In this June 15, 2017 photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after his annual televised call-in show as his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, right, smiles in Moscow, Russia. (ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP)
BRASILIA / MEXICO CITY / WASHINGTON / DAKAR / ROME / LJUBLJANA / QUITO / ALGIERS / UNITED NATIONS / NEW YORK / GENEVA / LONDON / PARIS / PANAMA CITY / BERLIN / OTTAWA / SANTIAGO / MOSCOW / BISSAU / CAPE TOWN / CAIRO / MADRID / GENEVA / DUBLIN - President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman became the latest top official to fall ill with the coronavirus as Russia overtook Spain to record the world’s second-highest number of infections from the deadly disease.
Dmitry Peskov told Interfax on Tuesday he is receiving treatment for the virus. He joins Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the country’s construction and culture ministers as diagnosed with COVID-19. Peskov, traditionally the official with the closest day-to-day access to Putin, said in a text message he last met the president in person over a month ago. Putin has been conducting government business mostly via video-conferences from his residence outside Moscow.
Dmitry Peskov, traditionally the official with the closest day-to-day access to Putin, said in a text message he last met the president in person over a month ago
Putin on Monday announced an end to national stay-at-home restrictions but the move is unlikely to give businesses in the capital and other major cities a rapid boost.
Despite the lockdowns, Russia has reported at least 10,000 new daily infections for the past 10 days, lifting its total to 232,243 and second only to the US. At the same time, Russia has one of the world’s lowest mortality rates with COVID-19 listed as the cause of death in only 2,116 cases, leading critics to claim that the government is withholding data.
Amid the fallout from both coronavirus-related shutdowns and the epidemic’s impact on collapsing demand for oil, the country’s most important export, economic activity has contracted by a third since the lockdown began. Russian car sales showed a record 72 percent decline in April, according to data published Tuesday, and a gauge of services last week slumped the most since reporting began in 2001.
Regions easing lockdowns must show that the rate of spread of infection, the so-called R-rate, has fallen to 1 or below, that at least 50 percent of hospital beds are available and that there are sufficient testing capacities, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at a televised briefing Tuesday.
Passengers commute on a subway train on the Jubilee Line in London, Britain, on May 11, 2020. (TIM IRELAND / XINHUA)
UK
The United Kingdom's COVID-19 death toll topped 38,000 as of early May, including suspected cases, by far the worst official toll yet in Europe, according to official data published on Tuesday.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales brought the United Kingdom's official death toll to 38,289 as of May 3 - up nearly 6,000 in the space of a week, according to a Reuters tally of death registrations data.
"For the first time that I can remember, there were more deaths in total in care homes than there were in hospitals in that week," ONS statistician Nick Stripe told BBC TV.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales brought the United Kingdom's official death toll to 38,289 as of May 3, according to a Reuters tally of death registrations data
The figures showed care homes now account for a third of all COVID-19 deaths in England and Wales.
READ MORE: UK's COVID-19 toll rises above 32,000, highest in Europe
Such a high UK death toll increases the pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson: opposition parties say he was too slow to impose a lockdown, too slow to introduce mass testing and too slow to get enough protective equipment to hospitals.
The British government will on Tuesday set out details on how to make workplaces safer as some businesses start to return to work, a day after Johnson set out a cautious plan to exit the coronavirus lockdown.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the business ministry would set out details of how employers could make workplaces safer. Hancock also said that British people are unlikely to be able to go on international holidays this summer due to the pandemic.
The government published Monday a 51-page document entitled "Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy", followed by a series of sector-by-sector documents offering guidance to employers and workers.
The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland made clear they did not share Johnson's approach.
People maintain social distancing as they walk in Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, New Jersey, on May 11, 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. (MARK LENNIHAN / AP)
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland laid out a five-stage roadmap for the easing of its coronavirus lockdown similar to Ireland’s, but its omission of any dates for action raised the chances of different parts of the island reopening at different times.
After Prime Minister Boris Johnson published a plan on Monday for how the United Kingdom could return to normal life, the constituent parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are diverging from the approach in England.
Like leaders in Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland’s regional government said now is not the time to lift stay-home restrictions, contrary to Johnson encouraging some people to return to work this week.
The Northern Irish plan bore closer resemblance to Ireland’s five-stage approach than Johnson’s three-step roadmap and, like in Dublin, the Belfast executive will decide on whether to move from one stage to the next every three weeks.
