Amid the decline in the number of new cases, European countries, Russia, and some other nations are lifting restrictive measures, announcing the cancellation of travel bans and lockdowns. In the meantime, mass rallies are hitting the US and other countries, as people protests police brutality, following the death of African American George Floyd after a violent arrest in Minneapolis.
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The country has registered only 38 cases over the past week, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said on Friday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Germany has confirmed 258 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total count reaching 185,674, the Robert Koch Institute said on Friday.
The death toll has grown by eight to 8,763 people within the same period of time.
A day earlier, the country confirmed 555 new cases and 26 fatalities.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of people, who have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, has increased by 1,239 to 40,919 within the past 24 hours, the national Health Ministry said on late Thursday.
Within the same period of time, the number of confirmed cases has risen by 30,412 to 808,828.
A day earlier, Brazil reported about 32,913 new cases of the coronavirus disease and 1,274 new fatalities.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated the overall number of coronavirus cases globally at 7,273,958, with over 413,000 having died from the disease.
The UN health agency said in the situation report published on late Thursday that 128,419 new cases had been recorded in the past day, while further 5,347 patients had died.
Americas continue to lead the count with over 3.48 million cases, followed by Europe with 2.33 million.
"Another 49 patients, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus infection, died in Moscow", the city's coronavirus response centre said in a statement on Thursday.
It is the lowest one-day figure since 25 May, when 41 deaths were registered.
BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - The Bolivian authorities will close down the northern city of Cobija with a population of more than 50,000 on Monday due to the coronavirus outbreak, Luis Adolfo Flores, the governor of the Pando Department, said on Thursday.
On June 1, the north-central city of Trinidad with some 100,000 residents was put on lockdown for the same reason.
"From Monday on we will close Cobija and together with the medical teams we will 'clear it up' ... I hope we will be able to contain the infection," the governor said as broadcast by the Unitel channel.
Flores noted that both Cobija and the Pando Department neighbor Brazil, with many Bolivians crossing the border in search of work, which is illegal.
"We had 12 cases in 38 days, but we knew that there would be problems because people often cross the border with Brazil, where there are many cases of infection ... Now we have 130 cases and 300 are suspected," the governor said.
The department lacks tests and facilities to cope with the pandemic. The intensive care unit has only 12 beds and six lung ventilators. Local authorities have asked for additional equipment, but it has not yet arrived.
In total, Bolivia has recorded 15,281 coronavirus cases, 2,261 recoveries and 512 fatalities.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko warned doctors against recommending anti-malarial drugs for the prevention of the coronavirus, because of possible adverse outcomes due to their use.
“Since, firstly, there is only prescription access to these drugs, as prescribed by doctor, it is absolutely impossible to recommend these drugs for prophylactic. We see that there are adverse outcomes, adverse events such as allergic reactions, arrhythmia and a number of others," he said in an interview with the Rossiya 1 broadcaster, answering about the effectiveness of anti-malaria drugs for healthy people to prevent COVID-19.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - More than 100 peacekeepers from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have been infected with the novel coronavirus and two have died, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
“Mali has not been spared by the virus, and neither has our peacekeeping mission on the ground,” Guterres told a UN Security Council meeting. “More than 100 United Nations personnel have been affected. While many of them have recovered, two peacekeepers lost their lives. We mourn this loss.”
Guterres added that the novel coronavirus outbreak in Mali has exacerbated the already extremely challenging situation there as terrorists and other armed groups are attempting to capitalize on the health emergency.
Mali has reported 1,722 novel coronavirus cases and virus-related 97 fatalities, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The United Nations has revised its response plan for Afghanistan and now seeks $1.1 billion for 2020 as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic deepens the humanitarian crisis in the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a flash update on Thursday.
"The revised HRP [Humanitarian Response Plan] requests US$1.1 billion to reach 11.1 million of the most vulnerable people with life-saving assistance until the end of the year," the update said.
