Coronavirus - 17th May

Summary for Sunday, 17th May

• Former President Barack Obama addresses the US high school class of 2020, marking graduation in lockdown
  
• He also criticises his successor, President Donald Trump, for his handling of the pandemic response
  
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledges frustration over the "complex" easing of England's lockdown
  
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calls for a unified approach from the four UK nations to relaxing lockdown
  
• Eurovision stars past and present joined a show on Saturday, the night this year's cancelled contest would have taken place
  
• Italy is taking a "calculated risk" in easing its lockdown measures, PM Giuseppe Conte admits
  
• More than 311,000 people globally have now died and more than 4.6 million are infected - Johns Hopkins University
  

Welcome to our live coverage

Good morning and thank you for joining us. Here’s a look at the latest headlines regarding the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged frustration over the"complex" easing of England's lockdown, writing in the Mail on Sunday that more complicated messages were needed during the next phase
  
• It comes as No 10 pledges up to £93m to speed up a new vaccine research lab - the total number of UK deaths rose to 34,466 on Saturday
  
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a four-nation approach and says different plans across the UK nations are not going to "help us out of this crisis"
  
• Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says the PM faces a "fracturing of national unity" if he ignores the regions, adding that mayors had not been told the lockdown was being eased
  
• Radiologists are "very concerned" patients may not be cured of serious illnesses when demand for services increases because of a lack of imaging equipment in the UK
  
• And the competition may have been cancelled but that didn’t stop Abba's Waterloo being named the greatest Eurovision song of all time by BBC viewers.
  

Labour: Work with teachers and unions on reopening schools

Schools were closed as part of the measures to curb the spread of the virus

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves has called on the government to work with teachers, parents and unions on reopening schools.
The government is planning to begin a phased reopening of schools in England from 1 June, but teachers' unions have said the date is too soon for this to be safe.
The Labour MP told Sky News "all of us want to see more children attending school" and "for the best possible education we want to see our children in the classroom".
But to safely reopen schools and gain the confidence of parents and teachers she said the government needed to be more transparent about the science behind its decisions.
"Instead of dialling up the rhetoric, we want government to work with teachers, parents and the teaching unions to get this right," she added.

Athletics may return to empty stadiums

Lord Coe says competitions may happen behind closed doors

World Athletics President Lord Coe has warned athletics may have to be held in stadiums without spectators when it returns.
The annual Diamond League of elite track and field athletic competitions is scheduled to return in mid-August after a revised calendar was announced a few days ago.
But Coe says the 11 events of the series are all likely to be held behind closed doors.
"In the short term we may have to compromise on that," he told Inside the Games website. "We can't be oblivious or tin-eared to what we're being told by local communities and public health authorities.
"I don’t think anybody is contemplating this as the ideal long-term solution - sport would wither on the vine quite quickly if that were the case.
"But that may well be a compromise we have to make in order to get the athletes back into competition, leagues finished, at least some kind of competition."

Former UK minister questions China's handling of virus

A number of Western officials have criticised China's handling of the coronavirus crisis, accusing the country of not being transparent enough at the beggining of the outbreak or of trying to cover up the true extent of the cases - accusations the Chinese government has consistently denied.
Add one more name to the list. Former UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has called on China to be more transparent and share data about the coronavirus with the World Health Organization (WHO).
"If we don't get these answers it will only increase the sense that China doesn't want to be a member of the family of nations," he told Sky News' Sophy Ridge programme.
He also pointed to scientific research that suggests the number of cases could have been reduced if China had acted earlier.
Last month, our security correspondent Gordon Corera reported that intelligence officials in the UK and the US believed that China's real casualty figure from the virus was much higher.

Obama criticises Trump's virus response: Latest world news

US President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus has come under a lot of criticism as the country has the highest numbers of cases - nearly 1,5 million - and deaths - almost 89,000.
His predecessor, Barack Obama, has again hit out at the administration's response. In an online address to graduating college students, he said the pandemic had shown that many officials "aren't even pretending to be in charge". We have more on what he said.
Meanwhile, here are some other developments around the world:

• Religious services have resumed in parts of Australia seven weeks after lockdown measures were introduced. New South Wales is the latest jurisdiction to allow places of worship - as well as cafes and restaurants - to reopen under strict conditions, with up to 10 people allowed to worship. Many churches, synagogues and mosques have decided to stay closed. The live streaming of religious services will continue
  
• Italy is taking a "calculated risk" in easing its lockdown measures, PM Giuseppe Conte has admitted. He said "the contagion curve" could rise again, but the country could not afford to wait for a vaccine
  
• Kenya has closed its land borders with Tanzania and Somalia except for cargo transport. Testing for the coronavirus at border posts will be compulsory for all drivers
  

Businesses 'worried' about quarantine plan for air travellers

The head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said businesses are "really worried" about potential plans to bring in a 14-day quarantine for those arriving in the UK via air.
Carolyn Fairbairn told Sky News the government should think "very carefully" about how this might be introduced. The new restriction is expected to take effect at the end of this month though few details are known.
It is also not clear whether there are plans to quarantine people arriving to the UK via other modes of transport.
Fairbairn called for collaboration with the aviation sector to make flying safe, noting that airports like those in Vienna and Hong Kong are introducing testing as an alternative to quarantines.
Getting people flying again would be "an incredibly powerful boost to our economy", she added.

