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Milan-Area Has Zero New Deaths; U.S. Cases Up 1.3%: Virus Update

Track the latest news and updates about the coronavirus pandemic from across the world. 

Milan-Area Has Zero New Deaths; U.S. Cases Up 1.3%: Virus Update
A man pulls down the shutter of his store at 8 p.m in a shopping arcade before the curfew in the Kamata district of Tokyo, Japan. (Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) --

For the first time, the hardest-hit region in Italy -- the area around Milan -- reported zero new coronavirus deaths. U.S. cases increased 1.3% in the past 24 hours, less than the one-week daily average.

Brazil’s chief justice is on leave after showing Covid-19 symptoms. South Africa is easing its lockdown as the president warns of a greater risk for a massive jump in new infections.

Wyndham Hotels’ says five straight weeks of increasing demand has pushed occupancy to near 50%. Britain’s premier brushed aside calls to sack a top aide over a lockdown breach.

Key Developments:

  • Virus Tracker: Cases top 5.3 million; deaths over 343,000
  • Australia tourism reels as leaders bicker over closed borders
  • Nissan, Renault need alliance more than ever during pandemic
  • The worst may be coming for Japan’s Abe even as virus eases
  • Republicans risk political backlash in Trump’s haste to reopen
  • Memorial Day partygoers shun social distancing in the Ozarks
  • Lockdown strains another romance: California and Elon Musk

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus. For a look back at this week’s top stories from QuickTake, click here.

Milan-Area Has Zero New Deaths; U.S. Cases Up 1.3%: Virus Update

Italy’s Hard-Hit Region Has Zero Deaths (4:15 p.m. NY)

Italy’s hard-hit northern Lombardy region, center of the country’s outbreak, for the first time Sunday reported no fatalities, according to statistics from the regional government. New cases fell nationally.

No hospitals or municipalities in the region, which includes Milan, reported fatalities for the 24-hour period, a first since the onset of the pandemic, the government said in a statement.

Nationally, Italy reported 531 new cases, down from 669 a day earlier, and total infections of 229,858. Fatalities fell to 50 from 119 on Saturday. Total fatalities are now 32,785.

U.S. Cases Up 1.3%, Below Week’s Average (4 p.m. NY)

U.S. cases increased 1.3% from the same time Saturday to 1.63 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was below the average daily increase of 1.4% over the past week.

Deaths inched up 1% to 97,424 from a day earlier. The U.S. has added fewer than 1,000 fatalities in the past two days, after four straight days of 1,200 or more.

  • New York reported 1,589 new cases, for a total of 361,515, and 109 new deaths, for a total of 23,391, according to the health department.
  • New Jersey registered 1,065 new cases, lifting the total to 154,154, with 52 new deaths for a total of 11,133.
  • California reported 2,079 new cases, bringing the total to 92,710, and added 66 deaths, with the fatality count at 3,774.
  • Pennsylvania had 730 new cases, for a total of 67,713, and 28 new deaths, for a total of 5,124, the health department said.
  • Michigan had 314 new cases, for a total of 54,365, with five new deaths, raising the total to 5,223, the state said on its website.
  • Florida registered 740 new cases, raising the total to 50,867, with four additional deaths, for a total of 2,237.

Ghana to Further Ease Limits (3:30 p.m. NY)

Ghana is preparing a roadmap for easing virus restrictions after the “grace of God” and health-system capability produced one of Africa’s lowest death rates, President Nana Akufo-Addo said.

The west African nation recorded 6,683 cases and 32 deaths since the first infections were confirmed two months ago, he said. The plan will be released after consultations this week, he said in a speech in the capital, Accra, to mark the celebration of Eid-Al Fitr.

Ghana lifted a three-week lockdown in its biggest cities last month, freeing citizens to return to work but maintained a ban on social gatherings and sports, and kept schools and drinking spots closed.

