Iran coronavirus cases hit two-month high: Live updates

  • Coronavirus cases in Iran have jumped by nearly 3,000, its highest daily count in two months, while China also saw its biggest daily rise in infections in three weeks.
  • Residents of Moscow are now allowed to go out for a walk - for the first time in more than two months, while the United Kingdom has also relaxed some of its lockdown measures, despite concerns among the government's scientific advisory body.
  • Latin America's death toll has exceeded 50,000 with some one million cases reported across the region.
  • More than 6.18 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 372,000 people have died, including more than 104,000 in the US. At least 2.64 million have recovered globally.
Here are the latest updates:

Monday, June 1

16:00 GMT - Nigeria to relax coronavirus restrictions on places of worship 

Nigeria will relax restrictions on places of worship that were imposed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the chairman of the presidential task force for COVID-19 has said.
Boss Mustapha, in a speech to journalists in the capital Abuja, also said a lockdown in the northern city of Kano would be eased. He said in both cases the easing of restrictions would take effect from Tuesday.

15:25 GMT - Spain reports no new coronavirus deaths 

Spain's Health Ministry has reported no new deaths from the new coronavirus, with the total death toll unchanged from Sunday at 27,127, the health ministry said.
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It said the total number of COVID-19 infections increased by 71 from Sunday to 239,638. 
Coronavirus precautions in Spain
Spanish health authorities have so far recorded 239,638 coronavirus cases [Anadolu]

14:20 GMT - Italian football authorities consider allowing fans into stadiums in July

Italian footballing authorities are considering the possibility of allowing fans into stadiums starting next month.
The Italian league is set to resume on June 20 with no spectators allowed. There are also strict rules limiting the number of people in the stadium to 300. That includes both teams, staff and journalists.
Italian media are reporting that the football federation could discuss the possibility of increasing that number and permitting a vastly reduced number of fans.
Federation president Gabriele Gravina says "it's something I really wish for with all my heart."
Gravina says "it's unthinkable that in a stadium that can hold 60,000 there's not space for a small percentage of fans with the necessary precautions."
Bolsonaro accused of exploiting COVID-19 for political gains (2:22)

14:05 GMT - Chile to see 'very significant drop' in economy: Finance minister 

Chile´s finance minister Ignacio Briones said he expects a "very significant drop" in the country´s economy in May as measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus hammer output in the South American nation
Chile's death toll from the coronavirus on Sunday surged past the 1,000 mark, after a sudden increase in the number of cases over the last two weeks, making it one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in Latin America.

13:55 GMT - UK finance minister says we're getting our lives back without a 'big bang'

British finance minister Rishi Sunak has said that people were starting to get their lives back to normal as the government eased the coronavirus lockdown.
"Slowly we are going to get our lives back to normal," Sunak told reporters at a street market where he bought lunch.
"We are now at the stage of that plan when we can get our lives a little bit more back to normal - but that is not an overnight, big bang thing - it is measured, progressive. We are doing it in a safe and responsible way.
"Hopefully at the beginning of July we will be able to get many more restaurants and pubs open as well," he said. "People should have the confidence to go out there and get their lives a little bit more back to normal."
Asia Pacific countries ease lockdowns with caution (1:51)

13:45 GMT - UK quarantine to go ahead but looking at 'air bridges': PM Johnson's spokesman

Britain still intends to go ahead with a COVID-19 quarantine later this month for those arriving in the United Kingdom but is looking at "air bridges" with certain countries, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Monday.
"It's something we've said we're looking at and that remains the case," the spokesman said. "We've set out the reasons why we believe (quarantine) is a necessary step: its intention is to control the spread of the virus and protect the British public."
With the government easing some lockdown measures from Monday, the spokesman also said that if the public followed social distancing guidelines, it was unlikely to lead to a spike in infections.
But he said measures could be reimposed if there were local outbreaks.
US retailers slammed over COVID-19 operations (3:06)

13:40 GMT - Russian PM says there are 'grounds for cautious optimism' 

There are grounds for cautious optimism in Russia about the country's coronavirus outbreak, where the situation remains stable, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has said.
Russia has reported 414,878 cases of the novel coronavirus and 4,855 deaths.

