Coronavirus - 14th May

Summary for Thursday, 14th May

• The UN says the pandemic has caused widespread psychological distress worldwide
  
• It calls on all countries to make mental health support a key part of their virus response
  
• Japan's government is expected to announce restrictions are being eased earlier than planned in most regions
  
• Tokyo and other badly affected prefectures would remain under a state of emergency
  
• The virus "may never go away", even with a vaccine, the WHO has warned
  
• Brazil reports another new record number of cases - 11,385 in 24 hours
  
• President Trump says he "totally" disagrees with top US medical advisor Dr Fauci over opening schools
  
• Dr Fauci warned rushing to reopen schools and the economy could set back the US recovery
  
• The UK chancellor says it is "very likely" the UK is in a "significant recession"
  
• Globally, the number of people confirmed to have died with Covid-19 is nearing 300,000
  
• Australia records a 6.2% unemployment rate - PM Morrison says this is "shocking but not surprising"
  

Welcome back to our rolling coverage of all things coronavirus. With our teams across the globe, we’ll keep you posted on all developments today.
Here’s what you need to know as Asia kicks off this Thursday morning.

• Japan is expected to lift the state of emergency in most of the country - although Tokyo and other badly-affected prefectures will keep the measures for now
  
• The virus “may never go away”, an official at the World Health Organization has warned
  
• Brazil has seen another daily record - with more than 11,000 new infections in the past day
  
• The US has accused China of hacking organisations researching treatments and vaccines for Covid-19
  
• After a top US medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, warned against reopening schools and the economy too quickly, President Trump says this was “not an acceptable answer”
  
• Countries across the EU are planning to reopen their borders in the coming weeks
  
• The UK says it is "very likely" the country is in a "significant recession"
  

Japan expected to lift state of emergency

Japan is expected today to lift its state of emergency for 39 of its 47 prefectures - though Tokyo is set to keep restrictions in place.
Prefectures like Hokkaido - which at one stage was the worst-hit region in Japan - and large cities like Osaka are also expected to keep restrictions.
The state of emergency was meant to last until 6 May, but was then extended to 31 May.
It gives local authorities extra authority to order people to stay at home, and close schools and businesses - but there is no penalty imposed for non-compliance.
Japan has a relatively small number of infections, with 16,000 confirmed cases in a population of around 126 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
This may be more indicative of its low rate of testing. Only those who are quite ill are getting tested - though the government has started to ease guidelines for those seeking virus tests.

Struggling to accept the 'new normal' in Japan

Yuko Kato - BBC News, Tokyo
Although Japan never went into a full lockdown - since there are no legal provisions that give the government such powers - many of us are stuck at home under virus guidelines.
Main shopping areas are closed, businesses are suffering, and people are stressed out.
Even as the government muses on how to relax the restrictions, many of us are conflicted, wanting to save livelihoods - but also wanting to save lives.
Yes, the case figures and death tolls are almost inexplicably low, but not many are taking comfort in this. And many are questioning the government's response to the crisis.
The project of sending each household two cloth masks became the target of derision and exasperation - some were dirty and defective, the project was considered too expensive, the contracts were murky, and most of the country still hasn't received them.
Many also consider the government's financial support too little too late, and too mired in bureaucracy. After much protest on social media - and prodding from not just the opposition but from within the ruling coalition - the government finally promised to pay each resident Y100K (£766, $935).
But three weeks after the announcement, most of us are yet to see the necessary application forms.
On top of that, there has been a massive Twitter protest (as well as a silent gathering outside parliament) against the government trying to rush through a bill that would give the cabinet powers to extend the retirement age of chief prosecutors.
Coupled with the various corruption allegations connected to the government prior to the pandemic, the sense that the government is trying to bulldoze this through when the country is suffering has resulted in the hashtag protest gaining 9 million tweets.
With so many suffering financially, physically, and emotionally, many of us are finding it difficult to accept the “new normal” when there is much uncertainty in the air.

'Everything except bars' as New Zealand reopens

Most businesses will be open again under Level 2 - with distancing restrictions in place

New Zealand - hailed a world leader for its virus success - has moved into its next stage of reopening.
So what's open in the "Level 2" phase? Basically, everything except bars.
Shopping malls, clothing shops, cinemas, garden centres, hairdressers, massage parlours and restaurants are all open for business. Bars will have to wait another week
Up to 10 people can meet up, although more are allowed if they're family. But people should still maintain at least a 1m distance when going out.
New Zealand only started to exit its lockdown three weeks ago. It has reported no new cases for the past three days.

• How NZ relied on science and kindness
  

600,000 jobs lost in Australia

The data has just come out - and the Australian jobless rate has jumped from 5.2% to 6.2% in April - lower than the 8.3% forecast by economists.
Still, that's a loss of 600,000 jobs in a country not as severely affected as many others around the world.
But already, analysts say that number doesn't reflect the true damage to the economy. Welfare programmes have helped cushion the numbers.
Over six million Australians are receiving pay subsidised by the government. One million Australians have applied for unemployment payments. Together, that's over 40% of the workforce.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the nation: "It is a very tough day. Shocking but not unexpected."
He said more economic pain would come in the coming months, but the reopening of society in coming weeks would help.
The government has forecast unemployment will hit 10% by June, and GDP will fall 10% in the same period - the largest quarterly fall on record.

A welfare queue in Sydney in March

Trump dismisses Fauci warning as 'not acceptable'

For weeks, Dr Anthony Fauci has been the face of the US administration's coronavirus task force. The epidemiologist is among the top medical advisers to President Donald Trump on the virus.
Now there is open disagreement between Trump and the medical expert. Fauci had warned against opening schools and the economy too soon, as it might trigger a surge in new infections.
Trump dismissed the warning as "not acceptable", accusing Fauci of wanting "to play all sides of the equation".
The director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases made his warning in a testimony to lawmakers. Political pressure to reopen the economy is growing - despite new infections remaining high.

China's new cases drop to three

China recorded only three new infections in the past day, officials said on Thursday. That's down from seven new cases a day earlier.
All three cases were local transmission and were recorded in the north-eastern provinces of Liaoning and Jilin.
The city of Shulan in Jilin had a small new cluster over the weekend, stoking fears of a resurgence that have yet to be realised.
The figures also showed there were no new fatalities and 12 asymptomatic cases.
The total number of cases stands at 82,929 - while the death toll remains at at 4,633.

Virus 'may never go away' WHO warns

The coronavirus "may never go away", the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
"It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away," WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan said.
He added that even if a vaccine was found, controlling the virus would require a "massive effort".
Almost 300,000 people worldwide have died with coronavirus, with more than 4.3m cases recorded.

• Click here to read our full story
  

UN warns of virus mental health crisis

The United Nations has warned the coronavirus pandemic is causing widespread psychological distress - exacerbated by a long-term lack of investment in mental health care in many countries.
From frontline health professionals, to laid-off workers, to families struggling to home-school, to elderly people suffering loneliness and anxiety, the pandemic is taking a severe toll on many people's mental health.
In a policy document released on Thursday, the UN is calling for countries to include mental health and psycho-social support in their pandemic response plans.
Good mental health is critical to a functioning society, the UN says - and without these actions, the world faces not just a physical health crisis, but a mental health crisis as well

UK expats left stranded in Fiji until end of June

Alex Regan - BBC News

Abdulla Mohsin and Catherine David moved to New Zealand in January 2019, and have been stranded in Fiji since March

Two British nationals "stranded" in Fiji say permission to return to New Zealand has come six weeks too late.
Abdulla Mohsin and Catherine David, originally from Derbyshire, went to Fiji for their honeymoon before New Zealand, where they now live, closed its borders to most non-residents in March.
Initially, Mr Mohsin and Ms David were told that because they were on a "work to residency" visa, they were not classed as residents, despite living in Auckland since January 2019.
They have now been granted an exception to return to the country but no flights are scheduled until the end of June.

