Coronavirus: at a glance
Coronavirus latest: at a glance
A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak
by Kevin RawlinsonKey developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
UK PM’s aide says he does not regret breaching lockdown
Dominic Cummings, the chief of staff to Boris Johnson, admitted driving about 250 miles (400km) from his home during the UK’s lockdown, but insisted he acted reasonably. In a rare public statement by an unelected adviser in the garden of No 10, he said he felt he was entitled to do so within the government’s rules because he needed childcare. He said he could understand the anger directed at him but he did not regret the decision.
In a lengthy statement that broadly confirmed the reporting by the Guardian and Mirror that the government has repeatedly sought to denigrate, Cummings claimed to have made a 60-mile round-trip with his wife and child to test his eyesight before embarking on the much longer journey back to London.
He said that after being told he was OK to return to work from the property in northern England to which he had travelled to self-isolate, he felt he needed a test run because he had been unwell. Cummings said he had not offered to resign over his actions.
In the meantime, police confirmed they had received more complaints about Cummings from members of the public.
Restaurants, bars and cafes reopen in Greece
Greece took another step towards normality as it reinstated ferry links with islands and allowed restaurants, cafes and bars to reopen.
The moves, designed to kickstart the country’s tourist industry before seasonal hotels reopen on 15 June, follow almost three months of enforced closure thanks to coronavirus. In central Athens cafes began filling up from early morning. Waiters wore face coverings and in some places hand sanitisers were visible on tables.
Spain to scrap quarantines for foreign arrivals
Spain will lift its quarantine requirement for people entering the country from 1 July, the government said. At the moment, travellers from overseas are required to undergo a 14-day self-isolation on arrival. On Saturday the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the country would reopen to tourists from July.
Italy reports fewest new coronavirus cases since early March
Italy reported the deaths of 92 more people, the lowest daily tally since early March. It brought the total death toll to 32,877.
New infections grew by 300, down from 531 on Sunday, with zero new cases registered in five regions – Bolzano, Umbria, Calabria, Molise and Basilicata.
Senior scientist defends Swedish approach
Sweden’s top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell had defended his country’s outbreak strategy as the number of people dying after catching the virus passed 4,000.
Critics have accused Swedish authorities of gambling with citizens’ lives by not imposing strict stay-at-home measures. Death rates from the virus have been much higher than in Sweden’s Nordic neighbours, which did introduce lockdowns, but still lower than those of countries such as Spain, Italy and the UK.
Global cases pass 5.4m
There have been 5,449,135 confirmed cases worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The official death toll stands at 345,721.