Coronavirus: New York records deadliest day
Read the latest on the spread of the novel coronavirus around the world here
New York records deadliest day in coronavirus crisis
New York reported its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic, with 731 new deaths in the state to a total of 5,489 fatalities even as Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that hospitalizations appeared to be reaching a plateau.
The death count for April 6 of 731 marked an increase from the prior day’s 599 new deaths, Cuomo told a daily briefing on the coronavirus.
Tyrol, Austria's ground zero in coronavirus outbreak, lifts quarantines
Austria’s Alpine province of Tyrol lifted on Tuesday the quarantine order it placed on its towns and villages to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, though several particularly hard-hit ski resorts remain sealed off.
The province, wedged between Italy and Germany, was the first to report cases of the new coronavirus in Austria and became its most infected region.
On March 19 local authorities placed every town under quarantine, ordering people to stay in their community and banning outdoor exercise, even stricter measures than a national lockdown introduced days earlier.
“We have lifted the quarantine on communities... The reason was that we have stable infection growth numbers. The rate of (daily) infection increases was less than 5 percent and this trend is holding,” Tyrol’s conservative Governor Guenther Platter told a news conference.
'We are at war': Kenya halts movement to areas worst hit by coronavirus
President Uhuru Kenyatta barred movement into and out of Kenya’s four regions most affected by the new coronavirus on Monday, including the capital Nairobi.
His order tightens restrictions already in place to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus and the COVID-19 respiratory disease it causes. It applies for 21 days and also includes the port city of Mombasa and the counties of Kilifi and Kwale.
“We are at war and we must win,” Kenyatta said in a televised address. “We must make a stand here, before COVID-19 starts to spread out of control, and we must be ready to go even further if necessary.”
African countries were not among the first hit by COVID-19 but the number of confirmed cases has increased over the last month and there have been hundreds of deaths on the continent.
South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and Nigeria’s largest city Lagos have all introduced strict measures limiting people’s movement to try to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Singapore confirms 106 more cases of coronavirus infections
Singapore’s Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 106 new cases of coronavirus infections, most of them locally transmitted, taking the city-state’s total to 1,481.
Of the new cases, at least 39 were linked to clusters at migrant workers’ dormitories. Singapore has quarantined workers in three dormitories after they were linked to several cases of the disease.
Saudi Arabia says it could reach 200,000 coronavirus infections
The new coronavirus could eventually infect between 10,000 and 200,000 people in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's health minister said on Tuesday, urging the public to adhere more closely to state directives against mixing and movement.
The country of some 30 million has so far reported 2,795 cases and 41 deaths, the highest in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), despite halting all passenger flights, suspending most commercial activities and imposing a 24-hour curfew in major cities including the capital Riyadh.
EU ministers likely to agree half a trillion-euro coronavirus rescue
Euro zone finance ministers hope to agree on Tuesday on half a trillion euros worth of economic aid to finance recovery from the coronavirus epidemic, a discussion that has sown divisions as the bloc struggles with the outbreak.
No deal is in sight, however, on issuing joint debt, something Spain and Italy - the country hit the hardest by the global disease - have demanded but were denied by the more fiscally conservative Germany and the Netherlands.
Mexican government warns of lack of doctors amid coronavirus fight
Mexico’s health ministry on Tuesday warned that the country was facing an acute shortage of doctors as the country seeks to ramp up hospital care to fight the fast-spreading novel coronavirus outbreak.
Mexico on Monday registered 296 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to 2,439 cases and 125 deaths, with health officials expecting the death toll to rise sharply.
Mexico has among the lowest number of medical personnel relative to population among countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mexican health officials say.
Mexican Health Minister Jorge Alcocer said the country needed to recruit more doctors rapidly.
“We require 200,000 physicians, of which 123,000 are general practitioners ... and around 76,000 specialist physicians,” Alcocer said during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s daily morning press conference.
Mexican officials have repeatedly warned that Mexico’s health system could be overwhelmed if people did not practice social distancing measures.
England's coronavirus death toll rises 758 to 5,655
England’s hospital death toll from the coronavirus rose 758 to 5,655, the health service said.
The health service said 29 of the 758 dead had no known underlying health condition and were aged between 23 and 99 years old.
