Follow our live blog for the latest updates
Summary of latest updates:
- French National Assembly approves StopCovid tracking app.
- Boris Johnson says people should "move on" from top aide's lockdown breach
- EU unveils €1.85 trillion post-pandemic recovery package
- Emmanuel Macron announces 8 billion injection into France’s car industry
- New trial of antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 announced in UK
- Spain to start 10 days of mourning for COVID-19 victims
- EU countries split over size and conditions for coronavirus recovery
- Spain urges EU members to agree on opening borders
Catch up on yesterday's updates here.
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UK launches test and trace system
Experts from NHS Test and Trace will work with those who test positive for coronavirus "to identify the possible movements of the virus, where it's been and who else it might have infected," said UK health minister Matt Hancock.
"Then we isolate those contacts who might have been infected. So the virus is unable to spread."
The project involves 50,000 workers, including 25,000 contact-tracers hired to track down the contacts of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19.
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms in the UK will be eligible for test and trace from tomorrow.
'This is Europe's moment': Ursula von der Leyen tells Euronews after announcng a pandemic recovery fund
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says that a new generation of Europeans will benefit from a €1.85 trillion stimulus package announced Wednesday.
Speaking to Euronews soon after announcing a €750 billion recovery fund, Von Der Leyen said that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic "affects all member states."
"All of them see the economic damage in the single market, but also in the national economies, therefore this is Europe’s moment," she said.
Read more: https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/27/ursula-von-der-leyen-europe-s-next-generation-will-benefit-from-stimulus-package
Spain had 43,000 excess deaths between March and May, according to health ministry
The data provided by the Carlos III Health Institute is based on death certificates issued during the pandemic.
The official death toll in Spain due to coronavirus is 27,118 deaths, but the figure only takes into account officially confirmed cases by PCR test.
The Carlos III Institute predicted a mortality of around 78,000 people between March 13 and May 22 based on previous years, but the reported deaths amounted to 120,851, with a significant increase between the end of March and early April.
"Mortality was 55% higher than usual (...) It mainly affected people over the age of 74," said the health ministry's Dr Fernando Simon, during a press conference.
Coronavirus alert app approved by French national assembly
App users indicate if they have received a positive coronavirus test so that they can alert people who have been in proximity to them on the metro or in a supermarket for instance.
The National Assembly approved the rolling out of the application by a vote of 338 to 215.
The vote will now go to France's Senate.
People under 45 need to reduce social contact, UK officials say
"Although those under the age of 45 are at significantly lower risk, the evidence show that we are just as likely to get it and transmit it," said UK health minister Matt Hancock.
It is likely that those under 45 (some of whom are at risk for coronavirus), spread it more than others due to the number of social contacts they have, said deputy chief medical officer for England Jonathan Van-Tam.
"The whole game about beating COVID-19 until we get a vaccine [or treatment] is to reduce contact between people and particularly reduce contacts between households," he said.
Italy reports 117 new deaths and 584 new cases
Italy recorded 117 additional deaths due to coronavirus bringing the total to 33,072 deaths.
There were another 584 cases recorded in 24 hours bringing the total since the beginning of the pandemic to more than 231,000.
There are just 7,729 hospitalised for COVID-19 and 505 people currently in intensive care in Italy.
An additional 412 people died in the UK due to coronavirus
"Testing and tracing must become a new way of life," the UK's health minister, Matt Hancock said at the daily briefing. The "test and trace" system will start from tomorrow.
If you are contacted to isolate, you must, it is your "civic duty". Even if you don't have symptoms, you should isolate since you could have the virus without symptoms.
Every single person with symptoms of coronavirus can be tested from tomorrow.
It's not just the "safety" of all but the "liberty" of all at stake, Hancock said.
Schools can be opened in a socially distanced way, UK PM says
Boris Johnson said one of the reasons to open school is that there's a social injustice in that some kids can learn at home and others cannot.
"We know we can do it in a safe socially distanced way," the prime minister said, as long as students and teachers follow guidelines on keeping apart.
Primary schools are set to begin reopening from June 1.
Johnson says it’s time to 'move on' from row over top aide’s travels during lockdown
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he wants the country to move on from talk of Dominic Cummings' breach of lockdown in his latest effort to dismiss the reports that have caused chaos in the UK.
Cummings travelled more than 400 kilometres while likely infected with coronavirus to seek childcare for his four-year-old.
The UK prime minister also said that he did not think an inquiry into Cummings' actions was a necessary use of resources.
“Quite frankly, I’m not certain right now if an inquiry into that matter is a good use of official time we’re working flat out on coronavirus,” Johnson said.
