TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Monday reopened mosques in parts of the country deemed at low risk from coronavirus, as it said almost 80,000 people hospitalized with the illness had recovered and been released. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 74 new fatalities brought to 6,277 the total number officially recorded in Iran since it reported its first cases in mid-February. Iran on Sunday recorded 47 deaths, its lowest daily count in 55 days. […]
Tag: health
Masks mandatory on Spain public transport as easing begins
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Masks became mandatory on public transport Monday as Spain took its first tentative steps towards a commercial reopening with small businesses accepting customers by appointment and restaurants prepping food for takeaway. Spain’s population of nearly 47 million have been confined to their homes for more than 50 days as the country sought to curb the spread of the deadly virus which has so far claimed 25,428 lives according to official figures. […]
Schools to reopen as virus fears ease in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean students will return to school starting next week, officials said Monday, as the country seeks a return to normal life after a significant drop in new coronavirus cases in recent days. Schools were shut in early March as South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease, and at one point, it was the second-worst hit nation on the planet after mainland China. But it […]
UK PM readies plan to ease lockdown with new office guidance
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to ease a nationwide coronavirus lockdown next Sunday, media reports said, as new guidance emerged on how to maintain social distancing in workplaces. Stay-at-home orders imposed in late March are up for review on Thursday in Britain, one of the worst hit countries in the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government has already said the measures will be eased only gradually. […]
Vietnam kids back at school after 3-month virus break
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Millions of schoolchildren in Vietnam returned to class on Monday after the country reported its 17th straight day of no domestically transmitted coronavirus infections. The decision to reopen schools came after the Southeast Asian nation eased social distancing measures at the end of April — with experts pointing to a decisive response involving mass quarantines and expansive contact tracing for its apparent success in containing the disease. At a school in […]
US coronavirus deaths rise by 1,450 in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Novel coronavirus deaths in the United States climbed by 1,450 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities to more than 67,600. The Baltimore-based university had recorded more than 1.15 million cases in the country as of 8:30 pm Sunday (0030 GMT Monday), with 67,674 deaths. The United States has by far the highest death toll of any country […]
Canada invests in online mental health care amid COVID-19 crisis
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada will invest CAN$240 million (US$170 million) to develop virtual care and mental health tools for residents to better cope with the consequences of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday. The funds will be used mainly to create new digital platforms and applications to give Canadians “strategies to manage stress or support from a procurement professional,” Trudeau said. It will also aim to strengthen online virtual care […]
Gilead Sciences exporting remdesivir, CEO says
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The head of the maker of remdesivir, an anti-viral shown to reduce recovery times in COVID-19 patients, said Sunday the company has been exporting the drug and is making it available to patients in the United States through the US government. Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O’Day said the company is donating its entire existing supply of the drug — 1.5 million vials, enough to treat 100,000 to 200,000 patients. “We […]
Japan set to extend virus emergency to May 31
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government prepared Monday to extend its nationwide state of emergency to the end of May as it braces for a lengthy battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared an initial month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other regions on April 7, later expanding it to cover the entire country. It is to expire on Wednesday, but Abe is expected to announce an extension to May […]
Pandemic-hit New York renters strike in nationwide housing protest
by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Days before May 1 rent was due, building management knocked on Sean Reilly’s Brooklyn apartment door demanding payment for the previous month. But like thousands of others in New York the 25-year-old is participating in Friday’s strike demanding rent cancellation, as unemployment soars and much of the country remains homebound in shelter they now stand to lose due to the coronavirus pandemic. As Reilly […]
UK says virus lockdown to be lifted gradually
by Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse The British government on Sunday said the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures was likely to be gradual, as it announced a further rise in the overall death toll. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to unveil the government’s plans in coming days, after announcing the country had passed the peak of the virus. According to the latest figures, 28,446 people have now died after testing positive for COVID-19, up […]
US Secretary of State Pompeo steps up pressure on China over pandemic handling
by Brian KNOWLTON Agence France Presse Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday stepped up a US campaign to hold China accountable for the spread of the deadly coronavirus, asserting there is “enormous evidence” the virus originated in a laboratory in the city of Wuhan. The high-security bio-containment facility, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, has called such claims “impossible”. Pompeo, speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” did not elaborate on what he also described as “significant […]