Turkey plans prisoner release, excluding those jailed on post-coup terrorism charges
Turkey's parliament discussed a prisoner release law on Tuesday which aims to ease overcrowding in jails and protect detainees from the coronavirus, but which critics slam for excluding people jailed on terrorism charges in a post-coup crackdown.
The bill, proposed by President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, would temporarily free around 45,000 prisoners to address the immediate threat of coronavirus spreading in jails. A similar number would be released permanently under plans prepared last year to reduce chronic prison overcrowding.
Together the measures would cut the prison population by one third, but they do not cover those convicted of terrorism charges - excluding many thousands caught up in a purge following the 2016 failed military coup against Erdogan.
Germany launches smartwatch app to monitor coronavirus spread
Germany's public health authority launched a smartwatch app on Tuesday in partnership with healthtech startup Thryve to help monitor the spread of COVID-19 and analyse whether measures to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic are working.
The Corona-Datenspende https://corona-datenspende.de (Corona Data Donation) app gathers vital signs from volunteers wearing smartwatches or fitness trackers - including pulse, temperature and sleep - to analyse whether they are symptomatic of the flu-like illness.
Results will be represented in an interactive online map that would make it possible - together with other data inputs - for the health authorities and the general public to assess the prevalence of infections down to postcode level.
Middle East still has chance to scale up coronavirus response: WHO
Most Middle Eastern countries are seeing worrying daily increases in cases of the new coronavirus but the region still has a chance to contain its spread, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday.
The WHO has confirmed more than 77,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths in its Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Djibouti, as well as Middle Eastern states, but does not include Turkey.
About 78 percent of those cases are in Iran, with all other countries having fewer than 4,000 cases, and most fewer than 1,000, said Richard Brennan, the WHO's regional emergency director.
Bolstered by EU aid, Portugal expands coronavirus credit lines
Portugal will boost its credit lines for businesses struggling with the coronavirus outbreak to 4.2 billion euros on Wednesday, the government said, after a state aid package from the European Commission helped shore up the country’s finances.
Companies have so far applied for 90 million euros of an original 3 billion in credit announced by the government two weeks ago. That credit is targeted towards the tourism sector, hotels, restaurants, and traditional industries such as textiles, clothing and timber.
After the Commission announcement on Saturday that it would offer a package worth 13 billion euros to Portugal, the government said it would increase its credit lines by a further 1.2 billion from Wednesday onwards.
Social groups urge mass debt relief for poor countries hit by virus crisis
Nearly 140 campaign groups and charities urged the IMF and World Bank, G20 governments and private creditors on Tuesday to help the world's poorest countries through the coronavirus crisis by cancelling debt payments.
The call, spearheaded by the British-based Jubilee Debt Campaign, comes a day before a Group of 20 working group tasked with the coronavirus response for developing countries is due to meet.
Separately, Ghana Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who chairs the Development Committee advising the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), singled out China - Africa's largest bilateral creditor - to do more to relieve its debt burden.
PM Johnson stable overnight and in good spirits - spokesman
British prime minister Boris Johnson was stable overnight in intensive care after suffering a deterioration of his COVID-19 symptoms and he remains in good spirits, his spokesman said on Tuesday.
The spokesman told reporters the prime minister, who was admitted to hospital on Sunday, was receiving standard oxygen treatment and was breathing without any other assistance. He did not require a mechanical ventilator.
"The prime minister has been stable overnight and remains in good spirits. He is receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any other assistance. He has not required mechanical ventilation, or non-invasive respiratory support," the spokesman said.
Finland to begin randomised coronavirus antibody testing
Finland will start tracking the spread of the new coronavirus in its population with randomised antibody tests, its public health authority said on Tuesday.
The main hospitals will mail invitation letters to randomly chosen citizens of all ages to be tested for the antibodies which patients suffering from COVID-19 develop, including those who have contracted the illness without showing any symptoms.
The first tests will be in the region around the capital, Helsinki, and the results will be used to help the government decide what measures are needed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Coronavirus lockdown is nothing new for some Moscow residents
For some elderly Moscow residents, the coronavirus lockdown has a familiar feel - they lived through something like it during a dramatic Soviet-era smallpox outbreak six decades ago.