Brazil Chief Judge on Covid Leave (3:15 p.m. NY)

The chief justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court will stay on medical leave for seven days after showing some of the respiratory signs of Covid-19, according to the court’s press office.

Dias Toffoli, 52, was hospitalized Saturday to remove an abscess and had no complications during surgery, though he showed signs that suggested the presence of the virus. On May 20, he tested negative.

If his diagnosis is confirmed, Toffoli will be the latest official to get infected, following the Minister of the Institutional Security Office Augusto Heleno and Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel.

Cuomo: Normal Isn’t ‘Enough’ (2:20 p.m. NY)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said returning to pre-outbreak activity levels will be inadequate and the state will need to rebuild better after experiencing the nation’s worst outbreak.

“I don’t believe this economy just bounces back,” Cuomo said, citing many small businesses shutting permanently, corporations laying off employees, and people who won’t want to return to their workplaces. “I don’t believe it is going to be enough just to go back to where the economy was.”

Cuomo, conducting his daily briefing at popular Jones Beach on Long Island that’s open at half capacity for Memorial Day weekend, said government will need to stimulate the economy by getting “some big projects going,” such as building a new airport.

France ICU Cases Decline (1:30 p.m. NY)

France reported 1,655 patients in intensive care with severe cases, down 10 from Saturday. Total cases rose by 115 to 219,437.

Wyndham at 50% Capacity: CEO (2:05 p.m. NY)

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc.’s midscale hotels are at occupancy levels of about 50% after five straight weeks of rising demand, Chief Executive Officer Geoff Ballotti said, and the trend will continue.

Hotel guests are asked to wear masks as they check in, Ballotti said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Wyndham has more than a dozen brands including Days Inn, Ramada, Super 8 and Howard Johnson.

About 90% of Ballotti’s franchisees sought a U.S. Paycheck Protection Program loan, and he added that one was “about to sink with her three La Quinta hotels in Odessa, Texas, until that lifeline was thrown to her.” The U.S. emergency support is “incredibly helpful,” he said.

South Africa to Ease Lockdown June 1 (1:30 p.m. NY)

South Africa will allow most businesses to reopen next month even as coronavirus infections continue to mount heading into winter.

The nation will drop its disease alert by one level June 1, allowing 8 million people to return to work, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised speech. Africa’s most-industrialized economy went into lockdown on March 27.

Under the new rules, limited alcohol sales for home use will be allowed to resume, while a night-time curfew and a restriction on when people can exercise will be dropped. Tobacco sales will remain banned because of the health risks. Restaurants, bars, sporting venues, places of worship and conference centers will remain shut.

Greece to Reopen Schools June 1 (1:15 p.m. NY)

Greece is reopening all schools as well as kindergartens on June 1, the government announced. Students in high schools have already returned to class.

Greece also will reopen restaurants and cafes on Monday, a week earlier than initially planned, as cases have remained low since May 4 when the government started lifting restrictions. The country has 2,878 cases and 171 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Iran Begins to Reopen Businesses (1:10 p.m. NY)

Iran has recorded 7,417 deaths and 135,701 confirmed cases, Kianush Jahanpur, spokesman for Iran’s Health Ministry, said in an interview with state TV as the nation begins to reopen the economy.

The head of a trades union association in Tehran said all businesses, including those deemed “high risk,” should reopen on Tuesday, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Mosques and shrines are due to reopen on Monday, after the Muslim holiday of Eid.

N.Y. Deaths Rise From Saturday (12:10 p.m. NY)

New York reported 109 new deaths related to the coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported on Sunday. The figure was up from the 84 reported on Saturday. Hospitalizations continued to fall.

Cuomo also said professional sports leagues can begin training camps.

Johnson Says U.K. Aide Acted With ‘Integrity’ (12:07 p.m. NY)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said some schools are ready to open on June 1 as the country prepares to move to its second phase of reopening. He gave his backing to adviser Dominic Cummings, whom he said acted with “integrity” in traveling during the lockdown to obtain childcare.

