Summary

  • "We're opening up our country," said US President Donald Trump as he unveils phased guidelines for ending lockdown

  • He said some states in "very good shape" will be able to reopen "literally tomorrow", without specifying which ones

  • But White House task force expert Dr Anthony Fauci warned the virus could rebound, adding: "It's not game over"

  • 5.25m more Americans filed jobless claims with the economy reeling from the coronavirus outbreak

  • UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the country's lockdown will continue for at least three more weeks

  • Russia postponed its Victory Day parade for the first time

  • Global infections stand at 2.1 million; 140,000 people have died

Live Reporting

Edited by Jude Sheerin

  1. What’s happening in Australia?

    • The state of South Australia recorded no new cases yesterday - another sign of the sustained national decline here. Other states have also reported dwindling numbers even as testing is widened
    • National Cabinet will meet to discuss what to do with schools – an ongoing point of division between state and federal authorities. Schools remain open technically, but state leaders have urged parents to keep their children at home if they can. Victoria resumed term yesterday with only 3% of pupils in classrooms.
    • Virgin Australia, Australia’s second biggest airline, has extended its share market trading halt as it struggles to find a way to stay afloat.
    • And in unsurprising news, Australians are buying and drinking up to 20% more alcohol in home isolation, a public poll has found
    A family in Brisbane doing home-schoolingEPA

    As the school term resumes, parents are feeling the burden of home-schooling and working at the same time

  2. What's happening in Asia?

    As we wake up to a new day in Asia, here's a quick look at what's been happening in the region:

    • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stressed the need for China to be transparent and to share its data on the Covid-19 outbreak. He also stressed the "importance" of China's facilitation of medical supplies to the US
    • The IMF has warned that economic growth in Asia Pacific is expected to "stall at zero percent" in 2020, calling this its "worst growth performance in almost 60 years"
    • India has agreed to sell hydroxychloroquine to Malaysia - it's still not proven that the medicine is successful in treating Covid-19
    • Japan has urged its citizens to stay home, as reports of a health ministry projection say as many as 400,000 people could die without urgent action. Japan currently has around 9,000 confirmed cases
    • Singapore has seen its highest daily spike with 447 new cases - the majority linked to a growing migrant worker cluster

  3. Welcome back to our coverage

    Welcome back to our rolling coverage. From across Asia, Australia and later Europe and the US, we will keep you up to date with all developments from around the globe.

    Here’s what you need to know this morning.

    • The International Monetary Fund says Asia’s economic growth this year will grind to a halt for the first time in 60 years, as the virus takes an “unprecedented” toll
    • There are now more than two million confirmed infections. The deaths of 134,354 people have been linked to the virus
    • The G20 group of leading economies have agreed to suspend debt payments from 77 of the world’s poorest countries
    • The head of the World Health Organization said he regretted the decision by the US to withdraw funding
    • China has closed one of its temporary Covid-19 hospitals, which was built in days