That crisis, in 1960, was accompanied by emergency measures that were at times more draconian than this time round.
Doctors strike in southwest Pakistan in row over coronavirus protection
Pakistani doctors went on strike at two hospitals in southwestern Quetta on Tuesday, a day after police used force to break up and detain medics protesting against a lack of gear to protect them against the coronavirus.
Hundreds of doctors and paramedics protested on Monday against what they said was failure by the government to deliver promised supplies. At least 30 doctors were detained by riot police for defying a ban on public gatherings during a lockdown introduced to fight the spread of the virus.
Coronavirus patients recover in South Korea after plasma therapy
Two South Korean patients infected with Covid-19 have recovered after plasma treatments.
The doctors at Severance Hospital in Shincheon had plasma of virus survivors injected into the two patients, reports The Korea Herald.
The two patients were in critical condition and both have since been declared free of the virus.
Riding out the pandemic, Rio surfers catch a wave of controversy
Despite stay-at-home orders aiming to protect people from the new coronavirus, many of Rio de Janeiro’s famous beaches have been buzzing with surfers seeking to catch the season’s first big swell.
That has thrown surfers such as Guilherme Faria headlong into a public debate about the legal limits on outdoor sports - in his case, a question that will be soon be decided by a judge.
The 22-year-old said he was catching 9-foot curlers on Copacabana Beach on Sunday morning when a policeman with a whistle between his teeth hauled him out of the water and down to the station.
“Unfortunately, surfing is now a crime,” said Faria, who received a court summons - seen by Reuters - after his booking. “I hope I don’t end up with a criminal record for something as silly as that.”
A few hours later, even with the threat of a fine, Faria and his board were back in the Copacabana surf.
Like thousands of Rio’s famously sporty locals, Faria could not resist the call of the outdoors. The esplanade lining the city shore is packed with joggers. Groups of spandex-clad bicyclists zip up and down the city’s serpentine mountain roads.
A city traumatized: Lockdown easing, Wuhan residents fret over future
Li Xiaoli has been hard at work in recent days at the car dealership she owns in Wuhan, making sure she has enough sanitizer and protective gear for the company's long-awaited reopening.
The 49-year-old's home city will on Wednesday finally start to lift a lockdown that has trapped millions for more than two months after the Chinese industrial powerhouse became the epicentre of a global coronavirus pandemic.
People will be allowed to leave the city via road, rail and air, and more non-essential businesses will open their doors again, providing the first glimpse of what life could be like after a lockdown.
Virus slowdown threatens India's restaurants with bitter aftertaste
After growing tenfold in the last decade, India's restaurant sector fears for the future when a nationwide lockdown is eventually lifted, with customer numbers and spending expected to plunge in the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
India, which has recorded more than 4,000 coronavirus cases and over 100 deaths, has been under a three-week lockdown since March 25, and officials say that may be extended in some hotspots.
From ties to masks: German tailor shifts production to survive pandemic
A 100-year-old Berlin tailor has been inundated with orders for colourful face masks sewn by its seamstresses after it suspended production of its signature bow ties two weeks ago due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Auerbach, which is famous for its colourful men's accessories like scarves and ties, has received 8,000 orders for its hand-made face masks, which sell for 18 euros a piece, since it advertised them late last month.
Michael Gove is one of the most senior members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government
British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is self isolating as a member of his family is displaying COVID-19 symptoms, an ITV reporter said.
Gove, one of the most senior members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, continues to work, ITV said.
Dutch government says no again to using eurobonds for virus crisis
The Dutch finance minister Wopke Hoekstra repeated on Tuesday that the Netherlands would not support the use of “eurobonds” to combat Europe’s coronavirus outbreak and it would only support using the European Stablity Mechanism (ESM) with conditions.
“Eurobonds, I wouldn’t do that, and the cabinet also wouldn’t do that,” Hoekstra told parliament before a meeting of eurozone finance ministers, adding that there must always be conditions attached to using ESM.
