I’m wrapping up the blog now. Thanks for following.

My colleague Helen Davidson has already begun a new one and you can follow all the developments with her right here.

Saudi Arabia has extended its curfew “until further notice”, the state new agency said early on Sunday morning.

King Salman has previously ordered a curfew that took effect on 23 March, from 7pm to 6 am for 21 days, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Last week Saudi Arabia placed its capital Riyadh and other big cities under a 24-hour curfew, locking down much of the population to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

A decision is expected soon on whether the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca will be cancelled.

Thanks Molly. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be blogging for a short time before we close this blog and start a new one.

More than 1,000 Australians are starting to arrive back home today after being left stranded in various parts of South America.

Here are some of them getting off a plane at Melbourne airport as they begin two weeks quarantine.

Every night in New York, residents clap for essential workers at 7pm.

Journalist Sophie Friedman shared this wonderful video of her neighbour in East Village, who stands on the roof every evening to play the bagpipes as part of the daily display of gratitude.

This video is a lovely moment of light in these difficult times - I hope it makes you smile, as it did for me.

“The highlight of the day for me and my neighbors in the East Village is the 7pm clap for essential workers. Several dozen of us go up onto our rooftops and just go wild: shaking tambourines, clapping, whooping, and banging on pots and pants, waving to each other, thanking essential workers for putting themselves on the line,” said Friedman.

“My neighbor directly across the street comes up to his roof right at 6:59 and then starts playing his bagpipes. This encouraged someone on my side of the street to start playing drums in tune with the bagpiper. This is the only time of the day most of us go outside and see other people, and the rooftop clapping has engendered a real sense of camaraderie.”

New York is the worst hit state in the US, which now has both the highest death toll and the highest number of cases of coronavirus in the world.

The chair of the Parliamentary group on immigration detention in the UK has called for all detainees to be temporarily released after a rise in Covid-19 cases in removal centres.

Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on immigration detention, asked the Home Secretary to immediately release all detainees due to the ongoing pandemic.

It comes after a case of Covid-19 was confirmed at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) close to Gatwick airport on April 7, Ms Thewliss said in a letter.

This was the second case brought to the attention of the APPG following the first confirmed case at Yarl’s Wood IRC on March 22. However, a High Court case brought by charity Detention Action last month heard there may be at least two further cases.

SNP MP Ms Thewliss called the newest case “entirely avoidable” and expressed her concern, particularly for detainees with pre-existing conditions. In a letter to the Home Secretary, Ms Thewliss wrote: “The confirmation of a new coronavirus case at Brook House demonstrates the danger detainees are continuing to be put in.

“Now more than ever, protection must be prioritised over immigration targets. IRCs are high risk for clusters of Covid-19 with staff providing a conduit for infection to and from the community.”

“The continued spread of the virus clearly highlights the very real risk of uncontrolled outbreaks at IRCs.”

The U.S. Air Force Air Thunderbirds conducted a flyover in celebration of frontline workers, flying past all the major hospitals throughout the Las Vegas valley.

Brig. Gen. Robert Novotny said: “We were looking at how we could continue to fly and also give back to the community with a salute to the real heroes out there on the front lines who are keeping us safe from the virus.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co, one of the US’ largest mortgage lenders, is raising borrowing standards this week for most new home loans, as it tries to mitigate lending risk caused by coronavirus.

From Tuesday, customers applying for a new mortgage will need a credit score of at least 700, and will be required to make a down payment equal to 20% of the home’s value.

“Due to the economic uncertainty, we are making temporary changes that will allow us to more closely focus on serving our existing customers,” Amy Bonitatibus, chief marketing officer for JPMorgan Chase’s home lending business, told Reuters.

The changes will enable JPMorgan to reduce its exposure to borrowers who unexpectedly lose their job, suffer a decline in wages, or whose homes lose value.

The bank said the change will also free up staff to handle a surge in mortgage refinance requests, which are taking longer to process due to staff working from home and non-essential businesses being closed.

Thank you again to everyone sending tips and pointers. If you spot something which might be of interest, you can drop me a message on Twitter @mollyblackall.

A very powerful photograph of a quarantine patrol in El Salvador.

Department store chain Macy’s has hired investment bank Lazard Ltd to explore new options for improving its finances, as sales plunge due to coronavirus.

Macy’s has asked its advisers to help manage its liabilities and explore options that could include new financing, sources told Reuters news agency, adding that no debt restructuring is imminent.

A spokeswoman for Macy’s said in a statement that the company is “exploring numerous options to strengthen our capital structure,” adding that it maintains relationships with a range of advisers.

Brazil’s deficit is fast approaching 500 billion reais ($96 billion), 7% of gross domestic product, compared to 61 billion reais, or 0.9% of GDP last year.

This figure does not include the state aid proposal of up to 222 billion reais to tackle coronavirus, the economy ministry said on Saturday.

“It is important that any new fiscal impact be discussed carefully to avoid an excessive growth of the primary deficit and public debt of the public sector beyond what is strictly necessary to reduce the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus crisis,” the ministry said in a statement.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has balked at social distancing measures imposed by state governors and even his own health officials.

He wants to see the economy re-started, arguing that extended shutdowns pose a greater risk than a disease he calls a “little cold.”

A British critical care nurse has warned that frontline health staff are “dehydrated” because they are skipping drinks in order not to waste personal protective equipment (PPE).

The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, said staff felt they were being “lied to” about masks, and the situation was being handled “horrendously”.

The health worker, from the North of England, hit back at suggestions staff were wasting equipment and said those working on her ward were afraid to take off their masks to drink, as this means they have to be thrown away, raising the risk of dehydration.

She told the PA news agency: “We are being lied to about what masks we do and don’t have, and they’re hiding ones we are running out of.”

She said: “We can’t eat or drink enough because we can’t have water or snacks in the area and can’t take masks off.

“And we’re too scared to drink too much when we’re out because if we need to go to the toilet then it means taking it all off again and wasting it, so we are all horribly dehydrated.”

The Government is facing a backlash after Health Secretary Matt Hancock called PPE a “precious resource” and said it was important that healthcare workers use the “right amount”.

Pope Francis urged people to “not yield to fear” and focused on a “message of hope” as he led an Easter eve mass in an empty St Peter’s Basilica tonight, reported Reuters, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The vigil, which normally takes place in a church packed with about 10,000 people, was attended by only about two dozen, including a few altar servers and a smaller-than-usual choir.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, it was scaled back to eliminate several traditional features, such as the baptism of adult converts and a long procession up the main aisle of the church.

Senior health officials in the UK are facing demands to reveal how much has been spent on millions of inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests, after it emerged that payments had been guaranteed even if the kits failed to work. Read the full story here:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election rival Benny Gantz has asked for additional time to try to form a government with the long-time leader, to end more than a year of political deadlock.

A 28-day mandate to put together a governing coalition, following an inconclusive March 2 election, expires on April 14.

Gantz, an ex-armed forces chief who heads the centrist Blue and White party, asked President Reuven Rivlin for a 14-day extension to the mandate.

