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Dwindling cases of coronavirus<\/strong> across Asia Pacific, the stabilisation of the outbreak in Europe, and the gradual easing of restrictions around the world were positives offset this week by persistently high fatalities in the United States and Europe, and emerging hotspots in parts of Latin America and Russia. Beaches in Sydney<\/a> and the Gold Coast<\/a> were reopened as cases slowed in Australia, Hong Kong reported no new infections for the first time in almost two months<\/a>, and daily cases in South Korea were kept down to the single digits<\/a>. On the other hand Singapore had seen a second surge of infections, overwhelmingly caused by clusters in foreign worker dormitories, and as consecutive days of more than 1,000 new cases took the tally beyond 10,000<\/a>, the country extended its circuit-breaker measures until the start of June<\/a>. Singapore was now in a three-way battle with Indonesia and the Philippines for the highest number of confirmed cases in Southeast Asia, as Indonesia warned against the annual Ramadan exodus from cities to home villages<\/a>, while Thailand extended a nationwide alcohol ban<\/a>. Across the Middle East, Lebanon reported no new cases amid anti-government protests<\/a>, infections were on the rise in Saudi Arabia<\/a> and Turkey<\/a>, and as recoveries outpaced infections in Israel<\/a>, a coalition deal was finally agreed between political rivals Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Europe gradual gains faced off against enduring losses. Germany allowed smaller shops to reopen<\/a>, the Czech Republic lifted restrictions on open-air markets<\/a>, and Italy<\/a> and Austria<\/a> laid the groundwork for loosening up. But cultural events continued to fall by the wayside, with the cancellations of Oktoberfest<\/a> and the Pamplona running of the bulls<\/a> and the postponement of the European Women’s Championship<\/a>, while face masks became mandatory across Germany<\/a>, Ireland<\/a> and Denmark<\/a>\u00a0put large gatherings on hold until September, and Spain, now with cases beyond 200,000<\/a>, sought to extend its state of alarm<\/a>. Infections kept on mounting across Russia<\/a>, but while deaths remained stubbornly high in Italy and Spain, and fatalities in France surpassed 20,000<\/a>, active cases<\/a> and hospitalisations<\/a> showed a steady retreat. The United Kingdom bucked the trend as after a couple of days below five hundred, daily fatalities shot back up to 823<\/a>, public efforts towards a potential vaccine intensifying<\/a> as the death toll reached a twenty-year peak<\/a>.<\/p>\n Scientific analysis and data tracking suggested the under-reporting of deaths in China<\/a> and the United Kingdom<\/a>, while rectifying the first incidents of the virus in China<\/a> and the United States<\/a>. President Trump sought to change the narrative with a renewed focus on immigration, issuing an executive order where with exemptions for guest workers and family members, new immigration to the United States was put on hold for sixty days<\/a>. Deaths in the state of New York had dropped below five hundred for the first time weeks<\/a>, but spiked to a high of 379 in New Jersey<\/a>, and by the middle of the week deaths in the two states had topped 15,000<\/a> and 5,000<\/a> respectively, while reopening plans<\/a> courted controversy<\/a> in a host of southern states<\/a>. Meanwhile Mexico entered ‘phase three’, a stage of intensifying spread<\/a>. Financial markets continued to feel the effects, as United States oil prices suffered their worst day on record, with one futures contract turning negative for the first time in history, meaning producers of West Texas Intermediate crude would have to pay for traders to take oil off their hands<\/a>. Gross domestic product in the Chinese epicentre of Hubei shrank by 40 percent in the first quarter<\/a>. And unemployment continued to soar in France<\/a> and the United States<\/a>. In the midst of the economic fallout, Denmark and Poland took an unusual tack by denying financial aid to firms registered in tax havens<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the weekend edged into view, the World Health Organization warned of ‘worrying upward trends’ in parts of Latin America and Africa<\/a>, but Ghana had already eased restrictions<\/a> and South Africa prepared to follow suit<\/a>. The country was one of several, including the United States<\/a> and Mexico<\/a>, to unveil a major package of economic relief<\/a>.