BEIJING — China reported seven new coronavirus cases Monday and officials said central government petition offices in Beijing, where people come from across the country to register complaints, will remain closed for the time being as a virus-control measure.

No new COVID-19 deaths have been reported in China in more than a month, although some have been announced retroactively after further tests were performed, and 82 people remain in treatment while another 450 are under isolation and monitoring as suspected cases or after testing positive for the virus without showing symptoms. China has reported a total of 4,634 deaths among 82,954 cases since the virus was first detected in the central industrial city of Wuhan.

With the decline in cases, China has moved to restart schools and reopen businesses and industries. However, some government offices that tend to attract large numbers of people in restricted spaces have largely remained closed to the public.

Central government petition offices are a particular concern because complainants often travel considerable distances to Beijing where they might live for weeks or months in substandard accommodations awaiting a response.

In its report, the official Xinhua News Agency said complaints could still be submitted online.

South Korean officials hope transmission is waning; 15 new infections 

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 15 new coronavirus cases and one more death, bringing its totals to 11,065 cases and 263 fatalities.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said it believed 10 of the new cases were linked to passengers arriving from abroad.

Only two new cases were reported from the Seoul metropolitan area, where tens of thousands were tested in recent weeks after health officials discovered dozens of infections linked to club goers.

Officials have expressed hope that the transmissions are waning and plan to move ahead with a phased reopening of schools, starting with high school seniors on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Police Department wants virus test for everyone arrested

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department wants to test everyone its officers arrest to determine whether they are infected with the coronavirus.

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Police Chief Michel Moore told the department’s civilian oversight body last week that jails are testing all new arrivals, but the results take days to come back. He said real-time data from a rapid-result test would help authorities isolate sick detainees, keep others detained in local jails safe and quickly alert officers to any potential exposure.

Moore is asking city officials to purchase a rapid-result testing system, but it’s unclear whether such a system will produce accurate test results.

Canadian jet crashes amid pandemic show; 1 dead

KAMLOOPS, British Columbia — A Canadian aerobatic jet crashed into a British Columbia neighborhood Sunday during a flyover intended to boost morale during the pandemic, killing one crew member, seriously injuring another and setting a house on fire. Video appeared to show at least one person ejecting.

The crash left debris scattered across the neighborhood near the airport in the city of Kamloops, 260 miles (418 kilometers) northeast of Vancouver. Canada’s defense department said emergency crews were responding. The Snowbirds are Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds or U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that one member of the CF Snowbirds team has died and one has sustained serious injuries,” The Royal Canadian Air Force said in a tweet.

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

Operation Inspiration started in Nova Scotia earlier this month and features the team’s signature nine-jet formation. It was aimed at boosting morale amid the pandemic.

The Snowbirds have performed at airshows across Canada and the U.S. for decades and are considered a key tool for raising awareness about — and recruiting for — the air force. Eleven aircraft are used during shows, with nine flying and two kept as spares.

Read the story here.

Trump calls into charity golf tournament and promises speedy return to normalcy

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called into a charity golf tournament broadcast Sunday and promised Americans a speedy return to normalcy that sounded far more optimistic than most experts say is realistic.

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Trump hailed the event — broadcast on NBC — and said he’d like to see crowds packing into sports venues by this fall, whether or not a cure for the coronavirus is developed.

He said, “We’re looking at vaccines, we’re looking at cures and we are very, very far down the line,” adding: “I think that’s not going to be in the very distant future. But even before that, I think we’ll be back to normal.”

Experts, however, say finding a cure that fast is far from certain and have warned that easing restrictions too quickly could cause the virus to rebound.

Trump said events would likely resume with small crowds — if any — but hopes that by the time The Masters is played in November, the crowds can return.

“We want to get it back to where it was. We want big, big stadiums loaded with people,” he said. “We want to get sports back. We miss sports. We need sports in terms of the psyche, the psyche of our country.”