Gantz had run on a promise not to serve in a government with Netanyahu, citing the prime minister’s indictment on corruption charges. Netanyahu denies those charges. But in a reversal that dismayed many of his supporters, Gantz said the coronavirus crisis had made a national emergency government with Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party an imperative.

“The political, health and social crisis have brought me to the decision that even at a heavy political and personal price, I will do all I can to establish a government with the Likud,” Gantz wrote in a letter to the president, published by his party.

Rivlin gave no immediate word on whether he would grant more time to Gantz, who in his letter said the two political rivals appeared close to a final agreement.

Opposition parties across the UK, alongside senior Conservatives, have united to demand that parliament be recalled.

In a letter to the Leader of the Commons, newly elected Labour leader Keir Starmer demanded urgent talks with the Speaker, saying there was no substitute for parliamentary scrutiny” particularly “at this time of national crisis”.

You can read the full report from my colleagues here:

Illinois has reported 81 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the state’s total to 677.

Lily Kuo speaks to residents in Wuhan, where coronavirus originated, as they celebrate the end of lockdown after being confined to their homes for three months.

“The high-profile re-opening of Wuhan is meant to send a signal that China is getting back to business and work can be resumed. But despite the government efforts, people will be still very cautious,” said Ho-Fung Hung, a lecturer in political economy at Johns Hopkins University.

“People can’t easily forget the government’s early missteps in causing the crisis, particularly for those who lost their loved ones or have their health severely impaired.”

Seven African countries have demanded that China address their concerns that Africans living in Guangzhou city are being mistreated and harassed.

The countries claim that the African residents have been targeted out of fear that coronavirus could spread through imported cases.

In recent days Africans in the city have reported being ejected from their apartments by their landlords, being tested for coronavirus several times without being given results and being shunned and discriminated against in public. Such complaints have been made in local media, and on social media.

In a statement on Saturday, Ghana’s minister of foreign affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said she had summoned the Chinese ambassador to express her disappointment and demand action to address the “inhumane treatment.”

“I regret and highly condemn this...ill-treament and racial discrimination,” the minister said.

She said she had summoned Ambassador Shi Ting Wang to “register my disappointment and call for his government to immediately address the situation and bring their officials to order.”

There was no immediate response from the Chinese Embassy in Ghana to a request for comment from news agency Reuters on this.

In a tweeted statement on Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe dismissed the accusation of Chinese deliberately targeting Africans and suggested reports of racial discrimination and harassment were being sensationalised.

“It is harmful to sensationalise isolated incidents,” the statement said. “China treats all individuals in the country, Chinese and foreign alike, as equals.”

550 crew members from the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for Covid-19, the US Navy have said in a statement.

The ship gained international attention after its captain, Brett Crozier, was condemned and sacked by Donald Trump after he wrote a letter warning of the health risks posed to his crew as coronavirus spread on board.

In case you missed it, this is a great interactive piece looking at the fall in air pollution in big cities around the world.

A British nurse has died whilst self isolating at home, the NHS has confirmed.

Julie Omar was a highly experienced trauma and orthopaedics nurse who had most recently been working as a sister on Ward 14 at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital, the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said.

In a message to colleagues, Trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins said the 52-year-old would be known to many staff at its Worcester site from her time with the trauma team there.

Mr Hopkins’ message read: “It is with great sorrow that I have to share with you the sad news that a much-loved member of our nursing team - Julie Omar - has died.

“Julie, who was just 52, had been self-isolating at home after developing symptoms of Covid-19, but sadly her condition deteriorated and she died at home yesterday (Friday) morning.

“She leaves a husband and a grown-up daughter.
“We have been asked by her family not to share any more details at this stage and we will of course respect those wishes.”

This photograph shows a deserted Rome. The area around the Coliseum, normally a tourist hotspot bursting with people, is almost empty.

The husband of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has shared a photograph of her attempting to cut her own hair. A very human insight into life in the highest echelons of Scottish politics!

Polish politician Jarosław Kaczyński was apparently allowed to visit the grave of his mother despite the cemetery being closed to the public, Polish news organisation Fakt24 are reporting.

Despite the government banning the visiting of graves, and signs on the cemetery announcing its closure, photographs appear to show that Kaczyński travelled in a limousine with his entourage to visit the grave in Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw yesterday.

The linked article is in Polish, but the page should have an option to translate into English.

Queen Elizabeth has told Britons that “coronavirus will not overcome” the nation, in her Easter audio address.

The 93-year-old monarch, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England, also stated that “Easter isn’t cancelled” in her first ever address to mark the Christian holy day.

She has said that the “new hope and fresh purpose” of Easter is more applicable now than ever.

You can read more here:

Thanks to all those getting in touch. Just a reminder that if you want to share something that might be of interest, you can drop me a tweet @mollyblackall.

I’m keen to share some powerful photojournalism from around the world with you.

The latest figures for France have just been released by the health ministry. They are as follows:

• There are now 93,790 confirmed cases of coronavirus in France.
• The number of deaths in hospital increased on Saturday to 8,943, up by 353 from the day before.
• The total number of coronavirus deaths now stands at 13,832.
• The number of people in intensive care fell to 6,883, from 7,004.

Earlier we were told that the number of patients in intensive care had risen by 255 to 6,883, but have just received a correction from the Ministry to say they gave the incorrect figure - it fell to 6,883. Sorry for any confusion!

New Jersey governor Murphy has signed an executive order directing public and private transport to cut their capacity to 50%, to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

I’ll update you as I find out more about what this means.

A World Health Organization official has urged Belarus to impose new measures to contain coronavirus, as the country enters “a new phase” of the virus.

President Alexander Lukashenko has been downplaying the need for restrictive measures, like social distancing, to stem the spread of the virus.

In recent weeks, he has said that drinking vodka, driving tractors and bathing in a sauna could help fight it, and has been shown playing ice hockey matches and embracing other players. The country has continued to stage professional football games.

Patrick O’Connor, who led a WHO delegation in a visit to Belarus this week, said the country had implemented containment measures to detect patients with COVID-19 but that the virus had begun spreading through communities in the capital Minsk and in other parts of the country.

Belarus has so far recorded 2,226 cases and 23 coronavirus-related deaths.

“Belarus is entering a new phase in the evolution of the outbreak,” he told a news conference in Minsk.

“We are seeing community transmission occurring... This situation is concerning and warrants new measures to be put into place.”

He said the WHO recommended that Belarus “introduce community-wide measures to increase physical distancing”, and continue with isolation measures, testing and tracing the contacts of coronavirus patients.

There are now 58,151 cases in New Jersey, governor Murphy has said, an increase of 3,599 from the day before.

The death toll has increased by 251 from a day earlier, taking the total number of deaths to 2,183.

Governor Murphy said there are currently 7,618 people in hospital, 1,746 in intensive care and 1,650 on ventilators.

The death toll in Turkey has reached 1,101.

The number of casualties of coronavirus rose by 95 on Saturday, with 5,138 new cases confirmed, the Health Minister has said.

