(Bloomberg) --
Spain recorded the fewest deaths from coronavirus in more than six weeks, as the nation begins gradually relaxing Europe’s strictest lockdown regime after weeks of confinement.
Russia reported more than 10,000 new cases, its highest number of the outbreak. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to extend the national state of emergency until May 31, while Israel’s finance ministry proposed lifting some restrictions this week.
Roche Holding AG received emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its new test determining if someone has been exposed to Covid-19.
Key Developments
Virus Tracker: global cases top 3.4 million; deaths 244,000Roche antibody test gets FDA emergency-use approvalEurope’s declining virus deaths spur tensions on easing limitsCovid exit strategy needs a worldwide vaccineOne U.K. shopkeeper knows why the rescue fell flatBuffett says Berkshire reverses course on airlinesBeating the virus in a crowded Brazilian favela
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.
Israel Ministry Proposes Exit Strategy (8:15 a.m. NY)
The Ministry of Finance proposed a framework for re-opening Israel’s economy that would see restrictions on malls and universities lifted as soon as this week.
The timetable publicized on Sunday would speed up the country’s exit from its nearly two-month-long closure, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imposed a near total shutdown to bring the pandemic under control.
Tanzanian President Questions Government Data (8:05 a.m. NY)
Tanzanian President John Magufuli questioned the reliability of government data on the outbreak and ordered a criminal investigation into the national medical laboratory, suggesting “sabotage from imperialists” is at play.
Criticism of Magufuli’s response to the pandemic is mounting after he refused to impose stringent movement restrictions and told churches and mosques to stay open, saying God will protect Tanzanians from the virus. The number of cases has jumped to 480 in one month, and three members of parliament have died in the space of 11 days, fueling fears that the outbreak is larger than reported.
French App Could Be Ready This Month (7:54 a.m. NY)
The controversial app that France is developing to trace those who could be infected, known as StopCovid, could be ready by the end of May, the government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye told France Inter Sunday. That would be after France starts lifting its lockdown, from May 11 -- although the government has signaled this re-opening date could be postponed.
Japan to Extend State of Emergency (6:26 a.m. NY)
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to extend the national state of emergency over the outbreak until May 31. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike confirmed in a live-streamed video on Sunday that Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told her the government will extend the emergency status until the end of the month.
U.K. Won’t Be Back to Normal Soon (6:20 a.m. NY)
The U.K. will take a gradual path out of the coronavirus lockdown, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Sky News on Sunday.
Two-thirds of Britons oppose lifting the lockdown now, a poll in the Observer showed. Nevertheless, the rate of infections is now past the initial peak, said Ian Diamond, the nation’s chief statistician.
Deaths Slowing in Iran (6:09 a.m. NY)
Iran’s daily number of deaths from coronavirus fell to the lowest in over seven weeks with 47 fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 6,203. The total number of infections reached 97,424 with 976 new positive cases, while more than 78,000 have recovered since the virus was first detected in the country in February.
EU Delays Recovery Initiative Announcement (6:03 a.m. NY)
The EU Commission won’t unveil this week its proposal for a recovery initiative to finance the efforts for an economic rebound, an EU official said. After a tense video conference last month, EU leaders tasked the bloc’s executive arm to come up with a proposal, which was expected, but never confirmed, to be unveiled on May 6. The Commission has the unenviable task of coming up with a compromise amid deep divisions between member states over the size of the recovery fund and whether money from this joint pool will be handed to member states in the form of loans or grants.
German Business Groups Call for Lockdown End (6 a.m. NY)
German business associations urged Chancellor Angela Merkel to end the lockdown and announce a clear plan after her May 6 meeting with state leaders.
The shutdown is costing “a middle-range two-digit billion euro amount” every week, Dieter Kempf, head of the BDI Association of German Industry told Funke Mediengruppe. He warned of permanent damage to the economy and called for an increase in testing.
Norbert Fiebig, head of Germany’s travel-industry association DRV, told Bild am Sonntag that the sector will lose a combined 10.8 billion euros ($11.9 billion) through mid-June.
The number of new infections and deaths reported in the country was the lowest since March 31.