• Read more here
  

Indian labourers killed while walking 1,000km home

Six migrant workers have died after a bus ran them over in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police told local media.
The workers were walking from Punjab state to their home in Bihar state when the incident occurred on Wednesday night.
Their journey would have been around 1,000km, or 621 miles.
Millions in India were left stranded when the lockdown was announced in March. With industries shut, and bus and train services halted overnight, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers feared they would starve and attempted to walk back home.
Earlier this month, the government announced special trains for migrant workers, but reports of labourers walking home continue to emerge.
The news comes just as another similar incident took place in Madhya Pradesh state on Wednesday night, when a truck collision killed at least eight labourers, ANI news agency reported.
And just last week, officials ordered an investigation after 16 migrant workers were run over by a freight train in Maharashtra state

Queensland government interested in Virgin Australia

A few weeks ago we reported on airline Virgin Australia's collapse into voluntary administration.
As this is Australia's second-largest airline (and main competitor to Qantas), various groups were calling for the Australian government to prop it up, or even nationalise it.
The government refused - saying it should be left to the market.
Over a dozen corporate buyers were reported to be interested in the airline - and now the Queensland state government says it wants to bid for a stake.
Virgin has its headquarters there, and there are 5,000 jobs at risk.
"If we're going to secure those jobs and secure a second airline for our state and nation, we've got to be in that fight," said state treasurer Cameron Dick.

Dark truth of India's post-lockdown liquor queues

Soutik Biswas -India Correspondent
When some Indian cities eased the grinding lockdown last week, long queues were seen outside liquor shops.
In cities like Mumbai, a Covid-19 hotspot, booze-loving people made a mockery of social distancing rules, prompting the government to shut the shops again.
There was even social media chatter over a 52,000 rupees ($690; £560) receipt from a single alcohol buyer in Bangalore.
The manic rush was not surprising: the harsh lockdown meant there was a pent-up demand for booze.
And behind India's growing alcohol consumption, there is a darker reality.

• Read the full story here
  

India is the second largest consumer of liquor in the world

German infections stay below 1,000 post-lockdown

Germany has recorded 933 new infections, taking the official total to 172,239. The death toll rose by 89 to 7,723.
The graph below shows the number of deaths in Germany since the beginning of March, showing the country on a clear downward trend. Lockdown measures began to be eased slowly on 20 April.
From the start of the outbreak, the country was less severely affected than its western European neighbours. But as more restrictions are lifted, there's concern the numbers might pick up again.

Virus can trigger inflammatory disease in children

There's concern the coronavirus is leading to a rare inflammatory disease in children.
A number of children in the US, UK and the rest of Europe have been diagnosed with the disease - which can cause symptoms similar to toxic shock syndrome.
Some have needed intensive care while others recovered quickly.

• Click here to read our full story on this
  

Taiwan's pride at virus-free month

Cindy Sui - BBC News, Taiwan


It’s been six months since the outbreak emerged in mainland China, just a short distance away, but we haven’t had any lockdown. People living in Taiwan, including myself, are feeling very fortunate.
As the Taiwanese watch the sharp rise in cases and deaths in other countries, they are quietly proud of going through one month - 31 straight days as of Wednesday - without any new domestically-transmitted cases, and six consecutive days of no new imported cases either.
With a total of 440 cases and only 7 deaths, Taiwan is doing much better than most countries.
Children are going to school and adults to work as normal, the streets are buzzing, and shops and restaurants have remained open.
Even Taiwan’s favourite pastime, baseball, can be enjoyed inside stadiums again – although only 1,000 fans are allowed at the moment.
But that doesn’t mean Taiwanese people are letting down their guard.
They know what has helped Taiwan is being vigilant - including early border controls, a ban on foreign visitors, mandatory quarantine for all overseas returnees, proactive detection at airports and hospitals, efficient contact tracing, and strict enforcement of hospital isolation and home quarantine.
All of these measures are expected to stay until the pandemic is brought under control worldwide.
So most Taiwanese gladly have our temperature checked - sometimes several times a day - voluntarily disinfect our hands, and follow the orders to wear a face mask on public transport.
In fact, some Taiwanese are shocked to see images on TV of people in the UK, or other countries, coming out of lockdown but not wearing masks on the subway trains.

Why khat chewers have been left in a stew

In normal times, when the bunches of fresh leaves arrive in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, by plane from Kenya, men disappear from view, lounging in khat kiosks or chewing at home.
The leaf, also known as miraa, acts as a stimulant, sending users into a frenzy of excited chatter.
But in March, the government of Somalia banned international flights, including khat planes, as part of its efforts to contain coronavirus.
And when it imposed a lockdown, it forbade people from gathering together to chew their beloved leaves as this would break social distancing rules.

• Read more on khat in locked-down Somalia here
  

Trump: '100 Trade Deals' can't outweigh Covid-19

In January, Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed a "Phase One" trade deal. As part of the deal, China pledged to boost US imports by $200bn above 2017 levels and strengthen intellectual property rules.
It was meant to pave the way for a more wide-ranging deal - but the chances of a resolution to the trade dispute now seem increasingly remote.
On Twitter yesterday, Donald Trump said any benefits from the trade deal with China were outweighed by what he called "the plague from China".
Mr Trump has also extended for another year an executive order banning US firms from using telecoms equipment made by companies - such as Huawei - that his administration says pose a national security risk.

Tunisia relaxes curfew hours

Rana Jawad - BBC News, Tunis
Tunisia has reduced its nightly curfew hours for a second time.
A 12-hour curfew that was introduced a little under a month ago to help combat the coronavirus was reduced to six hours from Wednesday night.
The country has not recorded any new cases of the disease for three days.
Some restrictions remain - large public events are banned, a permit is required for travel between regions, and shopping malls, bars and restaurants remain closed.

• Tunisia deploys police robot on lockdown patrol
  

Migrants falling through the gaps in Australia

Frances Mao - Sydney

International students and migrants queuing for free food from a restaurant in Sydney

The BBC's offices in Sydney are located near Chinatown. In recent times I've noticed long queues outside restaurants in the afternoon.
They're mostly international students - wearing masks and standing 1m apart - waiting for free leftovers from a Thai or Chinese restaurant.
They don't want to be identified, they tell me, because they feel a bit embarrassed about queuing for a charity meal.
It is a bit of a shock to see food queues in modern Australia - a wealthy nation which has suppressed the virus far better than others.
We've noted the shocking job loss numbers today. But the strain is particularly bad for people in Australia on student and temporary migrant visas.
They've never been eligible for government welfare so the virus-specific help doesn't go to them. Most also relied on work in hospitality and service industries - the areas worst hit in lockdown.
Early on in the pandemic, the government advised non-Australians to go home. But the cost, and later travel bans that came into place, made that impossible for many.
And they still have rent, school fees and transport costs to pay. So any bit of help - like a free lunch - goes a long way at the moment.

Pakistan markets shut over social distancing concerns

A few days after Pakistan started to ease its lockdown, authorities in Sindh province have sealed some markets for flouting social distancing measures.
More than 2,300 new cases within 24 hours were confirmed on Wednesday, the newspaper Dawn reported.
This comes two days after markets were allowed to open and traffic jams were seen across cities in Pakistan.
On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the lockdown would be lifted in phases to give relief to its economy.
With more than 35,000 infections so far, critics have said that this could devastate the country's fragile health system - if cases surge.

Sport news from around the world

As sport around the world tries to resume, here are some of the latest developments:

• Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave thinks this summer’s tour of England will go ahead - but says his players will be "very nervous" about travelling
  
• Tottenham and England footballer Dele Alli was held at knifepoint during a burglary at home, where he is spending lockdown with his brother and their respective partners
  
• Elite athletes have been given UK government guidance on a safe return to training
  
• Leading professional golfers based outside the US must quarantine in America before resuming the PGA Tour season next month
  
• In South Korea, women’s golf has restarted with the KLPGA Championship opening on Thursday, an event that is being played without fans on the course
  
• Darts’ two-time world champion Gary Anderson is to compete in the PDC Home Tour after fixing a broadband problem
  

How to protect your mental health in lockdown

The United Nations has warned that the pandemic could cause widespread mental health issues, echoing similar warnings from medical professionals in recent weeks.
The BBC put together a piece last months on how to protect your mental health during a lockdown. Here's the advice in a nutshell, but do click here to read the full story.

