Coronavirus: Russia's cases rise again by over 10,000
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Chile tops 20,000 cases while death, hospitalisation rates plateau
Chile’s health ministry said on Monday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had exceeded 20,000.
The world’s top copper producer has 20,643 confirmed cases, 980 more than the previous day, and 10 new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 270, said Paula Daza, the health ministry subsecretary.
Chile, one of South America’s most developed countries, has won praise for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, conducting more than 200,000 tests, shutting down schools and businesses soon after the first case was confirmed at the start of March and operating rolling quarantines.
Almost 3,000 daily deaths in the US by early June - Trump administration model projects
A projection by US President Donald Trump's administration showed deaths in the US more than doubling by early June.
The projection shows a steady rise in the number of cases and deaths from coronavirus over the next several weeks, reaching about 3,000 daily deaths on June 1 - nearly double from the current level of about 1,750, reports the New York Times.
Based on modeling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and pulled together in chart form by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the projection forecasted about 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month, up from about 25,000 cases now.
The numbers underscore a sobering reality: While the United States has been hunkered down for the past seven weeks, not much has changed. And the reopening to the economy will make matters worse.
Yemen records two new coronavirus cases in Hadhramout
Yemen has reported two new coronavirus infections in Hadhramout, the national emergency coronavirus committee said on Monday, raising the number of diagnosed infections in the war-town country to 12 with two deaths.
The province of Hadhramout was where Yemen recorded its first case of COVID-19 on April 10. The United Nations says it fears the coronavirus could be spreading undetected among an acutely malnourished population with inadequate testing capabilities.
After retesting samples, French hospital discovers Covid-19 case from December
A French hospital which has retested old samples from pneumonia patients discovered that it treated a man who had Covid-19 as early as Dec. 27, nearly a month before the French government confirmed its first cases.
Yves Cohen, head of resuscitation at the Avicenne and Jean Verdier hospitals in the northern suburbs of Paris, told BFM TV that scientists had retested samples from 24 patients treated in December and January who tested negative for the flu.
"Of the 24, we had one who was positive for Covid-19 on Dec. 27," he told the news channel on Sunday.
US FDA tightens regulations for Covid-19 antibody tests
The US Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it now expects makers of antibody tests for the new coronavirus to submit requests for emergency use authorization of their tests within 10 days from when the test is validated.
The FDA previously did not expect these submissions if the test maker notified the agency that it was selling these tests, affirmed that the product was valid and labeled as unapproved.
The FDA said that when it issued its antibody test policy in Mid-March, a high level of flexibility was appropriate since these type of tests were not meant to diagnose a coronavirus infection.
Italy's coronavirus death toll far higher than reported: stats office
Italy's coronavirus death toll is much higher than reported, statistics bureau ISTAT said on Monday in an analysis pointing to thousands of fatalities that have never been officially attributed to Covid-19.
In its first report of the epidemic's impact on Italy's mortality rate, covering 86 percent of the population, ISTAT said that from Feb. 21, when the first Covid-19 deaths occurred, until March 31, nationwide deaths were up 39 percent compared with the average of the previous five years.
Of the 25,354 "excess deaths", the coronavirus was registered by the Civil Protection Agency as the official cause for 13,710, leaving around 11,600 deaths unaccounted for. These occurred overwhelmingly in the northern part of Italy most heavily hit by the virus.
Slovakia will accelerate reopening of economy hit by coronavirus
Slovakia will accelerate the reopening of its economy from its coronavirus shutdown as the rate of new infections has slowed, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Monday.
The central European country of 5.5 million people has recorded fewer cases of the Covid-19 respiratory illness than its neighbours and almost half of the reported 1,413 infected people have since recovered.
Matovic told a news conference that the second and third stages of a four-part plan to restart the economy would be merged. “We have been successful above expectations (in containing the virus)...but we still must remain very careful.”
Hotels, taxi services, religious services and weddings will reopen with some limits on Wednesday, he said. Shops outside of shopping malls and restaurant terraces as well as outdoor tourist attractions, museums and galleries will also open.
Gilead CEO says coronavirus drug remdesivir will be available this week
Anti-viral drug remdesivir, which was approved Friday for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration, is expected to be available to treat coronavirus patients as early as this week.
Gilead Sciences CEO Dan O'Day made the announcement on Sunday, reports the New York Post.