The Kremlin said that the “huge influx” of coronavirus patients was beginning to put a strain on Moscow’s hospitals.

Moscow and other regions have been in lockdown for almost two weeks, but the hospitals in the capital are still being stretched.

The situation in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, but mostly in Moscow, is quite tense because the number of sick people is growing,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on state television, Russian news agencies reported.

“There is a huge influx of patients. We are seeing hospitals in Moscow working extremely intensely, in heroic, emergency mode.”

A reporter with news agency Reuters said that they saw dozens of ambulances queuing outside a hospital dealing with coronavirus. One driver said he had been waiting for 15 hours to drop off a patient with suspected coronavirus.

Russia has reported 13,584 cases of the virus, and the authorities said on Saturday that 12 new coronavirus-related deaths in the last day had pushed the casualty toll to 106.

Here is the latest update on coronavirus in Italy, from my colleague Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, who has been at the government’s press briefing.

Italy registered 619 more deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday – 49 more than Friday. In total, 18,849 people have now died with the coronavirus here.

The Civil Protection said 100.269 are currently infected with a daily increase of 1996 cases - 11 more than yesterday (+1,4%).

Some 2.079 have recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 32.534.

The Civil Protection said the overall total of cases in Italy, including the deceased, the currently infected and those who have recovered, is now 152.271, up 4,694 on Saturday (+3,2% compared to Friday).

On Friday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the third extension of Italy’s lockdown until 3 May, as the country is struggling to pull its economy through the coronavirus crisis.

On Thursday, a messy compromise to unlock €500bn (£438bn) of EU support for countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic has been struck after Conte warned that the existence of the bloc was at stake.

Italy’s PM said described the compromise reached by the Eurogroup as “a step forward, but not sufficient”.

Conte said his government had not given up on its drive for the European Union to issue Eurobonds to finance a common response to the economic crisis caused by outbreak.

The Italian interior ministry issued a warning, on Saturday, about the risk that extremist groups may take advantage of the coronavirus emergency to carry out acts of revolt in the country.

In a directive sent to the prefects, the interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, asked the police to intensify the checks, due to “serious tensions’’ and the risk of ‘’riots by groups of extremists’’.

Since the beginning of the crisis, numerous warnings have been issued by the authorities concerning the risk that criminal groups could take advantage of the crisis.

Hospitalisations and intensive care admissions in New York are continuing to decline, governor Andrew Cuomo has just said.

There were 783 deaths recorded from coronavirus in New York on Friday, bringing the total in the state to 8,627.

You can watch his press conference live here:

I’ll post a summary of what has been said after the press conference is over.

The number of cases of coronavirus in Canada has risen to 22,559, up from 21,243 on 10 April, according to public health agency data.

So far, there have been 600 deaths, an increase of 69 from Friday’s figure.

The British home secretary is currently giving the daily coronavirus briefing for the UK.

You can watch that live here:

Alternatively, you can follow live updates from my colleague Lucy Campbell here:

I’ll be posting a summary on this blog when it finishes.

Hi everyone, I’m Molly Blackall, taking over the blog for the next few hours.

If you spot anything I miss, or want to get in touch, you can drop me a message on Twitter @mollyblackall.

I won’t be able to reply to everything, but will endeavour to read each one. Thanks in advance!

The Netherlands has called for proposals to develop smartphone apps or software that could be used to help combat the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement, the health ministry announced it was looking for proposals on how to conduct “contract tracing” of people who may have been exposed to the virus, while maintaining individual privacy.

Finnish health authorities have reported that another 136 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past day after approximately 3,100 were tested.

More than 44,300 overall have been tested for the virus in the Nordic country, with 1,816 confirmed cases.

In relation to the Finnish population of 5.5m people, the rate of cases is 53 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the Finnish institute for health and welfare said.

Forty-nine people have died from the disease and personal data has been published about 35 of those people. It said:

The median age of the deceased is 81 years. There are two dead between the ages of 40 and 59, there are 11 between the ages of 60 and 79, and there are 22 over the age of 80. Of the dead, 69 per cent are men and 31 per cent are women.

I am now handing the blog over to Mattha Busby. Thanks everyone for your comments, and thoughts today.

The number of coronavirus cases detected in the US rose past half a million over the Easter weekend with 18,700 deaths, as president Donald Trump said the decision on when it was safe to reopen the country would be the biggest he had ever had to make.

Public health experts said the death toll could spike to 200,000 over the summer if unprecedented stay-at-home orders, which have closed businesses and kept most Americans indoors, are lifted after 30 days.

Trump, seeking re-election in November, has said he wants life to return to normal as soon as possible and that the sweeping restrictions on movement aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus carry their own economic and public health cost.

“I’m going to have to make a decision, and I ... hope to God that it’s the right decision,” he told reporters on Friday. “It’s the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.”

I am now moving to my last 30-minutes on the blog before I enjoy some state-mandated exercise outside. A big thanks to everyone who has sent me emails today. Your insight is always really useful and makes this job a lot easier. If you want to share any news tips with me, then please do via any of the channels below.

Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

The Spanish government has defended its decision to allow some non-essential workers to return to their jobs in factories and construction sites this coming week despite warnings that any relaxation of confinement measures could lead to a rise in contagion.

The World Health Organization has said there could be a “deadly resurgence” of the coronavirus if countermeasures are lifted too soon, while one of the Spanish government’s own experts has said he thought it would have been “sensible” to keep non-essential workers at home for longer.

Speaking on Saturday afternoon, the country’s health minister, Salvador Illa, said Spain remained in strict lockdown and that people were only allowed out to go to work or to buy food or medicines. “We still have very, very drastic restrictions in place,” he added.

Illa said that the ban on non-essential workers leaving their homes to work had only ever been a temporary measure intended to reduce the pressure on Spain’s overstretched intensive care units.

The minister insisted that all decisions were “taken on the basis of consensus” and said the government followed the recommendations of experts.

Illa also said the current lockdown could go on for a few more weeks at least. “As the prime minister has already said, it’s very probable that these measures will be in force beyond 26 April,” he said. “Spain is not de-escalating; we remain in lockdown.”

He said the government was following the disease’s movement on a daily basis and adapting its response accordingly. “We are maintaining the current measures - and haven’t ruled anything out,” he said.

“The information we have at the moment confirms a slowing down of the disease and the growth in new cases is much lower than it was last week, or two weeks ago, or a month ago.

“But today we still have 4,830 new cases and that means we need to stay in lockdown. We know this is a big sacrifice for everyone, but it’s one that has to be made. If the epidemic carries on going in the same direction, we may be able to alter the response, but it will always be done prudently, cautiously, and on the basis of the scientific evidence we have.”

The Spanish government has advised people to maintain careful social distancing as some of those who cannot work from home begin to resume their jobs. It has also said face-masks will be handed out at metro and rail stations.

In Egypt, police used tear gas to disperse a group of villagers who tried to stop the burial of a physician who died from the Covid-19. The villagers feared the burial would spread contagion.

