U.S. Cases Rise 4.5%; Spain to Further Ease Limits: Virus Update
Deaths in U.S. Top 50,000; Europe’s Toll Slows: Virus Update
(Bloomberg) --
U.S. cases rose 4.5%, more than the average of the past week, as the global death toll from the coronavirus passed 200,000. Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York is on a steady retreat from the deadly peaks that pushed the state to 10% of the world’s infections.
Fatalities slowed in the European Union’s biggest nations as leaders plan to relax economy-crushing lockdown measures. Spain is ready to take further steps to ease its measures next week.
The U.S. is helping livestock and poultry producers hurt by the closure of meatpacking plants during outbreak.
Key Developments
- Virus Tracker: Cases top 2.8 million; deaths exceed 202,000
- Meat shortages in U.S. may be near as processors shut
- U.S. retailers may be running out of time to survive
- WHO says ‘no evidence’ people recovered from disease are safe
- U.S. military gets new supply chain mission
- The world’s highest death rate is in Europe’s capital
Spain Sets Next Step to Ease Rules (4:30 p.m. NY)
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he expects to approve more steps easing confinement measures at a Tuesday cabinet meeting. One step will allow outdoor exercise and walks starting May 2, but only if infections move in a favorable direction, he said.
His announcement in a televised address is the second move in a week to relax one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. On Sunday, children up to 14 years old will be able to leave their homes once a day for an hour, accompanied by an adult.
U.S. Cases Rose 4.5% in 24 Hours (4 p.m. NY)
U.S. cases increased 4.5% from the same time Friday, to 926,442, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The rise was above the average daily increase of 3.5% over the past week.
- New York’s new cases rose 10,553 compared with 8,130 on Friday, for a statewide total of 282,143, about 10% of all reported cases worldwide. The number of new deaths was 437, up from the 422 on Friday and the first increase after three days of decline, the health department reported.
- New Jersey reported 3,457 new cases, for a total of 105,523. Cases have risen by less than 10% for 19 days.
- Massachusetts had 174 deaths, raising its total to 2,730, with another 2,379 cases, bringing total infections to 53,348, the state Department of Public Health said.
- Pennsylvania reported 1,397 new cases, for a statewide total of 40,049. The state reported 1,537 deaths, up from 1,492 fatalities reported Friday.
- Florida’s fatalities reached 1,055, up from 1,012 a day earlier, and total cases climbed to 30,839 from 20,174 on Friday, the state Department of Health.
- Ohio reported 21 new deaths, bringing its total to 711, with 418 new cases, for a total of 15,587.
Trudeau Warns on Canada Reopening (3:30 p.m. NY)
Canada shouldn’t reopen its economy until there is enough personal protective equipment for businesses to fight the coronavirus and stop the spread, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
“Plane loads” of PPE supplies will be landing next week from abroad and domestic supplies are ramping up, Trudeau said at a news briefing in Ottawa.
Canada had 44,364 cases as of Saturday morning and 2,350 deaths.
N.J. Signs Are in ‘Right Direction’ (2:55 p.m. NY)
New Jersey hospitalizations are “keeping moving in the right direction,” Governor Phil Murphy said, as the number of new cases continues to flatten. The state has a “staggering” 5,863 deaths, Murphy said, more than the state’s losses from World War I, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. The state had 3,457 new cases, for a total of 105,523.
The governor said he is not ready to lift his ban on using state and county parks. New Jersey’s second most populous municipality, Jersey City, said Saturday it’s reopening its five major parks.
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Ontario Boosts Front-Line Pay (2:45 p.m. NY)
Ontario will boost the hourly pay of workers fighting the outbreak at hospitals, long-term care centers, emergency shelters, prisons and other provincial facilities by C$4 ($2.84), Premier Doug Ford said Saturday. Employees working more than 100 hours per month will also get lump-sum payments of C$250 monthly for next 16 weeks.
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France Reports Fewest Deaths in Almost a Month (12:45 p.m. NY)
France reported the fewest deaths in almost a month while occupancy of intensive care units were at the lowest level since the end of March.
Deaths rose by 369 to 22,614, according to figures provided by the Health Ministry on Saturday, the smallest daily increase since March 29, and slowing for a third day. New cases rose by 2,906 to 190,614.
Italy Has Fewest Deaths in 6 Weeks (12:15 p.m. NY)
Italy posted the fewest deaths in almost six weeks as the government paved the way for a new stimulus package to revive an economy stalled by containment measures.
Civil defense authorities reported 415 deaths for the 24-hour period -- the lowest since March 17 -- down from 420 a day earlier. A total of 26,384 have died from the outbreak. There were 2,357 new cases, down from 3,021 a day earlier. That left total cases at 105,847.
Boeing Ends Embraer Deal as Travel Collapses (12:12 p.m. NY)
Boeing Co. scrapped a proposed $4.2 billion combination with Embraer SA’s commercial-aircraft business as the planemakers brace for a far smaller jetliner market after the pandemic sharply cut travel. Embraer said it would seek damages.
Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun warned employees the company needs to adjust to a “new reality” as demand vanishes because of the virus and airlines prepare for a slow recovery.
Kenya Extends Lockdown (12:10 p.m. NY)
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta extended a nationwide night-time curfew by 21 days and said people won’t be able to enter or exit the capital and some coastal areas for a similar period. The East African nation has 343 confirmed cases.
The government decided to allow some restaurants and eateries to reopen after mapping out economic sectors and activities on the basis of infection risk, he said. Kenyatta also assented to tax law amendments designed to cushion businesses and households from the impact of the pandemic, according to a statement.