Heathrow passengers fall by 97%

Heathrow Airport is usually one of the busiest in the world

The restrictions on our movement have hit the travel sector hard and we're starting to get a sense of its impact in numbers.
Passenger traffic at London's Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in the world, has fallen by 97%, John Holland-Kaye, the airport's chief executive, has said.
Like other business leaders, Holland-Kaye has also expressed concern over plans to introduce a quarantine for people flying into the UK, saying the measure can't be in place for more than a relatively short amount of time "if we're going to get the economy moving again".
He called on the government to work with the EU and the US to create an international standard when it comes to quarantine rules, arguing that countries having different plans was creating confusion.
“It's no good having an immunity passport, if other countries have different systems,” he told Sky News.

Professional football returns in Germany

Erling Braut Haaland and his Borussia Dortmund colleagues celebrated their opening goal in a socially distanced fashion

Germany's Bundesliga resumed on Saturday, becoming the first major European league to return to action since lockdown restrictions began.
With no spectators present, the sound of the crowd was replaced by players and coaches shouting to one another and the satisfying thud of the ball hitting the back of the net - for fans of teams that won, that is...
Six games took place, with Borussia Dortmund beating Schalke 4-0 to close the gap to one point on leaders Bayern Munich, who play on Sunday.
New protocols saw teams arrive in several buses so they could socially distance on the journey to the game - players and staff had been quarantining in team hotels all week and are being tested for coronavirus regularly.
Facemasks were worn on the way into the ground while other people attending, including the media, had their temperatures checked and police patrolled to make sure no crowds gathered at venues.
Footballs were also disinfected by ball boys before the game and again at half-time.

Wear mask or face prison, Qatar warns

Qatar has made the wearing of face masks compulsory, with anyone defying the order facing a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to $55,000 (£45,000) for those who repeatedly fail to cover up.
The country has one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world for coronavirus: more than 30,000 people have tested positive out of a population of less than three million.
Mosques, schools and shopping malls remain closed in the tiny Gulf state, one the world’s richest in terms of per capita income. Building sites are open with preventive measures in place in order to prepare for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

UK economy already in recovery phase as 'worst is over'

The UK economy is now over "the worst" of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and is entering a recovery phase as restrictions are loosened, the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said.
Robert Chote told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "The key worry is if you have not just a very sharp downturn in the economy but one that scars its future potential."
"The key issues are... how swift that recovery is and whether the economy is permanently scarred at the end of it. If we come out of this with the economy being smaller than we would have anticipated going in, that's a bigger question than exactly how deep it is at the worst point," he added.
If you want to know more about how the economy is expected to perform in the months to come, here are some charts with Bank of England's scenarios.

Aer Lingus completes 100th flight delivering vital PPE for Ireland’s frontline workers


AER LINGUS has completed its 100th flight delivering essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use in hospitals across Ireland. 
The Irish airline has delivered a staggering 1,300 of vital equipment from China since the end of March.  
Under the government-led “Critical Supply Operation”, PPE and other essential supplies have been brought back on flights from the Far East by specially-assembled lockdown flight crews. 
Crew of five pilots, two engineers and one ground operations team member have been embarking on 28-hour round-trips to the Far East to bring back the equipment. 
Upon landing at Dublin Airport, the PPE has been collected by the Irish Defence Forces, who are tasked with delivering the supplies to hospitals and other care centres where it is urgently required. 
With as many as five flights taking off a day from the Irish capital, it’s proven a mammoth operation for everyone involved but one that has had a huge impact in Ireland’s battle against coronavirus.

This past Saturday, May 16, marked Aer Lingus’s 100th flight bringing PPE back to Ireland from China. 
A spokesperson for the airline said: "Flight EI9023 carried the 100th load of PPE since our Critical Supply Operation began. 
"In total, we've flown around 1,300 tonnes of PPE from China to Ireland."

Spain's daily death toll drops below 100

Spain is slowly lifting the restrictions it imposed to curb the spread of the virus

Spain, one of the world's worst-hit countries by coronavirus, has released its latest figures which show its daily death toll dropped below 100 for the first time in two months.
It was 87 on Sunday, the health ministry said, bringing the total deaths from the virus to 27,650. The number of confirmed cases edged up to 231,350 from 230,698, the ministry said.

