Coronavirus latest: Brazil’s Bolsonaro defiant in face of pandemic

• Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro posed for photographs with children plucked from a crowd of supporters, disregarding public health advice
• The number of global COVID-19 cases has risen to more than 4.7 million while over 314,000 people around the world have died from the virus
• In Germany, dozens of people tested positive for the virus at a refugee home
• More lockdown measures are being lifted in Europe on Monday, with restaurants reopening in Italy and kids going back to school in Belgium

Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)

04:00 Several countries across Europe are rolling back COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, here’s a breakdown of what’s reopening:

Italy: Restaurants, bars, hair salons, museums and most shops will once again open their doors after two months of lockdown. St. Peter’s Cathedral is also reopening for visitors and people will once again be allowed to travel freely through their region.

Spain: In Madrid and Barcelona, shops under 400 square meters can reopen although people will have to make appointments before visiting. Trips to museums will also be allowed. In other areas of Spain, larger shops will be allowed to reopen while residents on four Spanish islands will be allowed to exercise whenever they want.

Portugal: The country is moving into the second phase of its plan to relax restrictions. Customers can once again dine in restaurants and cafes and pastry shops. Daycares will also reopen, while students in 11th and 12th grade will return to school.

Belgium: Primary and secondary schools are reopening for students in their final year, albeit under strict social distancing rules. Museums and zoos can also reopen, although they must sell time-specific tickets online. Sports clubs can resume training as long as there are no more than 20 people present.

Greece: Visitors can once again visit the Acropolis in Athens. Students attending secondary school can also return to class.

03:20 Germany reported two new cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 174,355 on Monday. There were no new deaths, according to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health agency.

The reproductive rate at which the virus spreads — at 0.87 over the past week — has remained below the crucial value of 1, the institute said.

In western Germany, 70 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a home for refugees, the district government in Cologne said on Sunday. 

02:22 The World Health Organization (WHO) opens its first virtual assembly today, amid fears that tensions between the US and China could derail the strong action needed to address the coronavirus crisis.

The World Health Assembly, which has been trimmed from the usual three weeks to just two days, Monday and Tuesday, is expected to focus almost solely on COVID-19, which in a matter of months has killed more than 310,000 globally, and infected nearly 4.7 million.

Heads of state, government chiefs, health ministers and other dignitaries are expected to be involved

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday the event would be “one of the most important since we were founded in 1948.”

01:52 China has reported seven new confirmed coronavirus cases for May 17, up from five a day earlier, the country’s health authority says.

Of the new cases, two were from the northeastern province of Jilin, which borders Russia and is currently in a partial lockdown due to a flare-up in infections.

The total number of new infections in Jilin since the first case of the current wave was reported on May 7 is now 33.

China’s financial hub of Shanghai reported one new locally transmitted case for May 17, which is the city’s first since late March.

The other four new cases in the mainland involved travelers arriving from abroad to the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.

The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stood at 82,954 as of May 17, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,633. The country reported 18 new asymptomatic cases on May 17, compared with 12 the day before.

The tally of confirmed infections does not include people who test positive but who show no symptoms.

A woman walks past closed stores in Fengman District of Jilin City

01:00 Japan has slipped into recession for the first time since 2015, according to official data.

The world’s third-largest economy contracted by 0.9% in the first three months of 2020, following a 1.9% decline in the fourth quarter of 2019.

With the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) dropping for two consecutive quarters, the decline meets the technical definition of a recession and puts Japan on track for its worst post-war economic slump.

The economic situation in Japan is believed to be even worse this quarter after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a nationwide state of emergency in April following a rise in COVID-19 cases.

00:32 In Canada, a jet taking part in a “pandemic show” to boost morale during the coronavirus outbreak crashed shortly after takeoff. One crew member was killed and another was seriously injured.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries,” the Royal Canadian Air Force said in a tweet. The other crew member did not sustain life-threatening injuries, they added.

The crash took place in Kamloops, British Columbia with the jet reportedly hitting a residential home and sparking a fire. A video shot by a witness shows two Snowbirds jets taking off, with one almost immediately rearing up before plunging to the ground.

The US and Canada have been carrying out flyovers in particularly hard-hit regions in a bid to lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First responders transport an injured person on a stretcher at the scene of the crash

00:01 Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro flouted social distancing guidelines on Sunday, as his country faces one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

Wearing a mask, Bolsonaro posed for pictures with supporters and did a series of push-ups with paratroopers — some of whom stretched out their right arms and swore allegiance to the president and his family.

“This is a pure manifestation of democracy. I’m really honored by this,” he said of the crowd of supporters who defied stay-at-home orders to take part in the rally.

Read more: Brazil overtakes Spain, Italy in COVID-19 cases

This weekend, Brazil’s number of confirmed cases surpassed Spain and Italy — making the country the world’s fourth-largest outbreak. With Brazil testing far less than other countries, experts warn that the actual number of cases is likely much higher than the official tally of over 240,00.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus and pushed to reopen businesses. 

00:00 Catch up on yesterday’s coronavirus news here: Spain deaths drop below 100

In reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, unless otherwise specified, DW uses figures provided by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Coronavirus Resource Center in the United States. JHU updates figures in real-time, collating data from world health organizations, state and national governments and other public official sources, all of whom have their own systems for compiling information.

Germany’s national statistics are compiled by its public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). These figures depend on data transmission from state and local levels and are updated around once a day, which can lead to deviation from JHU.

tg,rs/rc (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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