highest number of infections in the region
  
• And in the Philippines, one couple have named their newborn Covid Marie. The parents told AFP that they wanted her name to be a reminder that the virus did not only bring suffering - "despite everything, a blessing came to us," her father said.
  

'A tumultuous few weeks in the Johnson household'

Norman Smith - Assistant political editor
We were told the baby was due in early summer, so it has come early. But we are told both Carrie Symonds and the baby boy are doing well. Not much more is known.
What a tumultuous few weeks in the Johnson household with Boris Johnson having a near-death experience and now the birth of the baby boy. And hugely worrying for Carrie Symonds, who herself had coronavirus symptoms, with the uncertainty and the fear compounded.
It has been an extraordinary emotional rollercoaster which fortunately seems to have ended well for them.
Cynical old hacks like me were assuming Boris Johnson wouldn't be taking part in Prime Minister's Questions because his health wasn't up to it. Actually there is a better and happier reason for not taking part.
I guess there will be a question as to whether he will be taking paternity leave and moving back from frontline politics... I would doubt it given the gravity of the crisis we are in. I would imagine any respite from dealing with coronavirus would be pretty limited.

Politicians congratulate PM on birth of son

Politicians of all stripes have been sending their congratulations to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson following the birth of his son, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

PM's baby born at NHS hospital

It is understood the prime minister was present throughout the birth, which took place at an NHS hospital in London.
Unsurprisingly, Boris Johnson will not appear at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon. He had only returned to work on Monday after recovering from coronavirus.
He has previously suggested he plans to take paternity leave, but it is not known if this remains the case given the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine killed in Peru riots over Covid-19 deaths

Nine inmates have been killed in a prison riot in Peru, according to authorities there.
The riot broke out at the Castro Castro prison in Lima after two prisoners died with covid-19.
Two inmates, five police officers and 60 prison guards were injured.
Jails in a number of countries in Latin America are seeing unrest over fears from prisoners that they could catch the virus due to overcrowding and poor health care.
Last month more than 23 people were killed in a prison in Colombia after a riot broke out over conditions there.
The United Nations has urged governments to do more to protect inmates and has suggested the most vulnerable be temporarily released to ease overcrowding.

Hundreds of Moroccan inmates test positive for virus

Some 313 coronavirus cases have been reported in Moroccan jails following mass testing for Covid-19.
The authorities say Ouarzazate prison in central Morocco recorded 303 cases, while 10 other cases were in Oudaya prison in Marrakesh and Ksar Kebir prison in the north-west.
Most of the cases involved prisoners, but a small number of prison warders were also diagnosed.
The mass testing started after one person in Ouarzazate prison tested positive last week.
The authorities say they have isolated all positive cases and all warders have been issued with protective gear.
There are nearly 80,000 inmates in Moroccan prisons. In early April, more than 5,654 inmates were pardoned by the king to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in notoriously overcrowded prisons.
Morocco has 4,252 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 165 deaths.

Aircraft carrier crew await test results

Jonathan Beale - BBC defence correspondent
More than 800 sailors have now been tested for Covid-19 on board the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Royal Navy is now awaiting the results before making a decision as to when she’ll leave Portsmouth for further sea trials.
The aircraft carrier was due to depart earlier this week but that was delayed so the crew could be tested.
The decision to test the crew came after a number of outbreaks of the virus on board US and French warships.

'Such happy news amid so much uncertainty'

Back now to the news that the UK's PM - only recently recovered from a spell in intensive care with coronavirus disease - has just welcomed a new baby into his family.
Boris Johnson's father Stanley has told the BBC he is "absolutely delighted" at the news of the birth of his grandson.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also congratulated the couple adding: "Such happy news amid so much uncertainty - 2020 is certainly a year they will never forget."
And the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wished them "every blessing and happiness".
First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe also sent their congratulations.

Switzerland says young children can hug grandparents

Across the world, elderly people have been separated from their grandchildren as part of social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
The emotional impact of this has been hard on many families - it was the topic of the first question from a member of the public at the UK government briefing on Monday.
In Switzerland - which is beginning to ease its lockdown measures - authorities say they consider that it is now safe for children under the age of 10 to hug their grandparents.
The health ministry's infectious diseases chief Daniel Koch said scientists had concluded that young children did not transmit the virus.
Switzerland has recorded 1,699 deaths linked to coronavirus.
Read more here.

Malawi launches cash aid for virus-hit households

Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has announced an emergency cash transfer programme for people worst-affected by Covid-19.
Eligible households will receive a monthly payment of 35,000 Malawian kwacha ($47; £38) by mobile cash transfer starting in May.
The announcement came after the High Court in Malawi extended an order preventing the government from implementing a three-week lockdown.
Human rights groups had complained that there was no safety net for the poorest people.
The cash transfer programme would target just under one million people and small businesses, President Mutharika said on Tuesday.
The southern African country of 18 million has so far recorded 36 cases of coronavirus, including three deaths.
Read:

• What African countries are doing to help people to eat amid the lockdowns
  

Latest from the UK

If you're just joining us, a very warm welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. We're doing our best to keep you up to date with the latest developments around the world.
Prime Minister's Questions is due to get under way shortly in Westminster, and the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is sure to come under scrutiny from MPs.
Here's a quick look at the latest stories from the UK:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds have announced the birth of a son. The PM returned to work on Monday after recovering from coronavirus
  
• Coronavirus testing is being made available to millions more people in England - including care home residents and staff with or without symptoms
  