'Dad doesn't understand why we're not visiting him'

John has had dementia for 16 years and for the past two has lived at a care home

Donna Duffy's father John turned 70 last November. He has had dementia for 16 years and for the past two has been a resident at Brooklands Care Home in West Belfast.
Between Donna and her sister and mother, someone would visit John every day, sometimes twice a day, but that all stopped on 12 March.
On that day, the Department of Health published guidance saying there was not a blanket ban on visiting, because of the important role it plays in mental health for all concerned, but people should follow localised guidelines.
The owners of Brooklands Care Home, Conway Group Healthcare, said "the decision to suspend visiting, was certainly not a decision that was taken lightly" but "one of many necessary actions to attempt to prevent the spread of the virus".
John doesn't understand why his family is not coming in anymore, and Donna says tears have trailed down his face when they're video-calling him.
"He has dementia, so he couldn't understand what was happening on the outside, he doesn't have the cognitive ability," she said.
"We as a family knew the home would be closing, but we just would have liked time to prepare daddy."
Read more of Donna and John's story here.

In pictures: Church services in time of lockdown

Greek Orthodox faithful sit outside a church in Piraeus near Athens

Worshippers in Greece have been able to attend church services for the first time in weeks as a ban on mass gatherings has been eased. On Sunday, some churches replaced pews with chairs spaced two metres (six feet) apart.

Mass is celebrated at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney

Religious services have also resumed in parts of Australia. In New South Wales, up to 10 people are now allowed to worship. But the live streaming of religious services continues as many churches as well as synagogues and mosques have decided to stay closed.

Drive-in Mass in Châlons-en-Champagne, near Reims, France

And in France, if you can't go to Mass you can at least drive to it. What is believed to be the first ever drive-in Mass has been held in Châlons-en-Champagne in the north-east of the country.

Surnames could dictate who buys alcohol in South Africa

Government draft plans for relaxing lockdown restrictions in South Africa would allow the alcohol trade to operate from Monday to Wednesday between 08:00 and 12:00.
However, the Liquor Traders' Association of South Africa, expecting a boom in demand, has expressed concerns that it will be difficult to maintain social distancing in stores with such a limited schedule.
It suggests extending opening hours from Monday to Saturday and also a system based on customers' surnames, with the first letter dictating on which days of the week they are allowed to buy alcohol.
Under its recommendations, anyone whose surname starts with a letter between A and M could buy alcohol on Mondays and Wednesdays and people whose surnames begin with letters N to Z could do so on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
There would be no restrictions on Fridays and Saturdays. All customers would have to show identification to prove they meet the criteria.
But no decision has been made yet.
Cheers!

What did we learn from Sunday morning interviews?

Reopening schools and the economic impact of the pandemic were among the issues discussed on the UK's political programmes this morning.
Here's a quick recap of the key points covered:

• Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he was confident children and teachers would be safe when schools return in England - but any reopening would be "staged and careful"
  
• Gove also defended the government's record on care homes, saying it had "significantly" increased testing
  
• Meanwhile, Labour's Rachel Reeves called on the government to work with teachers, parents and unions to reopen schools safely
  
• The World Health Organization's chief scientist said children didn't seem to be getting severely ill from Covid-19, but there was less data on how effectively they spread the virus to others
  
• The UK is now over the worst of the economic impact of the pandemic, according to the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility. But he warned a key issue would be whether the economy is "permanently scarred"
  
• The head of the CBI said businesses were "really worried" about plans to bring in a 14-day quarantine for those arriving in the UK by air and the government should think "very carefully" about how this might be introduced
  
• The chief executive of London’s Heathrow Airport has also raised concerns, saying the measure can't be in place for long if the UK is going to get its economy moving again
  

Dozens flout lockdown rules for park 'rave'

Officers took pictures of the revellers as they left the scene

A group of about 70 people gathered in a park in England for a "rave" on Saturday - flouting lockdown rules and telling police they were "sick of self-isolation".
West Mercia Police said a DJ had set up for the party at Granville Country Park in Telford, Shropshire. The group were dispersed by officers.
"We've worked so hard and sacrificed so much and this group decide it doesn't apply," one officer said.
Although lockdown restrictions have been eased slightly in England, people are still not allowed to gather in groups of more than two, except with members of their household.

Lockdown in England: What can I do?