According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the organization has been able to collect only $227 million so far to support Afghanistan.
The assistance program plans to assist both new needs arising from the pandemic and pre-existing challenges in the country, OCHA said,
The agency also warned that cases in Afghanistan, where more than 43 percent of COVID-19 tests come back positive, are expected to continue to rise over the weeks ahead.
To boost COVID-19 response, the country needs to resource community engagement, surveillance and contact -tracing, it added.
States across the country are seeing spikes again.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 11, 2020
NY is one of the exceptions.
Why are we not seeing the same spikes? Because New Yorkers are informed, diligent & we’re protecting each other.
Let's keep it up.
STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) - Johan Carlson, the head of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, said on Thursday that the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic in the coming fall was inevitable.
"The pandemic is still ongoing, now there is a big outbreak in Latin America, we expect that at some point the virus will reach Africa. The risk is still very high, we must be prepared for the second wave," Carlson told reporters.
Unlike other European countries, the Swedish authorities have embraced a less rigid approach to dealing with the disease, refraining from imposing a full-scale lockdown. Sweden has confirmed a total of 48,288 coronavirus cases so far, with a death toll of 4,814, which is markedly higher compared to neighboring countries.
Speaking during a daily news conference on Thursday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that huge congregations of people at rallies could lead to an accelerated spread of the coronavirus.
"I understand that people want to show their passion for a cause that they care deeply about but this is a virus that thrives on social contact, regardless of what your cause may be," he said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Expansion of the G7 format in accordance with US President Donald Trump's proposal might have a positive outcome in terms of overcoming the global COVID-19 crisis as long as all participants are willing to openly exchange experience, Eduardo Valdes, the head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Argentina's Chamber of Deputies, said on Thursday.
"Any group, any meeting would be helpful. However, it is necessary to be able and willing to openly exchange experience. For example, today, some countries have bilateral rows, such as the United States and China. This imposes restrictions and has consequences for the entire world community. I think that the more participants there will be, the better," Valdes stated.
At the same time, Valdes noted that the US proposal was driven by Washington's own interests and needs, adding that attempts to find ways out of the pandemic crisis made by the countries in the framework of the UN Security Council had not been successful so far.
In late May, Trump said that the United States is postponing the G7 meeting, originally planned for June, until September and plans to invite the leaders of Russia, India, Australia and South Korea to refresh "this very outdated group of countries." According to the US president, he does not feel that the G7 "properly represents what’s going on in the world."
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has ignored Moscow’s requests to release Russian citizens from US prisons amid the novel coronavirus pandemic for humanitarian reasons, Russian Ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday.
“On March 24, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov sent a message to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He urged to consider the possibility of returning all Russians serving their sentences in the United States to Russia for humanitarian reasons,” Antonov said.
The Russian ambassador said he too raised the issue with US Attorney General William Barr and the head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Karvajal.
“I drew attention to the people suffering from serious illnesses, convicted of non-violent crimes, as well as those who had already served a significant part of the prison term. Unfortunately, our calls to show mercy and free the Russians were ignored,” Antonov said.
NEW YORK, June 11 (Sputnik) - US stocks fell their most in weeks in opening trading on Thursday, with the key Dow Jones Industrial Average beginning the session 3.4 percent lower after Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell’s remarks that interest rates could remain at near zero through 2022 suggested a longer-than-expected economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dow, the broadest equities gauge on the New York Stock Exchange, was down 905 points to 26,084. The S&P 500, a barometer for the top 500 US stocks, was 2.6 percent lower at 3,107. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.3 percent to 9,794.
HELSINKI, June 11 (Sputnik) - The Finnish government on Thursday announced that restrictions on movement through the border with Russia, imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be in place through 14 July.
"Restrictions on border traffic will continue at external borders, in other words at the Russian border and for those arriving from other third countries, until 14 July", the government said in a statement.
Family members of Finnish citizens are allowed to enter the country with no restrictions.
