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Coronavirus latest: New Zealand close to ‘eliminating virus’ domestically

Times of News

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03:50 The tally of confirmed cases after an outbreak of coronavirus in the German city of Göttingen has risen to 68.

Thirty-five people had earlier tested positive after attending a series of private gatherings, which are banned as part of the coronavirus restrictions in the country. 

More test results are awaited.

The authorities are tracing all those who came in contact with the infected, including some people from adjacent towns, regardless of whether or not they are showing symptoms.

The new cases come only a few days after Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country had “passed” the coronavirus test so far, adding that there was still some hard work ahead. 

Germany has seen a drop in new cases since nationwide restrictions were imposed in March. Many of these restrictions have gradually been eased by the regional governments. 

According to the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany on Monday recorded 333 new cases of coronavirus. The total number of infections is now over 181,815.

03:15 Singapore has reopened 75% of its economy amid a three-phase, controlled approach to end the coronavirus lockdown which has been in place since the beginning of April.

The city-state is giving a go-ahead to activities that  “do not pose high risk of transmission”, despite having reported the second-highest number of cases of COVID-19 infections in East Asia. 

Sectors like finance, electronics manufacturing and logistics will resume operations but with stringent safety measures. 

Children are going back to school and religious places have reopened. Dine-in facilities in restaurants, gyms and cinemas, however, remain closed.

The government has said further restrictions will be lifted only if infections remain low.

Singapore has reported a total of 35,292 cases.

02:40 New Zealand has not reported any new cases of coronavirus in the last 10 days.

The country that was under lockdown for almost seven weeks is on the verge of domestically eliminating the virus.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that all restrictions may be removed next week after a review that is planned for June 8.

The review was earlier slated to take place on June 22 but party leaders are under growing pressure from the public to ease restrictions.

“We are exceeding our expectations in terms of our progress, which is a fantastic position to be in,” Ardern said.

02:20 Yemen has suffered through years of civil war, poverty and cholera — and now COVID-19 is also rampant. Aid organizations say the country is on the brink of collapse.

Read the full report

02:00 Hollywood could see the cameras rolling again after studios and labor unions proposed a series of guidelines to allow actors and crew members to resume filming. 

A task force from the entertainment industry sent recommendations to the governors of California and New York. The proposal includes extensive coronavirus testing and daily monitoring of symptoms on the sets. The crew will be required to wear face masks.

The blueprint, that consists of 22 pages, suggests that actors would not be able to wear masks or other personal protective equipment during the shoots. However, they will be advised to minimize scenes requiring close contact to curb the transmission of the virus. There is also a recommendation to use digital effects to portray intimate moments. 

Under the guidance, TV shows will be told to not film with a live audience. 

The task force included representatives from Walt Disney Co, Netflix Inc, ATT Inc’s Warner Bros and Comcast Corp’s NBC Universal, and also unions including SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and the Directors Guild of America.

Filming across the world was halted mid-March due to the pandemic.

01:56 When we have a vaccine, how can we provide enough shots to inoculate everyone? Is there a difference between PCR tests and ELISA tests? DW’s science correspondent Derrick Williams answers questions about the coronavirus pandemic.

01:45 Japan will allow saliva-based coronavirus tests to help boost the number of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the country’s health ministry has said.

Until now Japan was predominantly using nasal swabs to run tests. Sneezing at the time of collecting samples was putting health workers at the risk of contracting the virus.

01:15 As air travel resumes in several parts of the world, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has published health protocols for the airline industry.

The guidelines include wearing masks, temperature controls and disinfection of the aircraft.

The UN agency drew the recommendations with the help of other agencies like the World Health Organization and the International Air Transport Association.

“These guidelines will facilitate convergence, mutual recognition and harmonization of aviation COVID-19 related measures across the globe,” Philippe Bertoux, France’s representative on ICAO’s board, said in a statement.

The new recommendations are being deemed as the most important for air travel since the security protocols put in place after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.


The recommendations aim to serve as a “framework” for ensuring the safety of passengers and employees onboard the planes and at airports.

Under the new guidelines, travelers are required to produce a health certificate upon their arrival at the airports and also undergo an initial temperature check.

The guidance recommends prioritizing online check-in before arriving at the airport and advises mobile tickets. Other forms of contactless technology like facial and eye scans have also been recommended. 

On board the planes, passengers have been advised to wear masks and limit movement within the cabin. They will be assigned specific toilet stalls in relation to where they are seated. 

Flight attendants will be given personal protective equipment that could include visors, gloves and medical masks.

The guideline is not mandatory but is the product of a broad consensus that imparts “an authority that will make them a global reference for the first time on this issue since the start of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Bertoux.

00:30 Turkey is taking some of its biggest steps yet to ease its coronavirus restrictions. Flights and car travel resumed between big cities on Monday. Cafes, restaurants, parks and museums have begun to reopen. And: Istanbul’s 15th-century Grand Bazaar is back in business.

00:20 Mistrust and rivalry have been simmering between the US and China for years. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this has given way to open hostility. Could this lead to a new Cold War?

Read the full report here

00:15 Here’s the latest from the Americas:

Brazil has reported 11,598 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. A total of 632 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The overall number of registered cases now stands at 526,447 with 29,937 deaths.

Meanwhile, many South American nations began relaxing coronavirus restriction even as the region is on the path to its viral peak. This is in conflict with the European example, where countries that battled coronavirus eased measures after waiting for the worst to pass.

In Brazil, some of the worst-hit cities like Manaus and Rio de Janeiro are beginning to allow increased activity. 

Mexico’s death toll has surpassed 10,000 after the health ministry reported an additional 237 deaths in the country.

Total deaths reached 10,167, while an additional 2,771 cases brought total known infections to 93,435, although health officials have said the real number is higher.

The Bolivian government has given the green-light to re-open most of the country. 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also given the order to ease restrictions.

In Ecuador airports are resuming flights and in some of Colombia’s malls shoppers have returned. 

“Clearly the situation in many South American countries is far from stable. There is a rapid increase in cases and those systems are coming under increasing pressure,” said Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program.

He added that the region has become an “intense zone of transmission for this virus”, which is yet to reach its peak.

00:05 At least 200 formerly high-ranking politicians, researchers and health experts are calling for an early G20 summit to help poor countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 225 ex-politicians include former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, ex-Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Mayor. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also among the signatories.

The group has called for a significant debt relief for poor countries and effective financial measures to support the countries dealing with poor health care.

The “Group of 20” is being chaired by Saudi Arabia this year and is not scheduled to take place until the second half of November.

The signatories calling for an early summit think that its current timing is too late considering the scale of the coronavirus crisis.

00:00 Catch up on Monday’s coronavirus updates here

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.

dvv/rt (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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