LONDON, 04 April. - (ANA) - Global cases of the new coronavirus have shot past 1 million with more than 54,000 fatalities, a Reuters tally showed on Friday, as the world economy nosedived.

 

Police officers adjust caution tape used to keep people out of the Lincoln Memorial, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Washington, U.S. April 3, 2020. Picture taken April 3, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

 

 

* Reported cases have surpassed 1.03 million globally and nearly 54,500 people have died, according to a Reuters tally.

 

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.

 

* U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

 

 

 

* China mourned the thousands of “martyrs” who have died in the outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.

 

* Australia reported a sustained fall in new infections and conducted the biggest peacetime maritime operation on Sydney Harbour, refueling foreign cruise ships before expelling them from local waters.

 

* The number of confirmed new cases in South Asia neared 6,000, even as authorities in some cities tightened restrictions on movement and warned lockdowns could be extended in a bid to rein in the pandemic.

 

 

 

* Britain is unlikely to relax its stringent lockdown rules until the end of May, a leading government adviser said on Saturday, warning that first the spread of the coronavirus must slow and intense testing must be introduced.

 

* Spain overtook Italy for the first time for the number of confirmed cases, but the overnight death toll fell from the previous day.

 

* Scientific advisers to the Italian government said a reliable antibody blood test to find out who has already had the virus would give a better picture of Italy’s epidemic and could possibly be identified within days.

 

* It is too early for Germany to lift restrictions on people’s movement despite signs that the virus may be spreading at a slightly slower pace, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

 

 

 

* Two of the principal U.S. coronavirus hot spots - New York and Louisiana - reported their biggest jumps in COVID-19 deaths yet on Friday, as the White House sent mixed messages on whether Americans should cover their face if they venture outdoors.

 

* New York City alone accounted for more than a quarter of the 7,077 U.S. coronavirus deaths tallied by Johns Hopkins University on Friday. Known U.S. infections, approaching 275,000 cases, made up about 25% of the more than 1 million cases reported worldwide.

 

* Canadian officials blasted a move by President Donald Trump to block 3M Co’s export of N95 respirator masks for use by doctors and nurses as the daily death toll jumped by almost 20%, with total infections nearing 12,000.

 

* Brazilians increasingly disapprove of President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the outbreak and overwhelmingly support officials he has attacked for advocating social distancing measures, two polls showed.

 

 

 

* More than 2 million workers in Turkey have lost their jobs due to containment measures, the main opposition party said, as the government moved towards tightening curbs on movement.

 

* A United Nations official voiced concern over prisoners after reports of unrest in jails in countries including Iran, one of the worst hit in the world.

 

* The coronavirus has infected more than 3,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa and killed about 100, prompting some of the world’s poorest countries to shut land and sea borders.

 

 

 

 

* The pandemic has brought the global economy to a standstill and plunged the world into a recession that will be “way worse” than the global financial crisis a decade ago, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.

 

* Global stock markets sank on Friday following more signs that the pandemic would take a massive toll on economic growth. [MKTS/GLOB]

 

* The impact of the coronavirus, and for some the oil market crash, are putting at least half a dozen countries at risk of having their debt downgraded to a ‘junk’ rating.

 

* The U.S. economy shed 701,000 jobs in March, ending a historic 113 straight months of employment growth, while U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress will work on another relief bill, with healthcare topping the list of priorities.

 

The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in South Asia neared 6,000 on Saturday, even as authorities in some cities tightened restrictions on movement and warned lockdowns could be extended in a bid to rein in the pandemic.

 

"If people don't obey the rules seriously and cases continue to rise, then there may be no option but to extend the lockdown," Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra state which includes the financial hub Mumbai, told Reuters. "It could be extended in Mumbai and urban areas of Maharashtra by two weeks."

 

 

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this week the country will pull out of the planned three-week lockdown in a phased manner. India has been hardest hit by the disease in South Asia with some 2,902 cases, of which 68 have died.

 

Maharashtra has 516 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 26 people have died.

 

 

US President Donald Trump advises voluntary mask use abut won't wear one himself

 

Thailand reports 89 new coronavirus cases taking  the total  to 2,067 - 20 people have died

 

South Korea extends intensive social distancing in a bid to curb the rate of infections to around 50 a day

 

WHO said medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread 

 

British authorities said they were clamping down on bogus cures. Fourteen fake or unlicensed products are being investigated

 

From Europe to South America, US allies are complaining about the superpower's "Wild West" tactics in outbidding or blocking shipments to buyers who have already signed deals for vital medical supplies

 

Britain said  it was launching the biggest clinical trial of possible treatments in the world but a leading health official cautioned that the results were likely a few months away.

 

 

US                          278,458         7,159

Italy                        119,827         14,681

Spain                     119,199         11,198

Germany                  91,159          1,275

France                     83,029          6,520

China                       82,526          3,330

Iran                          53,183          3,294

United Kingdom       38,168          3,605

Korea, South           10,156             177 

 

AB/ANA/04 April 2020 - - -