"We intend to get that to patients in the early part of this next week," O'Day said on CBS' "Face of the Nation."
Internal Chinese report warns Beijing faces Tiananmen-like global backlash over virus
An internal Chinese report warns that Beijing faces a rising wave of hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that could tip relations with the United States into confrontation, people familiar with the paper told Reuters.
The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the sources said.
As a result, Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation between the two global powers, according to people familiar with the report's content, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.
Macron: France to pledge 500 million euros for global coronavirus vaccine hunt
President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday France would contribute 500 million euros (442.7 million pounds) to a global fund-raising push to finance research into a vaccine and treatments against the novel coronavirus.
“France will commit an additional 500 million euros for the ACT-A initiative,” Macron said in a video call hosted by the European Commission during which world leaders are expected to raise at least 7.5 billion euros.
Spain to contribute 125 million euros to coronavirus response fund
Spain will pledge 125 million euros ($136.58 million) to developing a global response to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday.
Speaking at a virtual fundraising event hosted by the European Union, Sanchez said Spain would contribute 50 million euros to the Global Vaccine Alliance and 75 million euros to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
England's Covid-19 hospital death toll has smallest rise since March
England’s Covid-19 hospital death toll rose 204, the lowest daily increase since late March, to 21,384, the health service said.
The health service said that three of the 204 patients who died had no known underlying health condition.
EU to provide 1 billion euros for global vaccine search: Von der Leyen
The European Union pledged on Monday 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) for the global search for vaccines and treatment for the novel coronavirus, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a pledging conference.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for any treatment developed to be available to everyone, something the World Health Organization said would be a challenge.
Masked and gloved, Italy joins nations creeping out of lockdown
Italy was among a slew of countries easing lockdown restrictions on Monday to resurrect their economies, but officials cautioned against moving too swiftly as new coronavirus cases passed 3.5 million globally and deaths neared a quarter of a million.
Italy, among the world’s hardest-hit countries, started to relax the longest lockdown in Europe, allowing about 4.5 million people to return to work after nearly two months at home. Construction work can resume and relatives can reunite.
“I woke up at 5.30 am I was so excited,” said Maria Antonietta Galluzzo, a grandmother taking her three-year-old grandson for a walk in Rome’s Villa Borghese park, the first time they had seen each other in eight weeks.
'Darth Vader' enforces lockdown in Philippine village
Dressed as "Star Wars" characters, local officials in the Philippines are out and about to enforce strict quarantine measures while also handing out relief packages.
With Darth Vader and Stormtrooper outfits made from rubber mats and old plastic, the youth leaders catch the attention of villagers on the outskirts of Manila, who are then reminded to stay indoors.
"We tell off residents who still go outdoors without the proper quarantine passes needed and also those who do not wear face masks. We make sure the government guidelines are properly followed," Muriel Baldago, an elected official dressed in a Stormtrooper costume, told Reuters.
Japan's Abe extends state of emergency to May 31
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday extended a nationwide state of emergency to May 31, saying the new coronavirus infection rate had yet to drop enough to justify ending measures aimed at slowing the outbreak.
In a nod to the risk those restrictions pose to the world's third-largest economy, however, Abe promised to end restrictions earlier if experts advised him he could do so at a coronavirus task force due to meet on May 14.
He also said that the lockdown could be eased slightly in places with few infections and that libraries and museums across the country could reopen to limited numbers of visitors.
Germany extends border checks until May 15 - ministry spokesman
Germany, which is part of Europe’s open-border Schengen area, will extend its border checks until May 15, a spokesman for the interior ministry said on Monday.
The measure is in line with the European Commission, he added. “Of course, we are guided by the European spirit not to act unilaterally or in an uncoordinated way.”
Numerous Schengen countries have imposed emergency border checks in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
A university in China offers three-month rent refund to more than 20,000 students
A university in China's Xi'an has decided to refund three-month rent of its students.
Xi'an Fanyi University will refund a total of more than 17 million yuan to students for three months' accommodation, reported China Global Television Network citing ThePaper.
"There is a certain amount of pressure (financially) on the school for this refund," said Qiu Jie, head of the university's publicity department,
In the city of the Taj Mahal, coronavirus resurgence carries warning signs
On Feb. 25, a day after US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania posed for pictures outside the Taj Mahal on an official visit to India, Sumit Kapoor returned to his nearby home from a trip to Italy.
