China reports possible new wave of Covid-19 cases; Greece extends migrant camp lockdown – as it happened

This is where we’ll close this live blog. To keep following global rolling coverage of the pandemic, head over to our new blog here.

Here are some of the key points from over the last six hours.

• The global death toll has passed 280,000. The total number of coronavirus fatalities stands at 282,495, according to Johns Hopkins University. Globally, 4,091,297 cases have been confirmed.
• ‘This is not the time to end the lockdown,’ Boris Johnson has said. In a speech condemned by some as confusing, the UK prime minister said some schools in England and some shops might be able to open next month, and the government was “actively encouraging” people to return to work if they cannot work from home. Johnson encouraged workers to avoid public transport, and said restaurants and cafes should not expect to open until at least July.
• South Africa has passed 10,000 confirmed cases. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa stands at 10,015, including 194 fatalities, health minister Zwelini Mkhize has announced. 84% of new cases are in Western Cape and Eastern Cape, and eight new deaths have been recorded.
• A leading Latin American airline has filed for bankruptcy. Avianca Holdings, Latin America’s No. 2 airline and one of the oldest in the world, has filed for bankruptcy, after failing to secure aid from Colombia’s government and with a bond payment deadline looming. Avianca could be one of the first major carriers worldwide to go under as a result of the pandemic.
• Poland must declare new election date within 14 days, the head of Poland’s electoral commission has said. The central European country had been due to hold a presidential election on Sunday and, while the vote was not officially cancelled or postponed, the electoral commission had said on Thursday it could not be held due to the coronavirus crisis.
• France will be exempt from UK’s quarantine restrictions. The British and French governments have released a joint statement saying that the French will be exempt from the UK’s proposed quarantine restrictions, following a call between the countries’ leaders.
• France has reported its lowest daily death toll since lockdown. France reported 70 more deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, its lowest daily toll since the lockdown began on 17 March, as it prepared to ease restrictions. The new deaths brought the total toll in hospitals and nursing homes to 26,380.
• The WHO has suspended activity in Yemen’s Houthi-held areas. The World Health Organization has suspended staff activity at its hubs in Houthi-held areas of Yemen in a move sources said aimed to pressure the group to be more transparent about suspected coronavirus cases. The Houthis have reported just two cases, compared to the government’s 34.

That’s it from me for now, I’ll hand over to my colleague Helen Davidson in Sydney. Thanks for following along, particularly to those who wrote in. Take care.

Boris Johnson has been warned by trade unions that ordering many people back to work from as early as Monday is a “recipe for chaos” in the absence of urgent action to safeguard workers’ health, Richard Partington and Rob Davies write.

The UK prime minister said on Sunday that anyone who cannot work from home should be “actively encouraged” to return to their jobs from Monday. Detailing plans to gradually reopen the British economy after more than a month of tough controls during the health emergency, he said those in manufacturing and construction jobs in particular should be encouraged to return.

Read the full report here.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa has topped 10,000, including 194 fatalities, health minister Zwelini Mkhize has announced.

“As of today, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa is 10,015,” the minister said in a statement. “We note with concern that the Western Cape and Eastern Cape combined comprises 84% of the total new cases.”

The death toll of 194 is an increase of eight on the previous figure.

Since 1 May the government has gradually eased the confinement measures put in place in late March to stem the spread of the virus. South Africa is the country worst-hit in sub-Saharan Africa.

Here’s a handy overview of how European countries are emerging from lockdown, courtesy of AFP.

