Summary

  • Health secretary says system in England is successful but gives no data on the number of people contacted

  • Some pupils return to schools in England but attendance is between 40 and 70%

  • Many European countries are lifting restrictions further - some even opening cafes, museums and cinemas

  • Spain has recorded no coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours for the first time since the beginning of March

  • South Africans can buy alcohol for the first time in two months but the reopening of schools is delayed

  • The number of confirmed cases in Brazil passes half a million

  • Globally, there have been 6.1m confirmed cases and 371,000 deaths linked to Covid-19

Live Reporting

Edited by Jasmine Taylor-Coleman and Lauren Turner

  1. Australia has only 21 cases in hospital

    Visitors at Taronga Zoo in SydneyEPA

    Australia this week moves into Stage 2 of its three-step exit from lockdown

    ... and 92% of the country's recorded 7,200 cases have recovered.

    With the health situation largely contained, today marks another significant relaxing of restrictions across the country.

    Rules vary across states, but in New South Wales (the most populous state, which includes Sydney), the venues reopening include beauty salons, museums, libraries and public pools.

    Leisure travel across the state is allowed, while pubs and restaurants can also have 50 patrons on site - as long as social distancing is maintained.

    Twenty-person gatherings are also now allowed in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia - while Western Australia and the Northern Territory will allow even bigger groups later this week.

  2. Manila reopens its doors

    Metro Manila's transition to more relaxed measures will be a welcome relief for many whose livelihoods have been affected by one of the world's longest lockdowns.

    Filipinos out of work and stranded due to the coronavirus pandemic queue to receive mealsGetty Images

    Millions of unemployed Filipinos who needed handouts may find a chance of employment again, as dozens of essential industries are set to open at full capacity

    Cruise ships sit idle in the waters of Manila Bay as their crew completes quarantine before being allowed to disembark, on May 29, 2020 in Manila, Philippines.Getty Images

    Services not marked as essential like cement and steel, or machinery and equipment, will be allowed to run at up to 50% of full operational capacity.

    A worker is seen wearing a face mask and face shield at a restaurant inside a mall on May 16, 2020 in Quezon city, Metro Manila,Getty Images

    Malls will also be allowed to open, with 50% of staff required to work on-site, and the rest from home

  3. US sends Brazil 2 million doses of hydroxychloroquine

    The US has supplied Brazil with two million doses of hydroxychloroquine - despite medical warnings about risks associated with the controversial drug.

    The WHO had days ago suspended testing the drug in Covid-19 patients due to safety concerns.

    But the leaders of both countries have touted its use - US President Trump said he was taking the anti-malaria drug as a preventive measure, and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro said he kept a box in case his 93-year-old mother needed it.

    There is no scientific evidence that hydroxycholoroquine is effective against the coronavirus.

    Here is what we know for sure about the drug.

    Pills of Hydroxychloroquine sit on a tray at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, UtahGet

  4. Wuhan reports no new asymptomatic cases

    The Chinese city of Wuhan - where the coronavirus first emerged - reported no new asymptomatic cases on Sunday.

    It's the first time this has happened since Wuhan started releasing figures on virus carriers showing no symptoms.

    China has recorded 16 new cases on Sunday - all of which were imported - up from just two cases the day before.

    Of the new cases, 11 were recorded in Sichuan province, three in Inner Mongolia and two in Guangdong.

    Read more about "silent spreaders" in this piece from our Science editor David Shukman.

    Planes Flies In Front Of Snowcapped Mountain In SichuanGetty Images

    The new imported cases are believed to have come from a flight from Egypt

  5. Belgian Prince sorry for lockdown party

    A Belgian prince who contracted coronavirus after attending a party during lockdown in Spain has apologised and "will accept the consequences".

    "I deeply regret my actions," he said in a statement on Sunday.

    Prince Joachim, 28, travelled from Belgium to Spain for an internship on 26 May, but went to a party two days later in the southern city of Córdoba.

    Spanish reports suggest the prince, a nephew of Belgium's King Philippe, was among 27 people at the party.

    Read our full story here.