Residents of the village of Shubra el-Bahou in the Nile Delta blocked the road to the cemetery to prevent the physician’s burial, according to Egyptian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.

The physician died at a quarantined hospital in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia and her body was being transferred to her husband’s village for burial. The officials said police fired tear gas after the villagers halted the ambulance carrying the body. There were no reports of any serious injuries.

Ahmed el-Sayed, a village resident, said the police intervened after security and health officials failed to persuade the villagers to open the road. Egypt has reported 135 fatalities among about 1,800 confirmed cases.

Iran has started reopening government offices after a brief nationwide lockdown to help contain the worst coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 4,300 people in the country.

Authorities had ordered most government agencies and all non-essential businesses to remain closed for a week after the Nowruz holiday ended on 4 April.

Government offices outside Iran’s capital, Tehran, reopened Saturday with a third of all employees working from home, state media reported. Women who have young children were given priority in deciding who works remotely.

Businesses in Tehran will be allowed to reopen next Saturday, provided they register with authorities and follow guidelines on social distancing set out by the health ministry.

The health ministry meanwhile reported another 125 deaths, bringing the overall toll to 4,357. Iran has reported more than 70,000 confirmed cases, and authorities said more than 40,000 have recovered.

For weeks, Iran declined to impose the kind of large-scale lockdowns adopted by other Middle Eastern countries, even as the number of confirmed cases and fatalities steadily climbed.

Authorities have defended their response, saying they had to consider the economic impact of any quarantine measures, since the country is under severe US sanctions.

The US has offered humanitarian aid to help Iran combat the outbreak but Iran’s leaders have rejected it, instead demanding that the sanctions be lifted.

European countries are trying to keep people from traveling as the weather heats up for Easter.

In Asia, South Korea announced plans to strap tracking wristbands on people who defy quarantine orders. The Japanese government appealed to the public nationwide to avoid bars, clubs and restaurants, broadening a measure announced earlier for seven urban areas, including Tokyo.

In Europe, Italian authorities stepped up checks, particularly around the northern Lombardy region, which has borne the brunt of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Roadblocks were set up on main thoroughfares in and out of Milan and along highway exits to discourage people from going on holiday trips.

“Don’t do silly things,” said Domenico Arcuri, Italy’s special commissioner for the virus emergency. “Don’t go out, continue to behave responsibly as you have done until today, use your head and your sense of responsibility.”

He added: “The virus has not been defeated, but we are on the right path. We see the indicators but not the end of the tunnel. In fact, the end of the tunnel is still far away.”

In Spain, which recorded its smallest day-to-day increase in deaths in nearly three weeks, of 510, police set up thousands of roadblocks around the country.

In Britain, police were urged to keep a close watch on gatherings in parks and at the seaside on what was set to be the hottest day of the year. Police seized a motorcycle from a rider making a non-essential journey in central England.

The New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, said on Saturday public schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year as the city battles the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

“Having to tell you that we cannot bring our schools back for the remainder of this school year is painful, but I can also tell you it is the right thing to do,” he told a news conference.

De Blasio had ordered public schools shut beginning March 16 to curb the spread of the disease, with an initial goal of reopening by 20 April. But the mayor said it soon became clear that date goal was unrealistic as the city emerged as a major US coronavirus hotspot.

Singapore’s health ministry has confirmed 191 new coronavirus cases, taking the total infections to 2,299.

Elsewhere, the New York City mayor, Bill De Blasio, said public schools would remain closed for the remainder of the year.

The Chinese customs agency has announced it will be doing quality control on certain medical items for export, including ventilators, hospital gowns and N95 respirators.

The new policy follows complaints from some countries over the quality of the medical equipment that China has been sending out. It was announced by China’s General Administration of Customs on Friday.

Up until now, the agency has been solely responsible for checking numbers, intellectual property issues, and documents. From now on, they will also check the quality of consignments.

There were immediate delays to exports, according to the New York Times, as manufacturers tried to understand how to comply.

In Australia earlier this month, border forces began intercepting deliveries of some faulty Chinese equipment. Meanwhile, authorities in Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands said that some of the Chinese equipment they were receiving was below standard or defective.

Traffic fatalities were down nearly 40% in France from last year thanks to nationwide coronavirus lockdown measures that have kept millions of cars, pedestrians and cyclists off the roads.

France’s 67 million citizens have been ordered to stay indoors since 17 March, with most people only permitted to leave the house for essentials outings.

Cross-country travel is also restricted as the country seeks to halt the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 13,000 out of at least 124,000 infected.

Interesting article today on the Guardian about how from Berlin to Bogotá, there are new footpaths and bike lanes as world cities turn their streets over to walkers and cyclists.

In England a further 823 people have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 8,937.

The patients were aged between 11 and 102 years old and 33 of the 823 patients (aged between 29 and 94 years old) had no known underlying health condition.

Read more updates on the UK live blog.

I am back from my lunch break. Please do keep getting in touch with news tips, information and insight from where you are. I cannot promise to reply to you all but it’s always useful to see what issues you feel need raising.

Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

Authorities across Europe are attempting to prevent people from travelling during the sunny Easter weather.

Italian authorities have stepped up checks, particularly around the northern Lombardy region, which has borne the brunt of the outbreak, Reuters reported.

Roadblocks were set up on main thoroughfares in and out of Milan and along highway exits to discourage people from going on holiday trips.

Domenico Arcuri, Italy’s special commissioner for the virus emergency, said:

Don’t do silly things. Don’t go out, continue to behave responsibly as you have done until today, use your head and your sense of responsibility.

The virus has not been defeated, but we are on the right path, we see the indicators but not the end of the tunnel. In fact, the end of the tunnel is still far away.

In Spain, which recorded its smallest day-to-day increase in deaths in nearly three weeks, police set up thousands of roadblocks around the country.

Some countries are already planning small first steps out of the shutdown and Austria aims to reopen small shops on Tuesday.

Spain is preparing to start rolling back the strictest of its measures on Monday, when authorities will allow workers in some nonessential industries to return to factories and construction sites after a nearly complete two-week stoppage.

Health minister Salvador Illa said the government will distribute reusable masks at subway stations and other public transportation hubs.

“We think that with these measures we will prevent a jump in infections,” he said.

China is cracking down on publication of academic research about the origins of the novel coronavirus, in what is likely to be part of a wider attempt to control the narrative surrounding the pandemic, documents published online by Chinese universities appear to show.

Two websites for leading Chinese universities appear to have recently published and then removed pages that reference a new policy requiring academic papers dealing with Covid-19 to undergo extra vetting before they are submitted for publication.

Prof Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London, said the Chinese government had had a heavy focus on how the evolution and management of the virus is perceived since the early days of the outbreak.

In terms of priority, controlling the narrative is more important than the public health or the economic fallout. It doesn’t mean the economy and public health aren’t important. But the narrative is paramount.

New York City 911 emergency operators are picking up new calls every 15 seconds as the service is placed under unprecedented strain.

The system in the US city is so overwhelmed, the Associated Press reported, and the city has started sending text and tweet alerts urging people to only call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.