However, Ireland intends to enter phase one next week with its final phase set for Aug 18, meaning construction sites will likely open on the south side of the open 500-kilometre border with Northern Ireland on Monday but not in the north.
UN
The United Nations (UN) on Monday held a wide-ranging policy discussion stressing a variety of multilateral solutions to ease the COVID-19 pandemic and also to get back on track toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"Our commitment to achieving the SDGs has not changed, but the urgency to act has," said Mona Juul, president of the Economic and Social Council, as the discussion over the topic of "Joining Forces: Effective Policy Solutions for Covid-19 Response" got underway online.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed underscored the "immediate priority" of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable countries and communities who are at risk of being left behind
Juul said that national responses should be shaped by human rights and that country-specific global action should take special situations into account. Noting that "we are currently tossing and turning through dangerous waters," she pointed to the SDGs as "our chart to see us through the storm."
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed underscored the "immediate priority" of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable countries and communities who are at risk of being left behind.
ALSO READ: WFP chief warns of hunger pandemic as COVID-19 spreads
Describing the coronavirus pandemic as "a human crisis of historic magnitude," Liu Zhenmin, who heads the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), stressed the need to build on lessons learned throughout the crisis to accelerate progress during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development and to turn the tide against inequality.
Guy Ryder, director of the International Labour Organization, said that an effective response to COVID-19 required global solidarity and multilateral action, with international coordination on health, social and economic policy.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed that human rights should be at the core of the COVID-19 crisis and encouraged vocal support to step up efforts to leave no one behind.
Qu Dongyu, head of the Food and Agriculture Organization, emphasized the impact of that the pandemic was having on food security and nutrition, pushing for effective policy solutions for the global pandemic response.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, executive secretary for the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, encouraged a coordinated and coherent global response to the adverse social, economic and financial impact of the pandemic.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), also weighed into the discussion, saying: "There can be no going back to business as usual."
Global tally
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to the WHO has exceeded 4 million worldwide, according to the UN health agency.
ALSO READ: Russia overtakes Italy and UK after record rise in virus cases
According to the latest statistics from the WHO, the number of confirmed cases reported to the organization reached 4,013,728 as of 7:07 pm CET on Monday, including 278,993 deaths.
The United States has reported 1,271,645 confirmed cases and 76,916 deaths to the WHO, making it the hardest hit country.
In Spain and Russia, the second and third worst-hit countries in terms of the number of infections, there had been 224,390 and 221,344 cases respectively. The death tolls in the two countries are 26,621 and 2,009, respectively.
The United Kingdom reported 219,187 confirmed cases, becoming the fourth worst-hit country, while Italy, with 219,070 confirmed cases, ranked fifth.
The WHO said on Monday that "extreme vigilance" was needed as countries begin to exit from lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, amid global concerns about a second wave of infections.
The WHO chief said at an online press briefing that lifting restrictions was "complex and difficult" and that the "slow, steady lifting of lockdowns" was key to protecting lives and livelihoods.
WHO
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that some treatments appear to be limiting the severity or length of the COVID-19 disease and said it was focusing on learning more about four or five of the most promising ones.
The Geneva-based WHO is leading a global initiative to develop safe and effective drugs, tests and vaccines to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19.
“We do have some treatments that seem to be in very early studies limiting the severity or the length of the illness but we do not have anything that can kill or stop the virus,” spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a briefing, referring to the body’s so-called Solidarity Trial of drugs against the disease.
“We do have potentially positive data coming out but we need to see more data to be 100% confident that we can say this treatment over that one,” she added.
The WHO official sounded a note of caution around expectations for a vaccine, however, saying coronaviruses in general are “very tricky viruses” that are “difficult to produce vaccines against”. More than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines are being developed, including several in clinical trials.
The WHO said in April a vaccine would take at least 12 months.
Spain
The Spanish government has ordered a two-week quarantine for all travelers coming into the country from May 15 in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Incoming travelers will have to remain locked in and will only be allowed to exit for grocery shopping, go to health centers and in case of "situation of need", according to an official order published on Tuesday.
The quarantine has been enforced for all travelers coming to Spain between May 15 and at least May 24, when the state of emergency is due to end.