• It comes as the government prepares to publish up-to-date figures for all coronavirus deaths - including those in care homes - for the first time
  
• Thousands of cancer patients will be operated on at new centres designed to be kept clear of the virus
  
• Retailer Next says it has plans in place to reopen out-of-town stores once restrictions are lifted as it warned sales will suffer
  
• The pandemic will hasten the decline in the use of cash as people make a long-term switch to digital payments, experts say
  

• A train has been named after Captain Tom Moore, the war veteran who has raised £29m for the NHS by walking 100 laps around his garden
  

Starmer: 'Unimaginable anxiety'

House of Commons - Parliament
In PMQs, UK's Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer added his congratulations and said: "Whatever differences we have in this House, as human beings I think we all recognise the anxiety that the prime minister and Carrie must have gone through in these past few weeks - unimaginable anxiety.
"I really hope that this brings them incredible relief and joy."
The prime minister, who has only recently recovered from coronavirus, is not at PMQs following the birth of his son with fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Starmer: UK 'on track for worse death rate in Europe'

For his first question, Sir Keir Starmer says 27,241 people have probably died with coronavirus in all settings, and this number will rise further.
Referencing Mr Johnson's comments this week on the "apparent success" of the UK lockdown, Sir Keir says the UK is "possibly on track to have the worst death rate in Europe".
In reply, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the pandemic is "unprecedented" - and expresses his "joint horror" at the deaths.
However he says it is "too early" to make international comparisons on the death rates.

Raab: A challenge we can and must grip

Sir Keir Starmer welcomes the fact that the number of deaths in hospitals admissions are going down.
"It appears that this isn't the case in care homes," he says.
He says there has been "anxiety" on the frontline of the care sector over a lack of PPE and testing.
Dominic Raab replies: "We have a comprehensive plan to ramp up testing in care homes, to overhaul the way PPE is delivered and also to expand the workforce by 20,000.
He says it is a challenge but adds "this is a challenge that we must grip and can grip"

'Not true overall' to say things are getting worse - Raab

Sir Keir Starmer asks Dominic Raab whether he thinks deaths in care homes are falling or not.
Switching to the topic of personal protective equipment, he says "you'd hope by now things would be getting better not worse".
Quoting a survey, he says doctors are not getting the protection they need, and asks: "what is going on, and how soon can it be fixed?"
Mr Raab says it is "not true overall" to say things are getting worse, and the main elements of the UK strategy are working.
He says it is important to recognise the "global supply shortage" when it comes to sourcing protective gear.
He says there are some "positive signs" on death figures for care homes, but they are "within the margin of error".

Africa’s most populous nation is falling behind on testing

Reality Check
The head of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control issued an urgent plea for supplies to scale up testing.
"We’re desperately looking for more RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) extraction kits as we expand #COVID19 testing," said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu on Twitter. With an estimated population of 200 million, Nigeria has only managed about 11,000 tests since the outbreak began, confirming about 1,500 cases.
In comparison, South Africa, which has close to 60 million people, has conducted over 185,000 tests.
Ethiopia has conducted just over 15,000 - but has a population of around 114 million, which means that its testing rate is considerably higher than Nigeria’s.
Fierce global competition with countries in Europe and Asia, many of which experienced outbreaks earlier, have made it challenging for African countries to get hold of testing equipment.

Deaths in Scotland pass 2,200

A further 656 deaths linked to coronavirus in Scotland have been recorded - taking the total number to 2,272.
The increase takes into account deaths recorded in the week to 26 April, similar to the number the week before.
The data from the National Records of Scotland includes all cases where the virus is mentioned on a death certificate as a potential cause.
This provides a wider picture than the figures announced each day, which cover cases confirmed by laboratory testing.

Starmer urges Raab to work with opposition leaders

"We want to support the government on an exit strategy," says Keir Starmer.
"Will the government work constructively and openly on the question of what happens on the next stage?"
Dominic Raab says the government "will certainly engage" with opposition leaders.
However, he adds: "If he is suggesting we can set out concrete proposals [about easing the lockdown] despite clear evidence and advice from Sage, if he thinks he knows better than Sage then he needs to explain that."

'Why did UK opt out of EU ventilator scheme?'

Labour's Geraint Davies asks at PMQs why the UK opted out of an EU scheme to obtain ventilators.
"Was it a political or commercial decision," he asks.
"The original issue was failure of communication," replies Dominic Raab.
He adds that it is "clear" the scheme would not have made "any significant difference".
He promises that the UK "will look at any future procurement EU-wide initiatives".
You can read background to this question here.

Australia PM calls for investigation into virus despite criticism from China

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has again called for an independent investigation into the coronavirus outbreak.
He said it was "entirely reasonable" that the world would want to understand how the pandemic had spread.
China's ambassador to Australia has rejected calls for an independent review and suggested that China could boycott Australian products.
Also on Wednesday, China's consul-general for Victoria and Tasmania was accused of gatecrashing a national press conference by Health Minister Greg Hunt.
The televised conference was to announce that billionaire Andrew Forrest had secured 10 million testing kits for Australia.
Forrest invited the consul-general Zhou Long to make a few remarks at the podium.
He was not introduced by the foreign minister and was not allowed to take questions.
According to local media, the foreign minister's office and the prime minister's office were not informed about his attendance at the conference.
Zhou then praised China's efforts in tackling covid-19.
Forrest had earlier called for tensions between the two countries to ease.