The TaylorMade Driving Relief is being played at Seminole Golf Club in Florida to raise money for COVID-19 relief. There are no crowds, no caddies and a limited TV crew, all following social distancing guidelines.

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Oregon hospitals receive remdesivir

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon health officials say hospitals will be provided with an experimental drug that has shown some promise treating the coronavirus.

The Oregon Health Authority said Sunday that the state has received enough doses of remdesivir to treat all patients who met the medical criteria for using the drug as of Saturday.

Recent early results for the drug suggested it could help patients recover from the coronavirus faster, although longer-term data is still needed to confirm any benefit.

The health authority is not taking a position on whether it should be used or not, leaving that decision up to doctors and their patients.

Wyoming faces first nursing home outbreak

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CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Health officials say the first outbreak of the coronavirus at a nursing home in Wyoming has infected at least nine people.

The Wyoming Department of Health said Sunday that five employees and four residents at the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation have been found to have COVID-19 so far.

A department spokesperson said more test results were pending but officials believe all the residents and employees at the facility have been tested.

The testing began after staff members became sick and sought medical care but it’s not clear how the virus was introduced into the facility. There was an outbreak at an assisted living facility in Lander in March but none at a nursing home until now.

Idaho to hold mail-in primary

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho is holding an entirely mail-in primary for the first time as the state works to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Ballots must be requested by Tuesday and returned by 8 p.m. June 2, with results announced that evening.

Democratic voters will see one high-profile name on their ballot: Former 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Paulette Jordan of Plummer is running against former congressional candidate Jim Vandermaas for a chance to challenge GOP Sen. Jim Risch in November.

Jordan garnered national attention during her 2018 campaign amid hopes from supporters that she could become the first Native American governor in the United States.

Cuomo gets tested for coronavirus on live TV

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo got tested for coronavirus on live TV Sunday as he announced all people in the state experiencing flu-like symptoms are now eligible for tests.

Any New Yorkers experiencing flu-like symptoms or those who will be returning to work as part of phased reopenings across the state can now get tested, Cuomo said.

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The state is expanding eligibility as it deals with a surplus of testing capacity. Cuomo said drive-thru and walk-in testing sites are performing about one-third of the 15,000 tests they’re capable of each day.

In all, the state is testing about 40,000 people per day.

An agreement with CVS will allow samples to be collected at more than 60 pharmacies across the state, Cuomo said. Testing in New York City is being expanded to 123 CityMD walk-in clinics.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also made an urgent appeal Sunday for blood donations, saying coronavirus-related blood drive cancellations have led supplies to dwindle to about two days’ worth, which could mean postponing some surgeries.

Navarro: CDC ‘let the country down’ in early response

WASHINGTON — One of President Trump’s top economic advisers is criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying it “let the country down” after initial delays with testing.

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White House trade adviser Peter Navarro declined to say when asked Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether Trump had confidence in the CDC to lead the U.S. pandemic response, saying that was a question for the president.

But Navarro says the CDC “set us back” in the early weeks of the outbreak.

CDC struggled to develop its own diagnostic test for the coronavirus in January, later discovering problems in its kits sent to state and county public health labs in early February.

It took the CDC more than two weeks to come up with a fix, leading to delays in diagnoses as the virus rapidly spread.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Sunday said he disagreed the CDC had let the nation down. He told CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “I believe the CDC serves an important public health role.”

Brazil’s Bolsonaro greets supporters, does push-ups

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro greeted hundreds of supporters — and joined some in a series of push-ups — who gathered before the presidential offices Sunday to back his open-the-economy drive even as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the country.

Demonstrators in Brasilia and Sao Paulo defied local stay-at-home orders to join the pro-Bolsonaro rallies at a time when the president is facing increasing pressure over his handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 15,000 Brazilians.

“We hope to be free of this question soon, for the good of all of us,” Bolsonaro told the crowd in Brasilia. “Brazil will come back stronger.”