The measures apply to all travelers, including Spanish citizens returning to the country. Only truck drivers, airplane and ship crews, cross-border workers and health staff who are entering Spain to work are exempt from the quarantine.
The number of newly diagnosed cases of coronavirus in one day fell on Tuesday to its lowest in more than two months, the health ministry reported.
Health authorities identified 594 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 228,030. The number of fatalities related to the disease rose 176 on Tuesday to 26,920.
US
There were over 5,000 deaths in New York City between March and early May that were not previously identified, according to a new report of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday.
The report suggested the true number of cases and deaths in New York City was likely much higher than reported as some infected people went undetected.
New York City has been the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, with 26,721 deaths as of Monday evening, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state of New York will end its statewide closure on May 15 by reopening the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier regions, where the pandemic has shown signs of mitigation. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city's non-essential businesses will not reopen before June "unless something miraculous happens."
Elsewhere in the US, factory workers began returning to assembly lines in Michigan on Monday, paving the way to reopen the US auto sector. In Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards said the state will start to reopen on Friday.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that Vice-President Mike Pence has tested negative for the coronavirus again. Pence was in the White House on Monday and not in quarantine.
The White House has directed all people entering the West Wing, where the daily operations of Trump's administration are carried out, to wear masks after two aides tested positive for the coronavirus, administration officials said.
In another development, the New York Times reported that Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, who is set to testify on Tuesday before the US Senate, will warn against the risks of reopening the economy too soon, saying it could lead to "needless suffering and death".
Italy
The Italian government said on Monday it would give the regions the power to roll back restrictions introduced to halt the new coronavirus in a move that is likely to see most remaining curbs lifted next week.
Under current guidelines laid out by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, most shops were due to reopen on Monday, but bars, restaurants and hairdressers were supposed to remain shuttered until at least June 1.
"The regions will (shortly) receive guidelines to open bars, restaurants, hairdressers and beauty clinics from May 18," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Twitter.
Italy's death toll rose by 179 on Monday to 30,739, the Civil Protection Agency said. A total of 744 new cases were reported, the lowest daily increase since March 4. The total number of confirmed cases amounted to 219,814, the fifth highest global tally behind those of the United States, Spain, Britain and Russia.
People registered as currently infected with COVID-19 fell to 82,488 from 83,324 the day before.
France
Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in France on Monday were almost four times higher than Sunday and new confirmed cases more than doubled over 24 hours, as the country started unwinding an almost two-month national lockdown put in place to contain the spread of the disease.
The health ministry said it registered 263 additional deaths from the virus, against 70 Sunday. The total death toll now stands at 26,643 the ministry said.
New confirmed cases of the disease were up 456, versus 209 on Sunday, bringing the total to 139,519. With the probable cases in nursing homes stable at 37,904, the total cases tally is up 0.3 percent at 177,423.
France on Monday cautiously started a gradual process to return to normalcy, reopening shops, factories and some schools to revive the economy.
Vehicles travel on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, on May 11, 2020, as the country begins a gradual easing of restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (AURELIEN MORISSARD / XINHUA)
Germany
Germany recorded the first increase in new coronavirus infections in four days as it gradually relaxes restrictions on daily life. There was a decline in the so-called reproduction number, which reflects how rapidly the disease is spreading.
There were 697 additional cases in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, up from 555 a day earlier. That brought the total to 172,576. Fatalities rose by 92 to 7,661.
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a widespread lifting of national restrictions last week. Restaurants and shops are allowed to reopen, children will be returning to school in stages before the summer vacation and professional soccer matches will resume at the weekend. However, social-distancing rules will stay in place until at least June 5, and curbs may be reinstated locally if there’s a resurgence in infections.
Germany’s reproduction number decreased to 1.07 from 1.13 the previous day, according to the latest situation report from the country’s public health authority published Monday. The factor - known as R-naught - captures additional cases directly generated by one infected person.
READ MORE: Germany's infection rate remains critical despite 'success'
Belgium
Belgium reported 330 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, down from 368 the prior day and the fewest in six days. However, just 10,824 diagnostic tests were performed, down from 18,606 the previous day and as many as 25,410 tests last Friday.
The total tally of deaths stands at 8,761, an increase of 65. That’s up from 62 fatalities the prior day.
A total of 465 ICU beds are taken, a decline of 13. Total hospital admissions rose by eight to 2,230.