 Hi, This is Ramy Allahoum in Doha taking over the blog from my colleague Saba Aziz. 

12:30 GMT - 

I will be handing over the blog to another colleague in Doha shortly. Here is a quick summary of the day's developments:
  • Several countries, including the Philippines, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Russia, have eased lockdown restrictions.
  • Turkey has resumed air and road travel between big cities.
  • According to a new survey, WHO says the global pandemic is severely disrupting treatment for non-communicable diseases.

12:15 GMT - Visitors tour Rome's newly reopened landmarks

A long line of masked visitors were seen outside the Vatican Museums as one of Italy's biggest tourist draws reopened after a three-month coronavirus shutdown.
Across town, Rome's other big attraction - the Colosseum - also opened its ancient doors, but it appeared there were more television crews than tourists on hand.
"This is a symbolic moment for Rome and for Italy," the director of the Archaeological Park at the Colosseum, Alfonsina Russo, said.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Rome
Visitors enter Rome's ancient Colosseum as it reopens with physical distancing and hygiene measures in place [Yara Nardi/Reuters]

12:00 GMT - Coronavirus case confirmed in UAE jail

A detainee at a jail in the United Arab Emirates has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being denied treatment, a rights group has said.
Abduallah al-Shamsi, an Omani citizen, was diagnosed with the virus at Abu Dhabi's al-Wathba prison after showing symptoms, the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE) said in a statement.
The group called on Emirati authorities to "release all prisoners of conscience and conditionally release those who were in contact with al-Shamsi or suffer serious or terminal illnesses so they can self-isolate in a safe environment with access to healthcare". 

11:30 GMT - WHO: Pandemic disrupting health services for cancer, diabetes

The World Health Organization has said about half of the countries surveyed in a new analysis have had partial or complete disruption of services for people with high blood pressure and diabetes treatment during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a survey of 155 countries last month, the UN health agency found worrying problems in the provision of health care for people with non-communicable diseases, many of whom are at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
"Many people who need treatment for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have not been receiving the health services and medicines they need since the COVID-19 pandemic began," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement

11:20 GMT - Thailand reopens some beaches

People returned to some of Thailand's famed sandy beaches, keeping well apart but enjoying the outdoors, as authorities eased some coronavirus restrictions for the first time in more than two months.
In Pattaya, visitors marvelled at the clarity of the turquoise-blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand, as pensioners eager for exercise promenaded along the beach. But, beaches in Phuket, in the south, are still off-limits. 
 Local authorities have ordered beachgoers to stay at least a metre (three feet) apart.

10:30 GMT - Iran's coronavirus cases hit two-month high

Iran has reported almost 3,000 new coronavirus infections, its highest daily count in two months, as it warned of "another dangerous peak" in the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.
"People seem to think the coronavirus is over... some officials also believe everything" is back to normal, said Health Minister Saeed Namaki.
"The coronavirus is not only far from over, but we could at any moment see (another) dangerous peak," he said in a televised interview.
Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour raised Iran's caseload to 154,445 with 2,979 new infections recorded in the past 24 hours.
Dogs in Iran trained to sniff out Covid-19
Dogs get ready for training to detect the new coronavirus in people in Tehran [Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu]

10:15 GMT - Spain's tourism revenue nearly halves amid lockdown

No tourists travelled to Spain in April because of the coronavirus lockdown, dragging income from the key sector down by just about half in the first four months of the year, the National Statistics Office (INE) said. 
Tourists only spent 11.7 billion euros ($13.02bn) between January and April, 48 percent lower than a year ago, the INE said.
Spain, which entered into lockdown mid-March to contain the pandemic, welcomed only 10.58 million tourists in these four months, half of the visitors that travelled there during the same period last year.

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