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Coronavirus - latest summary
Global cases of coronavirus pass 2.5 million.
Italy records decrease in active coronavirus cases for second day in a row
UK announces vaccine investment for Imperial College and Oxford University studies
A mostly virtual Westminster reopens amidst PPE shortage debacle
Spain wants EU to unite behind €1.5 trillion COVID-19 recovery fund
Donald Trump announced he would temporarily suspend immigration to the US due to the pandemic.
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US Senate adopts new relief package to support small businesses
The US Senate unanimously adopted a nearly $500 billion (€460 billion) plan on Tuesday to support small businesses, hospitals and to strengthen coronavirus testing, AFP has reported.
The plan includes $320 billion of loans to companies with fewer than 500 employees. It also includes $75 billion in aid for hospitals, $25 billion for coronavirus screening, as well as $60 billion in loans for other sectors.
The plan is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives and signed by US President Donald Trump.
There are now more than 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide yet infections are down in Italy
Watch the full Euronews Tonight Report:
Andorra has an unusual system for easing lockdown restrictions
Andorra, the landlocked nation wedged between France and Spain, has adopted a unique way of easing lockdown restrictions.
Those who live in even-numbered homes are allowed to go out on even dates, while those who reside in odd-numbered homes on all other days.
Houses without a number will go out on even dates if the name of occupants begins with A-M, and odd days if it starts with N-Z.
The easing of the lockdown began last Thursday and was for people to leave their homes for an hour to exercise.
Conte will not accept 'compromise' on European economic response
Italy has been fighting for weeks in favour of a common European loan to help ease the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis.
"The EU and the euro area cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes made during the 2008 financial crisis, when it was not possible to offer a joint response," Conte said.
Schools in the Netherlands to reopen May 11, events cancelled until September
The Dutch government is set to relax their coronavirus containment measures, allowing primary school children to go back to school starting May 11.
Children will be able to participate in sports practice starting April 29.
Young people from 13 to 18 years old will also allowed to exercise outside with each other under supervision, but with a distance of 1.5 metres between them, the Dutch government said.
Bars, restaurants, fitness clubs, museums and theatres will all be closed until at least May 19.
Large scale events such as festivals and professional sporting events will be banned until September 1.
'Scientists in the UK to begin testing vaccine on humans this week'
The UK has announced it is ready to begin human trials for a potential vaccine for coronavirus, with tests beginning as early as this week.
Health minister Matt Hancock announced testing on humans would begin on Thursday and would join just a handful of other similar trials being carried out around the world.
There are currently more than 30 companies around the world racing to develop a vaccine for the illness, which has killed tens of thousands of people.
Read more: https://www.euronews.com/2020/04/21/coronavirus-scientists-in-the-uk-to-begin-testing-vaccine-on-humans-this-week
Spain wants EU to unite behind €1.5 trillion COVID-19 recovery fund
Spain is calling on its neighbours to unite behind its proposal for a joint EU fund that would help the bloc’s hardest-hit economies recover from the coronavirus crisis.
"In this crisis, either we all sink or we all float. Spain wants everybody to float, for sure," Spain's foreign affairs minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told Euronews ahead of a key EU summit this week.
Spain is suggesting creating an economic recovery fund with up to €1.5 trillion, according to an internal Spanish government document.
The document, seen by The Associated Press, says the fund should draw from members states' grants in order not to raise public debt levels.
France sees reduction in hospitalisations and intensive care
Meanwhile, another 531 people died in France in 24 hours - 387 in hospitals and 144 in nursing homes, bringing the total death toll in the country to 20,796.
Italy sees drop in positive coronavirus cases for second day in a row
This is the second day in a row that there has been a decrease in active coronavirus cases.
The number of patients in intensive care also decreased by 102, bringing the total to 2,471 people.
The number of hospitalisations decreased by 772 but there are still more than 24,000 people hospitalised for coronavirus in Italy.
Italy has had a total of 183,957 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the epidemic and a total of 24,648 deaths.
Another 534 people died in 24 hours from Monday to Tuesday.
Hancock says the UK is in the EU protective equipment scheme
"This scheme has not yet delivered any PPE," he added.
Hancock was responding to a question about foreign office under-secretary Sir Simon McDonald comments from earlier today.
McDonald said that the UK had not joined the EU ventilators scheme and that it was a "political choice".
It was not immediately clear if Hancock was talking about the same scheme.
Asymptomatic transmission has made the epidemic challenging, UK says
Asymptomatic transmission has made this virus "difficult and challenging" to contain, Hancock said. These are the scientific questions the government is grappling with.
Van Tam said they did not understand the extend to which pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were "shedding the virus".
People can begin transmitting the virus before they start showing symptoms.
Van Tam said, however, that the vast majority of transmission is still coming from people with symptoms.
The public health guidance remains the same: that you must isolate if you have symptoms.
'We are advised by the science on face masks,' says UK health secretary
"Essentially the problem with PPE is a global shortage" meaning there is more global demand than supply, he added.
Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said the government will "keep the evidence under review" and that the scientific advisory group was meeting on the question of protective equipment.
Van Tam emphasised that the government did not want to jeopardise PPE for healthcare workers.
The government were also rolling out home testing for people in care homes. Van Tam said there were a "number of ways" to get the test swabs to people.
The UK government announces vaccine funding at daily briefing
A team of researchers at Oxford are beginning trials for a vaccine. They will begin human trials on Thursday.
The UK is also working with 159 UK manufacturers to deliver and get PPE to NHS frontline workers, the health minister said.
The upside of being the first country of the world to develop a vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it, Hancock said.
Watch the live briefing in the video player above.
UK hospital deaths pass 17,000
Greens call for EU to alleviate Iran sanctions due to COVID-19
COVID-19 could make rising global hunger worse
Austria cafés, restaurants and places of worship to reopen on May 15
WHO worker carrying COVID-19 test samples killed in Myanmar
Dutch death toll rises to 3,916
Democrats and Republicans reach agreement
Experts answer you coronavirus queries
2.5 million cases confirmed worldwide
UK Parliament goes online
The UK's parliament reopened this morning amidst mounting criticism of the government over a shortage of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. Stockpiles were low even before the COVID-19 pandemic but the virus has further depleted stocks.
This is likely to be at the centre of debate this week in the Commons which in a historic first, most MPs will be attending remotely. A hybrid parliament sits today with 120 out of 650 MPs taking part. Their questions will be relayed via the videoconference application Zoom. A maximum of 50 will physically retake their seats in the Commons chamber but at a safe distance from each other.
Here's the full story: https://www.euronews.com/2020/04/21/a-mostly-virtual-westminster-reopens-amidst-ppe-shortage-debacle
Spain calls off the running of the bulls
Acting mayor, Ana Elizalde, did not rule out holding the festivities several months later, saying there would be "flexibility".
See the video below for a taste of last year's running of the bulls.
Bookstores reopen in Italy
Singapore extends lockdown to June 1
Spanish death toll passes 21,000
French households projected to save €55 billion during confinement
Russia COVID-19 death toll increases by 51
Oktoberfest cancelled
Germany: 194 deaths in last 24 hours
Japan’s PM urges citizens to follow guidance
WHO warns against reopening economies too soon
Cyber threats warning amid increased online activity
- EU cybersecurity 'at risk from hackers'
- Authorities across Europe warn of coronavirus-related scams
- Interpol warns fraudsters are using COVID-19 fears to scam victims