Summary

  • The death toll from the virus in the UK rises to more than 26,000 after care home deaths are included for first time

  • 1.5bn workers at risk of having livelihood destroyed, especially in informal economy - UN

  • Germany and the US both report sharp economic contractions

  • The US has confirmed one million virus cases, making up almost a third of the total global tally

  • With more than 58,000 deaths, more Americans have died with Covid-19 than died in the Vietnam War

  • Half a million face masks handed out at stations in Paris

  • China's parliament will meet again next month, a sign officials believe the virus is under control there

Live Reporting

Edited by Jasmine Taylor-Coleman

  1. Easing of Australia restrictions 'not too far away'

    Scott MorrisonEPA

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia has successfully flattened the virus case curve

    Here's some more from the Australian leader's press conference. Scott Morrison reiterated that authorities would consider easing social restrictions from 11 May.

    "[It] is not too far away and you're already seeing that happen with many states and territories," he said.

    New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia have all loosened some household movement restrictions this week.

    However, Mr Morrison reiterated that attendance at sports matches and church services was unlikely to resume "for a while".

    "I look forward to the time where [Australians] can sit down for a meal at a restaurant or a cafe or a pub again.

    "But I can't see them going along to a game for a while, those larger mass gatherings."

  2. China reports no new deaths

    Commuters on a train in Beijing's underground wear masks. Photo: 28 April 2020Getty Images

    People across China are still required to wear masks

    China reported no coronavirus-related deaths for 28 April.

    The National Health Commission said there were 22 new infections on Tuesday - with all but one cases imported from abroad.

    China's overall death toll remains unchanged at 4,633.

  3. Trump says US will be doing 5 million tests a day

    Two of the reasons the US has such high numbers of confirmed cases is the large population (around 330 million), and the large number of tests being carried out.

    The US has carried out around 5.7 million tests over the past two months according to the Covid Tracking Project.

    That figure sounds pretty high, but according to data by scientific online publication Our World in Data, the US had conducted 16.3 tests per 1,000 people - behind Italy at 30.6 per 1,000 people.

    President Trump has suggested the US could soon carry out as many as five million tests a day, saying "we're going to be there very soon".

    However, his forecast seems optimistic. Reports say the US is currently testing around 200,000 people a day.

    It's not clear who qualifies to be tested in the US - access to tests varies by state.

    But the limited number of tests does mean higher priority patients do get, well, priority. These include those who are hospitalised, healthcare workers, and those living in shared facilities like care homes or prisons.

  4. Australian PM urges 'millions more' to download app

    CovidSafe app displayed on phoneEPA

    Around 2.8 million Australians are already using the monitor

    Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called on millions more Australians to download the nation's virus contact-tracing app - saying wide usage would be the "ticket" to normal life resuming as soon as possible.

    Australia has succeeded in flattening its virus curve, with only one case from an unknown source reported yesterday. The nation has around 6,700 cases and 88 deaths.

    But Mr Morrison said the nation's true success depended on society re-starting with protections in place.

    He praised the 2.8 million Australians who had already downloaded the CovidSafe app since Sunday night but said: "I would ask millions and millions and millions more to do the same thing."

    The government has previously said it needs 40% of the 25-million population for it to be effective. The PM also compared the app's necessity to that of sunscreen.

    "I would liken it to the fact if you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have to put sunscreen on. This is the same thing," he said.

    Authorities have previously not ruled out making the app mandatory. Critics have raised privacy issues with the app, which reports information to a centralised server only accessible by health officials.

    Several Australian states this week announced an easing of lockdown rules, with the worst-hit state, New South Wales, to allow households visitors from Friday.

    Australia government chart shows virus curve flattening on 29 April 2020AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

    The number of new cases plunged after Australia brought in strict lockdown measures mid-March

  5. France's oldest doctor makes his rounds

    As France prepares to ease its lockdown restrictions, one doctor continues to work in a high-risk environment - despite the danger of Covid-19 for someone of his age.

    Dr Christian Chenay, who at 98 years old is France’s oldest doctor, is still making weekly trips to a retirement home to provide support, and says his decision to keep working is partly down to the country’s shortage of local family doctors. Hear what he has to say here:

    Coronavirus: 98-year-old doctor working through the lockdown

  6. US Congress abandons plan to return to Washington

    Wearing a scarf over her mouth and nose, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is surrounded by security and staff as she arrives for her weekly news conference during the novel coronavirus pandemic at the US Capitol 24 April, 2020 in Washington, DCGetty Images

    Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said the House had "no choice" but to delay its return

    The US House of Representatives will not reconvene next week following a revolt from lawmakers who complained that it was too soon to return.

    On Monday, members were told to return to the Democratic-controlled chamber.

    However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday the plan was scrapped after consulting the House doctor.

    Read our full story here.

  7. Lockdown on a deserted Australian island

    Getting trapped on a deserted island may be a nightmare for some, but not for Kevin and Adele Hockey.

    The couple went to Fraser Island in Australia to work as caretakers for a group of holiday homes before the country imposed its lockdown.

    A month later, they found themselves in isolation with no guests to look after, miles from civilisation, and are fishing for their food.

    But they're also waking up to gorgeous sunrises and empty pristine beaches everyday. Watch how their stay has unfolded here:

    Coronavirus: Lockdown on a deserted Australian Island

  8. More Americans with virus have died than in Vietnam War

    Peter Bowes
    North America correspondent

    More people have now lost their lives, over a few months, than the 58,220 Americans who died over nearly two decades in Vietnam - highlighting the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the United States.

    One of the leading White House medical advisers, Dr Anthony Fauci, has issued a sobering warning that the outbreak is far from being over. He said the country could be in for a bad autumn if researchers fail to find an effective treatment.

    Dr Fauci said it was inevitable that the virus would come back - and may not go away at all during the summer.

    Daily Life In New York CityGet

  9. Welcome back

    Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We’re writing to you from Singapore this morning and will be joined by our teams across Asia and in London later today.

    • A grim milestone in the US as the number of virus cases passed one million, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are now 1,012,399 cases in the US, with 3,114,659 confirmed cases worldwide
    • France is to become the latest country in Europe to make face masks compulsory in certain situations. From 11 May, people will have to wear them on public transport and in secondary schools
    • Neighbouring Spain has announced a four-phase plan to lift its strict lockdown, hoping to return to a "new normality" by the end of June
    • And in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has admitted there is a shortage of protective equipment for medics, saying that what they had now was "still not enough"