Kapoor, a partner in a shoe manufacturing firm, tested positive a week later for the new coronavirus, becoming the first confirmed case in the northern Indian city of Agra and the origin of the country's first big cluster of the virus.
The city of 1.6 million people, famous for its 17th-century marble-domed Taj Mahal, moved fast. It set up containment zones, screened hundreds of thousands of residents and conducted widespread contact tracing.
Malaysia criticises WHO's advice against palm oil during coronavirus
Malaysia criticised the World Health Organisation on Monday for advising adults to avoid palm oil in their diet during the COVID-19 outbreak and use alternatives such as olive oil.
The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said in a recent advisory that people should consume unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils rather than saturated fats found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oils, cream, cheese, ghee and lard.
Malaysia, the world's second-biggest producer of palm oil, said such advice was "antiquated".
Germany starts to reopen, but arguments rage over pace
Germany took a further step on the long road back to post-coronavirus normality on Monday, with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening their doors for worshippers, and more car factories resuming work.
But more than a month after Germany suspended all but essential social and commercial life to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, politicians in charge of Europe’s largest economy are at odds over how far and how fast to move.
There is mounting pressure from business groups and some regional governments who are anxious to move faster on restarting economic life. Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that reopening too swiftly risks triggering a second wave of infections, but many regions are already going alone. The reopening of some border crossings with France, which has scrapped quarantine requirements for EU citizens, lent further impetus to calls for accelerated reopening. In the east, Poland has reopened frontiers for some cross-border commuters.
Masked Belgians begin cautious exit from lockdown
Belgium began a cautious easing of its coronavirus lockdown on Monday, allowing some businesses to reopen while obliging all passengers on public transport to wear a mask under a new rule to minimise the risk of a new outbreak.
The country of 11.5 million people, among the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, has until now only permitted food shops and pharmacies to operate throughout the crisis, and more recently home-improvement and garden centres.
On Monday, 150,000-300,000 people were expected to resume work in businesses that have no contact with consumers, such as manufacturers, although remote working is still encouraged. All adults and older children taking public transport were obliged to wear a mask from Monday, on pain of a 250-euro($273.30) fine. Shops selling fabric and sewing supplies were also allowed to open to allow the public to make their own masks. Some supermarkets also began selling surgical masks.
German study suggests infections are 10 times the number of confirmed cases
More than 10 times as many people in Germany have likely been infected with the coronavirus than the number of confirmed cases, researchers from the University of Bonn have concluded from a field trial in one of the worst hit towns.
The preliminary study results, which have yet to be peer reviewed for publication in a scientific journal, serve as a reminder of the dangers of infection by unidentified carriers of the virus, some of whom show no symptoms, the researchers said.
The readings come as Germany took further steps on Monday to ease restrictions, with museums, hairdressers, churches and more car factories reopening under strict conditions.
Iran's coronavirus death toll rises by 74 as mosques due to reopen
The coronavirus death toll in Iran, one of the hardest hit countries in the Middle East, rose by 74 in the past 24 hours to 6,277, the Health Ministry said on Monday, as mosques were due to reopen in many cities.
The total number of diagnosed cases rose to 98,647, ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV.
Iran was due to open mosques in 132 cities on Monday, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday, part of a broader plan to ease restrictions.
Russia's coronavirus cases rise again by over 10,000
The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 10,581 over the past 24 hours compared with a record of 10,633 on the previous day.
This brought Russia's nationwide tally to 145,268, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said on Monday.
It also reported 76 new deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total death toll in Russia to 1,356.
Pandemic slams global factories, activity sinks to new lows
Factory activity was ravaged across the world in April, business surveys showed, and the outlook looked bleak as government lockdowns to contain the new coronavirus pandemic froze global production and slashed demand.
The coronavirus has infected more than 3.5 million people globally and killed around 247,000. With the public told to stay home in numerous countries, the global economy is expected to suffer its steepest contraction on record this year as supply chains have been massively disrupted.
In a bid to combat the impact of the lockdowns, central banks and governments have unleashed unprecedented levels of fiscal and monetary policy, suggesting that without this conditions could have been even worse.