Lockdown measures have been eased across England after more than seven weeks of restrictions - but how could everyday life change?
Two people from different households in England can now meet in outdoor settings, such as parks, as long as they stay more than two metres (six feet) apart.
People can also spend unlimited time outdoors "for leisure purposes", including sunbathing and exercise.
Read more about the lockdown restrictions in England.
We've also got guides on the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Minister sets death toll higher than official figures - in Dagestan

Sarah Rainsford - BBC Moscow Correspondent
The health minister of Dagestan has revealed that 40 frontline healthcare workers have died in the Russian republic since the start of the outbreak, which he called a tragedy.
Officially, just 27 people have died of the virus there, but Dzhamaludin Gadzhiibragimov told an independent blogger 657 patients had died of community-acquired pneumonia in the same period. They had symptoms of Covid-19, but no positive test result.
The interview comes amid concerns that Russia as a whole has been playing down the true impact of coronavirus, which officials in Moscow have denied.
Earlier this month, a group of doctors wrote to President Vladimir Putin warning that the under-reporting of the epidemic was angering people in Dagestan. They complained that officials were more concerned about looking good to Moscow than working to protect lives.
Civil society groups also warned that people were dying in their villages without making it to hospital, and so going undiagnosed.
The health minister offered few explanations for the scale of the crisis. But he insisted that hospitals in Dagestan now have personal protective equipment and spare beds, and that there were some signs the situation was stabilising.

A super-spreading funeral that led to three deaths

Mohammed Hussain survived Covid-19 after spending time in intensive care

In March, before the UK lockdown began, the Hussain family held a big funeral in Bradford's central mosque.
Tragically, many mourners fell ill with Covid-19, including the dead man's son, Mohammed. But while three family members died, Mohammed eventually pulled through.
Prof John Wright, at doctor at the Bradford Royal Infirmary who has been keeping a diary for the BBC during the pandemic, has written about Mohammed's experience in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Hello? How football clubs are checking on older fans

Professional football clubs in England may not be able to take to the pitch at the moment, but that hasn't stopped them making a difference off it.
Many have taken to calling vulnerable or elderly supporters to check on them during lockdown.
BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, and big Baggies fan, Adrian Chiles has shared his experiences of calling West Brom supporters, while the likes of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, Chelsea's Mason Mount, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen have also surprised fans with phone calls.

From New Zealand to Scottish island: Author's lockdown trip under fire

Gaiman left his wife Amanda Palmer and son behind in Auckland
Author Neil Gaiman has admitted breaking Scotland's lockdown rules by travelling 12,000 miles (19,000km) from New Zealand to his holiday home on Skye.
The Good Omens and American Gods writer said he left his wife and four-year-old son in Auckland so he could "isolate" at his Scottish island retreat.
He wrote on his blog that until two weeks ago he had been living in New Zealand with his family but the couple agreed "that we needed to give each other some space".
The science fiction and fantasy author has since been criticised for "endangering local people" and for heading to Skye from overseas when tourists and second-home owners were being urged to stay away.
The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who is the MP for the island, said: "What is it about people, when they know we are in the middle of lockdown that they think they can come here from the other side of the planet, in turn endangering local people from exposure to this infection that they could have picked up at any step of the way?"

School row and travel concerns: Latest in UK

Good afternoon if you're joining us in the UK!
It's meant to be a nice day out there - we hope you're making the most of it as we continue to bring you the latest news on the pandemic.
This is what's been happening so far:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged frustration over the "complex" easing of England's lockdown, writing in the Mail on Sunday that more complicated messages were needed during the next phase
  
• Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he was confident children and teachers would be safe when schools return in England - but any reopening would be "staged and careful"
  
• The World Health Organization's chief scientist said children didn't seem to be getting severely ill from Covid-19, but there was less data on how effectively they spread the virus to others
  
• A business lobby group has expressed concerns about potential plans to bring in a 14-day quarantine for those arriving in the UK via air
  
• The UK economy is now over "the worst" of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and is entering a recovery phase as restrictions are loosened, the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said
  

Prayers and players: Latest world news

A few minutes ago we gave you a round-up of the latest news in the UK. Now here's a look at what's been happening around the world:

• Spain, one of the countries worst hit by coronavirus, recorded 87 deaths in the past 24 hours - the first drop under 100 since the lockdown began there in mid-March
  
• Worshippers in some countries, including Greece and Australia, have been able to attend church services for the first time in weeks
  
• The chief executive of London's Heathrow Airport has called on the British government to ease restrictions on civil aviation in order to rebuild the economy after the lockdown
  
• Germany's Bundesliga resumed on Saturday, becoming the first major European league to return to action since lockdown restrictions began
  

No fans, no fun? German football return described as 'sterile and eerie'

The eyes of the football world have been trained on Germany this weekend as the first major European league resumes under new protocols.
So how has it changed?

• Goals were celebrated with elbow bumps
  
• Players arrived in several buses to maintain social distancing
  
• Footballs were disinfected by ball boys during the game
  
• Substitutes and coaches wore masks and sat apart on the bench
  
• Teams were allowed to use five substitutes in a game
  

A small number of people were allowed to attend, including journalists.
German football expert Constantin Eckner watched Eintracht Frankfurt's 3-1 defeat by Borussia Monchengladbach for BBC Sport, describing the atmosphere as "bizarre" and "chastened".
"As sophisticated as the Bundesliga's hygiene protocol might be, it still has its weak points because some precautions are seemingly only for show," he added.
We've got more on the new reality of professional football.