• Stay connected with people
  
• Avoid a burnout
  
• Limit your news intake and be careful what you read
  
• Take breaks from social media
  

Experts fear months of NHS disruption - latest UK news

• It could take months for the National Health Service to return to normal, experts warn. Routine medical care such as cancer treatment and surgery have been disrupted by the coronavirus crisis - but those needing attention have been urged to come forwards
  
• A test to find out if people have already had the virus has been approved in England. But it's still not clear if having coronavirus anti-bodies makes us immune
  
• Around 100 children in the UK have been affected by a rare inflammatory disease linked to coronavirus - it causes a reaction similar to septic shock syndrome and has also been seen in the US and Europe. Parents were warned in April to look out for symptoms, which can include a high temperature, low blood pressure, a rash and difficulty breathing
  

Anonymity leads to increase in Korean testing

Laura Bicker - BBC News, Seoul
Health officials in South Korea say there has been a huge increase in the number of people coming forward to be tested for coronavirus in relation to a cluster outbreak at nightclubs in Seoul.
More than 35,000 people have been traced and tested nationwide in connection with the cases in the city’s party district of Itaewon.
The virus swab tests are now anonymous, which may have encouraged more people - especially from the LGBT community - to come forward without fear of discrimination.
The prime minister has also promised that even if someone tests positive, their details will be deleted from the system.
The cluster emerged after South Korea - which never went into lockdown - eased its virus restrictions.
All bars and clubs were supposed to take names and contact numbers at the door as part of the country’s Covid-19 guidelines, but officials discovered that many of the details were false.
This has meant the country enlisting more than 8,000 officers to track and trace potentially infected people
The South Korean government is now considering the introduction of QR scan codes to help verify contact details at the entrances of entertainment facilities. The codes have already been trialled in Gangwon province.

A world in crisis, even without the pandemic

Crucial climate change meetings have been postponed

Coronavirus has dominated our minds, and much of the world's media, for weeks now. But a global pandemic doesn't simply put a stop to the many other crises threatening humankind.
A renewed nuclear arms race, the ticking clock on Britain's Brexit negotiations, and, of course, climate change - just three of the threats that have been forced to take a back seat since the coronavirus spread.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus has taken a closer look at five looming problems.
Read more about these threats and how governments, in some cases, are using the distraction of coronavirus to pursue long-held ambitions.

Sydney cafe reopens with cardboard guests

Sydney cafes and restaurants are reopening - but only 10 guests are allowed in at a time and they have to maintain social distancing. Don't fancy sitting in a half-empty restaurant?
Five Dock Dining in Sydney has come up with a solution: cardboard cutouts to fill the empty seats, along with background noise simulating the chatter of other guests to make up for the missing ambience.
Just don't ask them to pass the salt.

India's cricket league in limbo

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the world's top Twenty 20 cricket league, drawing the best cricketers from India and across the world. Its season usually takes place between March and June.
But for the first time in its history, the IPL was suspended indefinitely in April - weeks after India went into lockdown to curb Covid-19. Almost a month on, and we are no closer to having a possible date for the IPL this year.
There's been some chatter of restricting the league to only Indian players due to international travel restrictions, but not all teams have warmed to the idea. Sri Lanka offered to host the IPL last month but there's been no update on whether the league - if held - will be played outside India.
Cancelling the massively popular tournament would also mean a financial hit of up to $530m (£434m) for India's cricket board, an official told PTI news agency last week.

UK antibody test a 'positive development'

A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in England.
Public Health England called the antibody test, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, a "very positive development".
The blood test looks for antibodies created by the immune system when someone is infected by the virus. Antibodies usually offer some level of immunity, for a variable amount of time. Until now, officials were unsure over the reliability of these type of tests.
Professor John Newton, the national coordinator of the UK coronavirus testing programme, said: "Such a highly specific antibody test is a very reliable marker of past infection.
"This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection, although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear."
Read more here

First antibody test to offer serious potential

Hugh Pym - BBC News Health Editor
An antibody test for coronavirus has long been seen as an important part of the toolkit for plotting a route out of lockdown restrictions.
If workers have already had the virus and gained immunity they are safe to go to work - especially health and social care staff.
Recent attempts to buy antibody tests in the UK have floundered because they have been deemed unreliable.
Sources say this latest test device, produced by Roche, is the first to offer serious potential.
Talks are under way with the government over whether it can be produced at scale and at a reasonable cost.
Understandably, Whitehall sources are not giving much away because they don't want to undermine their negotiating hand.

US warning over Covid-19 'cyber-theft' by China

Barbara Plett Usher - BBC News, Washington
US security agencies have said hackers backed by the Chinese government are trying to steal American research dealing with the response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The statement comes amid increased tensions between the two countries over the source of the outbreak.
The statement said the FBI was investigating digital break-ins by cyber-actors linked to China who were trying to steal data on vaccines, treatments and testing.
It warned scientists and public health officials to be on the lookout, but didn’t identify the institutions that had been targeted. The US authorities have long accused the Chinese government of cyber-espionage, which Beijing denies.
But this warning coincides with a much broader surge in cyber-theft and attacks by nations seeking advantage in the pandemic. Last week the US and Britain issued a joint statement about cyber threats to medical research, but didn’t name a specific country.

Taxi firms installing protective screens

Uber and Addison Lee in the UK have announced that perspex screens will be fitted in a number of their vehicles to protect occupants from coronavirus.
Addison Lee will install them in its 4,000 vehicles and Uber will pilot the safety measures in 400 cars. Both firms say they are distributing free safety equipment to workers.
Taxi drivers are included in a list of occupations with disproportionately high Covid-19 death rates, compiled by the Office for National Statistics. Many passengers too will be anxious about the risk of infection in taxis, now that increased movement outside is permitted under eased lockdown in England.

Wisconsin supreme court overturns lockdown order

The supreme court of the US state Wisconsin has overturned a coronavirus stay-at-home order issued by the state's democratic governor - with one justice comparing the restrictions to a "prison regime".
Governor Tony Evers had extended the order to May 26, but in a 4 - 3 ruling the state's top court reversed the extension, siding with Republican state politicians.
“This comprehensive claim to control virtually every aspect of a person’s life is something we normally associate with a prison, not a free society governed by the rule of law,” Justice Daniel Kelly, who is on the court's conservative wing, wrote.
Evers warned that the court's decision risked undoing "all the work we have done and all the sacrifices Wisconsinites have made over these past few months".
Public opinion across the US is divided over whether or not to reopen schools and businesses as the pandemic continues.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious diseases doctor, has warned that reopening the country too soon could trigger fresh outbreaks of the virus.

Burundi expels WHO representative

Political rallies in Burundi are going ahead despite the pandemic

Burundi has expelled its World Health Organization (WHO) representative and three other health experts, giving the team 48 hours to leave the east African country.
Burundi's foreign ministry did not give a reason for the expulsion.
The government there is facing criticism for going ahead with its election on 20 May amid the coronavirus pandemic. At rallies for presidential candidates, measures to contain infection are not observed.
The country has reported 15 cases including one death, but the humanitarian organisation International Crisis Group has questioned the official figures.

Community testing should have continued - Hunt

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said it is “pretty clear now” that community testing for the virus should not have been abandoned by the government on 12 March.
Now chairman of the Health Select Committee, Hunt told the BBC on Thursday that he did not want to blame individuals, but asked why the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) “didn’t model the South Korean test, track and trace approach that we are now adopting right at the beginning?"
“The Government was given two very extreme options, the sort of extreme lockdown we’re just coming out of, or kind of mitigated herd immunity," he said.
“That middle way, the South Korean route, wasn’t modelled.”

Frankfurt Airport passengers down by 97%

As European countries begin to consider easing travel restrictions over the summer, Frankfurt Airport has released its passenger numbers for April.
There were 97% fewer passengers for the month compared to the previous year. Similar downturns have been recorded at other major international airports.

Indian minister pushes virus lab theory

Reality Check


The US has suggested the coronavirus came from a lab in Wuhan - something China strongly denies

The idea that the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory continues to be pushed by some politicians, despite a lack of any scientific evidence.
A senior member of India’s government, the transport minister Nitin Gadkari, said in TV interview that “this is not a natural virus, it is an artificial virus… this is a virus from a laboratory.”
His remarks follow recent suggestions by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo that the virus came from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan - an accusation that state media in China has strongly rejected.
Scientific analysis indicates the virus came from animals, and was not man-made.
The BBC's science editor, Paul Rincon, reports that there's currently no evidence that any research institute in Wuhan was the source of Sars-CoV-2 (which causes Covid-19)
A US study of the coronavirus genome published in March found no signs it had been engineered

Antarctica: 'Isolated within isolation'

Sam Proffitt - BBC News


Antarctica is cut off from the rest of the world for months at a time - and there's not been a single case of coronavirus. So why are research teams there following isolation rules to combat the virus, when it's probably not even on the continent?
"A case of Covid-19 here could be disastrous," Pradeep Tomar, on the Indian base, told the BBC.
"So we are taking lockdown measures, too. It feels like we are isolated within the isolation."
If there was an outbreak it would be devastating. There's nowhere else to go, medical facilities are limited - and the likelihood of spreading it to others would be high.
But most of the team members are still more fearful for people back home than for themselves.
"I truly wish I could serve my country in this time of need," Tomar said. "Nobody has ever witnessed something like the ongoing crisis. I hope to see the same world again when we go home."
Read the full story

Finland goes back to school and other Europe news

Finland goes back to school, as France worries about the US getting vaccine priority. Here are some of the latest developments in Europe.