The Fire Department said it has averaged more than 5,500 ambulance requests each day, about 40% higher than usual, eclipsing the total call volume on September 11 2001.

“When you hang up with one call, another one needs to be attended to immediately,” 911 operator Monique Brown said, “there’s no time for a minutes rest.”

“We just pick up call after call after call,” said paramedic Ravi Kailayanathan.

Thanks Sarah.

Boris Johnson’s fiance, environmental campaigner and former Tory press officer Carrie Symonds, sent him letters and baby scans to lift his spirits during his time in intensive care, a Downing Street source has confirmed.

He received daily updates, including images of their unborn child, as he struggled with coronavirus at St Thomas’ hospital in central London.

Symonds, who is due to give birth in two months, and has also been ill with coronavirus-like symptoms in recent weeks, has not been tested. The two have reportedly not seen each other since he was admitted to hospital.

I am passing the live blog over to my colleague Mattha Busby now who will be running it for a short while so I can take a lunch break. Thanks everyone.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 1,316 on Saturday to 24,413, health authorities said, with 132 new deaths. The country’s cumulative death toll is 2,643, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its daily update.

Thanks everyone, it’s been a busy few hours of news updates and I will be posting a summary shortly.

I really appreciate all your messages, especially the ones thanking The Guardian for providing you with information. Please do share any news tips. They are always welcome, and apologies if I cannot reply to you all.

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On Cyprus coronavirus may have offered a ray of light in reunification efforts for the war-divided country.

Officials say the president on the island’s internationally recognised Greek south, Nicos Anastasiades, agreed to send vital medicines and other materials to the breakaway Turkish-run north after holding talks with the state’s leader, Mustafa Akıncı.

In a statement, government spokesman Kyriakos Kousios said the two men underlined the need to reinforce the bi-communal technical health committee on which experts from both sides sit in an effort to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The move was immediately welcomed by those who support the reunification of Cyprus, split since 1974 when a coup aimed at union with Greece, and orchestrated in Athens, prompted Turkey to invade and seize the island’s northern third.

Anastasiades has enforced a stringent lockdown in the south including a night curfew. On Friday the Greek Cypriot health ministry announced that the overnight tally of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 31, bringing the total number to 595. To date there have been nine Covid-19 related deaths in the south.

Similar measures have been taken in the north where Akıncı, a moderate, was cited as saying on Thursday that the outbreak was “reaching a plateau but it’s not over yet and we mustn’t relax the measures we have taken”.

Three people have died from Covid-19 in the north which on Friday identified three new cases of the virus bringing the total to 99.

A dispatch below from Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

As prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced the third extension of Italy’s lockdown until 3 May, the Italian interior ministry issued a warning, on Saturday, about the risk that extremist groups may take advantage of the coronavirus emergency to carry out acts of revolt in the country.

In a directive sent to the prefects, the interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, asked the police to intensify the checks, due to “serious tensions’’ and the risk of “riots by groups of extremists’’.

Since the beginning of the crisis, numerous warnings have been issued by the authorities concerning the risk that criminal groups could take advantage of the crisis.

As Italy struggles to pull its economy through the coronavirus crisis, the Mafia is gaining local support by distributing free food to poor families in quarantine who have run out of cash, authorities have warned.

In recent weeks, videos have surfaced of known Mafia gangs delivering essential goods to Italians hit hard by the coronavirus emergency in the districts of Palermo and Naples.

The ramifications of the lockdown in Italy are affecting the estimated 3.3 million people in Italy who work off the books. Of those, more than 1 million live in the south, according to the most recent figures from CGIA Mestre, a Venice-based small business association. There have been reports of small shop owners being pressured to give food for free, while police are patrolling supermarkets in some areas to stop thefts. Videos of people in Sicily protesting against the government’s stalled response, or people beating their fists outside banks in Bari for a €50 (£44) loan are going viral and throwing fuel on the crisis; a fire the mafia is more than willing to stoke.

The Swiss death toll from the coronavirus has reached 831, the country’s public health ministry has said, rising from 805 people on Friday. The number of positive tests also increased to 24,900 from 24,308 on Friday, it said.

An inmate was found dead on Saturday after a riot and a blaze swept through a Russian prison under a coronavirus lockdown in eastern Siberia, authorities said.

Trouble erupted at penal colony No 15 in Angarsk on Thursday with authorities blaming prisoners, while human rights activists said inmates self-harmed en masse to protest systematic mistreatment.

On Friday, the work yard of the colony was engulfed in flames as riot police cordoned off roads leading to the prison, turning away independent observers. The fire was extinguished by Saturday morning.

“When they cleared the debris, they found the body of an inmate,” said Irkutsk region rights ombudsman Viktor Ignatenko, quoted by Interfax news agency. “It was a violent death.”

The regional penal service issued a statement late on Friday saying the situation was under control and investigators were on site after “inmates set several buildings in the work yard on fire”.

Armenia has extended the state of emergency by another 30 days. It declared the measures last month to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has so far infected nearly 1,000 people.

Armenia has closed educational institutions, halted all public transportation and barred foreigners from entering.

The former Soviet country, which has population of 3 million, has also said it will postpone a referendum on changes to the constitutional court until after the emergency.

The decision to extend the state of emergency, announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, is expected to be formally approved by parliament next week.

Thanks everyone who has been sending over emails with news tips and thoughts. It’s very much appreciated. I’ve also had a few cat pictures sent my way (also much appreciated). Please do continue to get in touch as I bring you the latest developments of the day.

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The coronavirus pandemic has crippled major retailers and small shops worldwide, but it may also be making a dent in illicit business.

In Chicago, one of the most violent places in the US, drug arrests in the weeks since the city shut down are down by 42% compared with the same period last year.

Some criminal lawyers say part of the reason is that dealers have no choice but to wait out the economic slump.

“The feedback I’m getting is that they aren’t able to move, to sell anything anywhere,” said Joseph Lopez, a lawyer in Chicago who represents drug dealers.

Overall, Chicago’s crime has declined by 10% since the pandemic struck, a trend that is playing out globally. Fewer people are being killed and fewer robberies are taking place.

Still, law enforcement officials worry about a surge of unreported domestic violence, and also what will happen when restrictions are lifted or go on too long.

More than half of a group of severely ill coronavirus patients improved after receiving one of the experimental antiviral drug that Donald Trump offered to ship over for Boris Johnson.

However, the experimental tests on Remdesivir, published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday, were carried out on a sample of just 53 patients, with no control group.

The results are the first for Remdesivir used on Covid-19 patients. The Gilead Sciences drug has shown promise against other coronaviruses in the past, and in lab tests against the one causing the current pandemic.

No drugs are currently approved for treating the disease. At least five large studies are testing Remdesivir, and the company also has given it to more than 1,700 patients on a case-by-case emergency basis.

Friday’s results were on 53 of those patients, aged 23 to 82 and hospitalised in the United States, Europe, Canada and Japan. Thirty-four of them were sick enough to require breathing machines.

All were given the drug through an IV for 10 days or as long as they tolerated it.