Japan to sell record extra bonds to fund coronavirus stimulus
Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters that the government was placing higher priority on trying to revive the economy than restoring public finances
Japan will sell a record amount of extra bonds this fiscal year, worth more than $165 billion, straining the industrial world's heaviest debt burden, as Tokyo compiles a record stimulus to combat the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday rolled out a package worth 108.2 trillion yen ($990 billion), or 20 percent the size of the economy, vowing to take "all steps" to combat deepening fallout from the virus pandemic.
Thailand announces $58 billion economic measures to mitigate coronavirus impact
Thailand's cabinet approved on Tuesday a package of economic measures worth 1.9 trillion baht ($58 billion) to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, the finance minister said.
WHO warns against easing coronavirus measures too early
The World Health Organization has no blanket recommendation for countries and regions for easing measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but urged them not to lift them too early, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Lockdowns: Saving lives, but ruining livelihoods in Africa
In a dark ground-floor room in Lagos, dressmaker Kemi Adepoju gazes at a pile of dresses she has made but which cannot be collected due to the lockdown in force to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
"This lockdown came upon us suddenly. I used all my money to buy fabric. If I had known, I would have ... used it to buy food instead," said the mother-of-two, who runs her business from a room she rents in the Iwaya suburb of Nigeria's largest city.
Like millions in Africa, Adepoju works in the informal sector, which accounts for more than 85 percent of employment across the continent and will be largely bypassed by meagre economic support measures that cash-strapped governments are rolling out.
Iran records 133 new coronavirus deaths, toll at 3,872: health official
Iran’s coronavirus death toll rose to 3,872 with 133 deaths in the past 24 hours, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV on Tuesday.
The total number of cases climbed to 62,589, with 2,089 new infections, while 3,987 infected people were in a critical condition, he said.
Spain's coronavirus deaths up to 13,798 as pace ticks up again
The pace of coronavirus deaths in Spain ticked up slightly for the first time in five days on Tuesday, with 743 people succumbing overnight to reach a total of 13,798.
That compared to 637 people who died during the previous 24 hours in the nation with the second highest toll of fatalities in the world from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Total cases rose to 140,510 on Tuesday from 135,032 on Monday, the health ministry said.
Parisians banned from outdoor sports between 10am and 7pm
French authorities tightened their lockdown measures in the capital on Tuesday by banning Parisians from outdoors sports activity between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time, aiming to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
The move came after many French politicians and doctors expressed dismay at the fact that the streets of Paris still feature people jogging or congregating near markets, despite government orders to get people to stay in as much as possible.
Indian leaders hesitate to end world's biggest lockdown
India's 21-day lockdown is set to end next week but several state leaders have called for an extension or only a partial lifting of restrictions, saying is the only way to avoid a coronavirus epidemic that will be difficult to tackle.
India has so far escaped a big surge in cases after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked its 1.3 billion people to stay indoors in the world's biggest lockdown last month that authorities have enforced tightly.
UK's Queen Elizabeth sends message of enduring appreciation to health workers
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday sent a message of “enduring appreciation and good wishes” to health workers around the world for World Health Day.
“I want to thank all those working in the healthcare profession for your selfless commitment and diligence as you undertake vitally important roles to protect and improve the health and well-being of people,” the queen said.
“My family and I send our enduring appreciation and good wishes,” the queen said.
India lifts restrictions on export of 24 drugs amid threats from Trump
India, the world's main supplier of generic drugs, has lifted restrictions on the export of 24 pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines made from them, the government said in a statement.
It had imposed the restrictions last month as the coronavirus outbreak disrupted global supply chains. Paracetamol, a common pain reliever, and its formulations were not included in the list of drugs freed up for export.
Indonesia records biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections
Indonesia confirmed on Tuesday 247 new coronavirus infections, taking the total to 2,738, said a health ministry official.
Achmad Yurianto, the official, reported 12 more deaths, taking the total to 221, while 204 people had recovered.
More than 14,300 coronavirus tests have been carried out.
Indian states scramble for funds as virus takes toll on coffers
A three-week nationwide lockdown is testing the resilience of India's state governments, with analysts warning that essential public services and health care for millions of Indians will be in jeopardy without further federal and central bank support.
