Summary

  • President Trump says the US is ending its relationship with the World Health Organization

  • UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the government is "in a position" to ease lockdown despite warnings the infection level remains high

  • Confirming changes to the government's furlough scheme, Sunak says employers will be asked to cover National Insurance and employer pension contributions in August

  • By September, businesses will pay 10% of wages for furloughed staff, and in October 20%, the UK chancellor says

  • Up to eight people from two households can now meet outside in Scotland, as the country eases its lockdown

  • People must be prepared for new outbreaks of coronavirus to build up very quickly, the World Health Organization tells the BBC

  • Spain fast-tracks a plan to pay the country's poorest households a basic income of £410 a month in the wake of the pandemic

  • There are more than 5.8 million cases globally and the death toll stands at more than 361,200, according to Johns Hopkins University

Live Reporting

  1. Japan sees new regional virus cluster

    Shinzo AbeReuters

    After Japan lifted its state of emergency, there has been a small rise in infections in the south of the country.

    The city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka has recorded 22 new infections since the weekend. The national government has sent a response team to prevent it from spreading.

    Prime Minister Abe lifted the nationwide state of emergency - which allows governors to push for lockdown restrictions - on Monday, but the prefecture of Fukuoka had its state of emergency lifted on 14 May.

  2. 'I built a virtual memorial for my grandfather'

    Coronavirus: 'I built a shrine to my grandfather on Animal Crossing'

    Isabella Ong, 24, is American-Chinese and living in New York.

    Because of coronavirus restrictions she couldn't visit her grandfather's grave for her annual family tradition called Bai San - so she found a way to honour him in the popular game Animal Crossing.

  3. School's out again - for some - in South Korea

    Laura Bicker
    BBC News, Seoul

    More than 200 schools have closed just days after they re-opened in South Korea after a spike in coronavirus cases.

    Some 56 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the past 24 hours, down from a two-month high yesterday of 79 - but the concern is that these infections are close to highly populated areas.

    Most of the new cases are linked to a distribution centre in Bucheon, just west of Seoul. The warehouse is run by the country’s biggest e-commerce firm, Coupang, and officials have said the facility was not strictly complying with infection control measures.

    Health officials even discovered traces of Covid-19 on workers' shoes and clothes. They have managed to track, trace and test thousands of employees from the centre and there will be further checks on other distribution facilities across the country over the next two weeks.

    The fear of infections has forced 251 schools in Bucheon to close after reopening, while hundreds of others have had their reopening delayed.

    A student in Seoul, whose mother worked at the Coupang warehouse, was also found to have the virus. Health authorities have re-imposed some restrictions and called for a tighter social distancing campaign over the next two weeks.

    Public parks and museums will be closed in Seoul and surrounding cities, businesses are being urged to encourage more flexible working, and people are once again being asked to avoid mass gatherings.

    There has never been a lockdown in South Korea - instead the country relied on aggressive tracking and testing measures. Most of the social distancing measures are voluntary but the appeal to the public is an emotional one.

    The message is - abide by these measures to let our children go to school and stop the disruption to their education. It’s a plea that has worked in the past. Health officials will hope it works once more.

    A teacher at a school in South Korea communicates with students via a laptop in April

    A teacher at a school in South Korea communicates with students via a laptop in April

  4. Welcome back to our coverage

    Welcome back to our rolling coverage of the pandemic. We will keep you posted on developments worldwide - moving through the day from our teams in Asia and Australia via Europe and Africa to the Americas.

    Here’s what you need to know this morning.

    • South Korea is reimposing some of its social-distancing measures in response to a recent uptick in new infections. Some schools are closing again while hundreds are delaying plans to reopen
    • Japan has seen a new cluster of infections just days after the country lifted the state of emergency
    • Russia has more than doubled the April death toll for the capital Moscow - the city now says 1,561 people died with the disease
    • Brazil has reported a new daily record of 26,417 infections
    • The number of Americans filing new unemployment benefit claims last week was over 2m for the 10th week in a row, with a recent total of over 40m
    • The UN has warned that global tourism may fall by 70% this year
    • Nearly six million people have tested positive for coronavirus worldwide, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll has risen to over 359,000.