The number of cases of Covid-19 has passed 70,000 in Iran with 1,837 new infections confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A health ministry spokesman said the total number of infections now stands at 70,029. One hundred and twenty five new deaths have also been reported in the Middle East’s worst affected country, pushing the total to 4,357.

Kiyanoosh Jahanpour said 3,987 patients were in critical condition; 251,703 suspected patients have so far been tested in Iran since the outbreak began.

France has decided to allow people outside to adopt a pet from animal shelters, despite strict home confinement measures.

The interior ministry announced on Saturday that “tolerance will be granted” for the mercy missions from Thursday after a call from the Animal Protection Society (SPA).

The society shut its 62 centres to the public in line with official decrees to limit contact three weeks ago.

But on Monday the SPA urged a re-think and warned of overcrowding with thousands of animals waiting for a new home.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was looking into reports of some Covid-19 patients testing positive again after initially testing negative for the disease while being considered for discharge.

South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought to be clear of the coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been “reactivated” rather than the patients being re-infected.

The Geneva-based WHO, asked about the report from Seoul, told Reuters in a brief statement: “We are aware of these reports of individuals who have tested negative for Covid-19 using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and then after some days testing positive again.

“We are closely liaising with our clinical experts and working hard to get more information on those individual cases. It is important to make sure that when samples are collected for testing on suspected patients, procedures are followed properly.”

In the UK, the health secretary Matt Hancock has said that 19 NHS workers have died during the coronavirus outbreak.

Rehana Azam, GMB National Secretary for Public Services, said:

This is beyond heartbreaking. Each of these frontline workers’ sacrifice to our NHS family must never be forgotten.

Now this dark truth has been dragged out, we also need to know the number of other frontline workers, including in our care homes, who have died in the call of duty.

This shows why the Government’s broken promises on proper protective equipment matter - it has exposed workers to increased risk. We urgently need to see Ministers fulfil their obligations to provide PPE to the frontline.

Personal protective equipment is not just a precious resource - it is an absolute necessity to protect lives. GMB is deeply concerned about any inference that NHS workers are responsible for the failures of Government to properly protect our protectors.”

Mali’s president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, has announced a coronavirus aid package for poor people and hard-hit firms, as cases continue to rise in the war-torn west African state.

The president warned on Friday that the country’s already war-battered economy was facing a shock, and declared a package worth some 500bn CFA francs ($832m).

“The government of Mali ... is willing to make the greatest sacrifice to lessen the negative impact of the pandemic on our economy and society,” Keita said in a televised address.

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been struggling since 2012 to quell a jihadist insurgency that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.

The conflict – which has left swathes of the country outside state control – has aggravated fears that Mali is ill prepared to tackle a large coronavirus outbreak.

Africans in southern China’s largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as the country steps up its fight against imported infections.

China says it has largely curbed its Covid-19 outbreak but a recent cluster of cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou sparked the alleged discrimination by locals and virus prevention officials.

Local authorities in the industrial centre of 15 million said at least eight people diagnosed with the illness had spent time in the city’s Yuexiu district, known as “Little Africa”.

Five were Nigerian nationals who faced widespread anger after reports surfaced that they had broken a mandatory quarantine and been to eight restaurants and other public places instead of staying home.

As a result, nearly 2,000 people they came into contact with had to be tested for Covid-19 or undergo quarantine, state media said.

Guangzhou had confirmed 114 imported coronavirus cases as of Thursday - 16 of which were Africans. The rest were returning Chinese nationals.

It has led to Africans becoming targets of suspicion, distrust and racism in China.

Several Africans told AFP they had been forcibly evicted from their homes and turned away by hotels.

“I’ve been sleeping under the bridge for four days with no food to eat... I cannot buy food anywhere, no shops or restaurants will serve me,” said Tony Mathias, an exchange student from Uganda who was forced from his apartment on Monday.

“We’re like beggars on the street,” the 24-year-old said.

Police in Guangzhou declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

In the UK, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has posted revised – and significantly lower – forecasts for the number of deaths in the UK related to Covid-19.

These new forecasts are the result of more data, with the numbers moving from 66,000 cumulative deaths to 37,000. The revised estimates fall within the range of the previous forecasts.

IHME said it saw fluctuations in its earlier estimates of US deaths, which have been revised to reflect increasing sources of data and the effects of physical distancing measures.

The new forecasts included four additional days’ worth of reported daily deaths for the UK (6, 7, 8, 9 April). The slower increase in daily deaths reported has led IHME to project a peak of 1,674 daily deaths (estimate range of 651 to 4,143) and 37,494 cumulative deaths (estimate range of 26,149 to 62,519) through the first wave of the pandemic.

The Philippines reported 26 new coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, taking the total to 247.

It also confirmed 233 new infections bringing its total to 4,428. Seventeen more patients have recovered, the health ministry said in a bulletin, bringing the number of recoveries to 157.

Elsewhere, Malaysian health authorities reported 184 additional confirmed cases on Saturday, raising the cumulative tally to 4,530, the highest number for any country in southeast Asia.

The latest data includes three new deaths, raising the total fatalities from the outbreak to 73. The ministry said 44% of all confirmed cases had recovered.

An interesting article today, asking are state responses to the virus shifting the balance of power between China and the west?

World-renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall says the coronavirus pandemic was caused by humanity’s disregard for nature and disrespect for animals.

Goodall, who is best known for trailblazing research in Africa that revealed the true nature of chimpanzees, pleaded for the world to learn from past mistakes to prevent future disasters.

During a conference call ahead of the release of the new National Geographic documentary Jane Goodall: The Hope, the 82-year-old said everyone can make a difference

:

It is our disregard for nature and our disrespect of the animals we should share the planet with that has caused this pandemic, that was predicted long ago.

Because as we destroy, let’s say the forest, the different species of animals in the forest are forced into a proximity and therefore diseases are being passed from one animal to another, and that second animal is then most likely to infect humans as it is forced into closer contact with humans.

Turkey hospital sees hope as 93-year-old patient discharged

Cheered by her doctors, Alye Gunduz was discharged from an Istanbul hospital after recovering from the coronavirus following 10 days of treatment.

Her recovery from the disease offered some hope to health workers at Istanbul’s Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty hospital as they battle the outbreak, which risks hitting Turkey hard.

“It is promising because patients at this age and with chronic diseases are most of the time unable to recover because they are at highest risk,” chief physician Zekayi Kutlubay told AFP.

“A 93-year-old woman walking out of intensive care safe and sound is inspiring for us as well as for other coronavirus patients at her age.”

South Korea announced plans on Saturday to strap tracking wristbands on people who defy quarantine orders, while Christians across the globe were urged to stay home over the Easter weekend as the coronavirus death toll passed 100,000.

South Korean officials said stricter controls were required because some of the 57,000 people who are under orders to stay home have slipped out by leaving behind smartphones with tracking apps. Plans for broader use of wristbands were scaled back after objections by human rights and legal activists.

