Coronavirus updates: Australia limits groups as US extends restrictions

The price of oil has sunk to levels not seen since for 18 years as demand for crude has collapsed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Brent crude fell to $23.03 a barrel at one point on Monday morning, its lowest level since November 2002.

In addition to the drop in demand, a price war broke out earlier this month between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

However, an analyst said a collapse in demand from the measures taken to counter the spread of coronavirus was now the main factor.

Read more here

There are calls for a British citizen
who’s being treated for Covid-19 in South Korea to be deported after he broke
quarantine guideline, possibly spreading the virus while travelling through
the country.

The man, said to be in his thirties, travelled
to South Korea from Thailand. He was examined at the airport but showed no
symptoms of coronavirus. He was told to spend 14 days in self-isolation.

Instead, he reportedly visited four
different cities, coming into close contact with 23 people over five days. He
developed symptoms during that time and went to a test centre where he
was told, once again, to self-isolate until he received his results. However,
he is believed to have played screen golf at a games centre right after.

The justice ministry is
investigating if his actions were illegal or if he put others in danger. He
will be questioned after he recovers.

South Korea is toughening its entry
rules. It is now mandatory for all arrivals to undergo 14 days of quarantine and
they must download an app that tracks their symptoms and movements.

The government has warned that any
foreigner breaking these rules will be deported while South Korean citizens will
be fined.

If you look at the statistics, Germany has a much lower mortality rate than all neighbouring countries: .more than 62,000 infections but only 541 deaths. So what’s behind the numbers?

The most likely explanation is extensive testing: Germany started doing widespread testing early on, confirming many cases with only mild symptoms.

That means the number of confirmed cases is closer to the actual number of infections than in other countries, where confirmed cases may show only a fraction of those infected. So if Italy, Spain or the UK included all those mild cases currently not being tested, their mortality rates might not be all that different from Germany after all.

Another explanation is healthcare capacity: Germany has more extensive care capacity than France, Italy or the UK.

This means that currently the medical system can still cope relatively well with the number of severely ill. Patients from Italy and France are even being taken to Germany for treatment. Yet once the number of critically ill in the country peaks, the German healthcare system is also expected to find itself overstretched.

Jessica Parker

BBC political correspondent

There’s some confusion over the number of tests being carried out each day to see if people have coronavirus in the UK.

On Sunday Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove suggested there had been 10,000 tests the previous day.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock likewise tweeted that the 10,000 test figure had been reached – with the aim of reaching 25,000 within weeks.

But now Social Care Minister Helen Whately says the government has in fact achieved the “capacity” for 10,000 tests – with the actual number carried out on the day in question being more like 7,000.

Adding to the confusion, Public Health England has tweeted that the latest figure, as of 09: 00 GMT on Saturday, was 9,114.

We’re checking the figures with the government and Public Health England.

Testing is a sensitive matter, with the government under scrutiny over whether it has been aggressive enough in its approach.

So any apparent anomaly in the figures could raise further questions about whether ministers have a handle on this critical issue – and whether the claims they’re making on ramping up testing are all that they seem.

Syria has reported its first official death from Covid-19, amid fears the country is at grave risk if the disease spreads.

A woman patient died in hospital, state media say, without specifying where.

The official number of cases has grown from five to nine but reports suggest the true number in government-controlled areas could be in the hundreds.

Syria recently imposed restrictions to try to confine the virus but the UN has warned it is at particular risk because its healthcare system has been ravaged by nine years of war.

There have also been warnings that the flow of Shia Muslim pilgrims to holy sites in Syria, as well as the continued arrival of pro-government Shia fighters from Iraq, has increased the chances of exposure to the disease.

Earlier we reported about a breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care.

It was built by the Mercedes Formula One team together with University College London.

Pictures of the device were released this morning.

The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device pushes a steady flow of air-oxygen mix into the mouth and nose of patients.

CPAPs are already used in hospitals in China and Italy but are in short supply. The new model was developed in less than a week.

It’s hard to say. Until we know for sure how many cases there have been globally, it’s impossible to be certain of the death rate.

At the moment, after more than 30,000 deaths worldwide, estimates say that around 1% of people infected with the virus die. But that rate could be lower if there are large groups of asymptomatic patients.

Will there be fewer cases this summer? Can you get the virus twice? There are still dozens of questions left unanswered.

In one of the more unusual ways to self-isolate, seven Indian migrant workers have started quarantining themselves for two weeks up a tree.

They’re doing so because they say they don’t have separate rooms in their homes, ANI news agency reports.

These photos of the migrant workers have gone viral amid news that hundreds of thousands of Indian workers stranded across state lines have been forced to endure gruelling day-long walks in order to get back home from major cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

A note from an unnamed Indian doctor on social media argues that social distancing and lockdowns are a privilege: “It means you can afford to be at home. Most of the ways to ward off the coronavirus are accessible only to the affluent.”

Going out to the shops, stopping by a friend’s, taking a stroll through the garden on a nice day – these are all things that come very naturally to us, actions we rarely think twice about

But here’s why our actions do matter – and how much of a difference they could make:

Simon Atkinson

BBC News, Sydney

An annual rotation of about 2,500 US Marines to northern Australia has been pulled because of Covid-19 concerns.

