Covid-19 has shut down countries worldwide and infected nearly 3.2 million people. If you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments from today:
Milestone in South Korea: The country reported zero local transmissions yesterday for the first time since February 18. Four new cases yesterday were imported.
But a bad day for Pakistan: The country recorded 874 infections in the past 24 hours — its biggest one-day jump in cases so far.
Germany steps up testing: The country’s labs can now conduct more than 860,000 coronavirus tests per week, double the amount they ran last week.
UK falls short: The UK will probably fail its target of reaching 100,000 tests per day by today, said the country’s justice secretary, adding that they may hit the target in the next few days.
India prepares to lift lockdown: Nationwide restrictions are set to ease on May 3 — this Sunday. The country is now preparing by setting up border checkpoints, arranging transport to bring home stranded workers across states, and creating new non-lockdown guidelines.
China is also reopening: Tourist destinations like the Forbidden City in Beijing are set to open tomorrow for the first time in three months — but with new restrictions and a cap on daily visitors.
The Olympic question: The rescheduled Tokyo Games next year are not contingent on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, according to an International Olympic Committee official. Earlier this week, the president of Japan’s Medical Association said it would be “difficult to hold the Olympics” without a vaccine.