Answering questions from Parliament’s Liaison committee, he was pressed repeatedly on the lockdown guidance which MPs said was unclear after the prime minister said Cummings' actions fell within the definition of lockdown.
Johnson called the row over his adviser's actions a "distraction" even though both opposition and conservative MPs have called for Cummings to resign.
WHO launches Foundation to collect funds from non-traditional donors
Boris Johnson answers MPs' questions on COVID-19 response
Dutch COVID-19 death toll rises by 15
More about the EU recovery fund
- Commission plans to raise the money for the €750 billion recovery fund on the market by "temporarily lifting the own resources ceiling to 2.00% of EU Gross National Income";
- Maturity for these bonds will be long term, "not before 2028 and not after 2058";
- To repay this common debt, the Commission proposes the creation of new taxes such as a "C02 border tax" and "a new digital tax".
EU package is 'starting point for negotiations': Spanish PM
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the proposal unveiled by the EU Commission for a €1.85 trillion budget which includes €750 billion in recovery funds includes many of the country's demands and "is a starting point for negotiations".
"We should soon reach an agreement to have access to resources that will allow us to restart the economy and overcome the crisis," he added.
EU must respond in 'determined' manner to COVID-19 economic crisis: Von der Leyen
Denmark to look at recovery proposal 'in depth'
Italy's prime minister welcomes EU recovery fund
" This is an excellent signal from Brussels. It goes exactly in the direction indicated by Italy. We were described as visionaries because we believed in it from the beginning. 500 billion in grants and 250 billion in loans are an adequate figure. Now let's speed up the negotiation and free up the resources soon"
Poland: No more mandatory masks
"There will be a general rule: in public spaces, if possible, you will have to keep a distance of two meters and the wearing of the mask will not be compulsory. If two people walk side by side it is always recommended to wear masks," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
The stores will no longer be forced to limit the number of customers, nor the churches - all that only if people are able to maintain two metres distance.
EU Commission announces 1.85 trillion euro recovery fund
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is making the announcement in the European Parliament, an effort to persuade MEPs who also get a say on the final plan.
The EU Commission is proposing a 750 billion euro recovery fund, the Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni has tweeted. The money would be divided up into 500 billion euros given to EU countries as grants, the remaining 250 billion euros would be available as loans.
Read more here
Premier League allows contact training to resume
"Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact," it added.
Players and staff will continue to be tested for COVID-19 twice a week.
Germany records 47 new COVID-19 fatalities
African death toll reaches 3,574
EU Commission proposes €750 billion COVID-19 recovery fund: Commissioner
Working mothers do bulk of childcare and housework under lockdown, says new study
It also flagged that mothers are more likely to have quit, lost their jobs or to have been furloughed since the start of the pandemic and that those who have stopped working for pay during lockdown while their partner continues now do twice as much childcare and housework as their partner.
"In the reverse situation, in families where the father has stopped working, the parents share childcare and housework equally, while the mother also does 5 hours of paid work a day," the report states.
US passes 100,000 deaths
UK PM Boris Johnson to answer MP's questions over his handling of the pandemic and Cummings affair today
Cummings' out of city trip has been in the court of public opinion for several days now. A YouGov poll for The Times showed that public support for Johnson had dropped nine points within one week, down to 44%, while the main opposition party gained five points.
Confronted with this unprecedented sling since his electoral triumph in December, Boris Johnson will be answering questions via video conferencing before the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons at around 17 CET for an hour and a half.
Hundreds urged to get COVID-19 test after attending illegal football match in Strasbourg
Officials in the French city of Strasbourg are calling for hundreds of people who watched an illegal football match this weekend to get tested for COVID-19 over fears the badly-hit area could see a new flare-up of the deadly virus.
France drops hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment
Doctors are no longer allowed to use hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals in France with the exception of clinical trials. Two advisory bodies had said that it could cause serious health risks. The drug is usually used to treat diseases, such as Malaria, Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
The World Health Organization had announced yesterday that it will drop hydroxychloroquine from coronavirus trials due to the dangers it could pose to patients.
Read more: What do we know about Hydroxychloroquine?
France's GDP likely to drop by around 20 percent in second quarter
Even though coronavirus restrictions have been loosened in France, the country’s statistics agency INSEE expects the gross domestic product (GDP) to drop “by around 20%” in the second quarter of the year, and more than 8% across the entire year.
The French economy is currently operating at around “four-fifths of its pre-crisis level, the report stated.
