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As the day unfolded: Global COVID-19 cases pass 3.4 million; nursing home under investigation; Australia’s death toll stands at 95

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

Matt Bungard, Laura Chung and Latika Bourke

Updated May 3, 2020 — 10:00pm,first published May 3, 2020 — 12:18am

Summary

The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 244,000. There are more than 3.4 million known cases of infection but more than 1.1 million people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally
In Australia, the death toll stands at 95 and there are 6801 confirmed cases
Every staff member at a western Sydney aged care home at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak will soon be tested daily after a 14th resident died and two more staff members had tested positive to coronavirus
Boris Johnson and fiancée Carrie Symonds pay tribute to doctors with son's name
The UK's death toll climed above 28,000 putting it on the verge of registering the most deaths in Europe

10.00pm on May 3, 2020

We are closing the blog for the evening

Thanks for joining us. Here's what you may have missed from today:

There are 6801 cases around Australia, and the death toll has increased to 95 after two confirmed deaths on Sunday.
The number of global cases is now more than 3.4 million, with almost 1.1 million recovered and 243,000 deaths.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will continue to press Victoria to fully reopen schools, despite federal Education Minister Dan Tehan withdrawing his accusation that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had shown a "failure of leadership".
Western Australia has recorded its fourth day in a row of no new cases of coronavirus however the state's death toll has risen to nine after an elderly woman died.
Pressure is building on New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to ease the nation's successful lockdown measures.
Every staff member at a western Sydney aged care home at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak will soon be tested daily for coronavirus.
Cricket Australia officials have told stakeholders a $50 million loan with the Commonwealth Bank is a “done deal”, a development that has triggered fresh questions about the governing body’s decision to stand down most of its staff for a saving of $3m.
Queensland's COVID-19 testing rate, considered crucial to controlling the pandemic, has fluctuated significantly in the 95 days since Queensland's first case.
NRL players will not be forced to download the federal government’s COVIDSafe app or get the flu vaccine to play, although the latter group will be asked to sign a waiver form.
The Victorian government refuses to identify a meat processing plant at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak, despite six more workers testing positive to COVID-19.

We will be continuing our coverage of the health crisis overnight and into Monday with Latika Bourke. You can find that blog here.

Matt Bungard signing off.

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9.41pm on May 3, 2020

Europe's declining virus deaths spur tensions on easing limits

Deaths from the coronavirus declined in Spain and Germany, putting pressure on political leaders to further ease restrictions that have strangled Europe's economy.

Spain's 164 fatalities were the fewest in more than six weeks, while Germany's 76 deaths were the lowest since March 31.

German Cardinal and Archbishop Rainer Woelki, right, celebrate the first church service at Germany's most famous Cologne Cathedral since the ban due of the coronavirus pandemic.AP

In Italy, where lockdown rules are slowly being lifted, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte apologized for delays in distributing financial aid and pushed back against criticism, especially in the industrial north, that he's being too cautious.

"There is delusion among many economic operators," Conte told La Stampa. "I understand them, but to restart the economic cycle of goods and services that are less essential we need customers to feel safe and protected."

While Spain allowed residents out of their homes to exercise and walk this weekend for the first time since mid-March, the easing of lockdown restrictions in a stir-crazy continent lays bare the fears of some companies - and their employees - that they won't survive the economic pandemic.

"I'm not sure what will be left," said Alberto Visentini, whose sporting goods store near Milan's Central Station has been shut since early March. Visentini, 61, had originally been told he could reopen March 25.

The euro-area economy could shrink as much as 12 per cent this year and fail to return to its pre-coronavirus size until the end of 2022, the European Central Bank said last week.

The report is the latest to show how early predictions of a strong rebound in the second half of the year have given way to uncertainty over the timing of the recovery, as countries plot different paths to ease lockdowns.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces a parliamentary vote this week on extending the state of emergency that began March 14. With the vote scheduled for May 6, the phase-out of the lockdown is set to start May 4 and proceed in stages, depending on local pandemic data.

Sanchez said yesterday that the Spanish economy, which is driven by tourism, would likely contract more than 9 per cent this year.

Four islands, three in the Canaries and one in the Balearics, will be the first areas allowed to open restaurants, bars, hotels and stores following strict guidelines regarding social distancing. Spain's government has said the use of masks will be mandatory on public transport as of Monday.

Ahead of the phasing out, over the weekend, the government allowed people out of their homes to exercise and walk. It has set time slots for when exercise is allowed and when people over 65 can be on the street, given their higher risk from the disease.

The UK, the region's second-biggest economy, has been slower to ease restrictions.

While the government insists the country has passed the peak of the outbreak, the virus continues to claim several hundred victims a day, and total fatalities now top 28,000, leaving the country poised to overtake Italy as the second-hardest hit after the United States.

Bloomberg

9.22pm on May 3, 2020

Prof Kerryn Phelps supports Andrews in school caution

Former AMA President and Wentworth MP Professor Kerryn Phelps has voiced her support from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in his government's cautious approach to re-opening schools.

In a post on Facebook and video on Facebook Watch, Prof Phelps explained her support.

"Teachers across Australia have worked so hard to set up remote learning, with schools remaining open for children whose parents are not able to home school them," Prof Phelps said.

"We have right balance. We must not take risks with the health of children and teachers and school administration staff, especially while there is still a high degree of uncertainty.

"I agree with the Victorian government that now is not the time to relax the precautions in schools."

9.03pm on May 3, 2020

South Korea to relax social distancing rules further

South Korea will further relax social distancing rules from May 6, allowing a phased re-opening of businesses, as the nation has largely managed to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday.

Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus rather than rely on the lengthy lockdowns seen elsewhere.