\u00a0Restrictions were extended in the Philippines<\/a>, Pakistan<\/a>, and Indonesia<\/a>, but new cases in Singapore dropped back below a thousand<\/a>, measures eased in Vietnam<\/a>, and Hong Kong reported no new cases for the second time this week<\/a>. Turkey marked a century of parliament<\/a> and announced a four-day curfew across thirty-one provinces<\/a>, before the month of Ramadan commenced<\/a> with social distancing<\/a> but some eased restrictions<\/a> across the Muslim world<\/a>.<\/p>\n Across Europe fatalities in Italy<\/a> and Spain<\/a> fell to their lowest in a month, as more countries<\/a> talked of easing restrictions<\/a>. Greece marginally extended its lockdown<\/a>, and Belgium reported an excess mortality rate of 80 percent<\/a> amid suggestions that the country was actually over-reporting fatalities<\/a> by incorporating every suspected case of COVID-19<\/a>. Alarums sounded for the situation in care homes, which were reportedly responsible for up to half of Europe’s coronavirus deaths<\/a>. Germany followed China, the US, and the UK by approving human trials of vaccine candidates<\/a>, the first human trial in Europe began in Oxford<\/a>, but trials of the potential treatment remdesivir suggested the antiviral medicine brought no benefit<\/a>. Deaths in Sweden passed 2,000<\/a>, and a revised study by the public health agency suggesting that 26 percent of Stockholm will soon have been infected by coronavirus brought renewed attention<\/a> to possible immunity<\/a> and infection rates<\/a>. In a similar sort of study, antibody tests in New York City indicated infections in approximately a fifth of New Yorkers<\/a>. If science led the way, Donald Trump backpedalled frantically as he pondered whether the virus might be cured by inserting sunlight beneath the skin or injecting disinfectant<\/a>. Meanwhile the death toll in America passed 50,000<\/a>, even as deaths stabilised in New Jersey<\/a> and New York<\/a>, and while Gretchen Whitmer extended Michigan’s stay-at-home order<\/a>, Georgia<\/a>, Oklahoma<\/a>, and Alaska<\/a> began to open up.<\/p>\n Over the weekend bleak reports<\/a> concerning the situation in Ecuador<\/a> were at least partially confirmed when increased testing capacity saw the total number of cases double in the span of a day<\/a>, placing the country second in Latin America to Brazil, which was experiencing stretched hospitals<\/a> and political tumult<\/a>. The Saudi-led coalition extended its unilateral ceasefire in Yemen<\/a>, and despite a spike in cases India suddenly opened shops<\/a>. In Australia<\/a> and New Zealand<\/a>, Anzac Day was celebrated from driveways and deserted memorial sites, and Italy and Portugal marked Liberation Day still largely confined to their homes<\/a>. While the World Health Organization had launched an initiative to accelerate work on tests, drugs, and vaccines<\/a>, on Saturday the agency warned that evidence for immunity among recovered patients remained slight<\/a>. Doctors in Pakistan went on hunger strike over the lack of personal protective equipment<\/a>, the latest in a line of protests after anti-government demonstrators socially distanced in Israel<\/a> and freedom fighters clustered in the United States<\/a> earlier in the week. With 813 new deaths, the tally in Britain surpassed 20,000<\/a>. There were now more than 200,000 deaths across the globe<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wuhan was declared free of coronavirus on Sunday as the last patients left hospitals<\/a>, and zero deaths were reported in South Korea<\/a> and Hong Kong<\/a>, though cases in Singapore saw a slight uptick<\/a>. South Africa established four levels of restriction to be implemented from the beginning of May<\/a>, even as cases across the continent rose to 30,000 following a recent spurt<\/a>. Sri Lanka reimposed lockdown<\/a> after a surge in naval cases<\/a>, recoveries outpaced infections in Turkey<\/a>, and Iran made plans to reopen mosques<\/a>. Infections in Russia stormed past 80,000<\/a>, but otherwise the crisis across Europe showed all the signs of easing up. Italy recorded its lowest daily death total since 14 March<\/a>, as the country outlined plans to reopen the economy starting 4 May<\/a>. Fatalities fell in France<\/a>, cases remained low in Germany<\/a>, and children in Spain were allowed outdoors after weeks of confinement<\/a> as deaths dropped to their lowest for five weeks<\/a>. The death toll even flattened in the United Kingdom<\/a>, just in time for Boris Johnson to return to work<\/a>. Andrew Cuomo in New York tentatively discussed reopening plans<\/a>, and a stay-at-home order was allowed to expire in Colorado<\/a> as more states took pains to ease the economic impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n