Meanwhile, US health authorities reported more outbreaks in New York City and the surrounding region, an area with some 20 million people that accounts for more than half of the 500,000 American cases. Other hot spots are in Detroit, Louisiana and the capital, Washington.

Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 1.7 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In China, where the pandemic began in December, the government reported three deaths and 46 additional cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Friday. The number of new daily cases has declined dramatically, allowing the ruling Communist Party to reopen factories and stores.

China has reported 3,339 deaths and 81,953 confirmed infections, though critics say the real totals might be higher.

A German science writer has expressed disbelief that despite great wealth and technological capabilities, the US has “sleepwalked” into the coronavirus disaster.

Kai Kupferschmidt said: “No matter how long I live, I don’t think I will ever get over how the US, with all its wealth and technological capability and academic prowess, sleepwalked into the disaster that is unfolding.”

His comment came as the United States passed 100,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus, and was facing a critical lack of ventilators, face masks and testing. Now it is more than 500,000.

The global coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 as Easter weekend celebrations around the world kicked off in near-empty churches, with billions of people stuck indoors in an effort to halt the pandemic.

Extraordinary measures from New York to Naples to New Delhi have seen businesses and schools closed, and the IMF has warned that the world now faces the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

More than 102,000 people have died of Covid-19 with 1.7 million infections detected globally, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, with nearly 70% of the fatalities in Europe.

The United States, now the centre of the pandemic, became the first country to record more than 2,000 virus deaths in one day and is closing in on Italy’s 18,849 fatalities - currently the highest national figure.

With more than half a million reported infections, the United States already has more coronavirus cases than anywhere else in the world.

Thanks to everyone emailing in today, great to hear what is happening where you are and get any news tips. Also – for those asking about my cat. Here is a photo of the overlord himself, who watches me as I blog. A little joy during a strange time.

As ever please continue to get in touch ...

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Indonesia confirmed 330 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, taking its tally to 3,842, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said. It also confirmed 21 virus-related deaths, taking the total to 327, Yurianto told a televised news conference.

In the UK, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was “insulting” to suggest health careworkers were “wasting” personal protective equipment.
His comments come after the health secretary, Matt Hancock, reminded NHS workers not to “overuse” PPE and to follow the guidelines for its correct use.
Starmer tweeted: “It is quite frankly insulting to imply frontline staff are wasting PPE.

“There are horrific stories of NHS staff and care workers not having the equipment they need to keep them safe.

“The government must act to ensure supplies are delivered.”

Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of playing word games in a dispute over details it sought in an email querying if the new coronavirus could be transmitted between people.

Taiwan is not a WHO member, because of objections from China, which claims the island as its own and deems it to have no right to membership of international bodies.

Such an approach, Taiwan says, deprived it of timely information to fight the virus, and it accused the WHO of having ignored its communications early in the pandemic, which has infected 1.6 million people and killed 100,000 worldwide.

Last month, Taiwan said it had received no reply from the WHO to a 31 December query for information on the outbreak in China’s central city of Wuhan, including whether it could be transmitted between people.

The WHO has said the email it received made no mention of human-to-human transmission. In Taipei on Saturday, the health minister, Chen Shih-chung, quoted the text of the email written in English that the government sent to the WHO.

Most of Thailand’s provinces have banned sales of alcohol, heeding a central government call to discourage festive celebrations for the Thai New Year as the country seeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Thailand is among Southeast Asian countries that are cancelling or scaling back traditionally boisterous Buddhist New Year celebrations amid the global pandemic.

The Thai New Year or water splashing Songkran celebrations are usually held April 13-15, but this year the government has postponed the holidays that would normally be taken then.

A 10-day ban on the sale of wine, beer and spirits in the capital Bangkok went into effect on Friday. Some 47 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have implemented bans to April 15 or until the end of the month, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The US has become the first country in the world to record more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day.

Figures from Johns Hopkins University show 2,108 people died in the past 24 hours with more than half a million confirmed infections.

America could soon surpass Italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths worldwide.

It comes as White House experts said the spread of the virus is starting to level off.

Dr Deborah Birx said there were good signs the outbreak was stabilising, but cautioned: “As encouraging as they are, we have not reached the peak.”

President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians to respect health protocols as “low-risk” economic activities resumed in most of the country on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.

So-called low-risk businesses will resume across the country from Saturday with the exception of the capital Tehran, where they will restart from April 18. Iran is the Middle Eastern country worst-affected by the new coronavirus.

“Easing restrictions does not mean ignoring health protocols ... social distancing and other health protocols should be respected seriously by people,” Rouhani was quoted as saying.

Hello all. I am updating the Guardian live feed this morning, from my home office (with my cat sitting beside me). Please do get in touch if you want to share any information with me via any of the channels below. The information and news tips I get sent are always incredibly useful and it is great to hear from people about what they feel needs reporting.

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Iran’s president Rouhani has urged people to respect health protocols as coronavirus restrictions ease.

More to follow on this...

The Afghan interior ministry has pledged tighter control on movement as the number of Covid-19 infections reached 555, triggered by a surge in cases in Kandahar and Kabul.

Three deaths and 34 new infections have been reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 18.

A health ministry spokesman said 4,090 suspected patients have so far been tested in Afghanistan since the outbreak began.

The ministry warned that number of new infections continue to rise across the war-torn country and asked citizens to come to hospitals if they have any symptoms.

Eight of new positive cases confirmed were in the country’s capital, Kabul, bringing the total number of infections to 119. Kabul is second worst affected city after Herat, which has 273 cases and four deaths.

After a surge in number of cases in Kabul, the city went into full lockdown on Wednesday, and police will impose more restrictions on residents to curb unnecessary movements, officials said.

Health workers and food suppliers, media workers, security officials and telecom services employees are exempt.

The interior minister warned that if people in Kabul continue defying the order, police will use force against them. “If we see any sort of violation, we will act seriously”.

Afghanistan has so far recorded 37 recoveries from the virus.

In the UK, the heath secretary, Matt Hancock, said it was still too early to determine whether the peak of coronavirus infections in the UK had been reached.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The good news is we have seen the number of hospital admissions starting – starting, I stress – to flatten out.

“You can see (from the government’s charts) that instead of going up exponentially, as they would have done if we had not taken the measures, that they are starting to come down and flatten.

“We haven’t seen that enough to have confidence to make changes. The answer to your question, about have we reached the peak, is nobody knows.”

Asked about the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, saying the UK was two weeks away from the peak, Hancock added: “Our judgment is that we are not there yet and that we haven’t seen a flattening enough to be able to say that we have reached the peak.”

Publicly-funded US broadcaster Voice of America has rubbished criticism from the White House that it is promoting Chinese “foreign propaganda” on the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on Friday, Donald Trump’s administration claimed VOA pushed Beijing’s message by tweeting a video of celebrations at the end of Wuhan’s quarantine measures, and noting the US had surpassed China’s death toll.

“VOA too often speaks for America’s adversaries – not its citizens,” the White House claimed, adding: “Journalists should report the facts, but VOA has instead amplified Beijing’s propaganda.”