Denmark
Denmark is "very unlikely" to be hit by a second wave of coronavirus, the country's chief epidemiologist, Kare Molbak, said on Tuesday, after the government laid out plans for increased testing and a contact tracing system.
The Nordic country, which has 533 coronavirus-related deaths, was the first in Europe to relax its coronavirus lockdown almost a month ago. The infection rate and the number of deaths have continued to drop.
According to Denmark’s state institute for monitoring infectious diseases, Statens Serum Institut, the contagion rate fell to 0.7 in the first week of May, compared with 1.0 on April 22-24. That means that someone with COVID-19 now only infects 0.7 other people. At its peak in mid-March, the figure was close to 2.0.
“The fact that the infection rate has been stable at below 1 in the past week is a sign that the first phase of the reopening hasn’t yet meant an increase in the contagion rate,” said Tyra Grove Krause, a director at Statens Serum Institut.
To prevent a second wave, health authorities will begin more actively tracking people who may have been in contact with infected people and if necessary put some in isolation in empty hotels, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
ALSO READ: Media: Overloaded ventilator fire kills five virus patients in Russia
Sweden
Sweden will adjust a key corner of its strategy for dealing with COVID-19, after the death rate at care homes spiraled out of control.
The government plans to spend about 2.2 billion kronor (US$220 million) on ratcheting up staff levels to help protect the country’s oldest citizens. Another 2 billion kronor will go toward compensating local authorities for the extra costs they’ve incurred in dealing with the pandemic, the government said on Tuesday.
Like elsewhere, Sweden’s COVID-19 related deaths have disproportionately hit the elderly. But critics argue that many of those fatalities could have been avoided if the authorities had taken more steps to focus attention on the most vulnerable demographic. Sweden’s approach to handling the coronavirus pandemic has become a topic of international debate after it opted for a much laxer lockdown, and instead relied on its citizens to follow social distancing guidelines.
Earlier this month, Sweden said prosecutors had started an investigation into the high death rate at a care home. Half of those over 70 years old who have died from COVID-19 in Sweden lived in nursing homes, according to national statistics at the end of April.
As of Monday, the country had registered 3,256 COVID-19 related deaths.
Bulgaria
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria has topped 2,000, an increase of 23 cases from Monday morning, Dimo Dimov, the secretary of the national coronavirus task force, said in a statement Tuesday.
Two more patients have died, bringing the death toll to 93, while 476 patients have recovered, 15 more than the previous day, Dimov said.
Dimov said 368 patients are currently hospitalized, with 50 of them in intensive care. A total of 218 medical staff has been infected so far.
Brazil
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday declared gyms and hair salons as essential services that can stay open through the new coronavirus outbreak, easing measures to control the disease despite new cases and deaths surging in the country.
Brazil has now registered a total of 168,331 confirmed cases of the virus and 11,519 deaths. Bolsonaro's latest decree comes as Brazil registered 5,632 new cases on Monday and 396 more deaths, according to the health ministry.
The latest decree also applies to industrial production and civil construction, with Bolsonaro promising even more easing to come.
Health Minister Nelson Teich said that the ministry had not been consulted about Bolsonaro's decision to allow gyms and beauty salons to reopen.
Even as Bolsonaro announced the move, several of Brazil's regional capitals stepped up lockdown measures.
In Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Marcelo Crivella announced a measure to restrict traffic in 10 districts starting Tuesday and banned the reopening of shops in the favelas.
In northeast Pernambuco state, the government declared a 15-day lockdown for its capital Recife and metropolitan area to stop the spread of the virus.
Panama
Panama announced plans on Monday to begin a phased reopening this week of its economy, including e-commerce, mechanical workshops and fishing, after slowing the spread of coronavirus infections.
The reopening will take place in six phases from Wednesday, weighing factors such as virus transmission, its strength and economic impact, said Commerce Minister Ramon Martínez.
Health Minister Rosario Turner said Panama was in a positionn to start a slow reopening as it has managed to hold its contagion rate close to 1 and attained a case fatality rate of 2.8 percernt, below the world average of 7 percent.
On Monday, Panama reported 168 new infections, bringing its tally to 8,616, while five more deaths took its death toll to 249.
Mexico
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday said he was confident of seeing a drop in the rate of coronavirus infections soon and will unveil a plan this week for resuming economic activity following the lockdown.
The government's strategy for flattening the curve of infections has been effective, Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference.