Bolsonaro later invited a group of about 20 paratroopers, who were taking part in the protest, to join him on the stoop of the presidential office. The men, wearing camouflage trousers, black Bolsonaro T-shirts and red berets, swore allegiance to the president and his family, stretching their right arms, before some joined him in a series of push-ups.

Supporters have gathered daily at the presidential residence, with larger crowds turning out on weekends.

Some display banners denouncing Congress and the Supreme Court, which they believe are part of a plot to derail Bolsonaro’s presidency.

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Egypt to close businesses, parks for Eid al-Fitr

CAIRO — Egypt has announced it will close shops, malls, beaches and parks during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in an effort to prevent the coronavirus’ spread.

Prime Minister Mustaf Madbouly told a news conference Sunday that during the week-long holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a nighttime curfew will be in place from 5 p.m. until 6 a.m. starting May 17. All public and private transportation will also be halted until May 29.

Madbouly said his government intends to gradually ease virus restrictions by mid-June, including bringing back sports activities and reopening restaurants.

Since mid-March, Egypt has shuttered schools, mosques, churches and archaeological sites. It has also ordered restaurants, coffee shops, malls and gyms to close to encourage people to stay home. A curfew is now in place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Number of people in Italy who died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours sank to 145

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ROME — The number of people in Italy who died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours sank to 145 on Sunday — the lowest number since Italy’s lockdown went into effect.

That brings to 31,908 the number of coronavirus-related deaths in Italy.

The contagion in the first country in Europe to be hit by the virus also has slowed significantly, with just 675 confirmed new cases, according to the country’s civil protection agency.

The true scope of the pandemic in Italy is believed to be much higher as testing is still restricted mostly to people showing symptoms who need to be hospitalized.

The number of currently infected people dropped under 70,000, while more than 125,000 have recovered from the virus.

Pressure on hospitals continues to ease, with 13 fewer patients in intensive care and 89 fewer people hospitalized — important milestones as Italy prepares to open bars, restaurants, shops and other activities on Monday.

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Colorado expects K-12 schools to open in fall

WASHINGTON — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says he expects to see many K-12 public schools open this fall in his state and elsewhere despite the coronavirus threat, though “it’s not going to look like any other school year.”

Polis tells “Fox News Sunday” that Colorado schools will likely run in a “hybrid” fashion that limits social interactions in hallways and during lunchtime, and has up to 20% of kids continue with online classes at home if that’s their parents’ preference.

The Democratic governor says schools also may close periodically when “there’s an inevitable outbreak.”

President Donald Trump has urged K-12 schools to reopen, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told Congress last week it may be reckless to rush kids back before doctors have a better sense of the dangers.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told CNN on Sunday they also hope to reopen some K-12 schools but stressed it ultimately will depend on the latest health guidance on how to keep communities safe.

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Health and Human Services chief refuses to criticize local reopenings

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is declining to criticize local leaders amid images of crowded bars and boardwalks in areas where coronavirus restrictions are being lifted.

Azar told CNN in an interview Sunday that “the president has left it up to states to know their local situation the best,” and said it’s therefore “very hard to judge in any community whether a bar being open, a restaurant, a school is the right thing.”

Azar noted that many counties across the country have yet to suffer a single death, and so, “There should not be one-size-fits-all approaches to reopening.”

But he adds: “Reopen we must because it’s not health versus the economy, it’s actually health vs. health,” citing “serious health consequences” caused by the shutdown, including the risk of suicide, delayed cardiac procedures and cancer screenings.

As for the images, he said: “I think in any individual instance you’re going to see people doing things that are irresponsible,” but says: “That’s part of the freedom we have here in America.”

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New infections slow slightly in Russia

MOSCOW — Russia has recorded a weekly tally of new coronavirus infections lower than the previous week’s, but the country’s chief epidemiologist says residents must continue for a long period to observe measures to prevent the spread.

