Coronavirus news summary: deaths and cases - 20 April
Coronavirus live: latest Covid-19 news - Monday 20 April
Global summary
Total worldwide confirmed cases: 2.48 million
Total worldwide confirmed deaths: 170,000 +
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We're going to close out this live feed, but we'll be back in just a few hours to keep you abreast of the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis as they happen throughout Tuesday. Many thanks for joining us.
“From the Bernabéu to the Di Stéfano”
Here’s Tuesday’s AS front page, which leads with the news that Real Madrid could play their remaining 2019/20 home fixtures behind-closed-doors at the Estadio Alfredo di Stéfano, home to their ‘B’ team, Castilla.
This, reveals AS journalist Joaquín Maroto, would allow the club to accelerate the reconstruction works it is currently carrying out at the Bernabéu.
You'll find the full story on that here.
Surge of cases in Singapore
Singapore has suffered a spike in coronavirus cases, with around 3,000 new infections in the past three days taking its total to over 8,000.
11 people have died from Covid-19 in the city-state, Johns Hopkins University has reported.
China may be keeping Covid-19 data for commercial gain, says Trump adviser
White House adviser Peter Navarro on Monday claimed that China may be withholding data about early coronavirus infections because it wants to win the commercial race to create a vaccine.
The United States, which has been the country worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic according to official statistics, has repeatedly calling on Beijing to share early data on the outbreak, which began in China.
"One of the reasons that they may not have let us in and given us the data on this virus early, is they're racing to get a vaccine and they think this is just a competitive business race, it's a business proposition so that they can sell the vaccines to the world," Navarro told Fox Business Network.
"But we're going to beat them. We're going to beat them because of President Trump's leadership. We're going to beat them because HHS has already got a five-company horse race," said Navarro, referring to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
(Text: Reuters)
Arsenal stars and Arteta agree wage cuts
Following lengthy discussions, Arsenal's first-team players and coaches have come to a voluntary agreement over reducing wages amid the coronavirus crisis. Full story here.
Coronavirus live USA updates: cases and deaths, latest news, today 21 april
Trump daily press briefing
American president Donald Trump has been giving his daily coronavirus press conference, and you'll find a few selected quotes from that briefing in our dedicated US live feed:
Coronavirus: US study suggests Covid-19 mortality rate is lower than thought
Researchers at Stanford said it is possible the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide may be much higher and therefore the mortality rate could be less than 0.2%.
Coronavirus: Which US states have made face masks compulsory?
Which US states have made face masks compulsory?
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, several states in the US have now made it mandatory for citizens to wear a face covering if they leave their house.
Full details here:
Coronavirus: China replies to Donald Trump’s threats during Covid-19 pandemic
The President of the United States has warned on multiple occasions that he will send investigators to China to look into the source of the outbreak.
France the fourth country to pass 20,000 deaths
France has become the fourth country in the world to register 20,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus, joining Italy, Spain and the United States in passing the figure.
According to figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 20,092 people have died of Covid-19 in France, where there have been a total of just over 154,000 cases.
"The epidemic is very deadly and is far from over," France's public health chief, Jerome Salomon, told reporters on Monday.
(Quote courtesy of Reuters)
"An interesting hypothesis"
The UK government was following scientific advice by allowing major sporting events such as the Liverpool-Atlético Madrid soccer match and Cheltenham horse racing festival to go ahead days before the coronavirus lockdown, a senior minister said.
"At every stage in this crisis we have been guided by the scientific advice and have been making the right decisions at the right time," finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday during the government's daily news conference.
"There is often a wrong time to put certain measures in place, thinking about sustainability and everything else. At all parts of this we have been guided by that science, we have been guided by making the right decisions at the right time, and I stand by that."
The government's deputy chief scientific adviser Angela McLean said the suggestion, made by a reporter, that allowing the soccer game to go ahead in the north-west English city of Liverpool on March 11 contributed to the spread of the coronavirus was "certainly an interesting hypothesis".
"It will be very interesting to see in the future when all the science is done what relationship there is between the viruses that have circulated in Liverpool and the viruses that have circulated in Spain," she said.
(Reuters)
Italy reports 454 new deaths
Italy has registered 454 new deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 24,114. Total cases to date, including victims and survivors, rose by 2,256 to 181,228, the smallest increase since 10 March.
