(Bloomberg) —
New York reported the fewest new coronavirus deaths in almost two weeks. Italy announced the least in almost a week. France had the smallest increase in five days.
Spain will extend a lockdown for two weeks after joining the U.S. and Italy with more than 20,000 deaths. U.S. cases rose 3.4%, slower than the average over the last week.
As the U.S. and Canada agreed to extend border limits to May 20, Israel planned to ease some limits.
Key Developments
Virus Tracker: Cases top 2.3 million; deaths exceed 158,000States don’t share Trump’s confidence in a quick reopeningWhat a return to work will look like in officesMilan’s virus trend threatens plan to restart ItalyOne restaurant’s story shows how recession spreadsA wild ride for global supply chains captured in seven charts
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.
California Not Close to Reopening: Governor (4:20 p.m. NY)
California reported 87 deaths, one of the highest daily counts so far, as Governor Gavin Newsom said the state may not be close to loosening measures imposed to curb the spread.
Total deaths rose to 1,072, Newsom said in his daily briefing. The number of cases climbed 5.3%, while patients in intensive care fell by a “modest” 0.1%, he said.
“For those that think we’re out of the woods, those who think we’ve turned the page, those who think we can go back to the way things used to be, I caution you on the basis of that 87 number,” Newsom said.
South Africa Has Biggest Rise in Cases (4:15 p.m. NY)
South Africa reported 251 new infections on Saturday, its biggest daily increase, bringing the total to 3,034. That’s as community screening is rolled out, increasing the number of tests. About 7,194 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told reporters one person is testing positive for every 38 checked. Deaths climbed by two to 52.
U.S. Cases Climb at Slower Pace (4 p.m. NY)
U.S. confirmed cases rose 3.4% from Friday, below the average daily increase of the past week, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The national daily increase has been 4.9% in the past week.
New York’s cases jumped 5.2% from the previous day, data showed. Delaware had a 12% increase in cases. Fatalities almost doubled to 37,079 from 18,769 a week ago, according to the data.
Deaths rose by more than 20% in West Virginia and Montana, and by more than 10% in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Mexico, according to data as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Brazil Cases, Deaths Rise (3:36 p.m. NY)
Brazil reported 2,917 new cases and 211 deaths in 24 hours, according to the nation’s Health Ministry. Total deaths rose to 2,352 from 2,141 on Friday. Sao Paulo state, epicenter of the nation’s outbreak, had 13,894 cases and 991 deaths, the government said.
Spain to Extend Lockdown 2 Weeks (3:05 p.m. NY)
Spain plans to extend a nationwide lockdown through May 9. The government will submit the proposal to Congress before the current state of emergency expires April 25, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. While the government will not relax confinement, it will seek to allow children to leave their homes under strict rules, he said.
Israel Eases Restrictions (2:30 p.m. NY)
Israel will ease the lockdown imposed on the economy as the virus outbreak showed signs of slowing. Starting Sunday, offices can double the number of workers they use to 30% of staff, and stores selling goods likes home furnishings and electronics can reopen, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address Saturday night. Malls will remain closed.
Israel has 13,265 confirmed cases and 164 people have died.
N.J. Hospital Data Improves (2:15 p.m. NY)
New Jersey reported signs the coronavirus curve is flattening, with hospital discharges outpacing admissions and a slower rate of growth in cases and deaths. Governor Phil Murphy said new cases increased by less than 10% for a 12th straight day — 3,026 for a total of 81,420. The 231 additional fatalities follow four straight days of more than 300 deaths. Deaths have passed 4,000.
Turkey Extends Quarantine Steps (2:10 p.m. NY)
Turkey extended quarantine measures in major cities for another 15 days as the spread of the coronavirus shows signs of slowing. The rules announced earlier this month apply to Istanbul, which has the bulk of reported cases, and 30 other cities.
New cases increased by 4.8% on Saturday, compared with a 12% increase 10 days earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations based on Health Ministry data. Another 121 deaths were reported Saturday, raising the total to 1,890.
French Death Rate Slows (1:50 p.m. NY)
Deaths in France rose by 642 to 19,323 fatalities, the Health Ministry said in an emailed statement, the smallest increase in five days. The number of infections rose by 5,715 to 173,956. Only the U.S., Spain and Italy have more fatalities.
The number of people hospitalized fell for a fourth day to 30,639, the biggest decline yet. Patients in ICU beds, an indicator of the outbreak’s intensity and its impact on the hospital system, fell for a 10th day to 5,833, the lowest since March 31, according to health ministry data.
South Africa to Speed Reforms (1:40 p.m. NY)
South Africa will gradually ease regulations in various sectors to restart activity after the five-week national lockdown ends, and will work on fast-tracking some structural reforms to help the recovery.
A group led by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday “agreed on the need for a risk-adjusted approach” to the resumption of economic activity. The nation is on day 23 of the shutdown. While the restrictions halted all activity except essential services, the government this week said mines can resume work at 50% capacity.
The group’s recommendations will be considered by the Cabinet on April 20, the presidency said.
Read the full story.
