Coronavirus: Latest Global Developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

- More than 200,000 dead worldwide -

A total of 202,994 people have died worldwide since the epidemic hit China in December, according to an AFP 1100 GMT Sunday based on government reports.

More than 2.9 million cases have been reported in 193 countries or territories.

The United States has the highest number of deaths of any country, with 53,934.

Italy is the second hardest-hit nation, 26,384 dead. Spain follows with 23,190, France with 22,614, and Britain with 20,319.

As a proportion of the population, outside micro-states, mortality is highest in Belgium (612 deaths per million inhabitants), followed by Spain (496), Italy (436), France (346) and Britain (299). The US (163) is a long way away.

- Easing lockdowns -

All shops apart from malls are now open in Israel.

Saudi Arabia will ease its curfew between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and shops and stores will be permitted to reopen in all regions of the country before 13 May, although around-the-clock lockdowns will be enforced in hotspots like the Muslim Holy City of Mecca.

Children in Spain, under strict lockdown since mid-March, can now walk, run or play outside for up to an hour a day, accompanied by a parent, in an area no further than a kilometre from their home.

- Spotlight on masks -

China reports having seized more than 89 million low quality face masks, while Beijing confronts a flood of concerns about inferior safety equipment sold worldwide.

Several countries and regions find it mandatory to display masks in public spaces. The state of Lagos in Nigeria is the latest to enter the list.

- Australia tracing app -

Australia launches a smartphone app to trace people who come in contact with coronavirus patients. The COVIDSafe app, which has raised privacy concerns, uses a phone's Bluetooth wireless signal to store information about people's interactions and can be accessed by health officials if a person contracts the virus.

- Beijing bans 'uncivilised' behaviour -

Beijing claims that it would prohibit "uncivilized" behavior, such as not shielding the mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, as part of new legislation to enhance public hygiene.

Rulebreakers can be prosecuted for crimes like not wearing a mask in public while they are sick, and people will always "act properly" in public.

Source: AFP