Image source, CHAD STAPLES

Can you believe that Australia's devastating bushfires were only a few months ago?

The nation's royal commission inquiry into the "Black Summer" has kicked off today, with climate and weather experts the first to testify.

As we've reported, fire-hit areas are still struggling to recover and the commission said the ongoing effects of the fires were "being further compounded" by the virus.

Experts have already predicted the natural disaster will be marked as Australia's most damaging on record.

At least 34 people died, 2,800 homes were destroyed and 18.6 million hectares of land (the size of England and Scotland) were burnt.

• The zoo 'smashed' twice by fire and virus
• Australia's summer of extremes

Image source, Getty Images

Spain will begin lifting lockdown measures in Madrid and Barcelona from Monday.

Under the new rules, people will be able to meet in groups of up to 10, parks will reopen and some museums will allow limited numbers of visitors. People must continue to wear face masks in public and in buildings where distancing is impossible.

Other parts of the country which were less badly affected by the outbreak have already eased restrictions.

Spain's lockdown was one of the strictest in the world. The country has the fourth highest death toll, with more than 28,700 fatalities.

After two months, India will resume domestic flights on Monday as the lockdown rules ease - even as cases continue to surge ahead.

The "new normal" also means new rules for flyers - passengers will have to download a government contact-tracing app and will also be subject to thermal screening.

Some states like Assam and Uttar Pradesh have said that passengers will need to be quarantined on arrival.

Others, like Punjab and Karnataka, have announced varying degrees of quarantine, such as a mix between institutional and at-home quarantine. Delhi has said it will not quarantine asymptomatic travellers.

Among those to take the first flights on Monday were paramilitary personnel, students and migrant workers, reported PTI news agency.

The move is expected to bring relief to the country's aviation sector, which has been struggling to stay afloat.

But there is concern over rising cases - with more than 6,000 cases reported on Sunday, India has had nearly 130,000 infections, and 3,867 deaths.

This Monday, South Korea will begin sending face masks to Koreans adopted overseas.

The country's foreign ministry on Sunday said that some 370,000 masks would be sent, 60% of which will go to the United States.

Of the 167,000 Koreans adopted overseas, around two-thirds live in the US while other countries include France, Denmark, Sweden and Australia.

South Korea was one of the first virus hotspots after China, but has managed to bring down infections by extensive testing and social distancing.

• Why some countries wear face masks and others don't

Are you missing the beach? Well, the beach misses you too.

The absence of holidaymakers is very painful for the Caribbean nation of Antigua, which relies on tourism.

Yet, at a resort fringing one of the Caribbean island's most popular beaches, seagulls are the only ones using the pool.

• Click here to read more

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said up to a million jobs could be lost in the country, as many non-essential businesses remain closed.

"My prediction is that with coronavirus, a million jobs will be lost, but we will create two million new jobs," he said.

Mexico has more than 68,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, while 7,394 people have died.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The annual National People's Congress, which began last week in Beijing, is China's biggest political event.

It was delayed this year because of the outbreak, and journalists covering the event - such as this one photographed this morning - must be tested for Covid-19 before getting access.

Read more about this year's NPC here.

The United States' death toll has risen by 638 over the past 24 hours, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University, external, to a total of almost 98,000.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump warned that as many as 100,000 people could die - but suggested it would not be much more.

“We’re going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100,000 people. That’s a horrible thing,” he said on 4 May.

In March, he said keeping deaths below 100,000 would be a "very good job".

In a tweet on Sunday, Trump expressed optimism the numbers would continue to go down.

States across the US have already begun to ease their various levels of lockdown.

Katy Watson
BBC South America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The rising death toll and infections in Brazil are worrying many Brazilians - but President Jair Bolsonaro shows no signs of treating it seriously.

On Sunday, he was out once again, mingling with hundreds of supporters in Brasilia - and once again he was not wearing a mask.

Bolsonaro seems more caught up in fighting political battles - he's facing accusations of political interference to protect his family - than looking at how to rein in the country's spiralling health crisis.

The past few days have revealed some ugly truths. Not only has Brazil become one of the epicentres of the virus crisis, but it's clear the president and his team are unable - or even willing - to lead the country out of it.

And now President Donald Trump is barring foreign nationals who have been to Brazil from entering the US, amid fears they could bring more cases of the virus.

This decision, from a man whom Bolsonaro has always openly admired, will sting.

