- A global campaign to fund the development of vaccines and therapies against COVID-19 has so far raised $10.4bn, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said.
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The WHO has warned of the risks of an “immediate second peak” as countries ease up on lockdowns, urging governments in Europe and the US to step up surveillance, testing and tracking measures.
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Public anger continues to simmer in the UK over Dominic Cummings, PM Boris Johnson’s chief political adviser, who apparently flouted lockdown to drive from his London home to his parents’ house in the north when he suspected he had coronavirus.
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More than 5.5 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed around the world, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 346,000 people have died, while more than 2.2 million have recovered.
Here are the latest updates:
Tuesday, May 26
12:10 GMT – Espanyol, Leganes offer free 2020-2021 season tickets to fans
Espanyol and Leganes fans holding current season tickets will be handed free passes for the entire 2020-2021 campaign to compensate for missing matches due to the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the two La Liga football clubs.
The Spanish top-flight is set to resume in June after being provisionally suspended in March with 11 rounds of matches remaining but, as in Germany’s Bundesliga, fans cannot attend the games in order to prevent further spread of the virus.
It is unclear when fans will be able to return to stadiums, with medical experts saying mass gatherings should be avoided until there is a vaccine, which is unlikely to be available until 2021.
11:50 GMT – Qatar’s birdlife thriving amid pandemic restrictions
The coronavirus lockdown in Qatar has had a positive effect on an array of wildlife with everything from whale sharks to turtles and hundreds of species of birds.
Stefanie Dekker reports more.
11:25 GMT – Duterte wants Philippine schools closed until vaccine is ready
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, even as some countries resume in-person classes.
Without a vaccine, sending children to school “spells disaster”, Duterte said during a televised address late on Monday.
“I will not allow the opening of classes where students will be near each other,” he added. “Unless I am sure that they are really safe, it’s useless to be talking about opening of classes.”
Read more here.
10:55 GMT – Coronavirus cluster found in cargo ship in Australia
A coronavirus cluster was detected on a freight ship berthed in the Australian west coast port of Fremantle, raising questions about why local authorities were not alerted to the danger.
Six of 48 crew members from the Al Kuwait tested positive for the virus four days after the livestock carrier arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan said.
The six infected crew were transferred to hotel quarantine in the nearby city of Perth while health officials consider what to do with the remaining 42 on board, he said.
The ship’s cargo of 56,000 sheep is being held at a feedlot near the port. They were to be loaded within days and cannot be returned to farms because of quarantine restrictions, McGowan said.
10:41 GMT – Global fundraising for COVID-19 vaccine, drugs exceeds $10bn, EU says
A global campaign to fund the development of vaccines and therapies against COVID-19 has so far raised $10.4bn, the head of the European Commission said.
“Great result, reaching 1st milestone of GlobalResponse pledging marathon led by EU Commission,” Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter.
The pledging campaign, which the United States shunned, raised $8bn from global leaders and other institutions on May 4, when it was launched.
10:15 GMT – Malaysia reports 187 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
People wearing face masks amid concern over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, walk along a shopping area in Kuala Lumpur [File: Mohd Rasfan/AFP]
Malaysia reported 187 new coronavirus cases, with illegal migrants held at a detention centre accounting for most of them, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 7,604.
The health ministry said no new deaths were recorded. The total number of coronavirus deaths in Malaysia currently stands at 115.
Authorities said at the weekend that a new cluster of coronavirus infections had broken out at a detention centre for illegal migrants.
10:00 GMT – Taiwan to lift restrictions on mass gatherings and mask sales
Taiwan announced it would lift coronavirus-related restrictions on mass gatherings and the sale of masks next month, as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed in the island nation.
Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung said that from June 7, the restriction on mass gatherings will be entirely lifted but people participating in such activities should still either maintain social distancing or wear masks.
Starting on June 1, Taiwan will also end a ban imposed in late January on exporting and domestically selling surgical masks. According to Chen, Taiwan’s daily output of surgical masks now stands at about 20 million, including the 8 million ones requisitioned by the government.
09:45 GMT – UK govt minister quits in protest over Cummings lockdown trip
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government suffered its first resignation over the controversy surrounding senior aide Dominic Cummings’s trip across country during the coronavirus lockdown when Douglas Ross, a minister for Scotland, quit in protest on Tuesday.
“The reaction to this news shows that Mr Cummings’ interpretation of the government advice was not shared by the vast majority of people who have done as the government asked,” Ross said in a Twitter statement announcing his departure from government.
I haven’t commented publicly on the situation with Dominic Cummings as I have waited to hear the full details. I welcome the statement to clarify matters, but there remains aspects of the explanation which I have trouble with. As a result I have resigned as a government Minister. pic.twitter.com/6yXLyMzItJ
— Douglas Ross MP (@Douglas4Moray) May 26, 2020
09:30 GMT – Nearly 4,000 new COVID-19 cases in Africa
A total of 3,998 people tested positive for coronavirus in Africa in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally of cases to 115,346, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The virus also killed 123 more people across the continent during the same period, the update said.
The death toll on the continent has now risen to 3,471, while recoveries tallied at 46,426.