Voices were building in the Northern Territory against the event because of fears that troops with the virus would pass it to others.

Plans had been made for the marines to stay in their barracks for 14 days on arrival.

But it has just been announced the mass movement of troops won’t happen at all.

There are particular concerns in the Northern Territory, which is home to many remote indigenous communities. As we reported recently, these groups are particularly vulnerable to any pandemic because of poor healthcare facilities, overcrowding and above average levels of underlying medical conditions.

Did you come across an alleged message from Bill Gates about Covid-19? Have you seen a video about food donations? Received fake text messages claiming to be from the UK government?

Be careful what sources you trust. There’s a lot of information on social media that is fake and misleading, trying to tap into people’s fear and uncertainty.

The BBC’s Reality Check team has looked at some of those stories making the rounds.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, air pollution in India plunged to its lowest levels over the past few days – but no-one could enjoy it!

It’s the sixth day of a nationwide lockdown, and the unprecedented move has had at least one positive side effect.

In the national capital, Delhi, which dominated headlines last year for having the worst air pollution in the world, residents woke up to clear blue skies over the weekend.

Air quality apps on phones showed that AQI was below 50 – or “good” air quality – which is a rare occurrence in Delhi.

Some 90 Indian cities witnessed record-levels of minimal air pollution, reported local media.

Particulate matter pollution in major Indian cities is also at an all-time low, according to Quartz. In comparison to the same time last year, the air quality is significantly better right now.

Environmentalists have urged the government to take note, calling it a “wake-up call” to usher in concrete policy that will help tackle hazardous levels of air pollution.

But the real question is whether India can sustain such levels once the lockdown is lifted.

Today Programme

BBC Radio 4

The spread of coronavirus in the UK is showing “early signs” of slowing down since the lockdown, according to a leading government adviser.

Strict measures came into place across the country a week ago.

Prof Neil Ferguson, from
Imperial College London, says some indicators, such as the numbers of new hospital admissions per day, suggest the spread does “appear to be slowing down
a little bit”.

He told the BBC’s Today programme that the numbers hadn’t “plateaued” yet and were still increasing
each day, “but the rate of that increase has slowed”.

However, he added that this pattern hadn’t been reflected in the number of deaths – but these usually lagged a long way behind.

It’s an outbreak that has already brought with it a whole range of challenges for medical staff – shortages of equipment, and even doctors and nurses falling ill.

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a new challenge officers have to contend with – people stealing medical equipment.

Read more about this here.

Many people are struggling to adapt to being told to stay at home, but it can be particularly challenging for those living with dementia.

Mike Brookes, 77, was diagnosed nine years ago and has been isolating with his wife Liz for three weeks in their home just outside Manchester, in north-west England.

Liz says her husband has had a difficult time adjusting to his new routine. She says he struggles to remember to wash his hands and not to open the door.

“People with dementia may not always understand what’s going on but they understand emotions, and that worry and anxiety has been passed on to Mike,” she says.

Read more about his story here.

The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has announced that it will give AUS$2.5m ($1.53; £1.2m) to every club in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The package, agreed after an emergency meeting on Monday, is intended to shore up the league’s 16 clubs in light of financial uncertainty created by the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this month, the NRL announced that it would be suspending its season until at least 31 May.

As part of this latest deal, the NRL will cut staffing levels by 95% during the shutdown period and cut executive salaries by 25%.

Veteran opera star Plácido Domingo has been hospitalised with complications linked to Covid-19, US media are reporting.

The 79-year-old is receiving hospital treatment in Mexico, with his spokesman cited as saying he’d “remain in the hospital as long as the doctors find it necessary” for a full recovery.

On 22 March, he announced he’d tested positive and said he was “grateful and moved by the wave of messages I have received from so many people”

The singer had recently resigned from the Los Angeles Opera after he was accused of sexual harassment.

EasyJet says it has grounded its entire fleet of aircraft owing to the pandemic.

In a statement on Monday morning, the airline said it had taken the decision because of “unprecedented travel restrictions” and there was “no certainty” about when flights would resume.

“We will continuously evaluate the situation based on regulations and demand, and will update the market when we have a view,” the statement added.

The pandemic has had a severe impact on airlines, with some warning they may not survive without government support.

The boss of the UK’s largest regional airline, Loganair, said his firm plans to ask for government help.

Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), reports that 57,298 people are currently infected around the country – up 4,751 from yesterday. The southern state of Bavaria, where the disease first appeared in Germany, has the highest number of cases.

The national death toll stands at 455, a rise of 66 from Sunday.

The RKI’s figures are comprised of tallies by passed on regional authorities. Since these are passed on through official procedures, the RKI’s numbers are sometimes delayed and lag behind those of Johns Hopkins University, considered one of the most authoritative sources for global figures.

It comes soon after news that Thomas Schaefer – finance minister for the German state of Hesse – appears to have taken his own life over fears about managing the coronavirus crisis.

State governor Volker Bouffier told local media that Mr Schaefer had been worried about “whether it would be possible to succeed in fulfilling the population’s huge expectations, particularly of financial help.”

“I have to assume that these worries overwhelmed him,” the governor added.