'Concrete plan' for European football to finish

The president of European football's governing body says it has a "concrete plan" to finish the season in August.
The Champions League and Europa League competitions, halted during the last-16 stage because of the coronavirus pandemic, look likely to be played exclusively in August.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said the games will "have to be played without spectators", adding he hopes the "majority" of domestic leagues will complete the season.
In other sporting news:

• Newcastle manager Steve Bruce says resuming Premier League under strict protocols would be safer than going to the "supermarket or putting in petrol"
  
• But Bruce wants the planned 12 June restart put back so players can get "match fit"
  
• Top-flight European clubs stand to lose more than £3.5bn because of the pandemic
  

Liverpool's home game against Atletico Madrid on 11 March was the last Champions League fixture to be played in front of a crowd

Latest death figures for England, Scotland and Wales

We now have the latest figures for the number of people who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in England, Scotland and Wales.

• In England a further 90 people have died, taking the total number of deaths in hospitals there to 24,617
  
• In Scotland, there have been a further nine deaths, taking the total to 2,103
  
• In Wales, there have been a further 12 deaths, taking the total to 1,203
  

Figures for Scotland and Wales are mostly hospital deaths.
UK-wide figures published by the Department of Health - which use a different timeframe to those of individual nations and also include deaths in the community and care homes - will be published later.

Surviving South Africa's controversial lockdown

Earlier, we reported the South African government's draft plans for easing lockdown restrictions which would relax rules for how the alcohol trade operates.
The country's lockdown is one of the strictest in the world.
Not only have people been told to stay at home, but exercise outside was banned for some time - and cigarettes and alcohol still can't be purchased.

Fishing at the wrong 'plaice'? Anglers divided by different rules

Two fishing lakes on the border between England and Wales has unwittingly found themselves at the centre of different national approaches to lockdown.
Anglers from England are welcomed to Broadstone Park, but those from Wales are being asked not to visit the site, where two lakes straddle the border between Gloucestershire and Monmouth.
It's because stricter stay-at-home rules remain in force in Wales, where people have been told to exercise locally. In England, people can drive to other destinations for outdoor pursuits.
Park and campsite owner Jeff Revill said: "I've had quite a number of calls but if I know they are travelling from Wales, I would say 'no'."
The England-Wales border runs right through the centre of the park, with fishing ponds just a few metres inside England and one of the banks in Wales. "Most of the time, it has a novelty to it," Revill added.
Read more here.

India's lockdown could be extended until 31 May

India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has requested a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus is extended to 31 May.
The NDMA, responsible for setting policy on the lockdown, made its request in a letter to India's interior ministry, which is expected to issue detailed guidelines on the lockdown later on Sunday.
There have been more than 90,000 cases of coronavirus in India and at least 2,871 deaths.

Thailand reopens shopping centres as restrictions ease

People in Thailand have been rushing to shopping centres today as the government begins to ease lockdown restrictions.
With new virus cases dwindling, the centres are opening for the first time in more than eight weeks.
But strict measures are in place. All visitors must walk through a disinfectant mist at every entrance, and thermal scanners are in place to check people's temperatures.
Staff and visitors are also required to wear masks and keep a two-step distance from those around them.
In a controversial move, shoppers must adhere to a contract-tracing system through their phones. They have to register when they enter and leave the facility, as well as checking in and out of individuals stores within it.
More than 3,000 cases have been reported in the south-east Asian country, along with 56 virus-related deaths.
A ban on international visits has been extended until the end of June, and the government said it will be monitoring infection rates before deciding when to ease other restrictions.

Northern Ireland reports three more coronavirus deaths

The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Northern Ireland has risen to 476 after three more deaths were reported by the Department of Health.
The figures mostly cover deaths in hospitals.
UK-wide figures published by the Department of Health - which use a different timeframe to those of individual nations and also include deaths in the community and care homes - will be published later.

Egypt to tighten restrictions at end of Ramadan

Sweeping restrictions will be in place across Egypt for six days from 24 May as the country celebrates Eid, the extended holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said public transport would be halted, and a public curfew would be imposed from 17:00 to 06:00.
Shops, restaurants, beaches and parks will also be closed, and restrictions on citizens' movements will stay in place for at least two weeks afterwards.
Madbouly said the measures would protect public health and help to prevent any further spread of the coronavirus.
Over 11,700 cases have been reported in Egypt, along with 612 virus-related deaths. The government has slightly eased its nightly curfew, despite the daily number of cases continuing to rise.
Our colleague Rebecca Schraer has more on how to fast safely for Ramadan during the pandemic.