But the question is, will it do anything to change the Brazilian leader's approach?

Image source, Getty Images

Much excitement in Sydney school yards this morning, as children walked back in. Finally - a chance to see their friends in real life!

New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, has ordered all children back to school, in one of the biggest signs of normal life resuming. But in other states such as Victoria and Queensland, students are still being phased back in (i.e. attendance on specific days).

In NSW, some parents are apprehensive about risks - while others are relieved to be free of home-schooling duties.

Education officials say they won't be able to maintain social distancing in classrooms - 1.5m (4.9ft) has been the standard in Australia.

But there are new rules in place: no lunch swaps, no use of communal water fountains, no assemblies or excursions, and no extra-curriculars like orchestra or swim team.

Parents have also been urged to drive or walk their children to school if they can. to minimise the use of public transport. Usually around 110,000 students catch a bus or train to school in Sydney every day.

With lockdown easing in certain countries - restaurants, parks and places of worship are using creative solutions to ensure social distancing.

We've put together a little picture gallery in a separate story, but here's a little glimpse.

Image source, Getty Images

People sit in circles designed to encourage social distancing as they relax in Domino Park along the East River in Brooklyn, New York City, USA

Image source, Reuters

People have lunch at the Penguin Eat Shabu restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. The plastic barriers ensure social distancing between diners

Image source, Getty Images

Worshippers take part in Friday prayers, while keeping a safe distance from each other, at the Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque in Beirut, Lebanon

Image source, AFP

China reported 11 new confirmed virus cases in the mainland by the end of Sunday - that's up from three a day earlier.

The National Health Commission said all of the new infections were imported cases.

There also were 40 new asymptomatic cases - China counts patients who are infected but do not show symptoms separately.

According to the tally kept by the Johns Hopkins University, China's overall number now stands at 84,095, external with 79,342 of those already recovered.

The death toll remains unchanged at 4,638.

With the cross in one hand, and alcohol spray in the other, a group of Catholic priests in Manila have been risking their health to serve their poverty-stricken community.

The Philippines' capital has been under police and army-enforced lockdown for months - but hundreds of new cases are recorded daily and testing for the virus remains limited.

Image source, Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed Chile's healthcare system "very close to the limit", according to President Sebastián Piñera.

"We are very conscious of the fact that the health system is under a lot of pressure," he said on Sunday.

Almost 70,000 cases of the virus have been recorded in Chile and more than 700 people have died.

The capital Santiago, which is under a strict lockdown, is at the centre of the country's outbreak.

• Read our full story here

Image source, Reuters

Tensions between Beijing and Washington continue to rise. Over the weekend, China's foreign minister accused the US of spreading "conspiracies and lies" about the pandemic.

The US has been infected by a "political virus" that compels some politicians to repeatedly attack China, Wang Yi told reporters on Sunday.

He urged the US to "stop wasting time and stop wasting precious lives" in its response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused China of trying to cover up the outbreak, and of failing to warn the world in time.

Image source, AFP

The United States has suspended travel from Brazil, which has emerged as the world's second largest virus hotspot.

The White House said non-Americans who had been in Brazil in the two weeks prior to requesting entry would be barred. The restrictions will not apply to trade.

The US has already banned foreign nationals arriving from a number of other countries including China, Iran and European countries.

Brazil registered 653 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, taking the total to 22,666.

The number of confirmed infections jumped by 15,813 to 363,211 - second only to the US tally of more than 1.6 million infections and almost 100,000 deaths.

• Click here to read our full story

Welcome back to our rolling coverage of the pandemic. With our bureaus and correspondents around the globe we will keep you up to date on all developments worldwide.

Here's what you need to know so far.

• The United States has suspended travel from Brazil - which is the world's second largest hotspot for virus cases after the US
• Brazil has more than 360,000 confirmed infections and 22,666 deaths - and infections continue to rise steeply
• India wants to resume domestic flights on Monday after a two-month lockdown, but three states want to delay after virus cases jumped
• The president of South Africa has warned that the country's coronavirus outbreak is going to get much worse, while announcing that lockdown measures are to be eased
• Spain says its football league will resume in June, and it will open its borders to tourists in July
• In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed his key adviser Dominic Cummings, amid a row over the aide’s lockdown travel
• Worldwide, there have now been 5.4 million confirmed infections, external, with 344,997 deaths