World

Coronavirus: Latest updates from around the world

 Italian Army and Rome's street cleaning task force personnel sanitize a church to prevent the spread of Covid-19, in Rome, on May 12 2020. Picture by Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP
 Italian Army and Rome's street cleaning task force personnel sanitize a church to prevent the spread of Covid-19, in Rome, on May 12 2020. Picture by Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP  Italian Army and Rome's street cleaning task force personnel sanitize a church to prevent the spread of Covid-19, in Rome, on May 12 2020. Picture by Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP

Coronavirus has infected more than 4.2 million people and killed over 287,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates on the pandemic from around the world:

LESOTHO

The tiny African mountain kingdom has confirmed its first positive case of Covid-19, making it the last of 54 African countries to report the disease.

The health ministry said one person, who had recently arrived in the country, had tested positive without showing signs of illness. The patient is isolated.

Lesotho, a country of two million people, is surrounded by South Africa, which has the highest confirmed cases in Africa at 11,350.

MONTENEGRO

Serbia has protested over the detention of eight Serbian Orthodox Church priests after thousands of people attended a religious procession despite a ban on gatherings because of coronavirus.

Montenegrin prosecutors said the priests face charges of violating health regulations during the outbreak by organising the procession yesterday in the western town of Niksic. Most people participating in the procession did not wear face masks or keep a safe distance from each other.

Supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church blocked a regional road in northern Montenegro today, according to RTCG television.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej said in a joint statement today that they hope the arrests won't spark any "unwanted unrest or clashes".

The patriarch said the detentions "are only a proof that the Montenegrin state is conducting a purge of the Serbian Orthodox Church".

Mr Vucic urged a peaceful resolution of the crisis and a quick release of the priests.

TURKEY

Parks have filled with the sound of children as Turkey allowed youngsters aged 14 and under to leave homes for the first time in 40 days.

They were allowed to venture out for four hours between 11am and 3pm as Turkey eased some restrictions. Youngsters aged between 15 and 20 will be able to leave homes for a few hours on Friday, while senior citizens were briefly allowed out for the first time in seven weeks on May 10.

The government has announced a "normalisation plan" as the number of confirmed cases has dropped, but warned of tougher measures if infections go up again.

GERMANY

The country plans to start loosening border controls this weekend after two months of restrictions.

Interior minister Horst Seehofer said checks on the border with Luxembourg will be dropped after Friday. On the borders with France, Switzerland and Austria, all crossings will be opened - rather than selected ones at present - and authorities will switch to spot rather than systematic checks.

Mr Seehofer said the aim is to restore free travel across those three borders on June 15, so long as coronavirus infection rates allow.

Germany imposed checks on its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Denmark on March 16 and people "without a valid reason to travel" have not been allowed to cross. Eastern neighbours Poland and the Czech Republic closed their own borders.

Mr Seehofer said Germany is prepared to relax controls on the Danish border, but Denmark is in the process of consulting its other neighbours.

NORWAY

The country is opening its borders to allow people from other European countries enter if the have a residence there or have family they want to visit.

Justice minister Monica Maeland said Norway, which is not part of the European Union, is opening up for citizens from the European Economic Area that includes EU member states, the UK, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The last three countries have together with Norway signed the agreement that gives EU non-members access to the EU's huge single market.

Ms Maeland said it also means seasonal workers can enter Norway.

AUSTRIA

Austrian authorities said the country's border with Germany will reopen fully next month.

The Austria Press Agency reported that the chancellery in Vienna said the border will be open completely on June 15 and that checks will be reduced, starting on Friday.

It said Austria is aiming for similar agreements with Switzerland, Liechtenstein and its eastern neighbours.

Austria has been pressing for a reopening of some borders in the hope of attracting tourists to the country this summer.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia said it will go into a full lockdown during the days of celebration that follow the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The Interior Ministry said the lockdown would be in effect from May 23 to May 27.

Those days mark the start of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that comes at the end of Ramadan. That holiday typically sees families invite loved ones over for meals and go out to eat and drink during the day.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea said it has no immediate plans to revive strict social distancing rules despite a spike in coronavirus cases linked to nightclubs in Seoul.

Vice health minister Kim Gang-lip said the government needs more time to analyse details of recent outbreaks before determining whether to maintain relaxed social distancing guidelines.

South Korea eased up on much of its strict social distancing rules last week before it had about roughly 30 new cases each day in the past few days. Today, South Korea recorded 26 new cases, 20 of them associated with clubs in Seoul's Itaewon entertainment district.

Health officials said in principle they would maintain relaxed social distancing rules if the country's daily jump is below 50 and the number of untraceable cases account for less than 5% of all confirmed cases.

MEXICO

Mexico's top advisory body on the coronavirus pandemic has issued guidelines that would allow for the reopening of construction, mining, and car and truck manufacturing.

The General Health Council said it had decided to classify those industries as "essential activities" that are allowed to continue working during a lockdown aimed at fighting the spread of coronavirus.

The council did not set a timeline for when the reopening would begin. But it said that by June 1, a "stoplight" system should be in place to tell local populations what activities are allowed.

The council also said that restrictions on schools and businesses should be lifted in townships that have no cases of Covid-19 and whose neighbouring townships also have no cases.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand reported no new cases of coronavirus today, the second day in a row without any and the fourth such day since early last week.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said it was encouraging news as the country prepares to ease many of its lockdown restrictions. Most businesses, including shopping centres, retail stores and restaurants, will be able to reopen. Social distancing rules will remain in place and gatherings will be limited to 10 people.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan has passed 2,000 new positive coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time since the outbreak earlier this year.

The increase comes just days after Prime Minister Imran Khan eased lockdown restrictions and stepped up the return of residents stranded overseas, ignoring pleas for stricter controls by Pakistan's medical professionals.

Scenes of crowds of people crammed into markets throughout the country greeted the let-up in restrictions despite the government's call for safe distancing, which has been largely ignored by many of Pakistan's 220 million people. The latest figures show 34,312 positive cases following a 24-hour high of 2,255 new cases.