“This is positive data as it shows the number of people who are currently positive with the virus is declining,” said Angelo Borrelli, the chief of Italy’s civil protection authority.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro joins anti-lockdown protests
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised for joining protesters demanding that restrictions on movement introduced to stop the spread of coronavirus be lifted.
Canada-US-Mexico border restrictions extended
The US Department of Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, has confirmed that the US, Mexico and Canada border restrictions on non-essential travel will be extended by another 30 days.
LaLiga teams set to resume training
Some positive news out of Spain where football teams are set to return to training imminently, as the country announced its lowest daily death rate (399) for a month...
Stark figures from the US
Broadcaster and journalist, Shaun King, highlights some harsh figures from the US...
One World: Together at Home concert raises $127m
The One World: Together at Home concert, co-organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Lady Gaga, has raised $127m for coronavirus relief efforts.
Aired for free on Saturday, the show featured intimate at-home shows by some of world's biggest artists, including the Rolling Stones, Jennifer Lopez and Billy Eilish.
Lady Gaga tweeted after the show: “Thank you with all of my heart for watching #TogetherAtHome, sharing in a global moment of kindness with each other, and spreading positive and loving intentions. We love you.”
Spain infection rate continues to fall
The spread of coronavirus in Spain seems to be slowing despite more than 200,000 people now having been infected, officials said on Monday, as the Bank of Spain gave wide-ranging forecasts for an economic blow of "considerable severity".
With 200,210 recorded infections, Spain is second only to the United States in terms of confirmed cases but Health Emergency Chief Fernando Simon told a news conference that the rate of new infections continues to fall despite an increase in testing, suggesting the overall prevalence of the disease could be lower than expected in the population.
"Fortunately occurrence is falling a lot, even more than we had thought," he said.
The cumulative death toll from the virus rose to 20,852 on Monday, the ministry said, after 399 fatalities were recorded in the previous 24 hours.
Chinese season to start in late June or early July
Chinese football season to start in late June or early July
The Chinese Super League (CSL) looks set to start its new season at the end of June or in early July and will not have to shorten the campaign, Guangzhou R&F CEO Huang Shenghua has said.
Shops open in Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her frustration in a party meeting on Monday that moves to edge Germany out of lockdown had led to "discussion orgies" in some regions that risked higher rates of coronavirus infection, German media reported.
Some German retailers began reopening on Monday, along with car and bicycle dealers, and bookstores, under an agreement Merkel reached with state leaders last Wednesday.
"Merkel complains about discussion orgies over opening", ran a headline in mass-selling daily Bild's online edition after the chancellor joined senior members of her Christian Democrats (CDU) in a video conference.
The chancellor feared that a slowdown in Germany's infection rate could be reversed due to lax social distancing, Bild reported. Sunny weather at the weekend drew many Germans out of their homes and into parks.
Who is White House immunologist Anthony Fauci?
Who is White House immunologist Anthony Fauci?
The Brooklyn born immunologist and physician is seen by many Americans as a trustworthy voice in the coronavirus crisis.
Malaysia reports 36 new coronavirus cases with no new deaths
Malaysian health authorities on Monday reported 36 new coronavirus cases, the lowest daily rise since the government imposed curbs on movement and business to contain the spread of the pandemic a month ago.
The new cases bring the cumulative total to 5,425 cases. The health ministry reported no new deaths on Monday, keeping total fatalities at 89.
Spanish death rate continues to fall
The Spanish Ministry of Health confirmed 399 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, lower than Sunday’s figure of 410 and confirming the downward trend.
"It's better to hold games behind closed doors than not play at all"
UEFA chief on the return of football
The head of UEFA talked about the ongoing consequences of the Covid-19 virus on the game and offered his view on when matches could be staged.
New Zealand set to ease lockdown measures on 27 April
New Zealand will extend the lockdown measures in place to beat the coronavirus by a week, after which it will move to a lower level of restrictions, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
"New Zealand will move out of Alert Level 4 lockdown at 11.59 p.m. on Monday April 27, one week from today," Ardern said in a news conference. "We will then hold in Alert Level 3 for two weeks, before reviewing how we are tracking again, and making further decisions at Cabinet on the 11th of May," she said.
Hong Kong confirm zero new cases
Hong Kong authorities have reported zero new cases of Covid-19 today. The last time Hong Kong had no new cases was on 5 March.