• In much of Europe children remain stuck at home under lockdown, but in Finland schools have reopened. The Finnish teachers’ union warns that it may not be totally safe for staff or children, however. Children are back in class, under social distancing rules, for two weeks before the summer break
  
• It would be "unacceptable" for French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi to give priority to the US market if it develops a Covid-19 vaccine, French Deputy Finance Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher says. Earlier, Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said "the US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it’s invested in taking the risk"
  
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says he has double pneumonia and has given a grim description of his Covid-19 infection. He and his wife are in hospital. Mr Peskov called the virus “an absolute bloodsucker”, and said the hyperactive immune system “eats up your lungs”
  
• Germany has reported 933 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, making 172,239 in total. The Robert Koch Institute says 89 more people have died and the reproduction (R) rate has dropped to 0.8. Rates above 1.0 mean that on average one person infects more than one other
  
• In Montenegro there were clashes between police and hundreds of protesters angered by the arrest of a Serbian Orthodox bishop and seven priests suspected of violating the coronavirus lockdown
  

Why this ICU nurse treating virus patients could be deported

Stephanie Hegarty, populations correspondent

Guillermo and Jonathan Vargas Andres have been in the US for 18 years

At the beginning of April, a long line of police cars snaked slowly around a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with their blue lights flashing in the bright sun. It was a tribute, they said, to the healthcare workers risking their lives to treat patients with Covid-19.
But for Jonathan Vargas Andres, an ICU nurse treating Covid patients in that hospital, these grand gestures feel somewhat empty.
Jonathan is an undocumented worker who came to the US under the Daca "Dreamers" programme, and in the next few weeks he'll find out whether the country that he's risking his life to protect will decide to deport him.
"I try not to think about it because if I think about it for too long I get tired," Jonathan told the BBC. "I've basically had to zone it out for my own health."
Daca - or the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals is an Obama-era ruling from 2012 that shielded young people who were brought to the US illegally as children from deportation.
In 2017, President Trump decided to end the Daca programme. The Supreme Court is now considering a series of cases that challenge Trump's decision.
Read more about Jonathan and the Daca case

Laid off crane operator gives lockdown families a lift

A retirement home in Portugal allowed visitors to see relatives from a crane

We've seen a few stories since the pandemic began of people connecting with loved ones across balconies, from gardens outside care homes or just shouting across the street.
Now in Belgium one crane operator has taken things up a notch or two by offering his services to families separated by multiple storeys, reports Associated Press.
After losing his job, Tristan Van den Bosch drove his crane to homes in several towns and transported people to their relatives' windows.
“It’s been seven long weeks that I haven’t been able to see her,” one woman told AP after being lifted up to see her 88-year-old aunt in a care home. “It’s all quite emotional.”
Mr Van den Bosch isn't the only person to have the bright idea though. In Figueira da Foz, Portgual, two retirement homes offered the same service to their 150 residents earlier this month.

WHO dismisses 'mask health risk' claim

Reality Check
A claim being widely shared on social media that the prolonged wearing of masks can be dangerous is "not true at all", the World Health Organization has said.
An article making the claim first appeared online in Spanish towards the end of April. It circulated widely in Spanish-speaking countries, before a translation appeared on English outlets and a Nigerian news site.
The report alleged that prolonged breathing while wearing masks leads to inhalation of carbon dioxide, which makes people dizzy and deprives the body of oxygen.
It also claimed people should lift masks “every 10 minutes to continue feeling healthy".
Dr Richard Mihigo from the WHO told the BBC the claims could actually pose a health risk.
He said people could be exposed to contamination if they keep lifting masks to inhale.
He added that masks made following WHO guidelines should have two or more cloth layers to be effective, and "should allow you to breathe normally and prevent particles from passing through".
The only risk is for children under two years old whose lungs have not fully developed. They are not advised to wear homemade masks.

Not clear when antibody test available to UK public

Chris Morris - BBC Reality Check
Public Health England’s approval of a new antibody test for coronavirus is good news. Previous tests have proved unreliable, but officials say this one is different.
Antibody tests aim to find out if an individual has had the virus in the past, which may mean they have some immunity from reinfection.
But government ministers say they don’t know when the new tests will be available to the public.
Other European countries are ahead of the UK and have already been carrying out limited antibody testing programmes.
In Germany, the Accredited Laboratories for Medicine association (ALM) said 61,299 antibody tests were conducted last week. ALM warned that taking the test should not be a reason for ending social distancing measures.
And in Spain, the Health Ministry said yesterday that preliminary results of a study, based on more than 60,000 antibody tests around the country, suggested that about 5% of the population had been infected by coronavirus so far.

How Hong Kong tests and traces people flying in

Laurel Chor, a photographer, tweeted the step-by-step process she was instructed to take upon arrival at Hong Kong airport, offering a stark contrast with much laxer restrictions in other countries, including the UK.
Her widely-shared insight into the new normal of global travel describes a mandatory coronavirus test with a wait of several hours in a large hall for the results to come back, then having to put on a tracking bracelet and install an app on her phone to enable contact tracing.
Hong Kong has recorded just four deaths and about 1,000 confirmed cases of the virus.
In the UK, the government has suggested it may introduce a 14-day quarantine for arrivals from all countries except Ireland and France. But no start or end date for the measures have been announced.

India and Pakistan to make virus drug remdesivir

A US pharmaceutical firm has signed agreements with drug makers in South Asia to expand supply of the drug remdesivir for treating Covid-19.
The agreement between Gilead and five generic pharmaceutical companies in India and Pakistan will help make the medicine for 127 countries.
Remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days to 11 in clinical trials at hospitals around the world. The antiviral drug was originally developed as an Ebola treatment.
A clinical trial of the drug by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases led to favourable results.
But their impact on deaths is not as clear-cut and the BBC's health and science correspondent James Gallagher says it is also not yet clear who is benefiting from the drug.

• Read the full story here
  

Care homes 'completely abandoned' as virus hit

Care homes felt "completely abandoned" as the coronavirus crisis swept across the UK, the National Care Association has said.
Nadra Ahmed, chair of the association, told the BBC that advice to the UK government to prioritise the health service without adequately protecting elderly people in care homes may have been "wrong".
Ahmed said that care homes had been happy to support the NHS but struggled with a lack of protective equipment as well as with people being discharged from hospital into their facilities without being tested for coronavirus.
"Here we were, suddenly left completely abandoned. And we understand the mantra that was about save the NHS - but our concern was, at what cost was that going to happen?" she said.
The government has now said it will make £600m ($730m) available to improve infection control in care homes. Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Health Minister Edward Argar denied the government had received "bad advice" on the risk to care home residents at the start of the pandemic.

• Read more on this story here
  

Emergency hospital visits in England fall to record low

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
Emergency hospital visits in England have halved since the coronavirus outbreak started, dropping to their lowest level since records began.
Before the pandemic, more than 2.1 million patients a month were visiting Accident & Emergency departments. In April that dropped to 916,581 patients.
Everything from cancer care to routine surgery has been disrupted by coronavirus, although ministers have called for services to be restored.
But restarting NHS services could take many months, experts say.

• Read more on this story here
  

BA job cuts plan unchanged despite furlough extension

Plans to make 12,000 British Airways workers redundant remain unchanged despite the UK government's extension of the coronavirus furlough scheme to the end of October, the airline's owner has said.
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh, in a letter to the Transport Select Committee where he gave evidence on Monday, said that British Airways had processed cash refunds on 921,000 bookings, with vouchers given on a further 346,000 bookings.
The furlough scheme is designed to help people put on leave due to the coronavirus outbreak and to prevent employers having to make mass redundancies.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on Tuesday that employees would continue to receive 80% of their monthly wages up to £2,500 ($3,050) until October.
But he said the government would ask companies to "start sharing" the cost of the scheme from August.
A quarter of the workforce, some 7.5 million people, are now covered by the scheme, which is costing £14bn a month.