In terms of cases, South Africa continued to be the worst-hit country with 23,600, while Egypt has recorded the highest number of deaths with 783.
09:13 GMT – Hong Kong to reopen karaoke parlours, nightclubs, bathhouses
People enjoy their afternoon at Central harbourfront, Hong Kong [File: Anadolu agency]
Hong Kong will lift the remaining coronavirus-related business restrictions on Friday, paving the way for nightclubs, karaoke parlours, bathhouses and other establishments to reopen, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.
Hong Kong has recorded one locally transmitted case of COVID-19 in the last four weeks.
Karaoke parlours, bars and other establishments linked to COVID-19 clusters in the city were ordered to close on April 1.
Lam also announced that public transit from the airport would resume on June 1, with restrictions on non-resident entry to the territory via Hong Kong International Airport set to expire on June 18.
08:16 GMT – Russia reports record one-day rise in coronavirus deaths
Russia has said 174 people with the coronavirus have died in the past 24 hours, a record one-day number that pushed the nationwide death toll to 3,807.
Officials reported 8,915 new cases on Tuesday, pushing its overall case tally to 362,342.
08:00 GMT – Spain calls for common EU rules on cross-border movement
Arancha Gonzalez said there must be common rules in the Schengen to open internal borders [File: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency]
Spain has urged its European Union partners to set up common rules to open borders and reestablish the freedom of travel Schengen Area as different national coronavirus lockdowns are phased out.
“We have to work with our European partners to define the common rules that will allow us to retake freedom of movement on European territory,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez said on Cadena Ser radio station.
Even though EU countries have set different dates for reopening borders, there must be common rules throughout the Schengen Area to open internal borders and for external borders, she said.
07:45 GMT – Singapore’s health ministry confirms 383 more cases
Singapore’s health ministry has confirmed 383 more cases of the new coronavirus, taking the city-state’s tally to 32,343.
The lower number of cases on Tuesday was partly due to fewer tests being conducted, it added.
07:30 GMT – France’s Macron says support for car sector to be ‘massively amplified’
President Emmanuel Macron has said support for the French car sector, hard-hit by the coronavirus lockdown, will be “massively amplified”.
“The health crisis massively and brutally brought the French car sector to a halt. This is a part of our economy, thousands of jobs,” Macron also said on Twitter.
France is due to announce a support package for carmakers, the latest industry to get a sector-specific recovery plan.
07:15 GMT – India reports biggest jump in virus cases again
Migrants wait for transportation to a railway station during an extended coronavirus lockdown in Mumbai [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]
For a seventh consecutive day, India has reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases.
The country’s health ministry reported 145,380 new infections, an increase of 6,535 from the day before, and 4,167 deaths. Officials say the recovery rate has also risen above 40 percent.
Most of the cases are concentrated in two neighbouring states in central India, Maharashtra, home to financial hub Mumbai, and Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
07:00 GMT – Death toll in Brazil reaches 23,400
Brazil has confirmed a total of 23,473 deaths from the coronavirus as 807 more deaths were reported over the past 24 hours.
According to health ministry data, the number of cases jumped to 374,898 with 11,687 new cases registered in a day.
Brazil, which has the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Latin America, is the world’s second-worst-hit country after the US in terms of the number of cases.
06:45 GMT – Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity reopens as Palestinians ease coronavirus curbs
A visitor takes pictures in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem before it was shut down on March 5 [File: Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]
Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, said to be the birthplace of Jesus, has reopened to worshippers and tourists as Palestinian authorities eased coronavirus restrictions in the occupied West Bank.
Amid lingering pandemic concerns, the church is capping access to 50 people at a time and requires that they be free of fever and wear protective masks. The church had been shuttered since March 5, in a blow to Bethlehem’s tourism industry.
On Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said mosques, churches and businesses would reopen on Tuesday easing the anti-pandemic curbs, given the slow pace of infections.
06:30 GMT – India’s Glenmark to study potential COVID-19 drug combination
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd has said it will begin a new clinical trial in India to test a combination of two anti-viral drugs – favipiravir and umifenovir – as a potential COVID-19 treatment.
Favipiravir is made under the brand name Avigan by Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp and was approved for use as an anti-flu drug there in 2014, while umifenovir is licensed as a treatment of some types of flu infections in Russia and China.
The study will look to enrol 158 hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 in India.
Last month, Glenmark said it would conduct clinical trials in India of just favipiravir as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
06:15 GMT – Peru reports 173 more deaths
Peru has reported 173 new deaths from the coronavirus disease in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said.
The ministry said the death toll climbed to 3,629 while the number of confirmed cases rose to 123,979.
Nearly 50,000 people have fully recovered in the country.
06:00 GMT – Social distancing to be extended until June 29 in Germany
Germany plans to extend social distancing until June 29, newspaper Bild said, citing a draft document that still needs to be approved by the federal states.
Asked about the report, a spokesman for the German government said talks were ongoing.
Bild said meetings in public places would be limited to a maximum of 10 people or members of two households.
Hello, this is Linah Alsaafin taking over the blog from my colleague Kate Mayberry.