Russia on Sunday reported 9,709 new cases of COVID-19, the second consecutive day the number of new cases was less than 10,000. Total new cases for the week were 2,937 lower than in the previous week.

Chief epidemiologist Anna Popova said Sunday that the situation has stabilized, but prevention measures will persist.

“There are already new conditions, they are already here, and they will have to be lived with for a long time,” she said.

Russia has recorded more than 281,000 coronavirus cases and 2,631 deaths — a mortality rate well below the world average. However, Russian health officials are not counting deaths the same way as in other countries. The Moscow health department says more than 60% of deaths of people with the coronavirus in Moscow were ascribed to other causes, including cardiovascular ailments, cancer and diseases involving organ failure.

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British police break up rave

TELFORD, England — British police say they broke up a rave in a country park complete with a DJ that was attended by dozens of people, who were ignoring social distancing rules because they were tired of self-isolating.

The Telford police force tweeted that officers found a “mass gathering/rave” in the park northwest of Birmingham attended by 70 people on Saturday night.

The event appeared to be planned in advance, and had a DJ set up, police said. Officers reported that a reveler told them they were “sick of self-isolation.”

Police said officers asked the group to disperse and they did.

Authorities have been concerned about big gatherings this weekend, the first since the British government eased lockdown rules by allowing people more freedom to do outdoor activities.

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India extends stringent lockdown in some regions

NEW DELHI — India has extended a nearly two-month-old stringent lockdown by another two weeks with Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and some other key regions still battling to control the rising curve of coronavirus infections.

The government-run National Disaster Management authority said in a statement on Sunday that fresh guidelines will be issued that keep in view the need to open up economic activity.

A government statement said travel by air and metro will remain shut down nationwide until the end of May. Schools, hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, cinemas and places of worship will also be closed nationally.

Indian media reports said that travel by air, rail and metro will remain shut down nationwide until the end of May. Schools, hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, cinemas and places of worship will also be closed nationally.

On May 4, the government eased some restrictions, allowing reopening of neighborhood shops and manufacturing and farming in rural areas. It also resumed running a limited number of trains, mainly to carry the stranded workers.

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The Health Ministry on Sunday reported a record jump of nearly 5,000 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the number of confirmed cases to 90,927, with 2,872 deaths. India had less than 500 positive cases and nine deaths when the lockdown was first imposed on March 25. The number of daily deaths in India is around 100.

Spain considering making masks mandatory

MADRID — Spain’s health minister says the government will consider making the use of face masks mandatory in public spaces.

Face masks in Spain are currently only mandatory on public transport, while strongly recommended in public spaces. Many people now wear them while out of their homes after Spain managed to overcome a scarcity of masks in the first weeks of the pandemic.

Health Minister Salvador Illa said Sunday that “there is a wide consensus (among Spain’s regional governors) to reinforce the obligation to wear masks.”

Illa said the ministry’s experts still need time to study the details on the new restriction.

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Spain is emerging from a strict lockdown that has slowed down a COVID-19 outbreak that has killed more than 27,000 people in the country and infected more than 277,000.

Two largest Spanish cities still largely shut down

MADRID — Spain’s two largest cities are still largely shut down while most of the country has begun to reopen following a lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Madrid and Barcelona have been told to wait by the government’s health officials since they have been the hardest hit areas and need to improve their capacity to monitor new cases.

That has led to complaints by Madrid’s regional leaders and to daily protests of a few hundred people in one of the capital’s upscale neighborhoods and other cities like Salamanca and Zaragoza. Many marchers carry Spanish flags and shout, “Freedom!”

Spain’s far-right Vox party and the conservative leader of the region have voiced their support for the protests, saying that the city’s economy must restart soon to save jobs.

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Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made a plea on Saturday for his detractors to consider that keeping the health crisis under control was key to protecting the country’s fragile economy.

“By saving lives, we also save businesses and jobs,” Sánchez said.