• France: Hair salons, clothes shops, florists and bookshops will open again on Monday. Bars, restaurants, theatres and cinemas remain closed. Primary schools will take small numbers of pupils, depending on space. Masks will be obligatory on public transport. Everyone will be able to move outside without having to present a form on demand but people will only be able to go 100 kilometres from their place of residence.
• Belgium: Most businesses will open Monday, with social distancing. Masks are recommended. Cafes, restaurants and bars remain closed. In central Brussels there will be speed limits on cars and priority will be given to cyclists and pedestrians. Schools remain closed until 18 May.
• Britain: People will be actively encouraged to return to work from this week if they cannot work from home. Unlimited outdoor exercise will be allowed from Wednesday. From 1 June (at the earliest) nurseries and primary schools may reopen, and some non-essential shops. By July, at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places could be reopened.
• The Netherlands: Primary schools will partially reopen Monday. Driving schools, hair salons, physiotherapists and libraries also return, with social distancing measures.
• Switzerland: Primary and middle schools will reopen Monday, with classes often reduced in size. Restaurants, museums and bookshops will also open, with conditions. Meetings of more than five people remain banned.
• Spain: Half of Spain’s 47 million people will be able to meet with family or friends in gatherings of up to 10 as of Monday. Outdoor spaces at bars and restaurants can reopen with limited capacity. Hardest-hit Madrid and Barcelona are excluded from the easing, though football clubs FC Barcelona resumed training on Friday and Real Madrid will follow Monday. Only movements within provinces are authorised and cinemas and theatres remain closed. Schools will not start up again until September.
• Italy: While schools remain closed until September, factories, building sites and offices reopened on 4 May. Social distancing rules are in place in parks. Wearing masks is mandatory on public transport. All retail businesses will reopen on 18 May, as will museums, cultural sites, churches and libraries. Bars and restaurants will reopen from 1 June, along with hair and beauty salons.
• Germany: Eating in restaurants is now possible in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the country’s first cafes and restaurants reopened on Saturday. Under Germany’s federal system, each of the 16 states makes its own decisions on how to emerge from lockdown and cafes and restaurants will reopen in a number of other states in the coming days and weeks. Most shops are already open and children are slowly returning to classrooms. Bundesliga football matches are also set to resume. Heeding signs of a second wave, German authorities have agreed to reimpose restrictions locally if an area has more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over a week.
• Austria: Hairdressers, tennis courts and golf courses reopened in the first weekend in May. Travel restrictions have been lifted and gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed, with social distancing. Masks are compulsory in public transport and shops. Final-year school students returned to class on 4 May ahead of a gradual return for others.
• Poland: Hotels can reopen on Monday but foreign tourists must quarantine for two weeks on arrival.
• Denmark: Shopping centres reopen in Denmark on Monday. Primary schools opened in mid-April and secondary schools will open on 18 May.
• Norway: Schools opened for pupils aged 6-10 at the end of April, and all classes will start again Monday. Bars and leisure centres remain closed until 1 June.
• Iceland: Universities, museums and hair salons reopened on 4 May.
• Finland: Schools will start up again on 14 May, with social distancing measures.
• Croatia: Outdoor spaces at bars and restaurants reopen Monday and gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed. Kindergartens and schools will resume on a voluntary basis.
• Serbia: Nursery schools will welcome children from Monday.
• Greece: Following bookshops and hairdressers reopening on 4 May, all other shops will resume trading on Monday. Shopping centres remain closed until 1 June. The Acropolis and all archeological sites will reopen 18 May. Museums reopen on 15 June.

Overcrowding and outmoded design may have made Canada’s care homes more vulnerable to Covid-19, experts have said.

Jodi Hall, chair of the Canadian Association for Long Term Care, said the pandemic’s toll has highlighted the chronic problem of government underfunding of long-term care homes, CBC reports.

Many homes maintain four-bed, hospital-like wards, where residents are separated only by a curtain.

Around 80% of all Covid-19-related deaths in Canada have been in long-term care facilities, according to CBC.

In light of the devastating impact on homes, New Democratic party leader Jagmeet Singh has called for an end to privatised facilities, advocating a universal framework for senior care.

In an interview aired on its network, CTV reports Singh as saying the government must work to bring long-term care under the Canada Health Act and make it federally regulated, while abolishing the private system.

Avianca Holdings, Latin America’s No. 2 airline and one of the oldest in the world, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, as a bond payment deadline loomed and after pleas for aid from Colombia’s government to weather the coronavirus crisis have so far been unsuccessful.

If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Avianca would be one of the first major carriers worldwide to go under as a result of the pandemic, which has resulted in a 90% decline in global air travel.

Avianca has not flown a regularly scheduled passenger flight since late March and most of its 20,000 employees have gone without pay through the crisis.

While Avianca was already weak before the coronavirus outbreak, its bankruptcy filing highlights the challenges for airlines that cannot count on state rescues to avoid bankruptcy restructuring. An Avianca representative told Reuters it is still trying to secure government loans.

Meanwhile in Poland, the head of the electoral commission has said that the speaker of parliament has 14 days to declare the date of a new presidential election, according to Reuters.

Poland had been due to hold a presidential election on Sunday and, while the vote was not officially cancelled or postponed, the electoral commission had said on Thursday it could not be held due to the coronavirus crisis.

The municipality of Kos, the Greek island home to Hippocrates, regarded as the father of medicine and author of the Hippocratic oath, has made this video thanking medical staff worldwide.

Following Boris Johnson’s announcement that English primary schools could partially reopen in June, have a read through this piece about how home schooling is - or isn’t - working around the world.

Downing Street has just released a joint statement from the British and French governments, following a call between Boris Johnson and the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

It says the French will be exempt from the UK’s proposed quarantine restrictions.

[The leaders] stressed the need for close bilateral, European and international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.

The leaders spoke about the need to manage the risk of new transmissions arising from abroad, as the rate of coronavirus decreases domestically.

In this regard, the prime minister and the president agreed to work together in taking forward appropriate border measures. This cooperation is particularly necessary for the management of our common border.

No quarantine measures would apply to travellers coming from France at this stage; any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner. A working group between the two governments will be set up to ensure this consultation throughout the coming weeks.

For more on Boris Johnson’s speech, be sure to read political correspondent Peter Walker’s piece here.