This week was considered "the toughest" in terms of viral transmission since Mexico detected its first case of infection on Feb 28, said Lopez Obrador.
Mexico's health ministry confirmed 1,305 new cases of coronavirus infections on Monday, along with 108 additional deaths. The new infections brought confirmed coronavirus cases to 36,327 and 3,573 deaths in total, according to the official tally.
The daily death toll has been falling since Thursday, when Mexico reported its highest one-day total since the start of the crisis, with 257 fatalities.
A man disinfects the floor of an empty supermarket in Dakar on May 11, 2020. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)
Senegal
Senegalese President Macky Sall announced the reopening of mosques and churches and the easing of other restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus, even as the largest one-day jump in cases was recorded on Monday.
"In the best of cases, COVID-19 will continue to circulate in the country until the month of August, or even September," Sall said in an address to the nation.
Sall said the 8 pm to 6 am curfew would be shortened by one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening and that weekly markets could reopen. Sall also reaffirmed that the resumption of classes for graduating classes on June 2.
The Ministry of Health and Social Action on Monday reported 177 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,886 in the country. So far, the country has reported 19 deaths.
Morocco
Morocco has cleared disposable face masks for export after reaching a daily production capacity of 10 million daily by 24 factories during the coronavirus outbreak, Industry Minister Hafid Elalamy said on Monday.
Reusable masks will only be cleared for export once Morocco secures a stockpile of 15 million, he said.
Morocco has made wearing face masks mandatory since April 7. It has been exporting medical protective gear and face shields, Elalamy said.
An advanced version of a Moroccan-made ventilator that requires intubation is undergoing trials, Elalamy also said.
By Monday evening, Morocco confirmed 6,281 cases including 188 deaths from the virus.
Algeria
Algerian Health Minister Abderrahman Benbouzid said on Monday that the government would not ease or lift lockdown measures as long as the epidemic continues.
Algeria on Monday said 168 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 5,891, while the death toll hit 507 and the recoveries reached 2,841.
Also on Monday, the government said Algeria has started producing rapid test kits for the novel coronavirus, with a detection time of 15 minutes and a production capacity of 200,000 units per week.
Peru
Peru on Monday reported 1,515 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the country's tally to 68,822, with 1,961 deaths.
Of those infected, 6,648 have been hospitalized, 785 of them in intensive care units and on respirators.
"Of the total positive cases, to date 22,406 people completed their period of quarantine or were discharged from a health center," the Health Ministry said.
The capital Lima continues to have the country's worst outbreak, with 44,333 people testing positive.
Slovenia
Slovenia will allow international passenger air traffic from Tuesday after it has been suspended for eight weeks due to the coronavirus epidemic, the government said late on Monday.
The government said planes from abroad will not be able to land at Slovenia's smaller local airports until June 12. It noted that a number of measures in the airline sector have been taken over the past weeks to protect public health.
Slovenia has so far reported 1,460 coronavirus cases and 102 deaths.
Albania
Albania had its lowest daily infections from the coronavirus in eight weeks on Monday as half its 2.8 million people began enjoying more freedom in green zones and life went on almost as normal in the other half.
Just four new infections were traced in the last 24 hours, the lowest number of daily infections in the last eight weeks, said Eugena Tomini of the Health Institute in her daily update. Data showed the new coronavirus's effective reproduction rate since April 24 had gone down below the critical limit, she added.
Albania has so far reported 872 confirmed cases, with 31 deaths and 650 recoveries.
Monday marked the day when citizens could walk and drive without permits in the capital Tirana and some towns deemed as red zones until 5:30 pm, when a curfew goes into effect until 5 am, making Tirana look like it was living a normal day.
People in green zones can walk and drive until 9 pm in but carry only two family members in their cars.
Sudan
Sudan on Monday reported 161 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,526 and the death toll to 74.
Nationwide recoveries from the disease climbed from 149 to 161 after 12 more patients were discharged from hospitals, authorities said in a statement.
Ecuador
Ecuador on Monday reported 50 fewer cases of the coronavirus than the day before, citing a change in methodology.
Confirmed cases of infection dropped to 29,509, down from 29,559 cases reported on Sunday, after officials began relying on patient identification rather than the number of positive tests.