• What does it mean if I've been furloughed by work?
  

Antibody test a 'positive step' and other UK headlines

If you're just joining us, here are some of the latest updates from the UK:

• A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in England. Public Heath England say it is a "positive step" but it is not yet clear if having coronavirus antibodies makes us immune
  
• It could take months for the National Health Service to return to normal, experts have warned. A&E visits in England have halved since the coronavirus outbreak started with many other important services disrupted
  
• The chair of a national body says care homes felt "completely abandoned" as the crisis hit. A health minister says the government did not receive "bad advice" on the risks to those in care
  
• A leading UK economist expects GDP to drop by 25% in the second quarter of the year. The economy shrank by 2% in the first three months of 2020 after just a few days of lockdown, with chancellor Rishi Sunak pointing to “a significant recession”
  
• Finally, the BBC says Top Gear and Eastenders will resume filming, but the stars will be socially distanced
  

London mayor hopes cycle lanes will help ‘strain’ on public transport

A pop-up cycle lane has opened on one of London's most prestigious roads in a bid to lower the numbers of people using public transport.
Bollards have been added to Park Lane (pictured above) to create a bike path as part of Mayor Sadiq Khan's London Streetspace programme.
The programme includes the rapid construction of a cycling network using temporary infrastructure to reduce crowding on the Tube, train and bus routes.
Some people in England returned to work as restrictions were eased on Wednesday, and many commuters in London reported finding social distancing impossible.
Khan said: "I'm determined to give Londoners more safe and sustainable alternatives to travelling by car, especially when our public transport system is under strain due to Covid-19."

How is the UK government's testing strategy developing?

Health officials in England have approved a test that will show if someone has had coronavirus in the past.
The UK government has been looking for a reliable antibody test for some time. In March, it was announced the government had bought 3.5 million antibody tests but these turned out to be ineffective.
There is an antibody test already in use at government research facility Porton Down, in Wiltshire, but it is not accurate enough to give individuals information about their infection status.
How does the new test work?
The new test - from Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche - looks for antibodies in the blood to see if a person has had the virus and might now have some form of immunity.
Can I get tested?
If the Roche test becomes available in large numbers, it might first be used on health and social care staff.
What about the other type of test?
The Roche test is the "have I had it?" test.
The daily UK government update on testing refers to the "do I have it now?" test.
Those tests, which take a swab up your nose or from the back of your throat, have been the main focus of the government's efforts so far.

• Read the full explainer from our health reporter Rachel Schraer
  

Scotland's death toll passes 2,000

Another 34 people have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, the nation's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at her daily briefing.
This brings the total in Scotland to 2,007.
Sturgeon said 14,117 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 188 from 13,929 the day before.
There are 71 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, an increase of one on Wednesday, she added.

France resists idea of US getting vaccine first

It would be "unacceptable" for French drug giant Sanofi to give priority to the US market if it develops a Covid-19 vaccine, a French minister has warned.
Deputy Finance Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher was responding to comments by Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson, who said "the US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk".
Many labs worldwide are involved in research to find a Covid-19 vaccine.
"For us, it would be unacceptable for there to be privileged access to such and such a country for financial reasons," Pannier-Runacher told France's Sud Radio.
Read more here

Woman aged 98 recovers from coronavirus in Lagos

A 98-year-old has recovered from coronavirus after receiving treatment at one of Lagos state’s isolation centres, authorities there say.
State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced on Wednesday that the woman was discharged along with 25 others who had previously tested positive for the virus.
“Today, we discharged a 98-year-old woman, our oldest #COVID19 patient in Lagos,” Mr Sanwo-Olu tweeted.

'A doctor called and said I should come to hospital immediately'

US folk legend John Prine died on 7 April, aged 73, after contracting Covid-19.
During his lifetime he was revered by many, including Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
His wife Fiona Whelan Prine has spoken emotionally on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme about their final moments together:
“At around midnight on 6 April, our wedding anniversary, a doctor called and said I should come to the hospital immediately. I felt like throwing up.
“I spent the next 17 hours with John, he was in deep sedation.
“In the end I told him my heart would be broken forever but that he could go on ahead and be with his mum and dad and be with his brother. I told him I would be okay and would hold our three boys close."

Questions mount over Russia's low mortality rate

BBC Monitoring - The world through its media
Questions are mounting over Russia's extraordinarily low reported mortality rate - only 2,305 deaths with 252,000 infected. Moscow's department of health says it does not include most deaths of Covid-19 patients in official statistics because they had other potentially lethal illnesses. St Petersburg has reported an unexplained spike in deaths from pneumonia - five-and-a-half times the usual number and 10 times the official number of Covid-19 deaths in the city.Meduza, an independent Russian website, says official statistics are doctored and Russians are effectively “not allowed to die from coronavirus”. Many of those who find official numbers hard to believe keep their own tally.
Medical workers have their own list of colleagues they say have been killed by coronavirus. Even Orthodox priests have launched their own list "because official statistics are incomplete". Earlier, the Financial Times said Russia’s Covid-19 death toll could be 70% higher than official figure, but officials in Moscow dismissed such reports as "fake".

New Zealand reopens with midnight barbers queues

Thousands of businesses in New Zealand reopened on Thursday as the country relaxed its coronavirus restrictions, leading to some hairdressers seeing overnight queues round the block.
Shops, cafes, and public parks are all open as the country moves into Level 2 of lockdown, described as a "safer new normal".
New Zealand has reported no new cases of the virus in the past three days.

Measures to protect UK economy predicted to cost £123bn

UK government measures to protect the economy during the coronavirus crisis are forecast to cost £123bn for the current financial year, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said.
The OBR said it also estimates that the direct impact of policy measures, such as the furlough scheme, will raise cash borrowing by £103.7bn for the year.
On Tuesday, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the furlough scheme - ie paying a percentage of wages to workers on leave because of coronavirus - would be extended to October.
The government is also offering grants for self-employed people whose businesses are affected by coronavirus.

• Chancellor warns of 'significant' recession
  

The OBR estimated that a three-month lockdown, followed by a partial lifting for three months, would necessitate public sector borrowing of £298.4bn.
That represents a £25.5bn increase on the forecast from last month.
The OBR estimates that the UK economy is likely to contract by 35% in the second quarter of 2020, before bouncing back quickly.

US unemployment claims rise to 36.5 million

Another 2.98 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus continued to mount.
The new applications brought the total number of unemployment claims since mid-March to 36.5 million.
This is the fourth week that the number of new claims declined, but the US Labor Department said unemployment was still rising at a higher rate than analysts expected.
Figures for the month of April showed the unemployment rate had risen to 14.7%, with 20.5 million jobs lost over the month - the worst unemployment seen since the Great Depression.

UK death toll rises by 428

A further 428 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, the government's latest daily figures show.
It brings the total number of deaths in hospitals and the wider community to 33,614.
The government carried out or posted out 126,064 tests on Wednesday, the figures also show.
This is the third time it has met its 100,000 a day target, according to its criteria.

Japan lifts emergency, plus other Asia news

A state of emergency has been lifted in most of Japan, after a sharp fall in new infections. The order still applies in Tokyo, Osaka and on the island of Hokkaido. People have been told to keep wearing masks and following distancing guidelines.
Elsewhere in Asia:

• In Pakistan some markets have been shut in Sindh province for flouting social distancing rules. The move comes after more than 2,300 new cases were reported within 24 hours. Two days ago markets were allowed to open, prompting traffic jams
  
• The number of South Koreans being tested for coronavirus following a cluster outbreak at nightclubs in Seoul has surged. More than 35,000 people have now been traced and tested nationwide in connection with the outbreak. The tests are now anonymous, so people, many from the LGBT community, can come forward without fear of discrimination
  
• Taiwan has gone a whole month without recording any domestically transmitted cases. Overall it has registered just 440 cases and seven deaths
  

Drop in non-coronavirus hospital admissions is 'timebomb' - Labour

Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has called the fall in non-virus related hospital admissions a "ticking time-bomb."
A&E visits in England have halved since the outbreak started, and there have also been drops in cancer referrals and routine operations.
"It appears that people are avoiding going to A&E, that operations have been cancelled. We know of cancer patients whose treatment - their radiotherapy - has been delayed and this is building up longterm health problems," Ashworth said.
"It's a ticking timebomb, some would say, so we need a plan to treat covid patients, of course, but we also need to plan to re-set the NHS to deal with this growing clinical need."