N.Y. Deaths Rise Slightly (11:45 a.m. NY)
New York’s daily death toll from the coronavirus rose to 437 on Saturday, up from 422 the previous day, Cuomo said in his daily press briefing.
All signs suggest the state is “on the decline” with the virus, Cuomo said, but after three days of registering fewer new deaths, the slight rise is “terrible, terrible horrific news.”
Total hospitalizations declined, down to April 1 levels.
U.S. Provides $12 Billion for Airlines (10 a.m. NY)
The U.S. Treasury sent $9.5 billion to airlines, including another eight major carriers and 29 smaller companies, since April 20 under federal payroll support and loan programs. The total so far is $12.4 billion in initial payments to 93 air carriers, with additional disbursement on a rolling basis, the Treasury said in a statement.
Malaysia Loses $550 Million a Day (10:30 a.m. NY)
Malaysia’s restrictions on movement is costing about 2.4 billion ringgit ($550 million) of losses daily as businesses remain shut. The government has unveiled 260 billion ringgit of stimulus with a focus on preventing job losses and ensuring small companies can continue to be viable, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised interview on state news channels.
Malaysia extended nationwide limits on people’s activities until May 12 while easing restrictions slightly to allow some travel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
U.K. Deaths Cross 20,000 (10:22 a.m. NY)
The U.K. became the fifth country to record more than 20,000 deaths from the coronavirus, following the U.S., Italy, Spain and France.
It reported 813 deaths on Saturday, bringing the total to 20,319. More than 148,000 have tested positive, according to figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Merkel Urges European Supply Chains (9:30 a.m. NY)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the European Union to use planned stimulus spending to reduce dependence on global supply chains, including for key items such as face masks.
Investment should strengthen “strategic capabilities Europe needs so it isn’t dependent on countries outside the European Union in important matters — mask production, for instance,” Merkel said in her weekly podcast. Germany is presiding over the EU for six months starting July 1.
Portugal Cases Increase (9:06 a.m. NY)
Portugal reported the biggest increase in new confirmed coronavirus cases in three days on Saturday, while the number of patients in intensive care units fell for a seventh day. There were 595 new cases in a day, taking the total to 23,392, the government said on Saturday. The total number of deaths rose to 880 from 854 reported through Friday morning.
Norway Extends Ban on Bigger Events (8:23 a.m. NY)
Norway will extend the ban on all events with more than 500 people to Sept. 1 from June 15, Minister of Culture Abid Raja said on Saturday, according to newspaper Verdens Gang. A decision regarding events with fewer than 500 attendees is due next Thursday.
Polish Soccer May Resume (8:06 a.m. NY)
Poland may resume top-flight soccer matches as soon as the end of May, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday. The first games will be played in empty stadiums by players who completed a two-week isolation period. Poland, which imposed social distancing rules relatively early in the pandemic, has reported 499 deaths caused by the coronavirus and 11,067 infections.
U.K. Treasury Considers Reopening Plans: Times (7:15 a.m. NY)
The U.K. Treasury is preparing plans that would allow non-essential businesses to reopen while ensuring they’re free from the coronavirus, the Times reported, citing a Treasury blueprint.
Among the measures, companies would have to tell staff to go home if they showed symptoms of the virus, and to display signs instructing employees to remain two meters apart, the newspaper reported. Communal spaces would also be closed unless social distancing measures could be observed.
Italy Plans Serological Tests (6:55 a.m. NY)
Italy plans to do serological tests for free on 150,000 people starting from May 4, emergency response czar Domenico Arcuri said during a press conference on Saturday. Arcuri added Italy is also ready to distribute the masks people need to manage the so-called “phase 2” of virus emergency in the country. “Italy will be able also soon to produce at least 25 million masks per day,” he added.
Bulgaria May Lift State of Emergency Early (6:45 a.m. NY)
The Bulgarian government may ask parliament to lift the state of emergency earlier than the initially planned May 13, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told reporters on Saturday. The special status was imposed in March to give the government powers to restrict movement and use police to detain those who violate quarantine rules.
The cabinet is also considering easing the restrictions to visit public parks as of next week, as well as partly lifting the existing ban on intercity travel and allow small hotels to reopen, Borissov said. Bulgaria has about 1,200 registered coronavirus cases with 54 deaths.
Spanish Deaths Under 400 for Second Day (6:21 a.m. NY)
Spain recorded fewer than 400 deaths from coronavirus for the second day in row, a sign that the epidemic may be stabilizing in the country as it grapples with Europe’s worst outbreak. Fatalities increased by 378, for a total of 22,902, according to Health Ministry data published Saturday. That compares with an increase of 367 on Friday. This week Spain partially relaxed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns.
Iran Adds New Cases, Deaths (6 a.m. NY)
Fatalities from coronavirus in Iran rose to 5,650 with 76 deaths overnight. Total cases reached 89,328 as a further 1,134 tested positive for the virus since Friday.
Infection May Not Give Immunity, WHO Says (4:30 p.m. HK)
Catching Covid-19 once may not protect you from getting it again, according to the World Health Organization. “There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” the United Nations agency said in an April 24 statement.
So-called immunity passports could lead holders to ignore public-health guidelines and risk spreading the disease.
German Deaths, Cases Slow (3 p.m. HK)
Fatalities from the virus in Germany were the lowest in five days. Deaths rose by 148 to 5,723 in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, a smaller increase than Friday’s daily rise of 260, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There were 1,416 new cases, bringing the total to 154,545, the fourth-highest in Europe.
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