Frances Mao
Sydney

Image source, TONY BURROWS

I've just spoken with a local cafe owner very pleased about the news.

Tony Burrows owns the Coogee Bite Cafe perched at the north end of Coogee Beach. He was down on the sand this morning at 0630 where early risers had pushed aside the barriers blocking access, and "everybody was taking advantage of the beach being open.

"There's a lot of families, a lot of swimmers, it's really quite nice to have it re-opening. People are doing the right thing and keeping to themselves - they're doing laps or doing exercise, not sitting down," he said.

He said many of his customers - locals accustomed to their daily ocean laps- had been very upset when they were deprived of access to the bay.

There weren't crowds on the sand on Monday - likely due to a chill in the air - but greater numbers are expected come the weekend. People are banned from lounging on the sand and have to observe a 1.5m distance from others.

The region's mayor said he had re-opened Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches after a three-week shutdown for the "mental and physical health" of the community. Most of Sydney's other beaches - including neighbouring Bondi - remain off-limits.

What's it like to be on the frontline treating Covid-19 patients, day in day out? We spoke to medics from countries around the world on their fears and the challenges of fighting the virus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a plea for inclusivity in India, saying the virus does not discriminate.

"Covid-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking. We are in this together," he wrote on LinkedIn, external.

His comments are significant because they come as incidents of Islamaphobia have been reported after 30% of India's cases were linked to an event organised by an Islamic preaching group in March. It meant many Indians associated the spread of the virus with Muslims.

Many Muslim vendors and shopkeepers have complained that people have avoided them, some say they have even been targeted.

The government has called for an end to divisive tweets and posts - and taken action to back up these calls too.

India has more than 13,000 active infections and 519 deaths.

Image source, Getty Images

A spa in Japan has begun delivering its hot spring water to people a home to help them get through the days of virus restrictions, local media report.

The Fukuya spa has seen its business cut by nearly half and since early April resorted to using a van with a large tank to take its precious water directly to customers' homes,

In Japan it might be spring water that counts, in Northern Ireland it's Guinness beer.

In Belfast, a local pub has been providing draft beer out of refitted vans. The drinks in plastic cups were then left on the doorstep with no contact with customers.

Authorities are looking into shutting the service though as it breaches licensing rules. The delivery of spring water in Japan should prove to be somewhat less contentious.

The price of US oil has fallen to a level not seen since 1999, as demand dries up and storage runs out.

The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, dropped 14% to $15.65 In Asia trading on Monday morning.

The oil market has come under intense pressure during the coronavirus pandemic with a huge slump in demand with factories and manufacturing plants closed.

US storage facilities are struggling to cope with the glut of oil. "With storage filling, no one wants to take delivery of oil anymore," said Stephen Innes, chief global market strategist at Axicorp.

Major US producers with deep pockets are reluctant to cut output to avoid higher costs to restart should demand rebound. But smaller drillers face a financial squeeze under low prices and many have curbed or shut production.

That situation has kept oil flowing to storage hubs even with demand now weak.

Image source, EPA

After pressure from religious leaders, Pakistan has reversed a ban on congregational prayers in mosques ahead of the month of Ramadan, despite concerns over coronavirus spread.

During the month of fasting and self-reflection, due to begin later this week, Muslims around the world offer evening prayers at mosques.

Under the agreement with religious leaders, people above the age of 50, children and those with flu symptoms will not be allowed to enter mosques.

All carpets have to be removed and the floor is to be regularly mopped with disinfectants. Worshippers have to maintain a distance when praying, should wear face masks and avoid shaking hands or embracing others.

The government said even a slight breach of the guidelines could lead to closure of mosques. Should infections begin to rise, authorities will reconsider their decision.

Authorities had earlier put a ban on religious gatherings and implemented a curfew to keep people away from Friday prayers, but these were only partially followed.

“Protective Security Officers tracked a suspect wearing a grey fur coat hopping through the heart of the Adelaide CBD this morning,” South Australia Police wrote on their Facebook, external early Sunday.

It was a lone kangaroo making its way at speed through deserted downtown Adelaide. Apart from one close encounter with a car, it owned those streets.