French can take domestic holidays this summer

French citizens will be able to go holidays in France by July and August, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, announcing an €18bn (£15.9bn) rescue package for the country's tourism industry.
Hotels and leisure facilities are currently closed in France, although some beaches have reopened with strict rules.
On Tuesday, the UK health secretary said many British people would be unlikely to take foreign holidays this summer - although the European Commission's vice president, Margrethe Vestager, thinks summer holidays in Europe "can be done safely".
"Tourism is facing what is probably its worst challenge in modern history," said Philippe.
"Because this is one of the crown jewels of the French economy, rescuing it is a national priority.
"This very French pleasure, which is at the heart of our identity, to meet up, eat well and have a chat, has been compromised by the lockdown first, and then the conditions of lifting that lockdown."

Northern Ireland sees five more deaths

The daily figures from the Stormont Department of Health show there have been five more deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, taking the overall total to 454.
Three of the five deaths happened in the 24 hours, before 10am this morning, and two previously. The figures mainly comprise deaths in hospital, and include some but not all deaths in other settings, such as care homes.
There are also 38 new confirmed cases, making a total of 4,291.
Tomorrow the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency will publish its weekly statistics, which indicate how many deaths featured Covid-19 on the death certificate, and therefore give a fuller picture of the mortality rate.

One in four US workers on benefits

Helier Cheung - BBC News, Washington DC
Almost three million Americans filed jobless claims in the past week, bringing the total unemployed to more than 36 million since the outbreak hit the US.
The latest figures come a day after the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, warned that "the scope and speed of this downturn are without modern precedent" and that a long downturn could "leave behind lasting damage” to the economy.
He also voiced his support for "additional fiscal support", saying while it would be expensive, it would be "worth it if it helps avoid long-term economic damage".
The crisis has caused people in widely different sectors to lose their jobs - including Nickolas Ray, a 30-year-old IT consultant in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Being laid off kind of hit me out of the blue," he said. "In my company we thought we were all safe.
"I’m job hunting right now - everyone’s very excited to talk, but unfortunately no-one knows what’s going to happen so there aren’t any firm job openings."
Read more about US job losses here

Actor Matt Damon surprises Dublin radio show

A Dublin breakfast radio show had a surprise special guest on Wednesday - Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon.
The 49-year-old American has been living in a suburb of Dublin (where he was making a film) throughout the lockdown and SPIN 1038 presenters Nathan O'Reilly and Graham O'Toole have been trying to get Damon on their show ever since.
But when the actor did call the show, via video-link, the presenters told Damon they thought it was going to be a prank and O'Reilly said: "I feel like I'm about to throw up."
Damon responded by saying: "I heard you guys on the radio about a month ago and I shouldn't have put you through this. I was in my car with my kids, I heard you talking and you gave the number to call.
"I was trying to memorise the number then I walked into the house and my wife started to talk to me about something and I totally forgot your number."

UK government challenged on ‘tragic chaos’ in care homes

The UK government is making 30,000 coronavirus tests a day available to care homes in England, Minister of Innovation Lord Bethell has told the House of Lords.
He says the government aims to have offered tests to “all care home staff and residents specialising in the care of older people and those living with dementia by early June”.
The Conservative peer was responding to Labour’s Baroness Wheeler, on when he expects care homes in England to be offered Covid-19 tests and whether the government can get hold of the “tragic chaos that currently prevails”.
She says nearly 1.5m tests are needed.
Read more about the situation in the UK’s care homes here

UK borrowing to soar to highest level since World War Two

Faisal Islam - BBC Economics Editor
The UK's independent economics forecaster now anticipates that government borrowing will top 15.2% of the size of the entire economy this year.
That's the highest proportion since 1944-45 (when 22.1% was seen) - and in general a number only previously seen during a world war.
Borrowing for this year is calculated to be £298 billion ($363bn), by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

• That's up £26bn on the first attempt to calculate the impact of the pandemic a month ago
  
• And it is £243bn more borrowing than the OBR predicted in its last official forecast at the Budget - just two months ago.
  

This is mainly because of the extra costs of extending the scheme paying furloughed workers' salaries.
Read more details here

Just joining us?

If you are just joining us, here are some of the main headlines so far today...

• A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in England
  

• The cost of the UK government's efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic has risen to £123.2bn, according to latest estimates from the government's independent economics forecaster
  
• The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by almost three million last week as virus shutdowns continue to weigh on the US economy - one in four US workers are now on benefits
  
• Japan has lifted a state of emergency, after a sharp fall in new infections
  
• Thousands of businesses in New Zealand have reopened as the country moves into Level 2 of its coronavirus restrictions, with shops, cafes, hairdressers and public parks among those now operating again
  

First confirmed infections among Rohingya refugees

By Waliur Rahman, Dhaka Bureau Editor
Two Rohingya refugees have tested positive for coronavirus in the world’s largest refugee camp, located in Bangladesh.
These are the first confirmed cases among the refugees in Cox's Bazar, according to a doctor working for the government's Rohingya Refugee Repatriation Commission.
Officials told the BBC that those infected were now being treated in isolation.
About 1,900 other refugees who may have contacted them were being isolated for tests.
One million Rohingya refugees are living in crowded camps in Cox's Bazar after fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar (Burma).
The camps have been under lockdown since 14 March.

London Tube bailout needed 'by end of day', mayor says

Transport for London (TfL) will be forced to reduce services unless it receives a government grant by the end of the day, the mayor of London has said.
Without financial support, the transport body must cut its Tube and bus networks, Sadiq Khan said.
He said TfL had been negotiating with the government for about six weeks.
The UK prime minister's official spokesman said negotiations were at an "advanced stage".
TfL has previously said it expects to lose £4bn this year due to the impact of coronavirus.
Read more on this developing story.

Life will not return to the way it was - UN virus chief

Yesterday the World Health Organization warned that the novel coronavirus may never go away.
Now the UN's special envoy for Covid-19 has said the world must get used to restrictions and that life may never go back to the way it was before. He also warned that finding a vaccine and mass immunisation would be a lengthy process.
"We’ll adapt our behaviour to minimise the threats it causes," Dr David Nabarro said in an interview with the BBC.
"We know there are some places where it’s going to be particularly tricky. But we’re going to learn to have fun, to do our work, to socialise and to be with our families - and basically it's going to be part of our lives," he explained.

'One in 400 people' in England has virus

One in 400 people in England has coronavirus, a survey of nearly 11,000 people in households suggests.
They were asked to carry out swab tests over two weeks up to 10 May.
This means around 148,000 people in England could currently be infected - 0.27% of the population.
Those tested did not include hospital patients or people living in care homes, where rates of Covid-19 are likely to be much higher, according to the Office for National Statistics.
There was no obvious difference between the proportion of people infected in different age groups, according to the ONS infection survey.
NHS England has announced 207 more deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of reported deaths in English hospitals to 24,159.
Separate figures from the UK government show 428 more deaths across the UK - bringing the total in hospitals and the wider community to 33,614.

Trump mulls 'cutting off' ties with China

US President Donald Trump has again condemned China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, threatening to end relations with Beijing.
"There are many things we could do. We could cut off the whole relationship," Trump said in Thursday's interview with Fox Business.
"Now, if you did, what would happen?" asked Trump rhetorically. "You’d save $500bn (£409bn) if you cut off the whole relationship."
It was an apparent reference to a huge US deficit in bilateral trade with China.
Washington has for some time been considering pressing China for virus-related compensation, accusing it of initially withholding information about the outbreak.
China has repeatedly denied the accusations.
Trump's anti-China rhetoric is seen by many as part of his re-election strategy for November's presidential vote.

First steps to ease NI lockdown next week

Garden centres and recycling centres in Northern Ireland can reopen from next Monday as part of the first steps to ease lockdown, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.
On Tuesday, the executive published a five-phase blueprint for lifting restrictions but it did not include a timeframe.
The first minister said updated medical advice meant the executive could now approve the "tentative first steps".