UK coronavirus app 'ready in two to three weeks'

Rory Cellan-Jones - Technology correspondent


Building a coronavirus contact-tracing app that might help the UK emerge from lockdown has been a titanic effort - and it has largely taken place in private.
NHS Digital chief executive Matthew Gould told MPs the app would be "technically ready" for deployment in "two to three weeks".
But he made it clear it was only one part of the strategy to emerge from lockdown and would involve a none-too-subtle marketing campaign.
"If you want to protect the NHS and stop it being overwhelmed and, at the same time, want to get the economy moving, then the app is going to be an essential part of a strategy for doing that," he said.

'More than 1.5 billion people risk losing livelihoods'

About half of all workers worldwide are in danger of having their livlihoods destroyed because of the pandemic, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned.
The figure equates to more than 1.5 billion people.
Covid-19 has infected more than 3.1 million people around the world and killed nearly 220,000.
The ILO says those with informal work arrangements are most in danger - many are in the retail sector, manufacturing and food services industry.
Already, two billion informal workers have seen their wages fall by a global average of 60% during the first month that the pandemic unfolded in their region.
"For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. Millions of businesses around the world are barely breathing,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.
“They have no savings or access to credit. These are the real faces of the world of work. If we don’t help them now, they will simply perish,” he added.

New Berlin airport almost ready for take-off

Once travel restrictions are eventually eased, passengers flying to Berlin are set to land in the German capital's long-awaited new airport - which will open later this year after a nine-year delay.
The Berlin-Brandenburg airport was due to open in March 2011.
A series of delays and scandals - including two redesigns of the terminal, the construction planning firm going bankrupt and a corruption whistleblower claiming his coffee was poisoned - put it on hold.
Building authorities have finally given it clearance for take off on 31 October. It will replace the capital's old Tegel and Schönefeld airports.

The new airport will be named after former West Germany chancellor Willy Brandt

Schools in England will reopen in phases - education secretary

The reopening of schools in England is expected to take place in a "phased manner", Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said.
He told the Education Select Committee the date for opening would depend on scientific advice - but schools would get "as much notice as possible".
However, when pupils start returning, it could just be for some year groups.
"All schools returning on day one with a full complement of pupils would not be realistic," the education secretary told MPs.
Read the full story here.

Spanish beach sprayed with bleach

Authorities in Spain have apologised after spraying a beach with bleach in an attempt to protect children from coronavirus.
Zahara de los Atunes, near Cadiz, used tractors to spray more than 2km (1.2 miles) of beach with a bleach solution a day before Spain allowed children out of lockdown for the first time.
The beach and its dunes are protected breeding and nesting places for migratory birds. Environmentalists say the move caused "brutal damage" to the local ecosystem.
Spain has recorded 23,800 coronavirus deaths.
Read more here

UK has repatriated 1.3 million people - Foreign Office minister

The UK has repatriated 1.3 million people since the coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Office minister Nigel Adams has said.
Among those, Mr Adams said 200,000 British nationals had returned from Spain and 50,000 from Australia in the past month alone.
He added that the UK planned to bring back thousands more travellers in the next week on charter flights, including from Bangladesh, Nigeria and New Zealand.

Third of hospitalised Covid-19 patients in UK have died, study finds

James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
The biggest study of Covid-19 patients in the UK shows a third admitted to hospital have died.
Just under half have been discharged, with the rest still being treated.
Prof Calum Semple, the chief investigator from the University of Liverpool, said the "crude hospital fatality rate is of the same magnitude as Ebola".
He said around 35-40% of hospitalised Ebola patients die.
"People need to hear this... this is an incredibly dangerous disease."
Nearly 17,000 patients from 166 hospitals were part of the study. Obesity and age both increased the risk of death.
The study also confirmed that men are more likely to have severe disease, and the gap between outcomes for men and women gets wider with age.

Visa extensions for more front-line health workers

Free visa extensions are to be automatically granted to more overseas health and care workers in the UK, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said.
Front-line workers, including midwives, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists, with visas due to expire before 1 October 2020 will receive an automatic one-year extension. It will apply to those working both in the NHS and independent sector and their family members.
It comes after the home secretary announced a similar move for NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics last month

Ukrainian seasonal workers stopped flying to the UK

Zhanna Bezpiatchuk - BBC Ukrainian Service reporter
Ukraine's national airline has cancelled a special flight taking seasonal contract workers to the UK, where they can earn four times as much as at home.
The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight was scheduled to leave Kiev for London today. But with very short notice, the state aviation agency barred the flight.
Over a hundred Ukrainians, most of whom have six-month work permits in the UK, were left stuck at the airport.
Ukraine remains under lockdown until 12 May with numerous restrictive measures. However, some special flights upon request are still allowed to be operated.
"We were told by the airline that they are fighting for our right to go for work to the UK. It’s not clear what we do now," Igor Peterenko, one of the stuck workers, told the BBC.
He was hired to work in an agriculture job until October.
The Ukrainian government has said it won’t help other countries with flights for seasonal workers. Instead, it encouraged Ukrainians to stay and work at home.
"In Ukraine the first priority is safety and health of our citizens. Amid [the] pandemic any trip brings risks of contraction, especially when it comes to flight," said Ukrainian foreign affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba.

UK PM to take 'short period' of paternity leave

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to take a “short period” of paternity leave at some point later this year, a Downing Street spokesman has said.
The spokesman said Mr Johnson was now back at work in No 10, following the birth of his son this morning.
The family is expected to live at Downing Street, in the flat above No 11.

