Over the past six weeks, New Yorkers have been exercising in unexpected ways amid the pandemic. With gyms closed and social distancing in place, how are city-dwellers staying active? Bess Adler photographed 10 unusual pandemic-inspired exercises she has come across in New York City – and this is the result
Continue reading...Category Archives: Coronavirus outbreak
UK coronavirus live: Matt Hancock ‘speechless’ at Neil Ferguson breaking lockdown; Rory Stewart ends London mayoral campaign
Health secretary says Professor Neil Ferguson was right to step down after breaking lockdown rules; Boris Johnson to face Keir Starmer for the first time at PMQs
- Full story: Ferguson right to resign, says minister
- Over 170 carers call UK whistleblower helpline during crisis
- Coronavirus – latest global updates
- World map: which countries have the most cases and deaths?
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Rory Stewart has abandoned his bid to become London mayor, saying that campaigning has become impossible after the election was delayed due to the coronavirus crisis. The former Tory cabinet minister said it had been an “agonising decision” but it was unfair on the unpaid volunteers working on his campaign.
I have decided that I will not be standing again for Mayor in the now delayed 2021 election. It has been a great privilege to work with so many amazing people with such passion and vision for London. Thank you very much again from the bottom of my heart. https://t.co/pDve6kTcjq
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has just started taking part in a Q&A on Sky News. And he started by escalating the criticism of Prof Neil Ferguson, suggesting there could be a case for the police getting involved.
Asked by the presenter Kay Burley if Ferguson should be prosecuted for breaking the lockdown rules, Hancock replied:
You can imagine what my views are.
It’s a matter for the police. As a government minister, I’m not allowed to get involved in the operational decisions of police matters. But I think that the social distancing rules are very important and people should be followed.
Absolutely I back the police. I back the Scottish police, I would back the police here. They will take their decisions independently from ministers, that’s quite right. It’s always been like that.
And that’s why, even though I’ve got a view as to what I think, as a minister the way we run the police is that they make their decisions like this. So I give them their space to make that decision. But I think he took the right decision to resign.
Continue reading...Coronavirus live news: Trump wants to disband Covid-19 taskforce; Germany looks to reopen shops and restart amateur sport
President says it’s time to reopen businesses as US deaths top 70,000; number of Russian cases rises by more than 10,000 for fourth consecutive day; Spain set to extend state of emergency for two more weeks
- World map: which countries have the most cases and deaths?
- Trump poised to wind down taskforce as US death toll tops 70,000
- Top UK adviser resigns after breaking lockdown rules
- UK coronavirus updates – live
- Australia coronavirus updates - live
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Pope Francis has urged employers to respect the dignity of workers, particularly migrants, in the face of economic difficulties brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the end of his general audience, held from the papal library instead of St Peter’s Square because of Italy’s lockdown, he said:
It’s true that the crisis is affecting everyone but the dignity of people must always be respected.”
Baseball fans will be let back into Taiwanese stadiums this week as the government begins relaxing some controls implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Taiwan has been relatively successful at controlling the virus, with 439 cases to date and six deaths, and 100 active infections, thanks to early prevention and detection efforts. The island has never gone into total lockdown, though the government has promoted social distancing and face masks.
Related: Taiwan to welcome baseball fans back into stadiums this week
Continue reading...China calls Hong Kong protesters a ‘political virus’
Beijing escalates rhetoric as it is accused of using coronavirus as cover to ‘turn screws’
Beijing’s top political office in Hong Kong has called protesters a “political virus” and said the semi-autonomous city will never be calm until “poisonous” and “violent” black-clad demonstrators are eliminated.
The warning on Wednesday by China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) said the central government in Beijing would not sit idly by with “this recklessly demented force” in place, referring to the protest movement which has shaken Hong Kong since last June and sometimes drawn millions to the street.
Continue reading...Covid-19 could trigger ‘media extinction event’ in developing countries
Critical reporting under threat as revenue losses leave independent news outlets hostage to government subsidies or whims of billionaires
Fake news laws and political interference along with growing financial pressures has left many independent media groups in developing countries fighting to survive during the pandemic.
News outlets around the world have faced measures to muzzle critical reporting in an environment that has already seen dozens of journalists harassed, arrested and censored by governments, according to editors and press freedom groups.