India lockdown extension confirmed

Divya Arya - BBC World Service
We told you a few minutes ago that India's National Disaster Management Authority had requested the extension of the country's lockdown to 31 May. This extension has now been confirmed, with considerable relaxations.
Offices can work with staggered business hours, shops are allowed to open with a limited number of customers, and states have been given the authority to identify containment zones, which will continue to have restrictions in place, while other areas can open up.
States also have the authority to allow inter-state travel but air travel, metro rail services, schools, colleges, religious places, hotels and places for social gatherings will remain shut.
The rules will need further clarifications from each state and there is a high possibility of chaos in the following days as the details are communicated to people and implementing authorities.
India had announced a lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus on 24 March.

Johnson risks fracturing national unity, warns mayor

The UK government is risking a "second spike" of the virus in the north of England by ignoring regional leaders, the mayor for Greater Manchester has warned.
"There are different issues in different places. Listen to people locally, work with them," Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC. "If the government carries on in the same vein, expect to see an even greater fracturing of national unity."
Burnham also questioned why only London's transport network (TfL) had been promised a government bailout, and why the capital's mayor is the only one to sit on the government's emergency planning group, Cobra.
He said the UK's original "Stay at Home" message should not have been replaced by the new "Stay Alert" message in the north, where it is thought the infection rate is currently higher.
The governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have refused to follow Prime Minister Boris Johnson's easing plan.
Writing in the Observer, he added: "Arguments will increase about funding. And if we don't get the help we need, there is a risk of a second spike here which, in turn, will pass the infection back down the country through the Midlands to London."

Texas reports huge spike in cases two weeks after reopening

Texas reported its largest one-day spike in new coronavirus cases on Saturday with 1,801 new infections.
It comes after the governor allowed all retail businesses to reopen on 1 May, but with restrictions on capacity.
Thirty-three more people died on Saturday, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,305.
Around 700 of the new cases were reported in Amarillo, where a meatpacking plant has been identified as a source of the local outbreak.

UK death toll rises by 170

A further 170 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, Sharma says.
It brings the total number of deaths to 34,636.
Daily death tallies announced on Sundays and Mondays are typically lower than on the other five days, due to hospital reporting delays.
The latest daily testing figures do not include those from Northern Ireland due to "technical issues", he says.

US sailors test positive again

At least 13 sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus for a second time, officials have told US media.
More than 1,000 troops aboard the 4,900-crew virus-stricken aircraft carrier have tested positive. The ship has been docked in Guam while sailors quarantine in local hotels.
Officials tell CNN that it remains unclear whether the 13 troops were re-infected, or if the virus remained in their blood from their first positive tests. The troops were quarantined for 14 days following their initial positive test, and were thought to be free of the virus.
"This week, a small number of TR [Theodore Roosevelt] sailors who previously tested [Covid-19] positive and met rigorous recovery criteria have retested positive," Navy spokesman Cmdr Myers Vasquez told Politico.
"These protocols resulted in a small number of close contacts who were also removed from the ship, quarantined and tested."
"The ship remains on the road to recovery and will prepare to get back underway once a critical mass of crew with the required expertise is onboard," she added.

Is there quarantine exemption for France?

Reality Check
Business Secretary Alok Sharma was asked by Miriam, from Solihull: "Why are visitors from France to the UK to be exempt from the proposed quarantine rules?"
Sharma spoke about the reasons for the quarantine and said, with reference to France, "when details become available, we will set them out".
Under the plan, people arriving from abroad will have to isolate themselves for two weeks. A joint statement from the British and French governments published on the government's website on 10 March said: "No quarantine measures would apply to travellers coming from France at this stage".
But on Friday, the prime minister's spokesman insisted there was no French exemption for travellers after all - leading some to accuse the government of back-tracking.
There may be a limited exemption though for freight drivers and people working on research into coronavirus - as we explain here.

What did we learn from UK government briefing?

We've just heard from the UK government at today's Downing Street briefing.
It was led by Business Secretary Alok Sharma, who was joined by Prof Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England.
Here's what we learned:

• A further 170 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, taking the total to 34,636
  
• The government has pledged to invest an extra £84m ($102m) into a project searching for a vaccine at the University of Oxford
  
• The UK will also put £38m towards building a "rapid deployment facility" to ensure any successful vaccine is made widely-available
  
• It is hoped about 30 million doses of a vaccine can be made by September if any trials prove successful - none have so far
  
• Trials for a second UK-based vaccine project - by Imperial College London - will begin in October
  
• Six drugs aimed at treating the virus have now entered clinical trials
  
• A "steady fall" in Covid-19 hospital patients is being seen across England
  

More UK trains back on the rails from Monday

Rail companies are urging people to only make essential journeys, with services in the UK are set to increase to around 70% of the normal timetable from Monday.
With social-distancing measures in place, there will only be space for about 10% of the number of passengers able to travel before the lockdown.
East coast mainline operator LNER will run a reservation-only system, while Avanti West Coast is among the companies strongly recommending passengers to pre-book tickets.