"Starting on 15 June, self-isolation is recommended for all those arriving in Finland who come from countries that are still subject to internal or external border control. Such countries include Sweden, Germany, and Russia. Self-isolation is not required if the person arrives from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, or Iceland", the government said.
"We have ramp[ed] up the testing quite dramatically and [are] continuing to do the same. There are certain hiccups which keep happening whenever a system is expanding and growing. We are trying to continue increasing testing in the country", the Indian Council of Medical Research stated on Thursday.
"#India is not in community transmission; We have to continue with our strategy of testing, tracing, tracking, quarantine and containment measures; We should not give up our guard on these": @ProfBhargava, DG, @ICMRDELHI pic.twitter.com/aJNbAwcZJY
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 11, 2020
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Currently, 17.4 percent of Moscow residents have coronavirus antibodies, Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said Thursday.
"We have conducted a study of population immunity. The first stage of testing took place between 4 May and 21 May, and at that point 12 percent of Moscow residents had antibodies. The second stage of the testing has ended. At the moment, immunity is being formed. In other words, 17.4 percent of Moscow residents have G antibodies, so the population immunity has increased by almost 5 percent in two weeks", Rakova said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Commission recommends lifting all restrictions on internal border controls linked to the coronavirus by 15 June but prolonging the restrictions on entry from third countries until 30 June, according to a press release published Thursday.
"Today the Commission recommends to Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to lift internal border controls by 15 June 2020 and to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU until 30 June 2020; and sets out an approach to progressively lifting the restriction afterwards", the press release said.
The European Commission has presented a list of criteria to decide on opening external borders to third countries: the epidemiological situation, containment measures, and reciprocity, Commissioner Ylva Johansson told a press conference.
"We propose ... that member states suggest a list of countries that should be open for them, residents of the countries, to travel into the European Union", Johansson said, adding that the list would gradually become longer.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak stated on Thursday while talking to Conservative MPs that he supported relaxing the two-metre social distancing rule. According to him, dozens of countries have already eased the distancing rule to one metre, while the current regulation may harm British businesses.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday announced that it would not be able to sustain its current level of employment, as the UK authorities implement new travel regulations including a 14-day quarantine for everyone arriving in the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"Throughout this crisis, we have tried to protect front line jobs, but this is no longer sustainable, and we have now agreed a voluntary severance scheme with our union partners. While we cannot rule out further job reductions, we will continue to explore options to minimise the number of job losses”, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said in a statement.
The airport has urged the authorities to create so-called air bridges with low-risk countries.
BENGHAZI/MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Libyan health officials have registered 19 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, compared to the 27 cases reported the previous day, the National Centre for Disease Control said early on Thursday.
Out of 683 coronavirus tests conducted over the past day, 664 came back negative and 19 were positive, according to the center’s epidemiological report. The total count of COVID-19 cases in Libya now stands at 378.
The tally of recoveries in Libya increased to 59 after another individual was cured, the centre added. The death toll remains at five.
A total of 314 cases are active, according to the authorities.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered 8,779 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours (8,404 yesterday), taking the total count to more than 500,000, the national coronavirus response centre said on Thursday.
"The Russian Federation has recorded a cumulative total of 502,436 cases (+1.8 percent) of coronavirus infections in 85 regions”, the response centre said in a statement.
According to the response centre, Russia has confirmed 8,779 COVID-19 cases in 84 regions over the past 24 hours, of which 3,235 (36.8 percent) were asymptomatic carriers.
Of the new cases, 1,436 were registered in Moscow, 724 in the Moscow Region, and 312 in St. Petersburg (compared to yesterday's 1,195, 735, and 313, respectively).
The country's COVID-19 death toll has grown by 174 (216 yesterday) to 6,358.
As many as 8,367 COVID-19 patients have recovered across the country (10,386 yesterday), bringing the total number of cured people to 261,150.