• Read more on this story here.
  

Shapps urges public to avoid public transport

Shapps reiterates it is “our civic duty” to avoid public transport.
In order to help reduce crowding, he says, the government has announced £2bn in funding to encourage cycling and walking.
Detailed guidance for local authorities has been published, he says, as well as for the transport sector and passengers.
He also urges the public to use a car when they can.
Here we look at how transport will need to change in England, after employees were encouraged to go back to work this week.

50 Irish postmen perform 'Ireland's Call' in tribute to healthcare workers

DOZENS OF postmen in Drogheda have stood to answer Ireland's call as they created an incredible video showcasing their gratitude to the healthcare workers in their local hospital.

Approximately 50 - 60 postal workers, who are still working to deliver people's letters at a time where it's more important than ever to keep in touch, gathered-- while maintaining social distance-- at the sorting office in Marlay's Lane to blast out a rendition of rugby anthem 'Ireland's Call', to pay tribute to those working the frontlines at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
Earlier this month, the postmen gathered and belted out the iconic track to help raise funds for the essential service at Our Lady of Lourdes, with the lyrics tweaked to remind people of the importance of staying at home to save lives.
With solo verses, a choir for the chorus, and staff expertly playing instruments such as the drums, cello, keyboard and guitars, the exceptionally talented team produced an inspirational video with the help of video and drone technology.
Organiser of the GoFundMe campaign, Tom Maguire, explained the idea behind the video, saying:
"The front line staff in Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital and indeed all Front Line Staff worldwide have shown the depth of their commitment, bravery and resilience in the face of danger on a daily basis.
"Some have paid the ultimate price for their bravery and dedication. The latest threat to the safety of Front line staff is the procurement of PPE . The government announced just last weekend that the cost of this could be as much as 1 billion euro.
"This contribution by the staff of An Post Drogheda is a small gesture  but this could evolve into a significant one with your support."
So far, the team's hard work has raised €15,078 for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, smashing the original €10,000 target-- but if you want to help the Drogheda Postal Operatives' appeal even further you can check out the GoFundMe page here.
Check out the video below, and don't forget to answer Ireland's call by staying indoors, staying safe and saving lives.

Italy reports 262 new deaths - highest in a week

Some news from Italy, where 262 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours. It's the highest daily tally since 7 May.
This brings the country's overall death toll to 31,368 - the third-highest in the world behind only the US and the UK. However every country counts deaths differently and in Italy there is no national figure for those that occur in care homes. The UK's total now includes deaths across all settings.
Italy started easing lockdown restrictions on 4 May, with people now being allowed to visit their relatives in small numbers. Parks, factories and building sites are being reopened.

What did we learn from the UK government briefing?

Here's what we learned:

• The transport secretary has announced nearly £2bn to upgrade the UK's road and rail network, including £1.7bn for local roads
  
• The £2bn is not new funding - it is being reallocated from previous budgets
  
• The new antibody test will be rolled out in the "days and weeks to come" and will initially focus on NHS and care workers, according to Prof Van-Tam
  
• He also said pressure on hospitals is "beginning to ease"
  
• Some 126,064 coronavirus tests were provided in the UK on Wednesday - the highest daily testing figure so far
  
• The government wants the NHS to take up routine operations "as soon as it is physically and humanely possible"
  
• Officials must see how socially distanced training goes before competitive football matches are allowed to return
  
• And Shapps is "optimistic" he will agree a bailout with Transport for London, following the warning that London's transport network company needs a government grant by the end of the day
  

US senator steps aside during FBI probe

US Senator Richard Burr is stepping aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee amid an insider trading investigation.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would step aside on 15 May.
Burr is alleged to have used inside information to avoid market losses from coronavirus. It is illegal for Congress members to trade based on non-public information gathered during their official duties.
It has emerged that his phone has been seized by the FBI.
Read more here

French backlash mounts over Sanofi vaccine research

France's prime minister and president have weighed into a vaccine row prompted by remarks made by the British chief executive of French drugs giant Sanofi.
Paul Hudson infuriated French political leaders when he said on Wednesday that if Sanofi developed a vaccine then the "US government has the right to the largest pre-order because it's invested in taking the risk".
Sanofi has received funding from the US health department's biomedical research arm Barda reputed to be worth some $30m (£25m). It's working with UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on one of a number of vaccine projects around the world.
But it also gets an estimated €150m ($162m;£133m) in annual tax credits from the French government. So Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has hit back insisting that equal access for all to any eventual vaccine is "non-negotiable". And President Macron has insisted no vaccine should be subject to market forces.
Sanofi's head in France, Olivier Bogillot, said on Thursday the aim was to have a vaccine in the US and Europe "at the same time" and Paul Hudson has now apologised for sparking the row.

Facebook removes posts calling for UK anti-lockdown protests

Marianna Spring - Specialist disinformation and social media reporter
Facebook has removed a number of posts advertising anti-lockdown protests across the UK, which are seemingly organised by a group opposing vaccinations.
The social media platform took down the posts for defying local government guidance about social distancing.
They had been shared in a number of large groups supporting conspiracy theories about coronavirus, as well as on local forums.
Flyers have also been distributed in some parts of the UK.
The posts said the gatherings were to oppose lockdown and “mandatory vaccinations”. This stems from claims that changes introduced in UK law give the government the power to enforce vaccinations as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Under current UK law, however, this is not the case - vaccines are not compulsory.

• Coronavirus rumours fact-checked
  

UK government 'opens door' for football's return

The UK government is "opening the door" for the return of professional football in England, the culture secretary has said.
Oliver Dowden said Thursday's meeting with the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League was "positive" and "progressed plans" for the sport to resume.
Dowden said plans for the resumption should "include widening access for fans to view live coverage and ensure finances from the game's resumption supports the wider football family".
No date has been given for a resumption following the meeting.
The Premier League met on Monday to discuss "Project Restart" and hopes for a return to action on 12 June, with matches played behind closed doors.
At the daily government briefing, England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said the easing of lockdown measures, which now includes sports people being able to train while social distancing, had been "tentative, measured, slow and step-wise", and that applies to football and all sport.
He said football would have to see how a return to training goes "before we even think about the return of competitive football".
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New Zealanders reunite with friends and family

New Zealanders are celebrating the return of many aspects of normal life, including reunions with friends and family. The country has eased restrictions after moving down from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2, described as a "safer new normal".
The country has reported no new cases of the virus in the past three days and thousands of businesses have reopened.
People are allowed to see their friends and loved ones, with a limit of 10 people. They have returned to cafes, playgrounds and barber shops.

Olympics organisers set aside $800m for postponement impact

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set aside $800m (£656m) to help with the “severe” financial impact caused by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
Organisers in Japan will receive $650m,and the remaining $150m will be split into loans for international federations and National Olympic Committees that are experiencing cash flow problems.
The 2020 Olympics, due to take place this summer, were postponed until the summer of 2021 because of coronavirus in March.
“The situation requires compromises, it requires sacrifices by everybody,” IOC president Thomas Bach said.
Bach refused to speculate on whether there would be a further delay or cancellation if a vaccine is not found before next year’s event.
“We are one year and two months away, so it’s way too early to draw any conclusions,” he said.

Worldwide death toll passes 300,000

There have now been more than 300,000 coronavirus-related deaths worldwide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
More than 4.4 million people have been infected.
There have been almost 85,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States, and more than 1.4 million cases - more than any other country in the world.

A government under great strain

Laura Kuenssberg - Political editor


The exercise of power is rarely perfect. But this crisis has pushed governments everywhere to their limits.
The emergency in the UK has demanded that the state extend its tentacles almost everywhere - managing the health crisis, propping up multiple industries, supporting the wages of nearly half of the working population and issuing instructions to us all on the way to live our lives.
The irony? Despite the longer and longer list of tasks the government is carrying out, the number of people calling the shots is tiny. One cabinet member told me: "Morale is difficult - there are a lot of people just not involved in making decisions."
Another admitted some feel "excluded" -with the prime minister, and only a handful of others calling the shots. A senior official even suggested "more than half the Cabinet have no clue what's going on". In practice, it's common for choices to be dominated by a much smaller clutch of people - and in an emergency, one member told me, "you just can't make decisions fast by committee".

• Read more from Laura here.
  