The U.K. reported another 118 deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 36,793. Cases rose by 2,409 to 259,559. Both increases are lower than those reported Saturday.

Main Street Program Is Running (11:45 a.m. NY)

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren said he expects small and medium-sized companies to begin receiving money through the central bank’s Main Street Lending Program within two weeks.

“This is a program that’s just starting up so we’re expecting to have the loan documents up this week,” Rosengren said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Money will go out over the next two weeks.”

The Boston Fed is running the Main Street program, part of the emergency lending effort by the U.S. central bank to keep credit flowing during the pandemic. It’s designed to provide up to $600 billion in credit to small and medium-sized U.S. companies.

N.J. Working on Opening Churches (11:40 a.m. NY)

New Jersey will issue guidelines on indoor activities “sooner than later,” Governor Phil Murphy said, with houses of worship that President Donald Trump wants opened at the top of the list.

“I would hope we would get to houses of worship sooner than later,” Murphy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But we want to make sure we do it right, responsibly, and that we don’t kill anybody by doing it too fast.”

State residents have done an “extraordinary job” following guidelines for social distancing, he said, noting he will visit the Jersey Shore later Sunday to check conditions. “The weather has not cooperated,” he said. “It was miserable yesterday. It’s cold today.”

Spain’s Cases Rise Slightly (11:30 a.m. NY)

Spain’s new cases increased by 246 on Sunday, to a total of 235,772, according to daily data from the Health Ministry. A total of 70 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 28,752.

Arkansas Managed Risk, Governor Says (10:30 a.m. NY)

Arkansas avoided the state-at-home orders that shuttered many U.S. states and instead sought to “manage the risk” as you would in a car, Governor Asa Hutchinson said.

“You can be in an automobile and it’s very risky, but you manage the risk by wearing a seat belt,” Hutchinson said on “Fox News Sunday.” “At first, everyone resisted wearing a seat belt and said, ‘well, that’s a matter of freedom.’ Well, it is, but it’s also a matter of safety. And so, we are managing the risk in Arkansas.”

Hutchinson said Arkansas’s positivity rate -- reflecting the proportion of tests that confirm the virus -- is at 5%, which he said is below a 10% national goal.

Fear of Virus to Weigh on Economy: Hassett (11 a.m. NY)

American’s fear of contracting the virus and lack of a vaccine are likely to weigh on the economy into the fall, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said, though he suggested it will “skyrocket” in the third quarter after record losses in the second quarter, citing a Congressional Budget Office forecast.

U.S. unemployment could peak at more than 20% in May and may still be in the double digits by the November presidential election, he said.

Trump Completes Drug Program (10:45 a.m. NY)

President Donald Trump said he has completed taking the anti malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19, a treatment doctors have said shows little evidence of benefit.

“I had two people in the White House that tested positive, I figured maybe it’s a good thing to take a program,” he said in a Sinclair Broadcast Group program aired Sunday. “We take a little bit of a period of time, I think it was two weeks, but hydroxy has had tremendous, if you look at it, tremendous, rave reviews.” Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for coronavirus on May 8.

The Food and Drug Administration on April 24 cautioned against the use of the drug Covid-19 outside of a hospital setting or clinical trial, citing a risk of heart rhythm problems.

Birx Says U.S. Sticks to Death Forecasts (10 a.m. NY)

Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said the government is standing by forecasts offered in late March that U.S. deaths could exceed 200,000. More than 96,000 have died in the U.S. already.

“I think when we had that first briefing we talked about 1.2 million to 2.4 million and 100,000 to 240,000 people succumbing to this incredibly aggressive virus,” Birx said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Those are the figures that we continue to stand by in this first wave.”

U.S. mortality is less than the rate in Spain, Italy and the U.K., she said, without giving the details.

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With assistance from Bloomberg