Turkey continues slow easing of restrictions

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s senior citizens were allowed to leave their homes for a second time as the country continues to ease some coronavirus restrictions.

People above 65 — the age group most at risk of COVID-19 — can be outside for six hours on Sundays, but their lockdown on other days continues. The health minister urged them to wear masks and practice social distance.

Turkey has instituted partial lockdowns, with people above 65 and under 20 ordered to stay home. The measures for senior citizens took effect on March 21 and were relaxed for the first time last Sunday.

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Children and teenagers were also allowed out this week on different days for several hours.

The latest statistics from the health ministry put confirmed infections in Turkey at 148,067 and the death toll at 4,096.

Britain has hired almost 18,000 contact tracers

LONDON — Britain has hired most of the 18,000 contact tracers it needs for a testing and tracking program it plans to roll out next month when lockdown restrictions are eased further.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told the BBC on Sunday that 17,200 people had been recruited, allowing the government to meet its hiring goal by next week.

The contact tracers will track down anyone who has been in close contact with those testing positive for COVID-19. They’re part of program authorities plan to launch in June, when some students will be allowed to return to school and shops can start reopening in phases. Authorities have also been testing a smartphone tracing app to help with the effort.

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The tracers are a mix of people who have clinical training and those who can provide a call center service, Gove said. Britain has Europe’s highest death toll and number of confirmed virus cases.

Residents flock back to Thai shopping malls

BANGKOK — Thais have been streaming into shopping malls as the country eases another restriction imposed to fight the threat of the coronavirus.

The government decided to allow the malls to reopen as Thailand’s number of new COVID-19 cases dwindled to single digits for all but one day over more than two weeks.

Malls had been closed since March as a measure to combat the spread of the virus. The government will watch to see whether the infection rate remains low before deciding on the next phase of the plan to restore normality.

Spain registers fewer than 100 deaths

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MADRID — Spain has registered its first daily death toll of fewer than 100 confirmed fatalities since declaring a state of emergency to fight the coronavirus two months ago.

Spain’s health minister says regional authorities have reported 87 new deaths, the lowest daily count since March 16. Spain reported over 900 deaths a day at the height of the outbreak.

The country of 47 million has had 27,650 deaths and 277,719 infections from COVID-19.

Spain is easing its strict lockdown measures that succeeded in slowing the spread of the virus but have also brought its economy to a halt.

Johnson says there might never be vaccine

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there might never be a vaccine for COVID-19 despite the huge global effort to develop one.

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The British government is giving $110 million in funding to speed up the opening of the new Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Center. Johnson said Britain also is supporting research into drug treatments to help people recover quickly from the virus.

Johnson wrote in the Mail on Sunday newspaper “there remains a very long way to go, and I must be frank that a vaccine might not come to fruition.”

Johnson says “we need to find new ways to control the virus,” including testing people who have symptoms and tracing contacts of those infected people.

The British government relaxed some restrictions on outdoor activities in England last week and plans to continue easing rules over the next few months.

Johnson says “I know this will not be easy — the first baby steps never are.”

Churches open in Greece

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ATHENS, Greece — Churches throughout Greece have opened their doors to the faithful after two months.

They limited the number of congregants and dispensed disinfectant outside, but communion was given using the same spoon.

Those who flocked to churches for Sunday Mass sat three chairs apart and observed social distancing of at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) from each other. The number of people attending was limited to 1 per 10 square meters (108 sq ft). Many were left outside, but avoided crowding, and churches used loudspeakers to broadcast Mass.

Some churches performed Mass two or three times to accommodate the number of people who showed up.

Greece is gradually easing strict quarantine measures which were imposed in March and have helped limit fatalities from COVID-19 to 162. There have been fewer than 3,000 confirmed cases.

Greeks will be able to travel freely in the mainland and on the island of Crete starting Monday. Bars, cafes and restaurants will reopen March 25.

 


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