According to Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, the country has conducted more than 13.8 million COVID-19 tests since the onset of the outbreak, with 321,000 suspected carriers still under medical observation.
British Airways is to put some of its renowned art collection up for auction in a bid to raise extra cash, as the company is preparing to lay off thousands of staff amid the pandemic. The collection includes works by Damien Hirst, Peter Doig, and Bridget Riley.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the pharmaceutical company ChemRar on Thursday said they have started delivering the drug Avifavir against COVID-19 to hospitals across the country.
"The first batches of the medication have been delivered to hospitals and authorised pharmaceutical organisations in the Moscow, Leningrad, Novgorod, Kirov, and Nizhny Novgorod regions, the Republic of Tatarstan and Yekaterinburg. In June, 60,000 courses of Avifavir will be delivered to Russian hospitals. If needed, production can be increased to 2 million courses per year", RDIF and ChemRar said in a joint statement.
Avifavir, created on the basis of Favipiravir, is one of two drugs registered globally to treat COVID-19. In early June, the Russian Health Ministry said that the medication had proven 90 percent efficient during trials. It is not currently possible to purchase Avifavir in a pharmacy, it is available only to patients treated at hospitals and is used under medical supervision.
TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japanese authorities are planning to soften the nation’s travel restrictions for Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Vietnam this summer, allowing up to 250 travellers a day from those countries, the news agency Kyodo reported on Thursday, citing its government sources.
Japan has banned entry from 111 countries and regions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, turning away travellers who have visited any of those places within two weeks.
According to the news agency, Tokyo picked those particular countries because they have managed to get their coronavirus outbreaks under control and have strong economic ties with Japan. Depending on further developments, countries like China, South Korea, and the United States could join them as well. The quotas will be first applied to people coming for business, including executives and engineers.
The government is also considering creating PCR stations to screen those leaving the country for COVID-19.
Hoping to be a draw for tourists, the local town near Yamba Dam in Japan will begin offering bus tours that then move onto a lake. #YambaDam #Naganohara #GunmaPrefecture #AmphibiousBus #YukakeMatsuri #bus #tourism #japanhttps://t.co/R5jAPOVhpB pic.twitter.com/08RbiaPiZq
— The Japan News (@The_Japan_News) June 11, 2020
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A COVID-19 herd immunity study will be held in June in Russia's Khabarovsk Territory, as well as the cities of Tyumen and St. Petersburg, the Russian public health watchdog (Rospotrebnadzor) said on Thursday.
"A study concerning herd immunity to the SARS CoV-2 virus will be conducted in three pilot regions. The seroepidemiologic study is going to take place in the Khabarovsk Territory, Tyumen, and St. Petersburg in June 2020", Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.
"While we cannot rule out further job reductions, we will continue to explore options to minimise the number of job losses", Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said in a statement. According to the airport, passenger traffic was down 97% in May, and is expected to decline further due to the introduction of a 14-day quarantine for all arrivals.
"We actually don't know right now whether those rallies on the weekend may have caused outbreaks", Prime Minister Scott Morrison told 2GB Radio on Thursday. He also criticised protesters who were urging to remove statues of white leaders, saying they were driven by political agendas.
"Certainly any further action on this front would be absolutely unacceptable ... The double standards that [protesters] allowed themselves to perpetrate by turning up has offended, rightly I think, Australians right across the country", he stated.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - The Chinese health commission on Thursday announced that 11 new cases of coronavirus infection were detected within its borders over the past 24 hours, all of them imported from abroad.
Four of those cases are asymptomatic, while the rest are experiencing the infection in a mild form, the commission said in its daily update.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Germany has confirmed 555 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total count reaching 185,416, the Robert Koch Institute said on Thursday.
The death toll grew by 26 to 8,755 people within the same time period. A day earlier, the country confirmed 318 new cases and 18 fatalities.
More than 171,000 COVID-19 patients have recovered in Germany since the beginning of the outbreak.