"As we move into the next phase of the nation’s response, there will be more people needing to travel by train and we need your help to keep services clear for those who need them the most," National Rail said.
The warning came after industry body, the Rail Delivery Group, said there had been a 25% increase in people planning journeys.
Read more on how transport will need to change to adapt to our new reality.

New York governor takes virus test on live TV

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has just taken a coronavirus nasal swab test on live TV during his daily briefing.
"I’m not good at going to the doctor," he says beforehand, adding that he does not like "being poked and prodded".
He said he wanted to demonstrate that the test was easy to do, and to encourage those with symptoms to get tested.
Deaths in the state the previous day fell to 139, down from 157 on Friday.
Since 26 March, there have been over 100 Covid-related deaths every day in New York.
Across the US, Covid-19 tests have been prioritised for people with symptoms - it is still difficult for Americans who do not feel sick to get a test done.

UK pledges £84m fund for coronavirus vaccine

The UK government says it will make £84m ($102m) of funding available to researchers working to find a coronavirus vaccine.
At a briefing earlier, Business Secretary Alok Sharma also said that, with government support, Oxford University had finalised a global licencing agreement with AstraZeneca for the commercialisation and manufacturing of a vaccine.
If the vaccine is successful, the UK will be the first to get access, and will receive 30 million of the 100 million jabs expected to be made.

Frosty reception for Belgian PM on hospital visit

Hospital staff in Belgium gave a frosty welcome to Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès when she arrived for an official visit - by turning their backs to her car.
Nurses and non-medical staff at Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels were protesting about resources.
Belgium's government has been criticised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the country's high mortality rate - our correspondent Gavin Lee explained it to us earlier this month.
Wilmès has previously suggested that Belgium may be over-reporting the actual number of cases.

US recovery may 'extend into end of next year'

US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has warned that the US economy may not recover until the end of 2021.
"Assuming there isn't a second wave of the coronavirus, I think you'll see the economy recover steadily through the second half of this year," he told CBS on Sunday.
"For the economy to fully recover people will have to be fully confident and that may have to await the arrival of a vaccine."
But he added: "It's going to take a while for us to get back. It could stretch through the end of next year. We really don't know."
Powell added that lawmakers may need to pass even more emergency funding than the $3tr (£2.5tr) that has already been authorised.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits since the middle of March, a way to measure the impact of the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus, has passed 36 million.

'Pharma Bro' early prison release denied

Convicted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli - who became known as "Pharma Bro" after he was investigated for price-gouging a life-saving medicine - has had his petition for early release turned down by a judge.
US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto ruled on Saturday that he wasn't at high risk of catching the disease behind bars.
The judge added that his claim that he would use his knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry to find a coronavirus vaccine - which has "so far eluded the best medical and scientific minds in the world working around the clock" - qualifies as "delusional self-aggrandising behavior".
The 37-year-old is currently housed in a Pennsylvania prison with no confirmed Covid-19 cases. He is serving a seven-year prison term for lying to investors in the hedge funds he ran.

English councils call for cash handout to stem future cuts

Councils in England have called on the UK government to provide a £5bn ($6bn) "income guarantee" to prevent local authorities from having to cut services as the coronavirus hits finances.
The County Councils Network has warned councils could lose £2.4bn as income from tax and business rates fall.
The group said councils would have "no choice" but to suspend non-essential expenditure and cut services.
The government says it has provided "an unprecedented £3.2bn" to councils. A spokesman said the councils were being given "the resources that they need to tackle the immediate pressures they have told us they're facing".
Cllr David Williams, chairman of the County Councils Network, said funding provided by the government was "very welcome and provides vital resources to meet immediate cost pressures".
But he added that now was the time "for the government to step forward with firmer financial guarantees".
Read more here

How horse racing is working behind closed doors

While elite sporting action has been suspended across the globe because of the pandemic, horse racing has continued behind closed doors in places such as Australia, Hong Kong and the United States.
Where thousands of spectators once roared on the contenders, winners return in near-silence and social-distancing protocols are observed, with safety being the watchword.
"You don't have the atmosphere. You notice there's no crowd," jockey Zac Purton tells BBC Sport. "It takes me back to the days when I was an apprentice riding in the country, setting off. It's a small price to pay so racing can take place."

London financial centre prepares for new way of working

London's Canary Wharf has drawn up detailed plans to bring back tens of thousands of bankers, lawyers and accountants to the financial district as the coronavirus pandemic eases.
Rules on lift capacity, one-way routes around the Manhattan-style towers, and staggered working will be put in place.
The Docklands complex, the European home of HSBC, Barclays and Citigroup, has a working population of 120,000. Canary Wharf expects a tenth of that to return over the next couple of weeks and many employees have been working from home.
However, with signs that England's lockdown is starting to ease, Canary Wharf has been talking to firms about measures to improve safety and social distancing.