London transport network secures emergency £1.6bn bailout

Transport for London (TfL) has secured £1.6bn in emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services running until September.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan had warned that the body was close to running out of money after a drop in passenger numbers during the coronavirus lockdown.
The BBC has been told a £500m loan agreed with the Department for Transport forms part of the total.

19:53

Latest as the UK gears up to clap for carers

There are just a few minutes to go before the UK's eighth weekly #clapforourcarers. People up and down the country will take to their windows and doorsteps to applaud key workers, including NHS staff, and say thank you.If you're just joining us, let us bring you up to speed on the main headlines:

• In the last few minutes Transport for London has secured an emergency £1.6bn bailout, after the public transport network said it expected to lose £4bn this year due to coronavirus
  
• One in 400 people in England is infected with coronavirus, a survey of 11,000 people in households suggests
  
• The government says it is "opening the door" for the return of professional football in England in June
  
• And garden centres and recycling centres in Northern Ireland can reopen from Monday as part of the first measures to ease lockdown, the first minister has said
  

What's the latest in sport?

The sporting calendar is continuing to come to terms with the coronavirus crisis, with more cancellations announced and some sports taking steps to resume.

• The UK government says it is "opening the door" for the return of professional football in England in June. The culture secretary held a "positive" meeting with football authorities on Thursday
  
• England cricketers will begin individual training next week in the first step to returning to action after the coronavirus shutdown. It is hoped their postponed series against West Indies can start in July
  
• The 2020 Tour of Britain cycle race has been cancelled
  
• The use of 'hub' stadiums to enable Scottish football to resume in front of fans is being considered. Stadiums would host a number of games over a weekend.
  
• In Italy, officials say there is a "99%" chance the Italian government will allow the top-flight of football to resume on 13 June
  

Fears over first cases in Rohingya refugee camp

As we reported earlier, the first cases of coronavirus have reached the world’s largest Rohingya refugee camp, in Bangladesh's Cox’s Bazar southern district.
A government doctor confirmed to the BBC that there have been two positive cases. Both people are now in health facilities run by non-governmental organisations.
It is believed some 1,900 other people came into contact with the two cases, and officials are now beginning the process of contact tracing.
There are significant fears of a wider outbreak.
“Health facilities are already crowded and overwhelmed, without the sufficient equipment, health staff or physical space necessary to treat cases," said Manish Agrawal, Bangladesh country director at global humanitarian organisation the International Rescue Committee.

Qatar: Fail to wear a mask, risk jail

Qatar has made the wearing of face masks compulsory, warning that anyone defying the order could face up to three years in prison or be fined more than $50,000 (£41,000).
The Gulf state has currently more than 28,000 infections, with 14 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's worldwide tally.
More than 2.5 million people live in Qatar, one of the world's richest countries.

Burundi expels WHO representative and the latest from Africa

Here's a quick round-up of major developments from across Africa:

• Mauritius has declared victory in the battle against coronavirus - but says it has not yet won the war
  
• Burundi has expelled the World Health Organization representative in the country and three other health experts - reportedly because the government is unhappy about supposed "interference" in its virus response
  
• Tanzania has rejected US criticism that it is not doing enough to halt the outbreak
  
• Football club TP Mazembe are declared champions as the season is brought to an end in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  

Austria's leader Kurz in social distancing row

Bethany Bell - BBC News, Vienna
Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been criticised by opposition parties, after he visited a small Alpine community and a crowd of locals, disregarding social distancing rules.
Gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted under Austrian regulations.
It was Mr Kurz’s first official trip outside Vienna for weeks. He was visiting Kleinwalsertal, a remote Austrian valley that has been particularly isolated during lockdown, as it is only accessible via a road through Germany.
There has been widespread criticism of Mr Kurz on social media.

Company warns of shortage of plastic for protection screens

There is a shortage of the plastic sheets used to make clear screens that employers have been advised to install for workplace safety, the BBC has learned.
Supermarkets have fitted screens at checkouts and government guidance has advised other workplaces, from labs to factories, to take a similar approach, but a spike in demand has led to shortages of plastic sheets.
Chris Marmion, managing director of Plastic Shop Screens, told the BBC's Wake up to Money: "It's quite simple. There isn't enough [plastic] coming into the country to meet the current demand. Come a couple of weeks, I think there may definitely be a shortage."

• For more on this story, click here.
  

The five countries with highest death tolls

More than 300,000 coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded around the world, according to Johns Hopkins (JH) University.
The US university - which started compiling its data soon after the outbreak began in China late last year - says there have been more than 4.4 million confirmed cases, with 1.5 million people who have recovered.
The five nations with highest death tolls currently are:

• the US - more than 85,000 (JH)
  
• the UK - 33,614 (Department for Heath and Social Care)
  
• Italy - 31,368 (Civil Protection Agency)
  
• France - 27,425 (Health authorities)
  
• Spain - more than 27,300 (JH)
  

However, scientists point out that global comparisons are difficult to make because every country counts deaths differently. They say a fuller picture may only emerge over a longer period of time.

Church sues Zoom after Bible study porn 'zoombombing'

A church in the US is suing Zoom after a hacker allegedly hijacked a virtual Bible study class to post pornography and child abuse images.
Saint Paulus Lutheran Church in California said a person hacked into its Zoom video call and played "sick and disturbing videos".
The church's leaders contacted Zoom for help, but the company "did nothing", it claimed.
Zoom declined to comment.

More than one in four patients who died in England had diabetes

Figures released by NHS England have provided a breakdown of specific pre-existing health conditions among those to have died with Covid-19.
It showed that more than one in four (26%) patients who died with Covid-19 in hospitals in England between 31 March and 12 May had diabetes. Of the 22,332 patients who died, 5,873 had the condition.
Meanwhile, 18% of those who died had dementia, 15% had chronic pulmonary disease, and 14% had chronic kidney disease.

McDonald's outlines guidelines for reopening US dining

People waiting outside McDonald's in New York City's Times Square yesterday

McDonald's has released guidelines for how its restaurants should reopen dining areas in the US.
Staff will wear masks and gloves, child play areas will be closed, and some seating will be inaccessible to promote social distancing.
Some of the fast food restaurants will even offer masks to customers in cities where they are required.
Despite the guidelines, McDonald's has not said when it will reopen eating areas across the US.
In the UK, the fast food chain yesterday reopened 15 of its branches for delivery, and it plans to open some drive-thrus next week.

Concern over pandemic taking hold in war-torn Yemen

There have been 385 deaths over the past week of people with "coronavirus-like symptoms" in Aden, Yemen, according to figures reported by the Save the Children organisation.
The group said such deaths in Aden appeared to have increased fivefold in a week.
Only 72 cases and 13 virus-related deaths have officially been confirmed in the war-ravaged country but Save the Children said it appeared the pandemic was "getting a grip" on Yemen. The testing rate is extremely low with only four labs nationwide able to carry out the diagnostics.
“Our teams on the ground are seeing how people are being sent away from hospitals, breathing heavily or even collapsing. People are dying because they can’t get treatment that would normally save their lives," the group said in a statement.
It added that there were only 500 ventilators in Yemen.

We're pausing our live coverage

Thank you for following our updates - we're now wrapping up the live page for today but before we go, here's a quick recap of Thursday's main developments:

• It is estimated that one in 400 people in England currently has coronavirus, according to a survey of 11,000 people
  
• The UK government has agreed to a £1.6bn bailout of Transport for London, which runs underground trains and buses in the capital
  
• The first moves to ease lockdown in Northern Ireland will begin next week, with Arlene Foster announcing garden centres and recycling centres can reopen from Monday
  
• The first cases of coronavirus have reached the world's largest refugee camp - in Bangladesh
  
• In the US, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr has stepped aside amid an insider trading inquiry related to the pandemic
  
• And Dr Rick Bright, the ousted director of a US government vaccine agency, testified that unless virus planning steps up the country could be headed for "the darkest winter in modern history"
  

You've been kept up to date today (from morning in Asia to evening in the UK) by a team of writers and editors in Singapore, Sydney, Delhi and the UK. They are: Yvette Tan, Andreas Ilmer, Frances Mao, Krutika Pathi, Anna Jones, Owen Amos, Joel Gunter, Tom Spender, Georgina Rannard, Kevin Ponniah, Vicky Baker, Yaroslav Lukov, Tom Gerken, Alice Evans, Matt Henry, Michael Emons, Steve Sutcliffe, Matt Cannon and Ella Wills.