It would be "the most significant recession since the creation of the national accounts in 1948", specifies the institute, which underlines that this forecast must be taken "with caution", given the uncertainty of the rate of recovery in the weeks who come.
South Korea may have to reimpose social distancing rules after jump in case numbers
South Korea’s top infectious disease expert says the country may need to reimpose social distancing restrictions it eased in April, with coronavirus transmissions creeping up in the populated Seoul metropolitan area and elsewhere in recent weeks.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a virus briefing on Wednesday it’s becoming increasingly difficult for health workers to track the spread of COVID-19, which has coincided with increased public activity amid warmer weather and eased attitudes on social distancing.
South Korea reported 40 new cases on Wednesday, its biggest daily jump in nearly 50 days, as officials scrambled to trace hundreds of infections linked to nightspots, restaurants and a massive e-commerce warehouse near Seoul.
Cyprus to cover costs for infected tourists
The Cypriot government says it will cover lodging, food, drink and medication for COVID-19 patients and their families. Patients will only have to pay for the taxi ride to the airport and the flight back home.
A 100-bed hospital will cater exclusively to foreign travelers who test positive. Some 112 intensive care units equipped with 200 respirators will be reserved for critically ill patients.
A 500-room “quarantine-hotel” will host exclusively patients’ family members and other close contacts.
The pledge came in a five-page letter sent to governments, airlines and tour operators outlining strict health and hygiene protocols that Cyprus is enacting to woo visitors to the tourism-reliant country.
Germany: 400 new cases in a day
Around 400 new coronavirus cases were registered in Germany within the last 24 hours, raising the overall number of those who contracted COVID-19 to 179,200. More than 8,300 have died so far.
The current reproduction rate is at 7.0, meaning ten people who are contagious will infect seven others, according to Germany's Robert Koch Institute. The weekly average reproduction rate is 0.78. It reflects the status from eight to 16 days ago.
India surpasses 150,000 virus cases
India’s coronavirus caseload has surpassed 150,000, with another single-day high of more than 6,000 reported on Wednesday.
The spike comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government prepares a new set of guidelines, with the fourth phase of the two-month-old lockdown across the country set to end on Sunday.
The Health Ministry reported 151,767 cases on Wednesday, a jump of 6,387, with 4,337 deaths — an increase of 170 in the past 24 hours. It said 64,426 people have recovered from the virus.
India eased lockdown restrictions earlier this month, allowing shops to reopen and manufacturing to resume. Some trains and domestic flights began operating again.
Spain starts 10 days of mourning for coronavirus victims today
Nearly 27,000 people who have died with the novel coronavirus in Spain, the longest official mourning period in the country’s 4-decade-old democracy.
Flags will be hoisted to half-staff in more than 14,000 public buildings across the nation and on Spanish naval vessels until June 5, under the declaration made Tuesday. King Felipe VI, as Spain's head of state, will preside over a solemn memorial ceremony once the country emerges from the lockdown imposed 2 1/2 months ago, the government said.
The dead are “men and women whose lives have been suddenly cut short, leaving friends and family in great pain, both from the sudden loss and from the difficult circumstances in which it has occurred,” government spokeswoman María Jesús Montero said following the Cabinet meeting where the grieving period was approved.
Opposition parties had criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's left-wing coalition government for not paying tribute to the virus pandemic's victims as Spain's death toll - the world’s fifth-highest after the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and France - became a point of political debate.
Arguing that some unconfirmed virus cases had been erroneously counted, Spanish health authorities reduced the country's official mortality figure by 1,918.
Biden calls Trump "fool" for mocking him for wearing a protective mask
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s comments came a day after he wore a black face mask while making his first public appearance in more than two months. Biden has remained at his Delaware home amid a pandemic that has frozen the presidential campaign, but he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a nearby veterans' memorial with his wife, Jill.
Trump later retweeted a post that appeared to make fun of a photo of Biden in his mask, though he later said he didn't mean to be critical. In an interview with CNN, Biden responded, “He’s a fool, an absolute fool, to talk that way.”
“He's supposed to lead by example,” Biden said. The former vice president also noted that nearly 100,000 Americans have been killed by the virus and suggested that as many as half of those deaths were avoidable but for Trump's “lack of attention and ego.”
Turkey nears end of latest lockdown, death toll up to 4,397
Turkey’s COVID-19 death toll reached 4,397 as of Tuesday after 28 new deaths were reported in 24 hours, according to the country's health minister.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that Turkey also recorded 948 more confirmed cases, bringing the total to 158,762.
More than 121,500 people with the virus have recovered in Turkey, and the number of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care continues to decline, according to Health Ministry statistics.