US economy sinks 4.8% in first quarter

The US economy sank at an annual rate of 4.8% during the first quarter, according to official figures released on Wednesday. It is the most severe contraction in more than a decade.
More than 26 million people in the US have filed for unemployment. Forecasters expect growth to contract 30% or more in the three months to June.
Countries around the world are feeling the economic strain from the impact of Covid-19.
In Germany, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said the pandemic will send the country's economy into the worst recession since World War Two.
The country's GDP is expected to shrink by 6.3%.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that global growth will drop by almost 3%.

445 more deaths in England and 73 more in Wales

A further 445 coronavirus-related hospital deaths have been announced in England, taking the total to 19,740.
The deaths included a patient aged 14 with no known underlying health conditions.
In Wales, a further 73 people have died after testing positive for the virus, taking the total number of deaths there to 886.
UK-wide figures will be published by the Department of Health later today. The figures will include deaths in care homes and the community, as well as those in hospital, for the first time.

UK pledges £1.5bn for Covid-19 vaccine delivery

The UK government has pledged more than £1.5bn over the next five years as part of international efforts to find a Covid-19 vaccine.
International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan told MPs the UK would contribute the equivalent of £330m a year for the next five years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance - formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.
First Secretary Dominic Raab later said the government will seek to vaccinate "all of the people here in the UK" as well as supporting the "most vulnerable and poorest countries" in immunising their populations.

Germany extends travel ban

Germany is extending its travel ban for unnecessary international travel until 14 June.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says the warning, which had been due to expire 3 May, is being extended because there has been no change to the danger posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Naturally we all hope we won’t need this travel warning after June 14," Mass said.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, Germany currently has 159,912 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 6,314 deaths from the virus.

Prime minister of Guinea-Bissau tests positive

Nuno Gomes Nabiam became prime minister of Guinea-Bissau in February


Nuno Gomes Nabiam, the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau, and three of his cabinet have tested positive for coronavirus.
They were quarantined in a hotel in the capital Bissau after the results were confirmed on Tuesday, the health ministry said in a statement.
The west African country has more than 70 cases of the virus, with one death, but Health Minister Antonio Deuna warns the rate could rise.

MPs in Uganda ordered to hand back money

MPs in Uganda who allocated themselves a total of 10bn Ugandan shillings ($2.6m; £2m) to raise awareness about coronavirus have been ordered to hand back the money.
Each MP was set to get the equivalent of $5,000, although some rejected the cash.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni [url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-47639452?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5ea90229ddcf8806719a2510%26Uganda president blasts MPs over coronavirus funds%262020-04-29t05%3a05%3a33.850z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:9f2610b6-1e05-4e20-9e3f-a4fbbfffb3b0&pinned_post_asset_id=5ea90229ddcf8806719a2510&pinned_post_type=share]criticised the MPs[/url] and called their decision to allocate funding to themselves "morally reprehensible".
The High Court in Kampala has now ordered Ugandan MPs to hand back the cash.
Uganda has so far confirmed 79 cases of coronavirus. The country is in lockdown, with restrictions due to end next Tuesday.

Lockdown disrupts tea supply as demand spikes

Millions of cups of tea are consumed around the world each day yet the global tea market is starting to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic just as consumers in lockdown drive up demand.
Strict restrictions on movement to contain the virus have already disrupted the key leaf-picking season, delaying some shipments by about a month and triggering a spike in prices.
Five countries - China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Vietnam - account for 82% of global tea exports. Prabhat Bezboruah, chairman of India’s Tea Board, said India’s output is likely to drop by 9% in 2020 as the lockdown initially forced plantations to suspend plucking during the opening harvest.
Prices for raw tea, which Russia imports, jumped as much as 30% from pre-lockdown levels.
There have been claims on social media - which are false - that drinking a hot drink will help protect people from coronavirus.

No, Japanese Nobel laureate did not say the virus is man-made

Reality Check


Tasuku Honjo shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology

A viral message attributed to Japanese Nobel Prize laureate Tasuku Honjo claims that he believes the new coronavirus was “manufactured” in a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The post has been shared thousands of times on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter in multiple languages.
But Professor Honjo, the 2018 winner of Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has made no such remarks.
In a statement published on the website of Kyoto University, where he holds the position of deputy director-general of the Institute for Advanced Study, he said he was “greatly saddened” that his name had been used to spread “false accusations and misinformation”.
“At this stage, when all of our energies are needed to treat the ill, prevent the further spread of sorrow, and plan for a new beginning, the broadcasting of unsubstantiated claims regarding the origins of the disease is dangerously distracting,” he added.
Conspiracy theories about the man-made origin of the virus have been doing the rounds on social media since the start of the outbreak. This has been widely dismissed by scientists who say genome sequencing shows that it came from animals.
Read more Reality Check investigations here.

126 UK healthcare workers believed to have died

Some 126 healthcare workers are now believed to have died after contracting coronavirus, BBC analysis suggests.
Of those, 63 were men and 61 were women.
In England, 112 deaths have been recorded. In Scotland there were four, and in Wales nine. To date, we have not recorded any health worker deaths in Northern Ireland.
Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers accounted for 76 deaths, where we have been able to establish ethnicity.
Additional analysis has found credible reports for the deaths of 18 social care workers across the UK.
We've been unable to verify whether these people tested positive for the virus. Instead, our information comes from public reports where the family or workplace have said their death was related to Covid-19.
Read more: Remembering 100 NHS and healthcare workers who have died

The UK picture

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

• Around 29% of care homes have reported coronavirus outbreaks between 17 March and Monday this week, according to Public Health England
  
• Deaths in UK care homes are due to be published as a daily figure for the first time
  
