Coronavirus latest: Japan to lift Tokyo emergency; Trump plays golf; infections stifle Eid celebrations; Brazil’s curve steepens
- Millions of Muslims in Indonesia mark muted holiday of Eid al-Fitr; deaths in New York drop below 100 for first time since March
- Brazil reports 965 new deaths after overtaking Russia in cases; one-hour test rolled out in London
Brazil now has 347,398 confirmed cases, according to the country’s Health Ministry ministry, up 16,508 from Friday, when it surpassed Russia to become the world’s virus hotspot behind the United States, which is approaching the grim milestone of 100,000 fatalities. Cases globally have topped 5.24 million with more than 343,500 dead.
“In a sense, South America has become a new epicentre for the disease,” WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said, singling out Brazil.
And as much of the United States tiptoed out of lockdown at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, President Donald Trump sent a clear signal he was personally embracing normalisation – he went golfing in suburban Virginia, his first such outing since March 8.
Across Europe, many governments seized on spring-like weather and stabilising infection levels to move away from economically ruinous lockdowns toward lighter social distancing measures that they hope will revive moribund business and tourism sectors.
China recorded three new confirmed Cases on the mainland for May 23, following the first day with no new cases since the outbreak began, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday.
Of the new cases, two were imported while one was a local transmission, the NHC said.
These are the latest developments: