Share

Covid-19 wrap | UK warns against lifting lockdown, Pope Francis calls for post coronavirus change

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

FOLLOW THE LIVE UPDATE | All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updates


UK scientists warn against lifting lockdown too soon

Several senior scientific advisers to the United Kingdom's government have spoken publicly to say it is too soon to lift the country's lockdown.

That is even though the next stage to ease restrictions starts on Monday.

They say the decision is "political".

- Al Jazeera


Mumbai ambulance start-up joins coronavirus battle

With bodies piling up in wards and patients sharing beds, the coronavirus has crippled Mumbai's health care system. But an ambulance service launched by three 20-somethings is trying to do its bit.

But even though the non-profit's services cost as little as a few dollars, many in the teeming slums of the Indian megacity - ideal breeding grounds for the virus - cannot afford to use it.

Aditya Makkar, 20, was inspired to start HelpNow three years ago when his father suffered a cardiac arrest and was told he would have to wait 47 minutes for a government ambulance.

Fortunately his family owned a car, enabling his father to receive prompt medical treatment.

Many others in Mumbai, a city of 18 million where the high-rises of the super-rich soar over the shacks of the dirt poor, are not as lucky.

Together with two former classmates at the elite Indian Institute of Technology, also in their early 20s, Makkar raised money to retrofit mostly rented vans to function as ambulances which hit the streets last year.

Before the pandemic, HelpNow received around 800 calls a month and charged anything between 600 rupees ($8) to 5 000 rupees, depending on the distance and equipment needed, just to cover costs.

But once the pandemic struck, demand skyrocketed, reflecting widespread shortages across the city's overburdened health infrastructure, with morgues, wards and ambulances running at full capacity.

The jump in calls to HelpNow - more than 4 000 last week alone - has been "way beyond our expectation and our preparedness", said Makkar, energetic and quick to smile despite surviving on less than five hours of sleep a night.

- AFP


Russian small businesses reopen to uncertain future

When Moscow authorities closed non-essential businesses to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Boris Kupriyanov began to personally deliver books to his customers.

This, he said, has helped him and his indie bookstore survive over the past two months.

"In many ways this has become our salvation," Kupriyanov, co-founder of Falanster, one of the country's most famous independent bookshops, told AFP.

"We've kept going only because people wanted to buy our books and help us," he added.

Many small and medium-sized businesses including Kupriyanov's bookstore will be allowed to reopen on Monday as authorities gradually ease confinement restrictions in Russia, which has reported more than 396 000 coronavirus infections - the third-largest caseload after the United States and Brazil.

- AFP


Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem reopens after two months

Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, reopened on Sunday after being closed for over two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dozens of worshippers in protective masks were let into the compound before the first prayers of the day, held in cool and windy conditions.

Chanting "God is greatest, we will protect Al-Aqsa with our soul and blood", the worshippers who gathered in front of the large wooden doors were welcomed by mosque director Omar al-Kiswani, who thanked them for their patience.

The prayers followed a fraught previous day in annexed east Jerusalem, where the compound is located.

Israeli police on Saturday shot dead a disabled Palestinian they mistakenly thought was armed, prompting furious condemnation from the Palestinians.

The religious site, which houses Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, had closed its doors in March as part of measures to limit the spread of Covid-19.

- AFP


'Everything will be different' after pandemic, says pope

Pope Francis called on Saturday for a "more just and equitable society" in the post-pandemic world, which he said would be changed for "better or worse" by the coronavirus crisis.

"Once we emerge from this pandemic, we will not be able to keep doing what we were doing, and as we were doing it. No, everything will be different," he said, speaking in Spanish in a video message to mark the feast of Pentecost.

"From the great trials of humanity - among them this pandemic - one emerges better or worse. You don't emerge the same. I ask this of you: how do you want to come out of it? Better or worse," he added.

- AFP


Backlash against Trump exiting WHO as world virus cases top 6 million

US President Donald Trump faced a broad backlash on Saturday over severing ties with the UN's health agency during a pandemic, as coronavirus cases worldwide topped 6 million and infections surged in Latin America.

The EU urged Washington to reconsider its decision to permanently cut funding to the World Health Organisation over its handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 366 000 people and devastated the global economy.

On Saturday, confirmed novel coronavirus cases worldwide surged past six million, according to an AFP tally.

"Now is the time for enhanced co-operation and common solutions," the European Union said in a statement, adding: "Actions that weaken international results must be avoided."

Trump initially suspended funding to the WHO last month, accusing it of not doing enough to curb the early spread of the virus and being too lenient with China, where Covid-19 emerged late last year.

On Friday he moved to make that decision permanent in a major blow to the agency. The US is WHO's biggest contributor, supplying $400 million last year.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the "disappointing" decision was a setback for global health, while Chancellor Angela Merkel declined to attend an in-person G7 summit that Trump had suggested he would host.

Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet medical journal, said it was "madness and terrifying both at the same time".

"The US government has gone rogue at a time of humanitarian emergency".

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University and a WHO collaborator, questioned Trump's ability to withdraw from the agency without congressional approval, saying the threat was "unlawful, reckless and dangerous".

- AFP


Brazil virus death toll hits 28 834, surpassing hard-hit France

Brazil on Saturday reached 28 834 coronavirus fatalities, authorities said, surpassing hard-hit France and becoming the country with the world's fourth-highest death toll.

At the epicentre of South America's coronavirus outbreak, Brazil also saw an increase of 33 274 cases in the past 24 hours - a new daily record, the Health Ministry said.

That number brings Brazil's total caseload to 498 444, the second-highest in the world, lagging only behind the US.

Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro remain the hardest-hit states in Brazil in terms of sheer numbers, while per capita rates are higher in the country's impoverished north and northeast, where health facilities are reaching capacity.

Brazil's Ministry of Health has indicated "there is no way to foresee" when the country's outbreak will peak, and experts say the number of cases could be 15 times higher than the confirmed figure because there has been no widespread testing.

The pandemic is spreading across Brazil under a cloud of confrontation, as governors and mayors implement restrictive measures while President Jair Bolsonaro, who has pinned his hopes of re-election on a booming economy, has berated them for imposing what he calls "the tyranny of total quarantine".

The US death toll now stands at 103 685. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, has a toll of 38 376 and Italy stands at 33 340, according to a latest count by AFP.

- AFP

Stay healthy and entertained during the national lockdown. Sign up for our Lockdown Living newsletter. Sign up and manage your newsletters in the new News24 app by clicking on the Profile tab

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 399 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 567 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE