© Photographer: Alexandra Beier/Getty Images EuropeBavaria Begins Opening Beer Gardens As Lockdown Measures Ease
(Bloomberg) --
Germany's contagion rate fell further below a key threshold on Saturday, making it more likely that pandemic restrictions will ease in coming days as a third wave of the coronavirus recedes.
© Photographer: Alexandra Beier/Getty Images EuropeBavaria Begins Opening Beer Gardens As Lockdown Measures Ease
Vietnam reported its first death from Covid-19 since September as domestic cases climb.
Taiwan raised the alert level in Taipei to battle a surge in local infections, imposing restrictions on gatherings and ordered entertainment businesses to shutter operations.
Key Developments
Global Tracker: Cases top 161.9 million; deaths exceed 3.35 million
Vaccine Tracker: More than 1.41 billion doses have been givenWhy mutated
coronavirus variants are so worrisome: QuickTakeSingapore's tourism industry races to abide by new
Covid rulesA day in the life of Wall Street shows NYC at
cusp of comebackPutin got vaccinated but still only a
select few can meet him
Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg's Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.
Vietnam Sees First Covid Death in 2021 (5:40 p.m. HK)
Vietnam reported its first death from Covid-19 this year on Saturday. An 89-year-old woman died after being treated for pneumonia caused by the virus at a Hanoi hospital, according to the health ministry. It was the nation's first reported virus death since September, the ministry's news website Suc Khoe Doi Song said.
The country confirmed 823 new domestic virus cases since April 27, taking the total number of local virus cases during the pandemic to 3,854, with 36 deaths.
Soldiers Deployed for Tests in English Town (5:02 p.m. HK)
Soldiers will be sent to the English town of Bolton to hand out tests on the street, according to The Times. The town's infection rate has more than doubled in a week, with cases reaching 193 per 100,000 in the seven days to May 9, government data show.
Singapore Reports 19 New Local Cases (4:50 p.m. HK)
Singapore reported 19 new local virus cases on Saturday and 12 imported infections.
Checking in to a hotel room in Singapore, starting Sunday, could also mean agreeing to random checks from staff to ensure only two guests are in the room, a step one hotel in the Marina Bay area is asking customers to agree to.
People who breach the safety measures may be fined as much as S$10,000 ($7,506) or jailed for as long as six months, or both, according to the document given to staycationers at check-in.
Moscow Cancels Popular Running Race (4:36 p.m. HK)
Cases in Moscow remained above 3,000 for a second day on Saturday, after jumping to the highest level since January on Friday. While President Vladimir Putin oversaw his annual Victory Day parade on Red Square last weekend, a popular running race through the Russian capital scheduled for this Sunday was canceled because of the epidemiological situation.
Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said the virus situation remains tense and "the numbers don't make us happy," state news service Tass reported on Friday.
Germany's infection rate falls further (4:16 p.m. HK)
Infections in Germany dropped to 87.3 per 100,000 people over the past seven days, the lowest level since mid-March, according to the RKI public-health institute. The country's lockdown law allows curbs to be loosened if the incidence rate falls below 100 for five consecutive working days.
More than 30 million citizens, or 36.5% of the population, have received at least a first shot of Covid-19 vaccine, and more than 9 million are fully inoculated, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a Twitter post.
Philippines Registers 6,739 New Daily Cases (4 p.m. HK)
The number of cases in the Philippines remained elevated, rising by 6,739, according to the latest update on Saturday, as the total number of deaths surpassed 19,000.
Czech Republic Reports 1,050 New Covid Cases (3:39 p.m. HK)
Infections in the Czech Republic slipped further. The country recorded 1,050 new daily Covid cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday, fewer than the 1,218 in the previous 24 hours and less than half the daily level seen at the start of May.
India Infections Maintain Downward Trend (1:50 p.m. HK)
India reported 326,098 new infections Saturday, keeping with a downward trend the past week after hitting an all-time high of more than 414,000 cases earlier this month, stirring hope the virus curve may have peaked in the Asian nation.
India's total infection tally has now crossed 24 million while Covid-related deaths have exceeded 266,200, according to latest data from India's health ministry. More than 180 million Covid vaccines have been administered in in the country so far, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker.
Hong Kong Hospital Staff Hesitant on Vaccines (11:05 a.m. HK)
Just 24,000 hospital employees in Hong Kong have been vaccinated, roughly 30% of the total, Henry Fan, chairman of the Hospital Authority, said on the RTHK radio show Saturday morning.
Hong Kong had vaccinated just 12.6% of its residents as of May 14, despite having enough doses for the entire population. The government has urged people to be inoculated before September when some shots expire as unused vaccines pile up.