Italy Has Fewest Deaths Since April 12 (12:20 p.m. NY)
Italy reported the fewest deaths in six days as new cases remained stable. The country registered 482 fatalities down from 525 a day earlier, the lowest since April 12. Total deaths are 23,227. There were 3,491 new cases compared with 3,493 a day earlier, with the total now 175,925. Patients in intensive care fell for a 15th day.
Pennsylvania Reports Most Daily Deaths (12:17 p.m. NY)
Pennsylvania reported 80 new deaths, the most on a single day, taking statewide fatalities to 836. A day earlier, the state had 49 deaths. The health department had 1,628 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 31,069.
Denmark Extends Aid Programs (12:15 p.m. NY)
Denmark extended aid programs to businesses and workers by a month, to July 8, and added new measures to increase spending by about 100 billion kroner ($15 billion), according to a statement.
The government said companies that pay dividends, buy back shares or are registered in tax havens won’t be eligible for the programs, which now amount to 400 billion kroner with loans and guarantees.
N.Y. Deaths Lowest in Almost Two Weeks (11:45 a.m. NY)
New York reported 540 deaths in the past 24 hours, down from 630 the previous day, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. The state’s death toll is now 13,362. It’s the first time the daily toll dropped below 600 in 12 days. The state reached a peak of 799 deaths on April 9.
Cuomo said new hospitalizations fell slightly, but for a third straight day the daily admissions remained higher than 1,900.
Canada-U.S. Extend Border Restrictions (11:30 a.m. NY)
Canada and the U.S. will extend the closure of their shared border to non-essential travel for another 30 days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Both countries agreed to close the border to most travelers in March. Trudeau said the extension has the same terms as before and allows essential goods and services to move between the countries.
U.K. Deaths Over 800 for Third Day (9:06 a.m. NY)
The U.K. reported more than 800 deaths for the third day in a row. Fatalities rose by 888 to 15,464. The number of cases reached more than 114,000, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Netherlands Hospital Admissions Slow (8:07 a.m. NY)
The Netherlands reported 129 new hospital admissions, up just 1%, marking a record low since the daily statistic has been reported since late March. Total confirmed cases grew 4% to 31,589, in line with recent trends. Fatalities rose to 3,601, also in line.
General practitioners in the country will also be able to fill out short questionnaires about patients suspected of having the virus. The gathering of this information is intended to better map the spread of the virus in the country.
Portugal also reported a bigger number of new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, while the number of hospitalized patients fell. There were 663 new cases in a day, taking the total to 19,685, the government said on Saturday.
Amazon Uses Thermal Cameras for Fever Scans: Reuters (7:47 a.m. NY)
Amazon.com is using thermal cameras at its warehouses, Reuters reported, citing staff. The aim is to speed up temperature checks to find workers who might be infected with the coronavirus. The move comes after employees in more than 50 Amazon warehouses were reported to be infected with the virus, and unions called on Amazon to close buildings down.
Spanish Deaths Pass 20,000 (7:55 a.m. NY)
New coronavirus cases in Spain rose by 4,499 in the last 24 hours, pushing the total to 191,726 as the government reviews the way it reports its figures.
Authorities reported a total of 20,043 deaths from the illness since the outbreak started, with 565 people dying in the last 24 hours. That’s roughly in line with this week’s data, although the ministry hasn’t clarified discrepancies in the number of deaths reported yesterday. Spain is now the third country after Italy and the U.S. to suffer more than 20,000 deaths.
13 Nations Flag WHO’s ‘Critical Role’ (7 a.m. NY)
Germany, Canada, France, the U.K., South Korea and eight other nations issued a joint statement noting the “critical role” of the World Health Organization in tackling the virus outbreak.
The so-called Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19 said a “strong and coordinated global health response” is needed. The U.S. is not a member of the group. President Donald Trump has criticized the WHO and ordered a halt to contributions to the organization.
The 13 nations also agreed that emergency measures to tackle the virus “must be targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary.” They must not “create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains” and must comply with WTO rules.
Iran Deaths Pass 5,000 (5:37 p.m. HK)
Fatalities in Iran rose to 5,031 as the country’s daily death toll from the virus fell to the lowest in over a month with 73 deaths in the past 24 hours. Total known cases reached 80,868 with 1,374 new infections since Friday.
Iran is seeking $50 million from the World Bank to help it fight the pandemic, marking the first time since 2005 that the country has applied for such a loan from the Washington-based institution, a deputy health minister said on state TV. Iran has also requested a loan of 130 million euros ($141 million) from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank, of which it is the largest stakeholder after Saudi Arabia and Libya.
Nigerian Chief of Staff Dies (4:56 p.m. HK)
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief of staff died on Friday after contracting the coronavirus in Germany. Abba Kyari, whose age wasn’t disclosed, was regarded as one of the most powerful politicians in the West African country and a strong supporter of state intervention in the economy.
Russia Reports Biggest Case Increase (4:35 p.m. HK)
Russia recorded its largest daily increase in coronavirus infections, with new cases rising by almost 5,000 in a single day.
New infections jumped by 4,785 to 36,793, the official Russian coronavirus information center reported on its website. Forty people died in the past day, including 21 in Moscow, bringing the number of fatalities to 313. The pace of new cases increased 17.6% after slowing to less than 15% in the previous two days.
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