“Europe must establish a wartime economy to strengthen resistance, and promote the reconstruction and recovery of Europe,” Sanchez said on Sunday in an opinion article published by El Pais. “It has to do it as soon as possible with measures that back the public debt that many countries are now facing.”

Here are the developments:

Tokyo’s 130 new cases, highest jump in one day

It was the highest daily jump in confirmed cases so far, bringing the number of positive cases in the capital to more than 1,000, NHK said.

Tokyo’s metropolitan government has strongly urged people to stay at home as the city of 13 million has seen an uptick in the number of cases in recent days.

Governor Yuriko Koike appeared on a morning news show on Sunday and repeated her call to residents to avoid unnecessary outings, saying that “lives were at stake”.

Japan has so far been spared the kind of explosive surge seen in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, with some 3,139 cases and 77 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University Tally.

In light of the increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases in Tokyo, there have been a growing call on the central government to call for a “state of emergency,” which unlike in other countries, comes with limited enforcement power in Japan.

Australia warns over ‘faulty’ tests from China

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton urged Australians to be “wary” of such tests, saying using the kits “would undermine the vital, lifesaving work of health professionals” as the country deals with an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Some 300 “faulty” kits from China and Hong Kong were intercepted by Australian Border Force officers in the past few weeks, Dutton said.

This includes 200 units that came as air cargo to the West Australian city of Perth in March.

As of Sunday, more than 5,600 people have tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 34 have died as a result of complications.

Five new local transmissions in China, all in Guangdong

Chinese health authorities reported 30 new coronavirus cases Sunday, including 25 people who had arrived from overseas. The other five cases were in southern China’s Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong.

China has clamped down on international arrivals, banning most foreigners from entering and limiting foreign airlines to one flight per week. Having largely stopped the spread of the disease, the fear is that infected people coming from abroad could spark new outbreaks.

The National Health Commission said that three more people had died, bringing the country’s death toll to 3,329 as of the end of Saturday. The number of confirmed cases stood at 81,669.

Cuomo thanks China for facilitating ventilator donations

“This is a big deal, and this is going to make a significant difference for us,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

The donation - from Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai, of Alibaba - would arrive later in the day. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post. Tsai is also the owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.

The western state of Oregon was also sending 140 ventilators.

Cuomo said the donations were “really good news”, as the state pushes up against the apex of the outbreak, which is likely to hit in about seven days.

“We are not yet at the apex. We are getting closer,” Cuomo said, adding that this was good as it gave the authorities more time to prepare.

The state, like other areas of the US, is facing shortages of medical gear, including masks and ventilators.

Cuomo said 113,704 people in New York have tested positive for coronavirus, with 15,000 having been hospitalised The state’s death toll reached 3,565, up from 2,935 the previous day, a significant spike.

There is sharp criticism of the White House for not better coordinating the supply of medical goods to states, who end up competing with each other on the open market.

Cuomo acknowledged he asked the White House and others for help negotiating the ventilators.

Trump also said he’d like to hear a more resounding “thank you” from Cuomo for providing medical supplies and helping quickly to add hospital capacity

“We have given the governor of New York more than anybody has ever been given in a long time,“ Trump said in Washington. Trump has at times tried to shift blame to the individual states.

Chinese experts arrive in Manila

The Chinese team of anti-epidemic medical experts has had “front line experience in Hubei province to fight against the epidemic,” said China's ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian.

The experts are in the Philippines to share “invaluable first-hand experiences ... on fighting and containing Covid-19,” said Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, who welcomed them at the airport.

For the next two weeks, they will “observe and give recommendations ... to improve our infection prevention and control, critical care and laboratory [operations],” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

Iran to ease restrictions next week

Iran plans to ease coronavirus restrictions next week, after being hit particularly badly by the pandemic, President Hassan Rowhani announced on Sunday.

More than 3,600 people have died in Iran due to Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the latest Health Ministry data. The country has had an overall 58,226 confirmed infections.

From Saturday, some shops in the Iranian provinces will be allowed to reopen under strict hygiene conditions, Rowhani said. In the capital Tehran, the same easing of restrictions will apply a week later, from April 18.

From April 11, two thirds of civil servants will be allowed to return to work between 7am and 2pm. At present, only one third can go to their offices.

Schools and universities will remain closed until April 18 at the earliest, with a possible exception for doctoral students, Rowhani said. Religious sites will also stay closed until then, with Friday prayers banned until further notice.

India bans exports of hydroxychloroquine

Exports of the drug and its formulations have been prohibited “without any exceptions” and with immediate effect, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in an April 4 order on its website. The trade regulator had last month restricted overseas shipments of the drug, allowing only limited exceptions such as on humanitarian grounds and for meeting prior commitments.

It comes on a weekend when Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the global supply chain for drugs and other medical supplies with Trump, who has advocated the use of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for people with Covid-19. Its efficacy against coronavirus infections remains unproven.

Pope urges courage in the face of crisis

Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for courage in the face of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 65,000 lives across the globe in just three months.

US President Donald Trump has already warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of deaths in the coming days, as the number of confirmed cases there surged past 300,000, the highest in the world.

Queen Elizabeth II was also set to give a rare address on Sunday aimed at rallying Britain, where the government is warning of tougher measures on social distancing to try to curb surging infections.

With over 1.2 million people confirmed to be infected, the virus is also putting massive pressure on healthcare services in nations both rich and poor which are struggling to find enough staff and equipment.

Pope Francis delivered Palm Sunday mass by livestream with Saint Peter’s Square empty of the usual huge crowds.

“Today, in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts, Jesus says to each one of us: ‘Courage, open your heart to my love’,” he said.

Africa warned of surge

World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned African leaders of an “imminent surge” in coronavirus cases on the continent, urging them to open humanitarian corridors to allow the delivery of badly needed medical supplies.

More than half of Africa’s 54 countries have closed air, land and sea borders to prevent the virus’ spread but that has delayed aid shipments. Virus cases in Africa are now over 7,700, and the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned some nations will have more than 10,000 cases by the end of April.

Dubai imposes lockdown

Dubai imposed a two-week lockdown Saturday night and Saudi Arabia sealed off parts of the Red Sea city of Jeddah as Gulf states tightened measures in big cities to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Dubai had been under an overnight curfew along with the rest of United Arab Emirates since March 26 but its Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said the lockdown would now run around the clock for two weeks, state news agency WAM said.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the authorities announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighbourhoods of Jeddah also starting on Saturday as part of measures to contain the outbreak, the interior ministry said.

Saudi Arabia is the country worst hit by the pandemic in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of Arab oil monarchies. It had reported 2,179 cases of confirmed infections up until Saturday and 29 deaths.

In Dubai, mobility will be restricted and legal action taken against violators though supermarkets and pharmacies as well as food and drug delivery services would continue to operate as normal, WAM said.

Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, DPA