• The UK now has the capacity to carry out 73,400 tests a day, according to Downing Street
  
• The government says it is still aiming to perform 100,000 tests daily by Thursday
  

• It has been confirmed that more than 1.3 million Britons have been repatriated since the outbreak began
  

Location is a factor in deaths of black people

By Maryam Ahmed, data scientist, BBC News
BBC analysis shows that black people are over-represented in the coronavirus death toll in the UK, partly because they tend to live in the areas where the epidemic is worst.
Across England, people from black backgrounds make up 3.5% of the population but account for 6% of coronavirus deaths. This suggests the number of deaths in the black community is nearly twice as high as might be expected.
But most deaths from coronavirus have been in London. Here, black people make up 12% of the population and account for 16% of deaths. This is still an unusually high number of deaths, around one third higher than expected, but to a lesser extent than indicated by the national statistics.
You can read more about the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities here.

The hidden cost of the pandemic

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
The rising death toll from coronavirus is never far from the headlines, but hidden behind the daily figures is what public health experts refer to as the "parallel epidemic".
This is the wider impact on people's health that is the result of dealing with a pandemic.
UK chief medical adviser Prof Chris Witty has been referring to this with increasing frequency during the daily briefings, speaking about the "indirect" costs of coronavirus.
But what is it, and how significant could it be?
Drops in referrals for cancer care, fewer A&E visits and rising rates of mental illness could take a huge toll. Read more here

What's the latest in the US?

The US now has 1,014,568 confirmed cases after passing the one million milestone yesterday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. At least 58,471 Americans have died of the coronavirus.
Here's what else is happening across the US today:

• As cases continue to climb, US states like Georgia and Oklahoma are pressing forward with plans to reopen their economies after virus shutdowns
  
• Even in California - which remains under a stay-at-home order - local authorities have voted to reopen some southern beaches
  
• The US treasury is looking for refunds on stimulus payments, mistakenly sent out to the recently deceased. Millions of Americans have been promised payments of up to $1,200 (£964) as part of the government's rescue package
  
• The US economy has suffered its most severe contraction in more than a decade - an annualised 4.8%.
  

UK coronavirus deaths rise to 26,097

A total of 26,097 people have died with coronavirus in the UK from 2 March to 28 April.
For the first time, the UK-wide figure includes deaths in care homes and the community as well as hospitals.
The deaths counted are people who died after testing positive for the virus.
Public Health England has now reported an additional 3,811 deaths in England since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Of these, around 70% were outside hospital settings and around 30% were in hospital.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the briefing today's figures showed an additional 765 deaths compared to yesterday.

Raab: Public 'overwhelmingly support' lockdown

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says 52,429 tests took place yesterday - ministers have a target to hit 100,000 by Thursday.
He says there is evidence the peak of the virus is "flattening" due to the lockdown and measures to increase capacity.
He adds there has been "overwhelming support" for the measures, but the UK is still at a "delicate and dangerous moment".

Second virus peak a real risk, says Raab

Dominic Raab says the lockdown will not be eased until ministers know a "second peak" can be avoided.
He says this is a "real risk", which could result in "many more deaths" and further "economic pain" with a second lockdown.
He says the government are working on plans for a "second phase" but urges patience.
He says ministers will wait for scientific advisers to report back in early May before making a decision.

Raab: 19,000 cruise ship passengers returned

Dominic Raab gives some more details of British nationals who have been repatriated - earlier it was confirmed 1.3 million have come home.
He says this includes 19,000 people who were on cruise ships when Foreign Office advice changed to return home.
He says officials have led an "unprecedented effort" to support repatriation, and praises their "outstanding work".

Reducing care home infections 'has been a challenge'

There's a question about whether today's latest figures show deaths in care homes are increasing.
Prof Yvonne Doyle says we "don't think we can say that quite yet", although the number of deaths so far may go up due to reporting lags.
Dominic Raab says reducing infections in care homes has been a "challenge" and the government has been clear on that.
Prof Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, says a figure for "excess" deaths will also eventually be available.
He says this will be "highly comparable" with equivalent figures in other countries and will provide a "better answer".

Quarantining arrivals 'may become more relevant' - Raab

There's a question from the public - Matthew from Surrey asks why those arriving into the UK are not being asked to quarantine on arrival.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the evidence shows this would not make a "significant material difference" to the spread of the virus.
However, he adds the measure "may become more relevant" as the epidemic progresses.

The latest from Europe

Europe grapples with travel bans and environmentalists clash with Spanish authorities over a bleached beach. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• Lockdowns are starting to ease across the continent, but governments are struggling with movement of people. Tourism and airline industries are struggling, while local authorities are worrying about how to handle summer holidays. You can read more here
  
• Authorities at a Spanish coastal report have apologised for spraying a beach with bleach. Tractors sprayed the chemicals along the beach in a bid to protect children from coronavirus, but environmentalists say the move caused “brutal damage”
  
• Swiss children under the age of 10 are now allowed to hug their grandparents. Health officials there believe young children don’t transmit the virus, but cautioned against babysitting or prolonged visits
  
• The virus has forced authorities in Greece to rapidly digitise the state, so people can access services without leaving their homes. As part of these digital reforms one minister has proposed banning fax machines (yes, you read that right) in government offices
  

New York death toll slows, remains 'disgustingly high'

New York State reported 330 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, a muted decline from the 335 the day before. New hospitalisations and intubations have also continued a steady downward trend.
"The decline has been slow at best", Governor Andrew Cuomo said. And deaths are "still disgustingly high".
What else did Cuomo say at his daily briefing?