"The new system reclassifies the registrations by people's identity card, not by the number of tests that have been done," the Public Health Ministry said in a statement. That led to "a variation in the figures, which in no way coincides with the tendency of the curve" of infection, the ministry added.
Ecuador has so far registered 2,145 deaths from the disease, and identified another 1,486 probable COVID-19 deaths that have not been verified.
Switzerland
Switzerland on Monday entered the second phase of relaxation measures as part of a three-phase plan to get back to normal life.
In accordance with the decision of the Swiss Federal Council, from Monday restaurants, shopping malls, markets, museums and libraries were allowed to reopen, and primary and junior middle schools were able to resume their classes. The Swiss Federal Railways also resumed most of its operations.
According to the Swiss Federal Customs Administration, 20 out of the 130 border crossings that were closed during the pandemic have now been reopened.
As of Monday, Switzerland has reported a total of 30,344 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,543 deaths.
People dine in the al fresco area of a restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland, May 11, 2020. (NIE XIAOYANG / XINHUA)
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced a new multimillion dollars loan program for large companies impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The program will provide support to employers with annual revenues of more than 300 million Canadian dollars (about US$213 million) whose credit needs aren't being met through conventional financing.
Trudeau said the objective of the aid program was to keep Canadian companies up and running.
As of Monday afternoon, there had been 69,907 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 4,992 deaths.
Meanwhile in Quebec, where a majority of cases of COVID-19 have been tallied countrywide, elementary schools and kindergartens gradually reopened Monday outside of Montreal, Quebec's largest city, with strict instructions from authorities to maintain social distancing intended to alleviate worries among teachers about risks to their health.
Chile
Chile has surpassed 30,000 cases of the new coronavirus, the health ministry said on Monday, amid a spike in infections that has put hospitals under stress and raised fears of complications with the arrival of the southern hemisphere winter.
The ministry said in its daily briefing that total cases since the outbreak began in early March had hit 30,063, while 323 people have died.
Health Minister Jaime Manalich said that the capital Santiago, a city of nearly 8 million and Chile's economic engine, was under particular stress as cases have spiked. Seventy percent of the country´s cases are concentrated in Santiago, health ministry figures show.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Monday announced that the state of emergency would be extended throughout the country until May 26.
"We have seen that the number of coronavirus infections is increasing every day in the country," he Embalo said in a presidential decree, adding that "the current number of contamination is very high and the authorities are worried about this rapid spreading of virus".
He strongly recommended that people wear a mask in public spaces and in transport.
So far, Guinea-Bissau has reported 726 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 26 recoveries and three deaths.
South Sudan
South Sudan's Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed 18 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country's tally to 174.
Makur Matur Koriom, undersecretary in the Ministry of Health said that the Ministry of Health has divided the capital into five zones and within those zones, there are 44 health facilities used for random testing.
"We have now intensified samples random testing within Juba, and this is the reason why more cases are being confirmed at different locations," said Koriom.
South Africa
South Africa reported 12 more COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 206, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Monday.
The North West reported its first death since the outbreak began in the country in early March, Mkhize said.
Meanwhile, the country recorded a total of 10,652 confirmed cases as of Monday, up by 637 from Sunday's figure, Mkhize said.
Mkhize said that the number of people attending funerals must be limited to less than 50 so as to contain the spread of COVID-19. Previously, South Africa limited the number of people attending funerals to less than 100.
Funerals have become a hotspot for COVID-19 infections, the minister said during a visit to the Eastern Cape province earlier in the day, where a rising number of people tested positive after attending funerals.
Egypt
Egypt reported on Monday 346 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally in the country to almost 10,000.
The number of confirmed cases in Egypt climbed to 9,746 while the death toll rose to 533 after eight more fatalities were recorded on Monday, Khaled Megahed, spokesman for Egyptian Health Ministry, said in a statement.
Megahed said that 97 more patients left hospitals in the past 24 hours, taking the number of the recoveries to 2,172.
Also on Monday, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi approved a new law to add 10 billion Egyptian pounds (US$635 million) to the state budget for the current fiscal year. The new law also aims to help day and seasonal laborers negatively affected by the precautionary measures taken to contain the coronavirus.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde's Ministry of Health and Social Security announced on Monday 14 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 detected in the municipality of Praia, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 260.
The ministry also announced two more cases of recovery, bringing the total number of recoveries to 58.
The death toll remains at two.