Police clash with migrant workers as India eases coronavirus curbs
Indian police fired tear gas on Monday to scatter migrant workers during clashes in the western state of Gujarat, officials said, as authorities relaxed one of the world's strictest lockdowns to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The nationwide lockdown, extended twice since it was adopted on March 25, is being eased in some areas, but will run until May 17, the government said last week. The tally of infections stands at more than 42,500, with 1,300 dead.
About 1,000 stranded workers seeking help to return to homes in states across India gathered on the outskirts of the industrial and diamond-processing city of Surat, but threw stones at police who ordered them to break up, an official said.
UK among European states yet to reach Covid-19 peak - EU says
The head of the European Union agency for disease control said on Monday Britain was one of five European countries yet to reach the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, contradicting the British government’s line.
As of May 4, Britain had recorded nearly 190,000 coronavirus cases and almost 28,500 deaths. Only Italy in Europe has so far counted more deaths from Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who returned to work last week after himself being seriously ill from Covid-19, said on Thursday Britain had past the peak and was “on the downward slope”.
Greeks rush to get haircuts, buy flowers, as virus lockdown eases
Greek hair salons, flower shops and bookstores reopened on Monday as part of a gradual easing of lockdown restrictions imposed six weeks ago to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
From early morning, police carried out inspections on buses and in metro stations to make sure passengers were wearing the mandatory surgical masks and in shops to check whether social distancing rules were being respected.
Greeks no longer need a form stating a valid reason - such as shopping for food or medicine, or taking physical exercise - for permission to leave their homes.
Japan's Abe asks experts to come up with road map to restart economy
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked experts to come up with a road map for restarting the economy under new lifestyle guidelines within two weeks, he said on Monday, after Japan extended its state of emergency.
Abe also told a news conference that a clinical trial of the drug Avigan was proceeding smoothly and that an application for the use of the antiviral drug Remdesivir for Covid-19 was filed in Japan on Monday.
Nigeria taps the power of music to try to beat coronavirus
Two dozen Lagos healthcare workers in scrubs and face masks rushed outside the isolation tents and, making sure to keep six feet apart on the bright green grass, danced and swayed as a saxophone and trumpet struck up the band.
Inside the tents, some of the patients, all battling the coronavirus, watched through plastic windows and, if strong enough, danced and swayed along with them.
Abolaji Banjoko, a 32-year-old also known as BeejaySax, typically would have spent the day playing to a crowd of thousands at a packed megachurch in Nigeria's thrumming commercial capital.
Britons' anxiety doubles after Covid-19 lockdown
More than twice as many British people reported a high level of anxiety after the coronavirus lockdown compared with the end of 2019, according to official figures on Monday which show widespread worries about loneliness, stress and money.
Some 50 percent of Britons described their anxiety as 'high' in a survey conducted from March 20-30, up from 21 percent at the end of 2019, the Office for National Statistics said.
Britain's government ordered pubs and restaurants to close on March 20, and on March 23 told people to stay at home except for essential shopping, exercise or some types of work.
Bangladesh tops 10,000 cases of Covid-19 infection, 5 new deaths
Bangladesh today has crossed 10,000 cases of novel coronavirus infection making the number to stand at 10,143, including 688 new cases, after testing 6260 samples at 33 labs all over the country.
The death toll from the deadly virus rose to 182 with five new deaths reported from Covid-19.
Sample collection has increased by 21.11 percent compared to the previous day and 16.61 percent increase was reported for PCR testing, Additional Director General of Health Directorate Nasima Sultana made the disclosure during a virtual briefing today.
UK says China has questions to answer over coronavirus outbreak
Britain said on Monday that China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the novel coronavirus outbreak, but refused to comment on reports that a US-led intelligence consortium had a accused Beijing of a cover-up.
Washington has scaled up its rhetoric over Chinese culpability for the novel coronavirus in recent days, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Sunday there was evidence the disease emerged from a Chinese lab.
US intelligence agencies have concluded the virus was not man-made or genetically modified. Washington has so far presented no evidence publicly that the virus came from a lab, which Beijing strongly denies.
Indonesia reports 395 new coronavirus infections, 19 deaths
ndonesia reported on Monday 395 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 11,587, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.
Yurianto reported 19 new coronavirus-related deaths, taking the total to 864, while 1,954 have recovered.
More than 86,000 people have been tested, he said.
