New Zealand close to coronavirus eradication, despite grim global figures
New Zealand has all but eradicated coronavirus from its shores, with just one person in the nation of five million known to be still infected.
The development is in stark contrast to the global outlook, however, where the spread of the pandemic generally remains grim - with India reporting another record increase in cases, and deaths reaching a new peak in Pakistan.
In the US, Covid-19 forced more than two million people out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses - stoking fears the outbreak is causing deep and potentially long-lasting damage to the world's largest economy.
The confirmed US death toll has now surpassed 100,000 - the highest in the world.
- New Zealand discharges last coronavirus patient from hospital and records no new cases in five days
- Domestic flights resume in India despite record spike in new coronavirus cases
In New Zealand, health authorities have not found any new virus cases for a week. Of the 1,504 people who were infected, 22 have died and all but one of the rest have now recovered.
The nation's borders remain closed, and staying virus-free when they eventually reopen poses a big challenge.
Elsewhere, India registered another record daily increase of 7,466 confirmed cases - reported just before its two-month lockdown ends on Sunday.
The government's new guidelines expected this weekend may extend the lockdown in the worst-hit areas - while easing the rules to promote economic activity elsewhere.
Most cases in India are concentrated around its largest cities, including Mumbai and New Delhi, but cases have been increasing in some of the poorest eastern states.
Partly due to migrant workers - who lost jobs in the cities - being forced to return to their native villages.
In Pakistan, the country has reported 57 deaths - its highest single-day increase since the outbreak began.
The latest deaths bring the country's overall death toll to more than 1,300 with the number of Covid-19 cases at more than 64,000.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte decided to ease a lockdown in the capital to a more relaxed quarantine on Monday - it follows more than two months of strictures enforced by the police and military.
Infections spiked in Manila recently, prompting Mr Duterte to warn that the pandemic is not over and the quarantine is in place around the country.
The latest job loss figures from the US labour department brings the running total of Americans who have filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March to 41 million.
Economics have warned that the figure is extraordinarily high by historical standards - suggesting businesses are failing or permanently downsizing, not just laying off people until the crisis passes.
"That is the kind of economic destruction you cannot quickly put back in the bottle," said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at Upwork.
There were, however, some encouraging signs.
The overall number of Americans currently drawing jobless benefits dropped for the first time since the crisis began - from 25 million to 21 million.
While first-time applications for unemployment benefits have fallen for eight straight weeks. It comes as states gradually let shops, restaurants and other businesses reopen, while the car industry starts reopens factories.
The US unemployment rate was 14.7 per cent in April - a level not seen since the Depression, and many economists expect it will be near 20 per cent in May.
Airlines and aircraft manufacturers are struggling after air travel plummeted early in the outbreak.
Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 US jobs through lay-offs and buy-outs, many expected to be in the Seattle area. American Airlines plans to eliminate about 5,100 jobs, too.
It follows similar moves across the Atlantic, with European budget airline easyJet saying it will cut up to a third of its 15,000 employees.
US train company Amtrak has announced it will lay off about 20 per cent of its 18,000 workers amid a collapse in rail use.
The economic damage is mounting in Europe too, despite a number of countries putting in place strong safety-net programmes to underwrite the wages of millions of workers.
Nissan is rolling back production in Spain in a move the government said could lead to 3,000 direct job cuts and thousands more losses at the car maker's suppliers.
In France, unemployment claims jumped 22 per cent in April - with 843,000 more people looking for work.
Russia reported a steady increase in its caseload - despite Moscow and provinces across the country moving to ease restrictions in line with the Kremlin's political agenda.
Elsewhere, South Korea has reported dozens of new cases - all in the densely populated Seoul metro area. It comes as officials scramble to stem transmissions linked to a massive e-commerce warehouse to try and avoid losing some of the hard-won gains that made it a model for the rest of the world.
Across the globe now, Covid-19 has infected more than 5.8 million people - killing about 360,000. Europe has recorded around 170,000 deaths.
These are, however, only deaths among confirmed cases - with the figure potentially much higher in patients who died without first being tested.
Coronavirus: Everything you need to know
- Check the number of cases in your area with our interactive map
- Listen and subscribe to our podcast
- All the coronavirus information you need in one place - from health and work to what you can do to stop the spread of the virus