States are slashing salaries, demanding an increase in borrowing limits and asking for fund transfers from New Delhi as their tax revenues dry up due to large scale travel restrictions to contain the spread of the flu-like respiratory disease, Reuters reported.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has already raised short-term borrowing limits to help tide over the funding crunch, but more outright support from the central bank is going to be critical, analysts said.
Japan declares coronavirus emergency, prepares near $1 trillion stimulus
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today declared a state of emergency to fight new coronavirus infections in major population centres and unveiled a stimulus package he described as among the world's biggest to soften the economic blow.
Abe announced the state of emergency targeting the capital Tokyo and six other prefectures - accounting for about 44% of Japan's population - for a period of about one month, Reuters reported.
"We have decided to declare a state of emergency because we've judged that a fast spread of the coronavirus nationwide would have an enormous impact on lives and the economy," he told parliament earlier.
Russia's daily rise in coronavirus cases tops 1,000 for first time
The number of coronavirus cases in Russia rose by more than 1,000 for the first time to reach 7,497 in the past 24 hours, the country's crisis response centre said on Tuesday.
The number of reported cases rose by 1,154 while deaths rose by 11 to 58, the centre said, Reuters reported.
UK foreign minister Raab in charge as PM Jonson suffers worsening virus symptoms
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will run the country while Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care and any decision on lifting coronavirus lockdown restrictions won't be delayed, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday.
"The person who is running the country, following the plan that the prime minister has set out, is Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary," Gove said on ITV, Reuters reported.
Asked if a decision on changing lockdown restrictions, due to be reviewed on Monday, would be put off, Gove said: "No it won't be delayed. It will be the case that we will take that decision collectively as a cabinet... the person who will make the final decision is... the foreign secretary."
Panama reports 112 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 2,100
Panama has registered 112 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to 2,100 confirmed cases and 55 deaths, the health ministry said on Monday, Reuters reported.
Sao Paulo expects 100,000 COVID-19 deaths
The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Latin America, Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, said Monday it expects 111,000 deaths in the next six months, and extended its stay-at-home measures another two weeks. The forecast — an official projection, the state government said — would appear to put Brazil on track to become one of the worst-hit countries in the world.
The global death toll from the virus currently stands at 70,000, according to a tally compiled by AFP.
Sao Paulo, the teeming industrial hub where the new coronavirus first appeared in Latin America, has confirmed 4,620 cases and 275 deaths so far.
New York governor extends shutdown to April 29
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday extended a shutdown in the epicenter of America’s deadly coronavirus pandemic until near the end of the month.
Cuomo said the COVID-19 death rate in the state was “effectively flat” for the past two days but announced that schools and non-essential businesses must stay shut until April 29, AFP reported.
“Now is not the time to be lax,” he told reporters, adding that fines for violating social distancing guidelines would be increased from $500 to $1,000.
The outbreak has killed 4,758 people in New York state as of Monday morning, Cuomo said, an increase of 599 from Sunday.
On Saturday, New York announced 630 deaths in one day — it’s highest daily total of the epidemic so far.
Cuomo said the number of daily deaths had been levelling off since, suggesting the state may be at the peak of its crisis.
World in need of six million nurses: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned on Tuesday that the world is in need of nearly six million nurses.
WHO, which is also partners with Nursing Now and the International Council of Nurses (ICN), mentions in a report the crucial role the nurses play, who consist more than half of all health workers worldwide, AFP reported.
No change in British PM Johnson's condition
There has been no change in Boris Johnson's condition, two sources close to him said today, after the British prime minister was taken into intensive care following a deterioration in his coronavirus symptoms.
Johnson was given oxygen on Monday and taken to an intensive care unit at a central London hospital in what Downing Street said was a precautionary measure after his condition had worsened, Reuters reported.
Egypt reports 149 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily toll
Egypt on Monday reported 149 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily toll since confirming the first infection in February.
The North African country, which also reported seven new fatalities on Monday, has so far recorded 1,322 cases including 85 deaths, Reuters reported.
A total of 259 people had recovered from the fast-spreading disease and been released from hospitals as of Monday, Egypt’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
Egyptian officials have said that once the number of known infections surpasses 1,000, the task of tracing contacts and quarantining those affected would become harder.
However, Health Minister Hala Zayed Said in a televised briefing on Monday evening that “Egypt is one of the countries that has small number of infections compared to the population according to the standards of the World Health Organization.”