Bobok 'til you drop: South Koreans roar back to malls as coronavirus curbs ease
At a glitzy Chanel boutique in downtown Seoul, Kim Soo-yeon joined dozens of others in festive shorts and flare dresses, her eyes out for a clutch purse she had coveted for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.
One floor down in the Lotte Department Store, long lines of shoppers thronged bakeries and a health-supplement store while staff restocked shelves with freshly baked cakes.
“I’m out shopping for the first time since the Lunar New Year holiday” in January, said 29-year old Kim, showing off the clutch she bought for just over 1 million won ($820), as she hastily put on a face mask to talk to a reporter. “It’s so warm and so good to be out finally.”
Poland's election on May 10 difficult to organise: minister
It has become difficult for Poland to hold its presidential election on May 10 as planned, Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin said on Monday, blaming the opposition for delaying works on legislation that would allow for a postal ballot during the coronavirus epidemic.
In April the lower house of parliament, where the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has a majority, backed a plan to conduct the presidential election on May 10 by postal ballot. But the legislation has still to be approved by the Senate, which is controlled by the opposition.
“May 10 is difficult,” Sasin, who is also State Assets Minister, told private radio Zet, adding that PiS is now considering holding the vote on May 17 or May 23, both allowed by the constitution.
“A week ahead of the election Poles do not know when the election is held. It is the opposition and the Senate who are responsible for this”.
New Zealand and Australia consider coronavirus 'travel bubble'
New Zealand and Australia are discussing the potential creation of a "travel bubble" between the two countries, sources said on Monday, even as Australia reported its highest number of coronavirus cases in two weeks.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will take part in a meeting of Australia's emergency coronavirus cabinet on Tuesday, the Australian government said, stoking speculation that two-way travel could be permitted in the near future, Reuters reported.
Spain's coronavirus death toll climbs by 164
Spain's cumulative death toll from the coronavirus epidemic rose to 25,428 on Monday as the Health Ministry recorded the deaths of 164 people overnight, the same number as during the preceding 24 hours.
Confirmed cases of the virus cases rose to 218,011 on Monday, up from 217,466 the day before, the ministry said, Reuters reported.
Bangladesh Covid-19 cases top 10,000
Bangladesh today confirmed five more deaths from the novel coronavirus and 688 new cases of infection after testing 6,260 samples in the last 24 hours.
With this, the death toll from the deadly virus rose to 182 and the number of total infections stood at 10,143, The Business Standard reported.
Philippines has 16 new coronavirus deaths, 262 more infections
The Philippines' health ministry on Monday reported 16 new coronavirus deaths and 262 additional confirmed cases.
The health ministry said total confirmed cases have risen to 9,485 while 623 people have died. But 101 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,315, Reuters reported.
Superheroes, from near and far, join Indonesia's coronavirus battle
Volunteers clad as Superman and Spider-Man sprayed disinfectant against the coronavirus on Indonesia's island of Java, flanking a colleague wearing the winged helmet of local superhero Gatotkaca who shouted, "Wear masks, wash hands and stay alert."
The trio handed out masks, containers of hand sanitiser and bamboo slit drums, while demonstrating how to correctly wash hands, don masks and maintain security following reports of a spate of thefts in the residential area, Reuters reported.
Global coronavirus cases surpass 3.5 million, although rate slowing
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 3.5 million on Monday, with deaths nearing a quarter of a million, although the rate of fatalities and new cases has slowed from peaks reached last month, a Reuters tally shows.
North America and European countries accounted for most of the new cases reported in recent days, but numbers were rising from smaller bases in Latin America, Africa and Russia.
Globally, there were 84,004 new cases over the past 24 hours, according to the Reuters tally that is based on official government data, taking total cases to just over 3.5 million.
100,000 Americans may die from coronavirus: Trump
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he now believes as many as 100,000 Americans could die in the coronavirus pandemic, after the death toll passed his earlier estimates, but said he was confident a vaccine would be developed by the year's end.
Trump alternated during a two-hour virtual town hall broadcast by Fox News between forecasting a rapid recovery for the US economy and casting blame for the pandemic's spread on China, where the disease is believed to have originated, Reuters reported.
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 679 to 163,175
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 679 to 163,175, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.
The reported death toll rose by 43 to 6,692, the tally showed, Reuters reported.
US coronavirus deaths rise by 1,450 in 24 hours
Novel coronavirus deaths in the United States climbed by 1,450 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities to more than 67,600.