Continue reading...‘It’s a tough island to live on’: why coronavirus spells doom for Ibiza
Clubs on the White Isle are starting to cancel their events, a disaster for workers who survive on summer income. Pete Tong and others explain what happens next
• Coronavirus and culture – a list of major cancellations
Ibiza welcomes more than three million visitors during the summer months, pumping billions into its economy. Close to 75% of the island’s 147,000-plus population get their income from tourism, directly and indirectly – besides the fabled nightclub scene, there’s the hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants, bars, shops, taxis, and other businesses that exist because of the pull of the clubs. But a huge question mark hangs over them all, with the clubs beginning to cancel their summer seasons due to coronavirus.
So far Hï Ibiza, Ushuaïa, Amnesia and Eden have all cancelled their May calendar. Pacha hosted a virtual house party with a promise to “#seeyousoon”; their latest social media post stating, “After this moment’s respite, Pacha and Ibiza will look even more beautiful.” DC-10 have cancelled their opening party and said they are currently unable to confirm any future dates at the club. Privilege have yet to comment.
Continue reading...Millions predicted to develop tuberculosis as result of Covid-19 lockdown
With attention focused on coronavirus, undiagnosed and untreated TB cases will cause 1.4 million to die, research suggests
The head of a global partnership to end tuberculosis (TB) said she is “sickened” by research that revealed millions more people are expected to contract the disease as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.
Up to 6.3 million more people are predicted to develop TB between now and 2025 and 1.4 million more people are expected to die as cases go undiagnosed and untreated during lockdown. This will set back global efforts to end TB by five to eight years.
Continue reading...Vietnam crushed the coronavirus outbreak, but now faces severe economic test
Strict quarantining and widespread testing have helped the country avoid disaster, but with tourism on hold the nation’s future is uncertain
Vietnam didn’t just flatten its coronavirus curve, it crushed it. No deaths have been reported, official case numbers have plateaued at just 271, and no community transmissions of the virus have been reported in the last two weeks. On 23 April, the nation eased lockdowns in its major cities and life is gradually returning to normal. It is a stark contrast to many other nations including the US, where more Americans have died from Covid-19 than during the entire Vietnam war.
Kidong Park, the World Health Organisation’s representative to Vietnam, has praised the country’s response to the crisis.
Continue reading...The high-profile figures who got into hot water over lockdown rules
Ministers, scientific advisers and footballers have all been criticised for their behaviour
Neil Ferguson is not the first high-profile figure to apparently fall foul of lockdown rules.
Related: UK coronavirus adviser Neil Ferguson resigns after breaking lockdown rules
Continue reading...New York reports 15 cases of rare illness in children possibly linked to Covid-19
More than 100 cases of unusual illness have emerged in at least six countries as 15 New York patients aged two to 15 hospitalized
New York City’s health department has reported 15 cases of a rare but potentially lethal inflammatory syndrome in children that may be linked to coronavirus infections.
More than 100 cases of the unusual illness have now emerged in at least six countries, with doctors in Britain, the US, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland investigating the condition.
Continue reading...Coronavirus US live: Pence says White House looking to wind down taskforce as death toll passes 70,000
- US deaths represent more than a quarter of global coronavirus deaths
- Trump says Fauci can’t testify before House because it is a ‘set-up’
- Fauci says opening too soon would result in more deaths
- Live global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
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Republican senator Lamar Alexander said that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House speaker Nancy Pelosi should accept Trump’s offer to make rapid coronavirus testing available to lawmakers.
“From a public health point of view, this is not mostly about protecting members of Congress. It is about protecting the people members might infect. Bringing 100 or 535 members from across the country to Washington, D.C.—a coronavirus hotspot—and then sending them home each weekend creates a highly efficient virus spreading machine,” Alexander said in a new statement.
My statement on COVID-19 testing for members of Congress.https://t.co/x3tjhVJsWo pic.twitter.com/ywRMZYye1c
Trump’s press secretary has responded to the vice president’s comments that the White House is looking to wind down the coronavirus task force in the coming weeks.
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the White House would still be “involving medical experts” in decisions related to the coronavirus response.
Reporting on the task force is being misconstrued to suggest the White House is no longer involving medical experts. This is totally false.
President @realDonaldTrump will continue his data-driven approach towards safely re-opening.