Egypt, the most populous Arab nation and home to 100 million people, has imposed a nightly curfew to counter the spread of the virus and closed its airports and tourist resorts.
Mexico reports 296 new coronavirus cases, stresses need for medical personnel
Mexico posted its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases on Monday as the deputy health minister said the country needed to recruit more medical personnel to confront a worsening outbreak.
Mexico registered 296 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total to 2,439 cases and 125 deaths, health officials told a news conference, Reuters reported.
Predicting that cases in the country would continue to rise sharply, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said Mexico had among the lowest number of medical personnel relative to population among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“That creates a challenge for us, and we need to recruit and train health personnel,” he said.
Lopez-Gatell said the country’s predicament would become more dire after April 30, when the “epidemic curve” would begin rising.
“Unavoidably, we will have more and more and more and more cases,” he said. “This is the moment to stay in our homes and reduce transmission because the situation will be even more intense.”
Singapore quarantines 20,000 migrant workers
Migrant workers living in vast Singapore dormitories cut off from the outside world due to the coronavirus outbreak fear their cramped and squalid quarters are fast becoming a hotbed for infection.
Singapore on Sunday said it had quarantined nearly 20,000 workers in two dormitories, made up of mainly Bangladeshi and other South Asian manual workers, after they were linked to at least 90 infections, Reuters reported.
China posts drop in coronavirus cases, Wuhan lockdown due to end
Mainland China reported on Tuesday a drop in new coronavirus cases after closing its borders to virtually all foreigners to curb imported infections, while the central city of Wuhan, epicentre of the outbreak, saw no new deaths for the first time.
China had 32 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Monday, down from 39 cases a day earlier, the National Health Commission said, Reuters reported.
Thailand reports 38 new coronavirus infections, one death
Thailand reported 38 new coronavirus infections and the death of a 54-year-old man today, a spokesman for a government agency said.
In addition to 16 new cases, including imported ones, there are 17 patients linked to previous cases and five people who tested positive but await investigation into how they caught the disease, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Reuters reported.
Since the outbreak in January, Thailand's tally stands at 2,258 infections and 27 death. 824 patients have recovered and gone home.
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 99,225, deaths to 1,607
Germany's confirmed coronavirus infections rose by 3,834 in the past 24 hours to 99,225 on Tuesday, rising again after four consecutive days of drops, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.
The reported death toll rose by 173 to 1,607, Reuters reported.
Tuesday's number of new cases was higher than the 3,677 new infections reported on Monday. Deaths had risen by 92 on Monday.
Singapore proposes law to ensure safe elections during virus outbreak
The Singapore government tabled a bill in parliament on Tuesday that sought to ensure that a general election could be held safely if called during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city-state, which entered the first day of a month-long partial lockdown today to try and curb sharply rising coronavirus cases, has said it is not ruling out holding the ballot before its deadline in early 2021, Reuters reported.
Some opposition parties have said holding any vote during the outbreak would be a health risk.
The Elections Department said the temporary arrangements would "ensure the safety of voters, candidates and election officials, should the next General Election (GE) take place amid the COVID-19 situation."
Among other provisions, the bill would allow citizens who are under movement restrictions due to the outbreak to cast their vote from the designated facilities to which they may have been confined.
Coronavirus kills more than 50,000 in Europe
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 50,000 people in Europe, mostly in Italy, Spain, France and Britain, according to an AFP tally using official figures at 0945 GMT on Monday.
With a total of 50,209 deaths, Europe is the continent with the most COVID-19 fatalities, out of 675,580 declared cases. Hardest-hit Italy has 15,877 deaths and Spain 13,055, AFP reported.
France has reported 8,078 fatalities while Britain has 4,934.
Italy’s virus deaths jump to 636 after big drop
Italy’s coronavirus death toll shot up on Monday from its lowest level in more than two weeks and officials sounded a more cautious note than earlier about a possibly easing of restrictions.
The civil protection service said the daily number of official COVID-19 deaths rose to 636 on Monday from 525 the day before, AFP reported.
Sunday’s toll was the lowest since March 19. It also represented a drop of 23 percent from the 681 deaths reported on Saturday.