The Baltimore-based university had recorded more than 1.15 million cases in the country as of 8:30 pm Sunday (0030 GMT Monday), with 67,674 deaths, AFP reported.
The United States has by far the highest death toll of any country in the global pandemic.
Sunday’s 24-hour toll was similar to Saturday’s, showing a decline after hitting 2,502 on Wednesday.
Japan's PM expected to extend state of emergency until end-May
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to extend the country's state of emergency on Monday until the end of May, public broadcaster NHK said.
The government is also expected to determine new prevention measures for the coronavirus outbreak that has infected around 15,000 people and killed more than 500 in the country, Reuters reported.
Abe is expected to explain the reasoning behind the extension of the state of emergency, which is now due to expire on Wednesday, at a news conference in the evening, NHK said.
The government may also ease some of the current coronavirus-related constraints on economic activity by allowing places with relatively low infection risks, such as parks, to re-open, even in hard-hit prefectures.
The state of emergency gives governors in those prefectures the authority to request residents to stay at home and businesses to close. There are, however, no penalties for non-compliance.
The virus-triggered slump in business activity is threatening to throw the world's third-largest economy into a deep recession, prompting calls for more government spending.
Japan's parliament last week approved an extra budget to fund a record $1.1 trillion stimulus package.
Italy reports lowest toll since first day of lockdown
Italy reported 174 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, its lowest toll since 168 fatalities were registered when the country’s stay-at-home orders were imposed on March 10.
The Mediterranean country’s toll on the eve of its first easing of lockdown measures on Monday officially stands at 28,884 dead, second only to the United States, AFP reported.
The 1,389 new infections were also the lowest since the first week of March.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte introduced waves of restrictions as the pandemic swept across the northern half of the country, the first to be heavily hit in Europe.
He imposed stay at home order for Milan’s Lombardy and two neighbouring regions responsible for 45 percent of Italy’s economic output on March 8.
The measure was extended nationally on March 10.
Conte closed all shops except for pharmacies and grocery stores on March 12, and all non-essential factories 10 days later.
The easing on Monday will see Italians be able to visit parks and their nearby relatives for the first time in nine weeks.
But most businesses will remain closed for another two weeks. Bars and restaurants are due to start seating customers on June 1.
French coronavirus quarantine to spare travellers from Schengen area and UK
Travellers to France who arrive from a country in Europe’s Schengen open-border area or Britain will be exempt from a planned compulsory two-week quarantine, the French consulate in Britain said on Sunday.
The new quarantine rules will apply to travellers, whether French or foreigners, as part of the fight against the new coronavirus, Reuters reported.
Details will be provided in a decree specifying measures laid out in a bill extending a state of emergency until July 24. The move allows the government to restrict freedom of movement to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus
France, which has been the fifth-hardest hit country with 24,895 deaths from Covid-19, is preparing to gradually lift lockdown measures from May 11.
New Zealand reports no new coronavirus cases for first time since mid-March
New Zealand has recorded no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time since March 16, the health ministry said at a news conference on Monday.
There were no additional virus-related fatalities, and the death toll remained at 20, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said, Reuters reported.
The total number of confirmed cases in the country is 1,137, he said.
Mexico reports 1,383 new coronavirus cases, 93 more deaths
Mexico's health ministry reported 1,383 new coronavirus cases and 93 more deaths on Sunday, bringing the country's total to 23,471 cases and 2,154 deaths.
Of Mexico's 32 federal entities, only two have registered fewer than 100 cases, deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told a news conference, Reuters reported.
Total coronavirus cases in Brazil rise above 100,000
There have been 4,588 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Brazil and 275 deaths over the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday, bringing total confirmed cases in the country to over 100,000.
The nation has now registered 101,147 confirmed cases of the virus and 7,025 deaths. The number of cases increased roughly 5% on Sunday from the previous day, while deaths rose by roughly 4%, the ministry said, Reuters reported.
China reports three new coronavirus cases, all imported
China reported three new coronavirus cases for May 3, up from two the day before, data from the national health authority showed on Monday.
All of the new cases were imported, the National Health Commission said, Reuters reported.
The commission also reported 13 new asymptomatic cases for May 3, an increase of one from the previous day.
The number of confirmed cases in China has reached 82,880. With no new deaths reported, the death toll remained at 4,633.