• Some counties in New York - mostly upstate - will be able to resume elective surgeries as long as 30% of hospital beds and ICU beds remain open
  
• New York will expand antibody testing for its first responders. After 2,000 tests so far, 17.1% of New York fire department and EMT workers and 10.5% of police officers have tested positive for the Covid-19 antibody
  
• The state will also provide tests to 1,000 transport workers. Cuomo said he has directed the state's transit system to disinfect every subway car every night to limit the spread
  
• Cuomo once again lambasted top Republican Mitch McConnell for his suggestion that states should not be "bailed out" as the virus continues to crush the US economy. "How long are you going to play the American people and assume they're stupid?" Cuomo said, adding that his state pays $29 billion into federal coffers every year.
  

What happened at today's UK government briefing?

We've just finished listening to the government's daily coronavirus briefing, led by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Here are the key points:

• The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has passed 26,000, as official figures include deaths in the community, such as in care homes, for the first time. The deaths counted are people who died after testing positive for the virus. [url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-52466471?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5ea99ead18658a0667ec4edd%26What do UK death figures mean%3f%262020-04-29t16%3a20%3a57.463z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:619db2ce-624c-427c-b767-8b849fd5549f&pinned_post_asset_id=5ea99ead18658a0667ec4edd&pinned_post_type=share]Read our health correspondent’s analysis of what the new figures mean here[/url]
  
• Mr Raab said 52,429 tests took place on Tuesday - ministers have pledged to hit 100,000 tests a day by Thursday
  

• The number of people going to hospital is falling in all regions, but the UK is still passing through the peak of the virus, Public Health England’s Prof Yvonne Doyle said
  
• Asked by a member of the public whether lives could be saved by moving some care home residents to Nightingale hospitals, Mr Raab said the use of the new hospitals was "under constant discussion"
  
• Prof Doyle warned there has been a "slightly worrying" increase in road traffic, with Great Britain seeing the largest uptick since 23 March
  
• Asked whether the government will relax rules preventing certain immigrants from accessing benefits, Mr Raab said matter was being kept "under constant review" by the Home Office.
  

Two major trials for Covid-19 treatment under way

Fergus Walsh - Medical correspondent
A trial of potential treatments for Covid-19 has now enrolled more than 8,000 hospital patients throughout the UK.
The RECOVERY trial, led by the University of Oxford, is testing five existing medicines. These include a combination HIV therapy and an anti-malarial drug, both of which are being examined to see if they can halt replication of the virus inside the body.
There are also treatments which aim to reduce inflammation, and dampen the immune response, which can go haywire in patients with severe disease.
The trial has enrolled patients in nearly 170 hospitals in the UK, and will seek to find out if the drugs reduce mortality.
“The more patients we can enrol, the quicker we will get results.The trial has broken many records in terms of size, it’s quite incredible,” the Principal Investigator Prof Peter Horby told the BBC.
The trial is by far the biggest in the world looking at possible medicines for coronavirus.
A global trial of Covid-19 treatments, launched by the World Health Organization, confirmed today that it have recruited more than 1,200 patients. The Solidarity trial will involve more than 100 countries.
Jeff Pike, 60, got coronavirus six weeks ago. He’s a patient at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge.
Jeff, who has had cancer twice, is now part of the RECOVERY trial and another study at Cambridge.
“Being part of the trials probably won’t help me, but it might help those that follow. We need some science at this moment,” he said.

Has Greece performed better in warding off the virus than other countries?

Reality Check
"We have a much much flatter curve than any country in Europe or perhaps any countries of the world," Harry Theoharis, Greek minister for Tourism, told the BBC.
Yes, Greece has had only a small number of deaths and confirmed cases compared to the rest of Europe, despite having a relatively elderly population and the country’s economic and social fabric enduring years of austerity.
There have been 138 recorded deaths from Covid-19 in Greece as of 29th April. That’s a mortality rate of 1.29 per 100,000 people - much lower than other European countries such as Italy, Spain, France and the UK, although both Bulgaria and Albania have even lower death rates than Greece, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Greece has tested around six out every 1,000 people – far less than many other European countries. This may explain in part why it has recorded fewer confirmed infections, but it’s also the case that its death rate remains remarkably low.
It’s important to note that countries record deaths differently so it can be difficult to make exact comparisons.
The Greek government has been credited with moving much earlier than other European countries to close schools, cancel mass events, and quarantine people arriving from abroad.

The UK government is halfway to its 100,000 daily testing target

Reality Check
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says 52,429 people were tested for coronavirus yesterday. This takes the government just over halfway to meeting its goal of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests by the end of April, with only one day to go.
Up until recently, the government was carrying out about 20,000 tests a day, so this means it has significantly ramped up testing numbers. It says testing capacity stands at about 73,000.
However, it could take a couple of days or more before we know if Thursday’s 100,000 testing target has been met.
The government has said that there is a “time lag” in collating some of the figures – such as home testing kits.
We explain more here about the process of going to get a test.

'China is not the enemy of the US'

US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China have kept in very close contact and compared notes over coronavirus, China's ambassador to the UK has told the BBC.
Earlier this week, Donald Trump told reporters he was not happy with China, saying he thinks it could have stopped coronavirus at the source.
"I just want to let Americans know that China is not the enemy of the United States," Liu Xiaoming told Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur.
"This virus is the enemy of the United States, they need to find the right target."