France's coronavirus death rate accelerates, cases near 100,000
France's coronavirus figures on Monday showed that the rate of increase in fatalities - now at almost 9,000 - sped up again after several days of slowing, while the increase in people needing intensive care continued to decelerate.
The total number of cases, combining hospital and nursing home statistics, increased by 5,171 over the last 24 hours to 98,010, meaning France will likely become the fifth country, after Italy, Spain, the United States and Germany, to cross the 100,000 threshold on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Spain says coronavirus deaths down for 4th day at 637
Spain saw a fourth consecutive daily drop in the number of coronavirus-related deaths with 637 fatalities recorded over the past 24 hours, official figures showed on Monday.
The health ministry said the number, the lowest in 13 days, brought the total number of deaths to 13,055, second only to Italy, AFP reported.
The number of new infections also slowed, rising 3.3 percent to 135,032,down from a rise of 4.8 percent the day before.
Saudi Arabia imposes 24-hour curfew in Riyadh and other cities
Saudi Arabia imposed on Monday a 24-hour curfew in the capital Riyadh and a number of cities effective immediately and until further notice, as a precautionary measure against coronavirus spread.
The cities are Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran, Al-Hofuf, Jeddah, Taif, Al-Qatif, Al-Khobar. Entry and exit between cities is still under ban. Residents are allowed to leave their houses only for essential needs inside their residential area, and between 6am and 3pm only, Reuters reported.
Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as Covid-19 symptoms 'worsen'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to an intensive care unit on Monday after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, but his Downing Street office said he was still conscious.
Britain has no formal succession plan should the prime minister become incapacitated, but Johnson, 55, asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise for him, Reuters reported.
Philippines extends coronavirus lockdown, home quarantine to end-April
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday approved the extension of lockdown and home quarantine measures covering more than half of the population, a crisis panel official said, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The Enhanced Community Quarantine was due to end next week but would be extended until April 30, Karlo Nograles, a cabinet secretary, told a regular news conference, Reuters reported.
Policies restricting movement and gatherings have been in place in and around the capital Manila since nearly a month ago, in response to confirmation of the first domestic transmission. The Philippines was among the first countries to adopt strict home quarantine measures.
Mainland China reports 32 new confirmed cases of coronavirus
Mainland China reported 32 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, down from 39 cases a day earlier, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.
All of the new confirmed cases reported on Monday involved travellers arriving from overseas, bringing the overall number of imported infections so far to 983, the health authority said in its statement, Reuters reported.
The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stood at 81,740 as of Monday, according to the authority.
US enters 'peak death week' for coronavirus
The United States was preparing on Monday for what one official called the "peak death week" of the coronavirus.
The United States had by far the most confirmed cases at more than 355,000 by Monday, with deaths exceeding 10,000, Reuters reported.
"It's going to be the peak hospitalization, peak ICU week and unfortunately, peak death week," Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC's "Good Morning America" TV program on Monday.
Czechs to start easing restrictions as coronavirus infections slow
The Czech government agreed on Monday to relax some lockdown measures that have stifled the economy as growth of new coronavirus infections has been levelling off in recent days, officials said.
The country was among the first in Europe to declare a state of emergency in March, imposing some of the strictest curbs on public life to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when the proven number of cases was still below 200, Reuters reported.
Data for the past few days have shown a single-digit percentage daily rise in new cases, to 4,735 on Monday.
Industry Minister Karel Havlicek said that as of Thursday, the government would allow reopening of shops selling hobby goods and building materials, and also relax rules on open-air sports activities where people do not congregate, such as running and cycling. More shops may be opened after the Easter weekend.
Strict hygiene rules will apply, such as distances between customers, disinfection requirements and health checks on staff, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said earlier on Monday.
The government also approved, as of April 14, easing restrictions on leaving the country, currently permitted only for commuting workers. People will have to present "reasonable grounds" to go, and observe two-week quarantine upon return.
US coronavirus death toll exceeds 10,000
The death toll from the new coronavirus in the United States passed the 10,000 marker on Monday, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.
The country has the highest confirmed positives in the world, with more than 347,003 cases of the virus and 10,335 deaths related to Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by it, Reuters reported.
