- US President Trump pledged to halt immigration into the US over “the attack from the Invisible Enemy”
- US oil prices rebounded after plummeting below zero for the first time in history
- All UN members jointly urged “equitable” access to any COVID-19 vaccine in a new resolution
Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)
02:48 US President Donald Trump referred to the “Invisible Enemy,” a phrase occasionally used to describe the new coronavirus, as a reason for halting immigration into the US.
“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” he said in an unexpected announcement on Twitter.
Trump did not provide details on when the ban would go into force or what the scope or effects would be.
02:18 US oil prices rebounded after going below zero for the first time in history. On Tuesday, traders could buy a barrel for $1.1 (€1.01) for May delivery.
Previously, the coronavirus pandemic halted travel and transport across the globe and brought prices so low that sellers were paying their buyers to get rid of excess oil. On Monday, the price of a barrel of the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmark hit -$37,63 at the end of the trading day in New York.
Prices also slightly rose for oil set to be delivered in June, from $20.43 per barrel to over $21.
02:14 Nissan Motor Co announced Tuesday that it was temporarily shuttering some facilities in Japan and at its global headquarters to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Japanese automaker said the measure will affect 15,000 employees
The facilities will be shut for about 16 days starting April 25. Nissan said it would continue its “business-essential” operations with minimum employees and manage these employees’ safety and health. Nissan’s measures come a month before its announcement on the company’s recovery plan.
01:21 Mexican cartels are giving out aid packages — but they are also still committing violent crimes amid the pandemic, said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador,
“We are taking care of the coronavirus, but unfortunately we still have the problem with the murders,” he said.
The country’s government is exhausted by years of war against powerful drug smugglers. A recent online video showed one of the daughters of imprisoned cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman handing out rice, pasta, cooking oil and toilet paper. The boxes were marked with Guzman’s image.
Talking to reporters on Monday, President Lopez Obrador said that such events “cannot be avoided.” He added that it would be “better to stop the violence.”
Mexico has so far seen 8,772 coronavirus infections and 712 deaths.
01:09 All UN member states called for “equitable” access to any future vaccine for COVID-19. The resolution was drafted by Mexico and supported by all 193 members of the UN General Assembly, including the US. The initiative called for more “scientific international cooperation necessary to combat COVID-19” and better coordination with the private sector.
The document also emphasized the “crucial leading role” of the World Health Organization, the UN health agency repeatedly blasted by US President Donald Trump, who accuses WHO of being biased in favor of China.
Last month, Germany responded with outrage to reports that US officials approached medical company CureVas and offered the German firm money to provide a vaccine exclusively for the US.
00:32 The US was looking into buying up to 75 million barrels of oil or renting storage space to sellers, President Donald Trump told reporters, after the pandemic drove the price below zero.
“We are filling up our national petroleum reserves… You know, the strategic reserves,” he told reporters.
He later added he would wait for Congress approval and funding for the buyout. The announcement came hours after the price of oil went negative for the first time in history, with sellers forced to offer money to have buyers take excess oil. The demand for oil crashed due to travel and transport restrictions worldwide.
00:02: The Chilean town of Zapallar is using a drone to deliver essential items such as medications, masks and sanitizers to the population’s most vulnerable. The four-propeller drone is used to transport items to remote areas of the city.
The drone is controlled by municipal workers and was previously used to support the city for work like fighting forest fires and finding lost people. The mayor of Zapallar said that the “pilot drone program” would help the elderly and the poor. He added that the move will help the people get their medications “without exposing a public worker or a member of the family of the person in quarantine”.
Chile currently has over 10,000 cases, the third-highest in Latin America. Zapallar is yet to report a confirmed case of COVID-19.
00:00 US President Donald Trump said the UN’s health agency, WHO, “tried to cover up for China” at the White House press briefing, without providing evidence to back the claim.
He also slammed top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who spearheaded Trump’s impeachment trial, saying she should have been looking into the early stages of COVID-19 instead.
“They could have been looking into China, they should have been looking into China,” Trump said. “A lot of people are blaming the Democrats for wasting all that time because… it was during that perior of time it was fomenting,” he added.
Catch up on Monday’s coronavirus news here: Coronavirus latest: Merkel warns that easing restrictions too fast would be a ‘mistake’
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.
dj/stb (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)
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