Calls for inquiry as UK reports highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe
Government’s handling of pandemic under scrutiny as UK becomes worst-hit European country
Britain has the worst coronavirus death toll in Europe, official figures showed on Tuesday, prompting calls for an inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.
The government’s tally of fatalities across the UK reached 29,427 for those who tested positive for coronavirus, exceeding the 29,029 recorded in Italy – until now Europe’s worst-hit country. Italy’s total does not include suspected cases.
Continue reading...‘The House is a set-up’: Trump says Fauci to testify in Senate and urges US to reopen – video
The US president said the government's top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, would not testify in the House of Representatives but only before the Senate. He argued this was because 'the House is a set-up. The House is a bunch of Trump haters.'
He later said the US 'wants' and 'needs' to reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak
- Coronavirus US live: Cuomo says New York reopening won't be 'trade-off' as Trump urges Americans back to work
- Live global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
UK could relax lockdown for millions if over-70s are shielded, say scientists
Plan involves beefing up protection for vulnerable people while easing controls on others
Britain could exit the coronavirus lockdown by relaxing restrictions on more than half of the population and beefing up protection for those over 70 and vulnerable people, scientists have said.
The strategy from researchers at Edinburgh University, known as “segmenting and shielding”, is intended to create leeway for ministers to ease the lockdown on those least at risk from the virus while ensuring that vulnerable people only come into contact with carers and family members who are free from infection.
Continue reading...The people left behind in Australia’s coronavirus response
Scott Morrison has said of the pandemic, ‘we’re all in this together’ but his government has excluded more than 1 million people from assistance. Laura Murphy-Oates talks to some of those people and Ben Doherty analyses the government’s response.
You can read Ben Doherty’s reporting on people excluded from coronavirus relief funding here.
Continue reading...Trump gives up on virus fight to focus on economic recovery – and re-election
With Covid-19 deaths set to almost double this month, the president is putting the stock market before lives, critics say
Donald Trump is effectively abandoning a public health strategy for the coronavirus pandemic and showing “clear willingness to trade lives for the Dow Jones”, critics say.
Related: Will Americans ever forgive Trump for his heartless lack of compassion? | Francine Prose
Continue reading...Cruise companies accused of refusing to let stranded crew disembark due to cost
Death toll of crew stranded by coronavirus continues to rise as industry blames ‘impractical’ safety requirements for blocking disembarkation
Some cruise companies have refused to agree to rules that would allow tens of thousands of stranded crew back to land, citing concerns about cost and potential legal consequences, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The largest trade association for the cruise industry has called the CDC’s requirements for disembarkation “impractical”.
The standoff comes amid a deteriorating situation on many ships around the world and a rising death toll of crew members.
Continue reading...Amazon is cracking down on protesters and organizing, workers say
At least six workers who have participated in protests or advocated for safer conditions have been fired during the pandemic
Amazon’s revenues topped $33m an hour in the first three months of the year as the coronavirus pandemic locked down large parts of the world. The sales boost has handed Amazon the biggest dilemma of its 25-year life: how to deal with a growing chorus of critics within the company. So far its reaction has only made matters worse.
Last week an Amazon vice-president, Tim Bray, resigned in protest at what he called the company’s “chickenshit” decision to fire colleagues in the company’s warehouse division who had highlighted safety issues. “Remaining an Amazon VP would have meant, in effect, signing off on actions I despised,” wrote Bray.
Continue reading...Chile: pandemic highlights health crisis as lockdown halts inequality protests
Coronavirus arrives against backdrop of unresolved social tensions that fueled last year’s explosion of protests
For six months, Chile was shaken by a wave of protests in which millions took to the streets to protest against inequality. Residents of the capital, Santiago, grew accustomed to the raucous crowds thronging the main square to sing and chant against the government.
Now, with parts of the capital on coronavirus lockdown, wind rasps through an empty Plaza Italia as a handful of shoppers hurry past security forces enforcing the stay-at-home order.
Continue reading...Jacinda Ardern outlines requirements for trans-Tasman travel bubble with Australia – video
After joining a meeting of Australia's national cabinet, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern explains the reasoning behind possibly easing travel restrictions between the two countries in a future trans-Tasman bubble. While Australia and New Zealand have both had success in slowing the spread of Covid-19, Ardern adds there remains a lot of work to be done before travel between the countries can recommence
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