Coronavirus world round-up: Stop hugging - birthday party blamed for spike in Spain
Spain's biggest cities were freed on Monday from a strict lockdown that has seen bars, restaurants, beaches and almost all public spaces closed for 10 weeks in response to one of the world’s biggest Covid-19 outbreaks.
In the first of the three phases in Spain’s lockdown exit plan, venues can open outdoor seating at 50 per cent capacity, with two metres’ distance to be maintained between different tables.
Yet as the country’s coronavirus restrictions begin to be lifted - allowing greater freedom to enjoy social gatherings - Spaniards have been warned against parties and hugging friends and relatives.
The warning comes after a birthday party attended by double the number permitted has been cited as a leading cause of a sudden spike in cases in Lleida, Catalonia.
The spike prompted regional health authorities to postpone the city’s progression from phase one to phase two of Spain’s lockdown exit plan.
“We are all dying to enjoy gatherings with our families,” said Fernando Simón, head of the Spanish health ministry’s Covid-19 emergency department when asked about how the Lleida birthday party led to all 20 people in attendance being infected with coronavirus.
“An innocent little party can lead to an outbreak that can spark another wave of the epidemic. We are not yet in the new normal because we have to move slowly; there is still danger,” he said.
France set to reopen restaurants, cinemas
France is preparing to reopen bars, cafes and restaurants and lift travel restrictions inside the country from next week as part of “phase 2” of its lockdown exit plan, the prime minister announced on Thursday.
It also intends to remove border restrictions with European countries without quarantine measures starting from June 15, except for people coming from countries with their own quarantine regimes, including Britain, where rules will be reciprocal.
Edouard Philippe said France was now entering a new phase in which “freedom is the rule and restriction the exception”.
Mr Philippe said he hoped that “travel in Europe will be possible” this summer and further afield "depending on risks" of individual countries. France hopes to reach a common position with all EU countries by mid-June, he said.
Cultural rebirth: Italy's monuments and museums reopen
After the long, dark night of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed more than 33,000 people in Italy, the crucible of the Renaissance is to undergo a cultural rebirth this weekend.
World-class monuments around the country are to be reopened, giving Italians a morale boost at a time when families are mourning loved ones, businesses have gone bankrupt and half a million jobs are expected to be lost.
The reopening of attractions coincides with a long weekend marking the Festa della Repubblica, a national holiday that commemorates the establishment of Italy as a republic in 1946, after the ravages of Fascism and the Second World War.
In Florence, visitors will once again be able to admire Michelangelo’s David, when the Accademia Gallery reopens after its three-month closure during Italy’s draconian lockdown.
Could drug cocktail help more people?
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said on Thursday that it is planning to test whether a mix of its arthritis drug tocilizumab and Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir could treat severe cases of Covid-19 effectively.
Roche said in a statement that it had joined forces with Gilead for a global phase III clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of using tocilizumab - sold under the brand names Actemra and RoAcemtra - combined with remdesivir in hospitalised patients with severe Covid-19.
The clinical trial is due to begin in early June with approximately 450 patients participating in the United States, Canada and Europe, Roche said, adding that the randomised study would evaluate the drugs' efficiency compared to a placebo.
Remdesivir has shown promise in a completed study and a separate trial is under way on tocilizumab's potential against the disease, but Roche said there were indications that mixing the two could be more effective.
Switzerland lets prostitution resume
Prostitutes will be allowed to resume working, but judo and ballroom dancing competitions remain banned under new coronavirus lockdown rules announced in Switzerland.
Sex workers will be allowed to offer services again from next month subject to strict hygiene measures, Alain Berset, the Swiss interior minister announced.
“There are certainly personal contacts but a concept of protection seems possible. I am well aware of the bizarre aspect of my answer,” Mr Berset told a press conference.
“To tell you the truth, erotic services could have resumed earlier.”
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Concerns about a second peak of the coronavirus intensified after South Korea reported its biggest jump in cases in more than 50 days on Thursday
Nine Indian migrant workers travelling amid the coronavirus pandemic died on trains in recent days, including a mother whose toddler could be seen trying to wake her in a viral video
Britain has temporarily closed its embassy in North Korea and all diplomatic staff have left the country, the UK ambassador has said
The economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic could push as many as 86 million more children into poverty by the end of 2020, a joint study by Save the Children and UNICEF shows