Spain Deaths Lowest Since March 18 (5:18 p.m. HK)
There were 164 new fatalities, bringing total deaths to 25,264, according to Health Ministry data. That compared with 276 daily fatalities reported Saturday. Total infections rose by 838 to 217,466, down from the previous increase of 1,147. The figures include adjustment on how previous new cases were counted in certain regions, the ministry said.
France Warns on Summer Flights (4:15 p.m. HK)
France won’t lift its lockdown on May 11 as planned if the virus circulation is still high then, Health Minister Olivier Veran warned in an interview with Le Parisien, echoing previous comments from the prime minister. The date when restrictions will be lifted could be different from one area to another. The minister also advised the French not to book flights for the summer holidays.
Russia Has Highest Daily Case Total (3:44 p.m. HK)
Russia added 10,633 cases of Covid-19, the highest daily number for the nation so far, increasing for a fifth day in a row. The total number of cases has risen to 134,687, according to the government’s virus response center. Around a half of the new cases are asymptomatic and Moscow accounts for nearly 56% of new infections. Russia’s total Covid-19 fatalities rose to 1,280.
EU May Ask for Review Into Global Response (3:17 p.m. HK)
EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell told Journal du Dimanche in an interview published Sunday that the bloc is considering asking for an independent review into the international response to Covid in order to be better prepared for the next epidemic. “We need to study what happened independently, staying away from the battlefield between China and the U.S., which blame each other for the events in a oneupmanship that only exacerbates their rivalry,” Borrell told JDD. The request could be submitted at a WHO assembly on May 18.
Speaking about solidarity between EU members, he said “the lack of help from Germany to Italy at the beginning was a grave mistake” that has now been fixed. In the end, he added, Germany and France provided more medical supplies to Italy than China and Russia.
Zimbabwe Seeks Debt Aid to Avoid Collapse (1:23 p.m. HK)
Zimbabwe asked for international help to clear billions of dollars in debt to avoid economic collapse and mitigate the impact of the pandemic, the Financial Times reported, citing a letter from Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions.
Zimbabwe is about $2 billion behind on payments to lenders, including the World Bank and African Development Bank, and has been excluded from emergency loans from international institutions, the newspaper said.
Singapore May Ask Some Businesses to Work From Home Beyond June 1 (1:02 p.m. HK)
Singapore said companies with employees who can work from home will probably have to continue doing so even after the country’s partial lockdown ends on June 1. Sectors such as manufacturing, which require workers to be on site, should prepare for the gradual re-opening of the economy in the coming weeks, the Trade and Industry Minister said.
Authorities on Saturday said sectors important to the global supply chain as well as food manufacturers, home-based food businesses, some retail outlets for deliveries and takeaways, and laundry and hairdressing services can resume operations from May 12. Certain groups of students will be allowed to return to school the following week. More than 80% of Singapore’s workforce is now working at home.
The nation reported 657 new cases on May 3, pushing its total above 18,000 cases.
China’s Biggest Automaker Sees Sales Rebound (11:48 a.m. HK)
China’s largest automaker said sales recovered last month from a first-quarter slump, a sign of the start of economic recovery in the nation where the pandemic began.
SAIC Motor Corp.’s sales in China rose 1.3% in April from a year earlier, to 413,000 vehicles, helping lift overall sales 0.5%, the first monthly increase since the virus outbreak, the Shanghai-based carmaker said. The coronavirus outbreak had devastated the motor industry in China, where sales had been declining for years because of slowing economic growth, trade tensions and stricter emission regulations.
Trump Donor Returns Money (11:15 a.m. HK)
Texas hotelier Monty Bennett, a major donor to President Donald Trump whose companies are among the biggest known recipients of rescue loans for small businesses hurt by the pandemic, said he will return the money.
Bennett said he will give back the loans provided under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which is intended to help keep workers employed, because new restrictions meant his companies may no longer qualify.
Roche Gets FDA Emergency Approval for Antibody Test (10:43 a.m. HK)
Roche Holding AG said it received emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Elecsys coronavirus antibody test. The test, designed to determine if a patient has developed antibodies against the virus, has a specificity greater than 99.8%, the company said.
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