Kentucky Governor apologises to Tupac Shakur

The governor of Kentucky has apologised to a man named Tupac Shakur, after he filed for unemployment and was wrongly labelled a prankster.
Alas for fans of the popular US rapper, whose 1996 death sparked years of conspiracy theories, it appears the applicant wasn't him - but a man who changed his name by deed poll.
"We had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky," Governor Andy Beshear said. "And that person may have thought they were being funny, they probably did."
The criticism came as a shock to Tupac Malik Shakur, 46, who reportedly lives in Lexington, Kentucky, and had worked as a cook before the coronavirus pandemic closed down restaurants.

New York Mayor apologises after speaking out against Jewish funeral

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has apologised after a series of tweets castigating the "absolutely unacceptable" funeral gathering for a Jewish rabbi in the city's Williamsburg neighbourhood.
De Blasio personally oversaw the break-up of the Hasidic Jewish funeral on Tuesday night before taking to Twitter. Images on social media appeared show hundreds of mourners gathering for the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz.
"What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he wrote. "My message to the Jewish communities, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed."
Jewish leaders in New York quickly criticised de Blasio for appearing to target a single religious community.
"Did the Mayor of NYC really just single out one specific ethnic community (a community that has been the target of increasing hate crimes in HIS city) as being noncompliant??" wrote city councillor Chaim Deutsch, who represents a predominantly Jewish constituency, on Twitter.
On Wednesday, de Blasio apologised, saying his intention was not to be "hurtful", but added that he had "no regrets about calling out this danger".

Too much focus on 'personal soap opera' of PM - former spin doctor

Former director of communications to Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, said he congratulated Boris Johnson on the birth of his baby boy but he should have taken part in Prime Minister's Questions earlier today.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Campbell said he was not "mean-spirited" but it was important to "keep our perspective on the scale of the challenge" the UK was facing, citing the latest death figures in care homes and BA job losses.
He said there had been "too much of a focus on this almost like a personal soap opera, rather than one of the biggest national catastrophes that we've seen in our lifetime".
He added that he was worried the media coverage, mostly by newspapers, would be "disproportionate" and that it was possible to wish Mr Johnson well but "they’re not the Royal Family".

Could Wetherspoons reopen in June?

While enjoying a drink in a bar or restaurant still seems like a distant prospect for people in the UK, pub chain Wetherspoons has said it plans to reopen its pubs and hotels in June.
Bosses said they hope to benefit from the chain having larger pubs premises than its rivals.
"Wetherspoon pubs are substantially larger than average, and most have outside facilities. The company believes these factors are likely to assist if social distancing measures apply," said a statement.
Wetherspoons has 850 pubs in the UK which have been closed since the government introduced new measures in March to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The government has not yet outlined any plans to ease lockdown restrictions for pubs and restaurants.

Analysis: Ministers under pressure to support UK care sector

Jessica Parker - BBC political correspondent
The news of the birth of a healthy baby boy for UK PM Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds today elicited congratulations from across the political spectrum - a positive headline amid all those difficult, tragic and daunting ones.
Perhaps in a sign of the times, the prime minister was back at work within hours.
But today it fell to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deliver the sombre news that more than 26,000 people have died in the UK, with deaths inside and outside hospitals merged in the same total.
Despite the stark figures, Downing Street has resisted suggestions that the care sector was neglected as the government machine worked to ensure that the NHS could cope.
And it’s true to say that the care sector is a more disparate system than the health service, with settings run by a variety of local authorities, companies and charities - not to mention those who receive care in their own homes.
Regardless, ministers are now under significant pressure to reach, support and help those people whom some say have been forgotten.
That’s the immediate challenge.
But a longer-term question may be whether the adult social care sector finally gets the far-reaching reforms that have been promised by politicians for years.

Switzerland to re-open 'sooner than expected'

Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
Switzerland is to re-open all shops, restaurants, bars, and museums from 11 May.
The decision, which came sooner than expected, was taken, the government said, because the number of coronavirus cases and the number of hospitalisations was falling faster than expected.
Switzerland has had fewer than 250 cases of the virus per day for the last ten days. Its intensive care units have had space throughout the epidemic.
That is enough for the government to allow impatient businesses, especially bars and restaurants, to re-open.
The reopening of schools on 11 May has already been announced.
But the Swiss health minister warned this is not a return to normal: there will be no standing at bars, restaurant tables are limited to four people, with a distance of two metres between tables.
The ban on large gatherings remains.
At the same time countrywide tracing will begin, with quarantine orders for virus cases and all their contacts.
Some Swiss will breathe a sigh of relief at this decision, others, remembering how fast the virus took off in Switzerland, may fear the relaxation is too soon.

Yemen reports five more cases amid fears of undetected spread

The authorities in Yemen have reported five new Covid-19 cases, a day after the United Nations warned that there was a very real probability the coronavirus was “circulating undetected and unmitigated within communities” in the war-torn country.
Previously, only a single infection had been detected - in a port official at al-Shihr, in the south-eastern province of Hadramawt, almost four weeks ago. But health workers were reportedly unable to track down “patient zero” to help prevent an outbreak.
The new cases were reported on Wednesday in the second city of Aden, some 540km (335 miles) west of al-Shihr.
Aid workers have said an outbreak of Covid-19 in Yemen could be particularly devastating.
More than five years of civil war have badly degraded the country’s health service, leaving it desperately ill-equipped to cope with Covid-19.
The UN says 10 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, while 18 million people do not have direct access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene - limiting their ability to wash their hands.