Russia confirm 4,268 new cases
Russia have confirmed data relating to the past 24 hours with a new total of 4,268 positive Covid-19 cases in the country. The daily figure represents a drop from the Sunday tally of 6,060 cases.
Djokovic view on vaccines could force career decision
"I'm not for compulsory travel vaccination. If that rule is enforced I'd have to decide whether to accept it or not. I'm currently against it, we'll see if this will change"
Thailand reports 27 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Thailand on Monday reported 27 new coronavirus cases, bringing the nation's total to 2,792 cases, a senior health official said.
Of the new cases, 16 had come into contact with a previously confirmed case, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
No new deaths were reported for the third consecutive day. Thailand has had a total of 47 fatalities, and 1,999 patients have recovered.
Global markets: Asia turns cautious
Caution gripped Asian share markets on Monday amid expectations a busy week of corporate earnings reports and economic data will drive home the damage done by the global virus lockdown, while a glut of supply sent U.S. crude spiralling to 20-year lows.
Japan reported its exports fell almost 12% in March from a year earlier, with shipments to the United States down over 16%.
Readings on April manufacturing globally are due on Thursday and are expected to hit recession-era lows.
Better news came from New Zealand where success in containing the virus allowed the government to announce an easing in the country's strict lockdown from next week.
South Koreans return to work as social distancing rules ease
South Koreans are returning to work and crowding shopping malls, parks, golf courses and some restaurants as South Korea relaxes social distancing rules amid a continued downward trend in coronavirus cases.
A growing list of companies, including SK Innovation and Naver, has ended or eased their work from home policy in recent weeks, though many continue to apply flexible working hours and limit travel and face-to-face meetings.
Parks, mountains and golf courses brimmed with visitors over the weekend, while shopping malls and restaurants were slowly returning to normal.
South Korea's ongoing recovery from the first major coronavirus outbreak outside China paints a stark contrast to many other countries where metropolises remain sealed off and sweeping stay-at-home orders are in place.
Graphic thread from FT
JB-M's nightly review of the trends that are taking shape around the world. If you haven't seen them before, take some time to follow them through. Explanations come later in the thread as to method chosen etc.
Authorities in Australia advised to keep Covid-19 restrictions
"We cannot have a functioning economy unless we first comprehensively address the public health crisis."
More than 150 Australian economists on Monday warned the government against easing social distancing rules aimed at halting the spread of the new coronavirus even as the rate of infections slowed to a multi-week low.
Australia has so far avoided the high numbers of coronavirus casualties reported around the world after closing its borders and imposing restrictions on public movement.
While the measures have slowed the growth in new infections to fewer than 40 new cases a day, the restrictions are expected to push unemployment to a 16-year high of about 10%.
States have enough testing, says US VP
Vice President Mike Pence has said that the United States have enough testing nationwide to allow any state to start lifting lockdown orders forced by the coronavirus, if they have met other criteria.
"We believe we have the testing today around the country, that would allow any state in America to move to phase one (of the recovery plan) if they have met the other criteria," Pence said at a briefing. Those criteria include 14 days of declines in infections and enough hospital capacity to treat everyone who gets sick, he said.
Skin rash can be a coronavirus symptom
Do you have Covid-19 skin?
Although it is not listed as a coronavirus symptom by the WHO, skin irritation is being put forward by medical experts as a sign of Covid-19.
Coronavirus: is the US stimulus check a loan I have to pay back?
Stimulus checks in US
As Americans start to receive their relevant proportion of the $2 trillion stimulus package, many are asking if, or how, it will impact them going forward.
Trump says deal is 'close'
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Republicans were 'close' to getting a deal with Democrats on another legislative package to help alleviate economic damage done by the coronavirus pandemic.
At a White House briefing, the president suggested there could be a resolution by Monday.
Covid-19 (at a glance figures)
Canada: total confirmed cases 34,981 / total Covid-19 deaths: 1,537
Australia: total confirmed cases 6,547 / total Covid-19 deaths: 67
UK: total confirmed cases 121,172 / total Covid-19 deaths: 16,095
India: total confirmed cases 17,615 / total Covid-19 deaths: 559
Source: Johns Hopkins University
Covid-19 live blog
Hello and welcome to our live daily coverage of the news that surrounds the coronavirus pandemic.
Throughout the day we will aim to keep you up to date with all the latest developments from around the world related to the Covid-19 crisis that has devastated many countries.