The virus has now killed more than 40,000 people in the US - nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates from the US:

• There was some slightly better news out of New York, which has been badly hit. The state governor Andrew Cuomo said the state appeared to have passed the peak of the outbreak, with indications it was "now on the descent"

• Elsewhere in the US, an ongoing battle between state governors and US President Donald Trump rages on. Trump appeared to endorse several protests against strict lockdown measures that took place over the weekend. He said earlier that orders in place in Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia were "too tough". Washington Governor Jay Inslee said his support of the protesters was "dangerous"
• Trump says he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to compel an unnamed company to make 20 million swabs. State governors have complained about a lack of swabs and testing

Image source, Get

Image source, Getty Images

With the number of new infections at a steady low for the past days, South Korea is beginning to lift some restrictions.

That means some sporting events will be allowed to kick off. Guidelines for churches will also be relaxed.

The country's baseball league, for instance, will resume its games - although without an audience in the stands. And churches will be allowed to restart operations as long as they comply with disinfection guidelines.

South Korea was the first country to be severely hit outside of China but over the past weeks it has successfully driven new infections to very low levels. On Monday, only 13 new cases were reported.

It's hay fever season in some parts of the world, and its symptoms can be very similar to that of coronavirus - so similar, in fact, that the UK's Royal College of General Practitioners is warning people not to mix them up.

Our health correspondent Laura Foster explains how you can tell the difference.

Image source, Getty Images

Walt Disney will stop paying more than 100,000 employees from this week as it struggles with coronavirus closures.

The world's biggest entertainment group operates theme parks and hotels in the US, Europe and Asia.

Stopping pay for almost half of its workforce will save Disney up to $500m (£400m) a month, according to the Financial Times.

Disney made operating income of $1.4bn from its parks, experiences and products in the last three months of 2019.

As Asia wakes up, here's a quick glance at the major developments that could define the coming week:

• China reported 12 new virus cases on Sunday, eight of which were imported. Of the four cases of local infection, three were from the border province of Heilongjiang, which has recently seen a rise in infected travellers crossing over from Russia
• Dozens of members of staff working at Afghanistan's presidential palace have tested positive for the virus, say media reports. The Afghan government has made no official comment
• South Korea has extended its social distancing policy for another 15 days but relaxed some rules as the number of cases there continue to fall. Under the new rules, high-risk facilities like churches will no longer have to close
• But over in Japan, doctors have warned that the country's medical system could collapse as cases continue to grow. There are now over 10,000 cases in Japan

Frances Mao
Sydney

Image source, EPA

Some of Sydney's beaches have re-opened this morning and it's not without controversy here.

Three beaches are now open and we've already seen surfers flock back to the water at Maroubra Beach. Exercise on the sand is also allowed. The city's famous Bondi Beach remains closed.

The decision, for one of the city's wealthier regions, has caused consternation as these beach suburbs also remain among Sydney's virus hot spots.

However it reflects a general mood among some sections of society who want things to get back to normal as case numbers dramatically improve.

The three biggest states - New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland recorded just seven new cases overnight, with Queensland recording no new cases for the first time in more than 80 days.

But authorities have repeatedly urged caution. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said current restrictions and the shut-down of businesses will be kept for at least another four weeks.

The message from Victoria's premier was crystal clear: "We need to be proud of the progress we’ve made but we need to know it’s very, very fragile".

Welcome back to our rolling coverage, we're kicking off the week with teams from Singapore, Australia and across Asia keeping you posted on developments worldwide.

Here's what you need to know:

• the US death toll has surpassed 40,000 and remains by far the highest in the world, but in the country's worst hit state, New York, officials say the outbreak is slowing
• in Australia, some beaches in Sydney have been reopened as officials are encouraged by a drop in new infections

• South Korea has extended its social distancing measures for another 15 days but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures

• Pakistan's religious leaders have said prayers at mosques will continue during the Ramadan period but with precautions
• there are encouraging trends in Europe, with Italy, Spain, France and the UK all reporting a drop in the daily death toll although the countries have different plans on when to ease lockdown measures

• the number of infections in Latin America exceeded 100,000, with more than 5,000 deaths reported. Brazil has the highest number of cases and fatalities