05:30 GMT –
I’m handing over the blog to my colleagues in Doha. Before I go, an update of developments so far this morning.
As more countries ease their lockdowns (Saudi Arabia is the latest to announce a relaxation), the WHO is warning again of the dangers of a ‘second peak’. On the medical front, Japan’s tests of Avigen as a coronavirus treatment have been delayed while US firm Novavax has started phase-one trials for its vaccine in Australia. Meanwhile, a study has found some 8,000 more people died in Mexico City in the first months of 2020 than the average of the same period over the previous four years.
05:20 GMT – Novavax starts coronavirus vaccine trial in Australia
US biotech firm Novavax has started trials of the novel coronavirus vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, it is developing.
It expects preliminary results from the phase-one trial by July.
Phase one is taking place in Australia; the second phase will include more countries.
04:35 GMT – Fujifilm COVID-19 drug research spills over into June
Research into Fujifilm’s Avigen drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19 will continue into June.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said he hoped the drug would be approved in May if its efficacy and safety could be confirmed.
“The company will continue research into next month or so, and if an application for approval is received from the company, it will be promptly reviewed,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular briefing when asked about Avigan.
Suga said trials of a coronavirus vaccine could begin as early as July, raising expectations about a candidate developed by Osaka University and biopharmaceutical firm AnGes Inc.
Avigan is the subject of at least 16 trials worldwide, though there is concern the drug has been shown to cause birth defects in animal studies.
Japan has given up on approving Fujifilm Holdings Corp’s anti-influenza drug #Avigan this month for the treatment of patients infected with the new coronavirus, health minister Katsunobu Kato says.https://t.co/katTFchGxm
— Kyodo News | Japan (@kyodo_english) May 26, 2020
03:50 GMT – Australia borders won’t open ‘anytime soon’: PM Scott Morrison
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the country won’t open its borders “anytime soon”, but the government was continuing to discuss a travel corridor with New Zealand.
“I was speaking with Prime Minister Ardern this morning, and we’ll continue to have our discussions about the trans-Tasman safe travel zone,” Morrison told the National Press Club in Canberra.
03:15 GMT – Doctors group in Japan warn against masks for infants
Children under the age of two should not wear masks because they can make breathing difficult and increase the risk of choking, the Japan Pediatric Association has warned.
“Masks can make breathing difficult because infants have narrow air passages,” which increases the burden on their hearts, the association said, adding that masks also raise the risk of heatstroke.
“Let’s stop the use of masks for children under 2-years-old,” the association said in a notice on its website.
It added that there had been very few serious coronavirus cases among children and that most were infected by family members, with almost no outbreaks at schools or daycare facilities.
03:00 GMT – Mexico City registered 8,000 more deaths this year than past four years
Mexico’s capital registered 8,072 more deaths in the first five months this year than the average for the same period over the previous four years, an analysis by independent researchers showed on Monday, suggesting a surge in fatalities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Health officials have reported 1,655 deaths from the virus in Mexico City, out of 7,394 deaths nationwide. They have also acknowledged that the true death toll is higher, but difficult to estimate because of the low testing rate.
Read more on the study here.
Mexico has been hard-hit by the coronavirus [File: Gustavo Graf/Reuters]
02:50 GMT – Hong Kong airport to open for transit passengers
Hong Kong International Airport will open for some transit services from June 1, chief executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday.
01:35 GMT – Saudi Arabia to loosen curfew from Thursday
Saudi Arabia will loosen its curfew for everywhere but Mecca from Thursday, according to the state news agency.
The curfew will be in force from 3pm-6am (12:00-03:00 GMT).
From May 31 to June 20, it will also allow prayers in mosques with the exception of Mecca. The curfew and restrictions on prayer there will be relaxed from June 21, it said.
You can read more on that story here.
More:
01:25 GMT – South Koreans required to wear masks on public transport
South Koreans now have to wear masks whenever they use public transport or take taxis.
Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho says masks will also be required on all domestic and international flights from Wednesday.
South Korea was reporting 500 new cases every day in early March before it largely stabilised its outbreak with aggressive tracking and testing. But infections have been rising slightly since early May, with more people going out during warmer weather and eased physical distancing guidelines.
“Until treatments and vaccines are developed, we will never know when the COVID-19 crisis could end, and until then we will have to learn how to live with COVID-19,” Yoon said.
00:00 GMT – WHO warns of ‘second peak’ where COVID-19 apparently in decline
The WHO is warning that countries in which coronavirus appears to be in retreat could still face an “immediate second peak” if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak.
WHO emergencies head Dr Mike Ryan told an online briefing that, while cases were declining in many countries, they were still increasing in Central and South America, South Asia and Africa.
Ryan said there was a chance infection rates could rise again more quickly if measures to halt the first wave were lifted too soon.
“We need to be cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time,” he said. “We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now it is going to keep going down and we get a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave.”
He said countries in Europe and North America should “continue to put in place the public health and social measures, the surveillance measures, the testing measures and a comprehensive strategy to ensure that we continue on a downwards trajectory and we don’t have an immediate second peak.”
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
Read the updates from yesterday (May 25) here.