At least 18,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, compared with about 3,000 Chinese nationals, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

VOA director Amanda Bennet pushed back at the criticism, while not mentioning the Trump administration, noting that the broadcaster had reported on China’s efforts to initially hide the coronavirus outbreak.

Congo has been battling an Ebola outbreak that has killed thousands of people for more than 18 months, and now it must also face the coronavirus pandemic.

Ebola has left those living in the country’s east weary and fearful, and, just as they were preparing to declare an end to the outbreak, a new case popped up. Now, they will now have to manage both threats at once.

The new virus has overwhelmed some of the worlds best hospital systems in Europe and ripped through communities in New York. In Congo, it could spread unchecked in a country that has endured decades of conflict. It’s also unclear how forthcoming international support will be at a time when the whole world is battling coronavirus.

It all feels like one big storm, said Martine Milonde, a Congolese community mobiliser who works with the aid group World Vision in Beni, which has been the center of the Ebola outbreak. Truly, this is a crisis within a crisis within a crisis. The community suffers from insecurity, and suffered under Ebola, and now may have to face Covid-19.

Hello. I am taking over the Guardian’s global live feed, bringing you all the latest information on coronavirus. Please feel free to share any information with me via any of the means below.

Twitter: @sloumarsh
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Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

Also, feel it’s worth sharing the Guardian’s UK front page today, which looks at the lives lost so far.

Here is our at-a-glance guide to the most recent developments.

I’m now handing over to my colleague in London, Sarah Marsh.

The Philippines has temporarily banned health workers from leaving for overseas jobs in an attempt to strengthen its own health systems.
On Friday the death toll from the coronavirus in the country reached 221, while confirmed cases totalled 4,195.
The ruling preventing doctors, nurses and others from taking work abroad has prompted an online petition from nurses and as well as criticism from medical groups.
“If the government wants to keep our health workers within our country, then we must offer competitive salaries and benefits so they will choose to stay, instead of being forced to,” Leah Paquiz of the nursing advocacy group Ang Nars told the Rappler website.

Here is a summary of the latest developments:

• Cases of coronavirus in the US have now topped 500,000, while 18,693 deaths have been recorded. Donald Trump, who is agitating for a reopening of the economy, said: “The facts are going to determine what I do.”
• More than 100 Australian and New Zealand passengers from the Antarctic cruise ship the Greg Mortimer have disembarked in Uruguay. Six Americans, five British citizens and passengers from other countries, as well 83 crew members, remain on board.
• South Korea has announced plans to strap tracking wristbands on people who ignore quarantine orders, with officials warning that stricter controls were required to enforce self-isolation rules.
  
• The head of the World Bank said he is confident that progress is being made towards debt relief for the world’s poorest countries.
• The UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said the Easter weekend will be a “test of the nation’s resolve” and issued another warning to the public to stay at home amid the coronavirus crisis.
• Singapore has suspended the use of video-conferencing tool Zoom by teachers after “very serious incidents” in the first week of a coronavirus lockdown that has seen schools move to home-based learning.

Thailand recorded 45 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, bringing the total in the country to 2,518. The death toll also rose from 33 to 35.

Earlier this week, officials defended the country’s approach to testing and surveillance, saying that health teams were focused on targeted testing, rather than rolling out mass tests. Some have questioned if the country’s low case numbers are due to a lack of testing. Between January and April, 71,860 samples have been tested.

Here’s a bit of positive news from Turkey, where doctors are celebrating the recovery of a 93-year-old woman, Alye Gunduz, who was discharged from an Istanbul hospital following 10 days of treatment.

“It is promising because patients at this age and with chronic diseases are most of the time unable to recover because they are at highest risk from Covid-19,” chief physician Zekayi Kutlubay told AFP.

Turkey has registered more than 47,000 Covid-19 cases - ranking it among the 10 most infected countries in the world. It has recorded over a thousand deaths.

“A 93-year-old woman walking out of intensive care sound and safe is inspiring for us as well as for other coronavirus patients at her age,” said Kutlubay.

We are all finding new ways to adapt to life under lockdown. In Myanmar’s commercial capital, Yangon - where residents have been asked to stay at home this week for the Thingyan holiday - delivery pulleys are proving useful.

It was confirmed earlier that cases of coronavirus in the US have now topped 500,000, while 18,693 deaths have been reported. Despite such rises in case numbers, there are some signs that the stay-at-home measures in the US are having an impact. On Friday, the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, expressed cautious optimism that the state’s infection rate was slowing.

The World Health Organisation and Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, have both warned that such progress could be reversed if lockdown measures are eased. President Donald Trump, however, is eager to lift restrictions.

Here is some detail from a recent report by the Guardian’s senior reporter Peter Beaumont and Madrid correspondent Sam Jones:

Trump, seemingly concerned by deflating approval ratings and exploding unemployment figures, had told reporters that he hoped to open up the economy “very, very, very, very soon”.
On Friday, the president struck a more emollient tone, saying he would announce next week a council of business and medical leaders to help him with the “biggest decision I’ve ever had to make” on when to reopen America for business.
Trump added: “I want to get it open as soon as possible. This country was meant to be open and vibrant and great ... The facts are going to determine what I do. But we do want to get the country open.”

Reporter Uki Goñi in Buenos Aires has some more detail on the stricken Greg Mortimer cruise ship.

More than 100 Australian and New Zealand passengers from the Antarctic cruise ship Greg Mortimer have started disembarking at the port of Montevideo in Uruguay to board a medically-equipped Airbus to Melbourne early on Saturday morning.

It is not known if the Greg Mortimer, with its remaining European and American passengers and its crew of 85, will be allowed to remain docked at the port, or if the ship will be asked to sail out again 20 kilometres offshore from the coast of Montevideo where it has been anchored for the past two weeks.

The ship has been at sea since March 15 when it set off from Argentina’s southern port of Ushuaia on an ill-fated Antarctic cruise, spending the last three weeks with all passengers quarantined in their cabins. At least 128 passengers and crew, out of a total 217 on board, have tested positive for the virus.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno has announced the creation of a humanitarian assistance account that will be funded with contributions from companies and citizens to address the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The account will be funded, in part, by a contribution of five percent of profits from companies that earned more than a million dollars. The money will serve to finance smaller companies that require capital. The other funds will come from a progressive contribution based on workers’ monthly income for nine months. The contribution will be for those who earn more than $500 per month.

Ecuador reported more than 2,196 new infections in one day on Friday, raising the total number to 7,161. Some 297 have died and another 311 were likely killed by the virus, according to official data. Moreno said in a televised address:

The pandemic hit us at a critical moment, when we were trying to get ahead after a very tough economic crisis...It hit us without a cent in the state’s accounts.”

The government has said deaths could reach 3,500 due to the outbreak in the province of Guayas, where the epicenter of the country’s outbreak is located, which accounts for 70% of infections.

China reported 46 new coronavirus cases on Friday, of which 42 were imported from abroad. A further three deaths have also been reported.

Hubei province - home to the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began - reported no new cases on Friday. This week, the city of 11 million people opened its doors again after 76 days sealed off from the world.