The government "will allow businesses to resume at facilities in phases that had remained closed up until now, and also allow gatherings and events to take place assuming they follow disinfection guidelines," the prime minister told a televised meeting of government officials.

Further easing of rules means public facilities such as parks, libraries as well as schools could reopen in phases, although the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended citizens to continue to exercise some caution in everyday life.

The new guidelines from the government advise everyone to stay home for three to four days if they feel unwell, stay arms-apart with others in public spaces, and wash hands frequently.

Seoul extended its social distancing policy until May 5 even as it managed to bring down daily infection cases of more than 900 in late February to around 10 per day in the past week.

The national tally is at 10,793 as of midnight Saturday, with 250 deaths.

8.50pm on May 3, 2020

India has biggest one-day jump in cases

India on Sunday reported its biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases as the country entered the 40th day of a nationwide lockdown.

Indian laborers wearing masks report for the day's work at a metro rail construction site in Kochi, Kerala.AP

Confirmed infections are nearing the 40,000 mark and the death toll is 1,301, including 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, officials said.

The 2600 newly confirmed cases are a single-day high for the country.

The six-week lockdown, which was supposed to end last Monday, has been extended another two weeks, with a few relaxations.

8.30pm on May 3, 2020

Watch: Iconic NYC bar re-opens

The Greenwich Village landmark first opened more than a hundred years ago, fast becoming a spot for New York’s Italian migrant community.

In 2015, it was revamped as Dante by its new owners, Australian husband-and-wife Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson.

8.09pm on May 3, 2020

Abe to extend Japan's state of emergency until end of May

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will extend a national state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak until May 31, local broadcaster NHK reported.

Abe on Thursday signalled it would be difficult to lift the emergency on May 6 as originally planned, citing severe conditions in the health-care system.

The extension means regional governors, who are largely in favour of keeping the measures, will continue to be empowered to direct businesses to close and to urge private citizens to stay in their homes.

The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in the world's third-largest economy is on a downward trend, raising hopes that the government measures have had some effect. Experts have warned of the risks of letting the guard down too soon, while limited testing makes it hard to assess the true scale of infections.

Japan had about 14,800 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, the lowest official tally among Group of Seven leading democracies.

Tokyo, the nation's worst-hit region, announced 46 new cases April 30, compared with a peak of 201 two weeks earlier.

More than 4000 people are infected in the capital.

"It would be difficult to return to our previous lives on May 7," Abe told reporters Thursday.

"We need to prepare for something of a protracted battle."

He said he would consult experts about the length of the extension and announce it ahead of time to allow time for preparation.

Bloomberg

7.56pm on May 3, 2020

Cricket Australia secures $50 million loan and applies for more

By Chris Barrett

Cricket Australia officials have told stakeholders a $50 million loan with the Commonwealth Bank is a “done deal”, a development that has triggered fresh questions about the governing body’s decision to stand down most of its staff for a saving of $3m.

As Australia coach Justin Langer, himself reduced to a part-time wage, said a renewed emphasis on club and state cricket coming out of coronavirus was “an amazing opportunity”, the fallout from CA’s painful cost-cutting last month continues.

The board of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, whose president is former Test all-rounder Shane Watson, will convene early this week to formalise a position on the state of the game’s finances, which have been painted in a bleak manner by CA chief executive Kevin Roberts.

There will be another session, meanwhile, between CA and state associations on Tuesday around the proposal for them to take a 25 per cent reduction in grants from head office.

Read the full story here

7.32pm on May 3, 2020

Rohingya refugees floating at sea land on Bangladesh island

At least 29 Rohingya refugees from a fishing boat floating in the Bay of Bengal for weeks have landed on an island in southern Bangladesh, officials said Sunday.

The refugees, including 15 women and six children, landed on Bhasan Char island on Saturday and are believed to be from one of several boats stuck at sea, said Tonmoy Das, local chief government official in Noakhali district.

At least two dozen Rohingyan migrants died on the boat and many more boats are believed to remain adrift. AP

Das said food, doctors and a team of 10 policemen were sent to the island to take care of the refugees.

An official from Bangladesh's Refugee Commissioner's office in Cox's Bazar district said the office was aware of the development. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Rights groups say hundreds of Rohingya are stranded on at least two fishing trawlers between Bangladesh and Malaysia. The refugees reportedly attempted to illegally reach Malaysia, but failed because of strict patrols to keep out the coronavirus.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims came to Bangladesh starting in August 2017, when the military in Buddhist-majority Myanmar began a harsh crackdown against them in response to an attack by insurgents. Global rights groups and the U.N. have called the campaign ethnic cleansing involving rapes, killings and torching of thousands of homes. Currently more than 1 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh.

7.08pm on May 3, 2020

Elimination of COVID-19 possible in Victoria if lockdown endures

By Tom Cowie

The complete elimination of COVID-19 in Victoria is still a possibility, but one that would require the maintenance – and perhaps upgrading – of the state's strict social distancing restrictions.

Epidemiologists told The Age that maintaining the state's restrictions and border lockdowns could lead to the virus being eliminated, rather than suppressed. Their comments come as other states begin to loosen their lockdown regimes after positive signs of flattening the curve of infection.

'I'm going to exaggerate a little bit but you can pretty much have the MCG open for say, 20,000 people.'Getty Images

Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton have continued to maintain the need for one of the country's strictest lockdowns. They have stuck to May 11 as the date when stage three restrictions could be reviewed and downgraded.

Victoria recorded its sharpest increase in new cases in two weeks on Sunday as the total rose by 13 to 1384. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos attributed the rise in part to the biggest day of testing by any state. The state is attempting to test 100,000 people before May 11.