What does fall in UK deaths really tell us?

Michelle Roberts - Health editor, BBC News online
The UK has today reported its lowest number of deaths in many weeks - 170.
It's a positive sign that we're very clearly past the peak of the disease outbreak that triggered a UK-wide lockdown.
But experts caution that reported numbers do dip every weekend - so we can expect the figures to go up a bit again during the coming week.
There is also a lag between some new infections arising and them sadly resulting in recorded deaths.
It will take weeks to know if any easing of lockdown measures now will lead to a rise in cases and deaths, and by how much.
Experts will be watching closely for signs of a second wave of infections that threaten to overwhelm the NHS.

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 recap of the day's main developments:

• Over 4.6 million coronavirus cases have been reported globally, according to Johns Hopkins University, and the total death toll has risen to more than 312,000
  
• The UK has reported 170 new virus-related deaths - the lowest figure since the day after its lockdown began. The UK government says it will make £84m ($102m) of funding available to researchers looking for a vaccine
  
• For the first time since its own lockdown started, Spain has reported fewer than 100 deaths in the last 24 hours
  
• Meanwhile India has extended its nationwide lockdown until 31 May, although there are considerable relaxations
  
• Qatar has made the wearing of face masks compulsory, with repeated offenders facing a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to $55,000 (£45,000)
  

• At least 13 sailors on the American aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus for a second time - it's unclear whether they were re-infected or if the virus remained in their blood from their first positive tests
  

You've been kept up to date by our team of writers and editors in London and Washington - Alix Kroeger, Hugo Bachega, Alexandra Fouché, Josh Cheetham, Suzanne Leigh, Victoria Lindrea, Becky Morton, Matthew Cannon, Alex Bysouth, Jonathan Jurejko, Michael Emons and Max Matza.

Join us again on Monday as we continue to bring you the latest on the pandemic from our team of experts and correspondents around the world.
See you soon!

Du Wei: Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead at home
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-52696833

China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has been found dead in his apartment north of Tel Aviv, an Israeli official told BBC News.
The official said Israeli police had launched an investigation but initial findings suggested no foul play.
Mr Du, 57, was only appointed ambassador in February having previously served as envoy to Ukraine.
The ambassador was married and had a son but his family had still to join him in Israel.
He was living in Herzliya, some 10km north of Tel Aviv.
An Israeli police spokesman told Reuters news agency: "As part of the regular procedure, police units are at the scene."
Israel's Channel 12 TV, quoting unnamed medical sources, said initial indications were that Mr Du had died in his sleep of natural causes.
There was no immediate comment on Mr Du's death from Chinese officials.
In a message published on the embassy's website just after his appointment as ambassador, Mr Du praised the relations between "the second largest economy in the world and Israel the start-up nation".

Self-isolation on arrival
When he arrived in Israel on 15 February, Mr Du had immediately to self-isolate for two weeks because of coronavirus restrictions.
In an interview with Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon last month, Mr Du said China was being made the world's scapegoat.
"In history, more than once, a certain group of people was accused of spreading pandemics," he said.
"That is despicable and should be condemned. The disease is an enemy of the entire humankind and the world should fight it together."
On Friday, his embassy made a scathing attack on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who had criticised China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic on a visit to Israel.
In a response published in the Jerusalem Post, the embassy condemned Mr Pompeo's "absurd comments", denying that China had ever covered up the crisis.

Brazil overtakes Spain and Italy as new cases grow
Brazil has overtaken Spain and Italy to become the country with the fourth-largest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the world.
Officials on Saturday reported 14,919 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 233,142. Only the US, Russia and the UK have higher numbers.
The death toll in Brazil over 24 hours was 816, bringing the total to 15,633 - the world's fifth-highest figure.
Experts warn that the real figure may be far higher due to a lack of testing.

The mayor of the country's most populous city, São Paulo, warned on Sunday that the city's health system could collapse. Bruno Covas said the public hospitals in the city reached 90% capacity for emergency beds, with demand still growing.
Mr Covas said he was in crisis talks with the state governor over introducing a strict lockdown to try to slow contagion before hospitals ran out of space in an estimated two weeks' time.
Health experts in Brazil have warned that the real number of confirmed infections in the country may be far higher than the official records, due to a lack of testing.

"Brazil is only testing people who end up in the hospital," Domingo Alves from the University of São Paulo Medical School told AFP news agency last week.
"It's hard to know what's really happening based on the available data. We don't have a real policy to manage the outbreak," he said.
Mr Alves is one of the authors of a study that estimated the real number of infections was 15 times higher than the official figure.
Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been strongly criticised both at home and abroad for his handling of the country's escalating coronavirus crisis.
Mr Bolsonaro continues to oppose lockdown measures. He has downplayed the virus as "a little flu" and has said the spread of Covid-19 is inevitable.
Read more here