Russia extends entry ban for foreigners

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has has extended a ban on foreigners entering Russia until the Covid-19 pandemic is contained. The ban would have expired on Friday.
Exceptions will be made for some visitors, such as foreigners entering Russia to set up or service imported equipment, Mishustin said.
Russia has reported 108 Covid-19 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total toll to 972.
The total number of cases reported by the Russian authorities since the start of the outbreak stands at 99,399.

BBC's Huw Edwards believes he had coronavirus

Huw Edwards often reads the six and ten'o'clock news in the UK

Our viewers in the UK may have noticed that newsreader Huw Edwards wasn't on our screens for a while in March.
On coming back to work, he said he'd been treated for pneumonia and took a period of rest.
His doctor was "totally convinced it was Covid-19" but he wasn't tested, the presenter wrote in a Welsh-language magazine.
Read more here

Coronavirus - latest headlines from around the world

Economies take a hit while death tolls sadly continue to rise in some countries. Here's a look at the latest global developments.

• The US economy suffered its most severe contraction in more than a decade in the first quarter of the year, as the country introduced lockdowns to slow the spread of coronavirus. The world's largest economy sank at an annual rate of 4.8%, according to official figures
  
• In China, where restrictions were in place for much of the quarter, the economy shrank by 6.8% while Germany said its economy could shrink by a record 6.3% this year
  
• Germany has extended a warning against global travel until 14 June
  
• The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has passed 26,000, as official figures include deaths in the community, such as in care homes, for the first time
  
• Half of the world's workers are in danger of having their livelihoods destroyed by the pandemic, a United Nations agency has warned. The International Labour Organisation's says the livelihoods of 1.6 billion informal workers are threatened by the virus
  

• Authorities in a Spanish coastal resort have apologised after spraying a beach with bleach in an attempt to protect children from coronavirus
  

Record daily rise in cases in South Africa

Lockdown regulations were introduced in South Africa on 27 March
South Africa has recorded its largest daily rise in the number of coronavirus cases, the health department has tweeted.
Another 354 infections were confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total to 5,350. It's a 73% increase on the previous day, officials said.
And a further 10 people have died, bringing the total there to 103.
One of the people who died was a nurse from the Western Cape, where 30 Cuban doctors are being sent to help medics.
[url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-47639452?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5ea9838d5c8cf7066bdf943e%26Cuban doctors ruffle feathers in South africa%262020-04-29t13%3a57%3a06.505z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:5033b994-1ee9-4621-8334-625f9ef8b561&pinned_post_asset_id=5ea9838d5c8cf7066bdf943e&pinned_post_type=share]The arrival of the Cuban doctors has angered some [/url]who argue that unemployed local medics should have been given priority for jobs.
After Egypt, South Africa is the worst-affected country in Africa.

Latest from Canada

On Wednesday, Canadians pondered safety in the meat industry, while a new report shed light on the sad outcomes of a health-care system with a one-track mind.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he did not want to pit worker safety against the food supply. "The priority for us is both things," he said. On Tuesday, Donald Trump declared that meatpacking plants must stay open, despite concerns over worker safety
  
• Later, a Cargill meat-processing plant responsible for Canada's largest outbreak announced it would re-open
  
• Mr Trudeau met with parliament to try and push through a C$9bn ($6.5bn, £5.2bn) student aid package for university students
  
• A report says that at least 35 Canadians have died because of coronavirus-related delays to coronary surgery
  
• . Thousands of surgeries have been cancelled or delayed to make room for a surge in coronavirus patients in hospitals
  
• Covid-19 has killed 3,097 people in Canada, with almost 80% of deaths occurring in long-term care and seniors homes
  

US inmate dies after giving birth on a ventilator

Andrea Circle Bear, a US federal prison inmate who gave birth while she was on a ventilator, has died of Covid-19.
Bear, 30, died on 28 April while serving a 26-month sentence for a drug charge in South Dakota. She is thought to be the first federal female inmate to have died with coronavirus in the US.
The US prisons bureau did not provide an update on the health of Circle Bear's baby.
Her death marks the 30th coronavirus-related death of federal inmates across the country.
At least 1,751 inmates have been moved from prisons to home confinement amid concerns of virus spread. However, Circle Bear did not appear to have been considered a priority for early release.
With an estimated 2.3 million people behind bars, the US has a greater proportion of imprisoned citizens than any other country.
Read the story here.


We're pausing our coverage here, but before we go, here's a recap of some of the day's top stories:

• Care home deaths are being included in the UK's death toll for the first time, and that terrible number rose to more than 26,000
  
• The pandemic has driven the US economy into its most severe contraction in more than a decade - with warnings of worse to come
  
• Germany is also expected to experience a record slump
  
• South Africa reported a large jump in cases, reaching 5,000 infections
  
• Conflicting news about the treatment drug remdesivir - the US says it can help patients, but a study in a medical journal suggests not
  
• The International Labour Organization warns that 1.5bn workers may have their livelihoods destroyed, especially those in the informal economy
  
• And finally, some light relief from the animals enjoying this quieter world, including some friendlier-than-usual dolphins in Istanbul
  

Thank you for joining us. Today's live coverage was brought to you by Tessa Wong, Saira Asher, Jaroslav Lukov, Frances Mao, Krutika Pathi, Owen Amos, Andreas Ilmer, Yvette Tan, Paul Seddon, Gavin Stamp, Sarah Collerton, Sophie Williams, Georgina Rannard, Gary Rose, Claudia Allen, Sean Fanning, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman, Deirdre Finnerty, Neil Johnston, Jonathan Jurejko and Becky Morton.