    Prince Joachim of Belgium is said to have mild coronavirus symptomsEPA

    Prince Joachim of Belgium is said to have mild coronavirus symptoms

  6. Coronavirus changes how doctors deal with death

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors have had to deal with death more often than many are used to, and due to restrictions in place over hospital visitors, they are often the last person to spend time with a terminally ill patient.

    Filmmaker Paul Myles spoke to five doctors administering end-of-life care during the crisis.

    Coronavirus changes how doctors deal with death

  7. Brazil has second-highest number of cases globally

    There are no more spaces for tombs in the cashew cemetery, in Rio De Janeiro, BrazilGet

    A cemetery in Rio de Janeiro

    Brazil has reported 16,409 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing its total number of infected cases to 514,849 - the second highest case load in the world.

    There were also 480 new deaths reported, bringing the death toll to 29,314 - the world's fourth highest death toll. Only the US, UK and Italy have recorded more deaths.

    Despite this, President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently played down the outbreak, criticising state lockdowns for harming Brazil's economy and jobs.

    Many experts believe Central and South America are now the major hotspots for increased infections.

    A combination of under-pressure healthcare systems and a mixed response by governments to the severity of Covid-19 has meant the region cannot apply the same easing of lockdowns taking place in Europe and elsewhere.

  8. Sydneysiders hit the pool - one person per lane

    Simon Atkinson
    BBC News, Sydney

    The city has opened two council-run outdoor pools today for the first time since mid-March.

    I was among the first to get back in the water - but swimming in the time of Covid is very different.

    Before even being allowed to take up a booked 45-minute swim slot there was an online form.

    Here I declared I was not unwell, agreed not to engage in any "unmeaningful or unnecessary conversations" and - tough one this - promised not to urinate in the pool.

    To keep other potential sources of infection to a minimum, it’s swimming costume and goggles only. No floats, kickboards or inflatable crocodiles.

    Changing rooms are closed (plan your outfit carefully). Instead there’s a chair with your lane number because - Olympic-style - you get your own lane.

    While slowly splashing my way up lane 3, I spotted an employee thoroughly cleaning the steps that lead into the pool.

    With just eight swimmers an hour - each paying A$6 (£3; $4) - the operation is running at a huge loss.

    But on a crisp sunny winter morning it was absolutely glorious. And everyone I spoke to afterwards seemed grateful and glad to be back. Hopefully those counted as meaningful conversations.

    A lifeguard looks out over Sydney's Victoria Park Pool

    Sydney's Victoria Park Pool opened today to pre-booked swimmers

    A chair with sign saying "LANE 3"

    Each lane is booked to a swimmer for 45 minutes

  9. Manila finally comes out of lockdown

    The Philippines' capital region of Metro Manila has today emerged from a lockdown that began in mid-March - longer even than the 76-day quarantine in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged last year.

    Manila has moved into a state of general community quarantine (GCQ), which will allow more people to return to work, some shops and factories to reopen, and public transportation to run at a limited capacity.

    However, public facilities like gyms, cinemas, karaoke bars and nightclubs will remain shut - and authorities have reiterated the need for the public to stay at home if they can.

    Manila two weeks ago moved to the "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ)" - a slightly more relaxed version of its original lockdown, which allowed some people to do things like exercise outdoors.

    The Philippines currently has 18,086 confirmed cases and 957 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    Philippines Eases Lockdown Amid The Coronavirus OutbreakGetty Images

    Those in the Philippines have been in a state of lockdown for weeks

  10. Hello and 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 colleagues across Asia, the UK, and the US later today. For now, here's a quick look at what's happened overnight:

    • Metro Manila, the capital region of the Philippines, has finally eased a lockdown that has been in place since mid-March. More people will be allowed to work and shops will reopen - though many restrictions are still in place
    • In Brazil, the number of confirmed cases has passed half a million, the second highest total in the world
    • The US has sent Brazil two million doses of hydroxychloroquine, the unproven drug that was touted by US President Trump. The WHO recently suspended clinical trials of the drug over safety concerns
    • There have now been 6.1 million confirmed cases and 371,000 deaths linked to Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University