Taiwan Tightens Curbs as Local Infections Rise (11 a.m. HK)
Authorities in Taiwan encouraged people to stay at home this weekend as a record 180 new local cases were reported on Saturday. Indoor family and social gatherings in Taipei will be limited to five people, while outdoor ones will be restricted to 10, they said.
The alert level for Taipei and New Taipei city will be raised until May 28, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said in a briefing on Saturday. Schools and offices will remain open.
Support for Japan's Suga Hits New Low (10:55 a.m. HK)
Support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga fell to 32.2%, the lowest since he took office in September, in a poll published by Jiji Press late Friday.
The proportion of respondents saying they didn't support him rose to 44.6%, the highest level so far, amid growing dissatisfaction over his handling of the pandemic and the vaccine rollout.
The survey is the latest in a series to show flagging support, as Suga faces an election for leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September and a general election that must be held by October.
Thailand Reports New Cases (9:41 a.m. HK)
Thailand reported 3,095 new virus cases on Saturday, after registering a record 4,887 infections two days earlier. Since April 1 it has added 70,282.
Rakuten CEO Warns Against Olympics (9:22 a.m. HK)
Holding the Olympics as planned in Tokyo this summer would be like a "suicide mission" because Japan has been so late in vaccinating its population, Hiroshi Mikitani, the chief executive of Japanese online retailer Rakuten Group Inc. said in an interview with broadcaster CNN.
Work Begins on Reopening U.S.-Canada Border (9:11 a.m. HK)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has begun preliminary internal discussions about reopening the border with the U.S., even as Canada remains well behind its neighbor in vaccinations.
Senior officials have begun to formally talk about options for how to proceed, three people familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition they not be identified. One question under consideration is whether to employ a two-track system in which quarantine and testing requirements would be relaxed for vaccinated travelers.
Oklahoma Reports India Variant (6:15 a.m. HK)
Oklahoma has found a cluster of 17 cases of a virus variant first found in India, the state's department of health reported. Among the cases, three people were fully vaccinated and two were partially vaccinated. The B.1.617.2 variant, which is also spreading quickly in the U.K., is not listed as a variant of concern by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Maryland, Virginia Lift Mask Mandates (5:59 p.m. NY)
Virginia and Maryland lifted their mask mandates in all but a few circumstances following new CDC guidance, while recommending that unvaccinated people continue to wear them.
"If fully vaccinated, you should feel free to safely resume any activities without wearing a mask indoors or outdoors," Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, said at a news conference. "Those who have not been vaccinated are strongly advised to immediately do so."
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said on Twitter: "It's very simple. It's either a shot or a mask. It's up to you." For those not vaccinated, he said, "we strongly encourage you to wear masks in public."
Both states carved out exceptions such as schools, and businesses are permitted to impose their own mask requirements.
Walmart Drops Masks for Vaccinated (5:20 p.m. NY)
Walmart Inc. said fully vaccinated staff and customers can now leave their masks at home, a decision that could influence how other businesses respond to the latest government guidance.
The nation's biggest private employer said fully vaccinated staff need not wear a mask at work starting May 18, the same day the retailer reports first-quarter results. The rule applies to all of its U.S. Walmart and Sam's Club locations, distribution centers and offices. Customers who have been inoculated can also shop without face coverings as of Friday, although masks could still be required by some local ordinances, Walmart executives said in a memo to employees Friday.
CDC Had to 'Take a Chance' (4:45 p.m. NY)
The CDC's relaxed mask-wearing guidance is open to revision, particularly if there are local outbreaks or if gathering in relatively sparse crowds is found to cause an increase in cases, National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said.
"If it looks in certain communities the virus is coming back, or if there's a new variant that seems particularly contagious, then we may need to adjust that," Collins said on MSNBC. Even so, "it's time to take that chance, as they have now done, and to see if all of us can get a little closer back to normal life," he said.
N.J. to Keep Indoor Mask Mandate (4:38 p.m. NY)
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is leaving the state's indoor mask mandate in place for public settings, according to a tweet. "We're making incredible progress, but we're not there yet." Among all U.S. states, New Jersey, the most densely populated, has the fourth-lowest case count per capita, he wrote.
Republicans -- who, like Murphy, are running for re-election in November -- criticized the governor. "According to the CDC, the science doesn't support waiting weeks -- it supports lifting unjustified mandates today," Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, a River Vale Republican seeking a Senate seat, said in a statement.
Vegas Resorts Move on Masks (1:35 p.m. NY)
Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp., two Nevada casino operators, will tell vaccinated guests they can stop wearing masks, following new guidance from state and federal regulators.
Wynn plans to begin delivering that message to customers Friday evening, trusting guests to take the appropriate precautions based on their personal vaccination status, according to a statement. Sands said that while it won't ask vaccinated patrons to wear masks, it is still requiring staff to do so for now.
MGM Resorts International, the largest casino operator on the Las Vegas Strip, is expected to update its policy shortly.
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