(Bloomberg) — The northeastern Chinese city of Harbin is tightening rules to curb the spread of coronavirus by extending quarantine periods for certain visitors to 28 days. China reported 108 more cases April 12, mostly imported.
The rate of increase for new U.S. cases fell for a second day. New York State has one of the world’s highest death tolls, but fewer patients went to hospitals.
Fewer new deaths were reported in hard-hit Italy and France.Parts of the U.S. may be ready in May to ease emergency measures, Anthony Fauci said a day after the country became the world’s epicenter for coronavirus.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised doctors for saving his life.
Key Developments
- Coronavirus Tracker: Global cases exceed 1.8 million; deaths top 114,000
- China’s Harbin tightens measures
- Pork producer warns of meat shortages
- Cruise passengers spend Easter on “ghost ship”
- Volatile data complicates ending Europe lockdown
Vietnam Aims to Boost Mask Exports (10:30 a.m. HK)
The trade ministry is ordering overseas branches to urgently find customers for cloth face masks to help the textile and garment business mitigate damage wrought by the coronavirus, according to a post on the government website Sunday. The country has sufficient capacity to become a key maker of cloth masks globally, a ministry representative was cited as saying.
Philippines Aims to Reopen in May (10:22 a.m. HK)
The country has sufficient funds for coronavirus response and will secure more to restart the economy, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez tells CNN Philippines. The country is hoping to reopen the economy by early May.
China Cases Mostly Imported (8:42 a.m. HK)
China reported additional 108 cases for April 12, of which 98 were from overseas, according to the National Health Commission. There were 61 asymptomatic cases. China has 1,064 asymptomatic coronavirus cases under medical observation as of April 12.
FDA Authorizes Decontamination of N95 Respirators (8:39 a.m. HK)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization that has the potential to decontaminate approximately four million N95 or N95-equivalent respirators per day in the U.S. for reuse by health care workers in hospital settings.
“We need to do everything we can to increase the availability of the critical medical devices they need, like N95 respirators,” FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn said in a statement. “This authorization will help provide access to millions of respirators so our health care workers on the front lines can be better protected.”
U.S. Case Rate Falls for Second Day (4 p.m. NY)
U.S. cases rose 5.4% from a day earlier to more than 542,000 by midday Sunday, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The rise was below the 7.9% average daily increase over the past week.
Cases rose almost 10% for the 24 hours ended on April 8, according to the data, a rate that fell to 7.9% on Friday and 5.6% on Saturday.
New York’s cases rose about 4%. South Dakota experienced a 17% rise from Saturday, bringing the total to 730.
Turkish Minister Quits After Chaos (4:30 p.m. NY)
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu quit after a hastily announced weekend lockdown led thousands of people to spill onto streets, raising the risk of a new wave of infections. Soylu said on Twitter that he took full responsibility for the lockdown.
Later Sunday, President Tayyip Erdogan said he would not accept the resignation.
The minister was criticized after giving two hours warning late Friday of the action, abruptly ending weeks of social distancing measures as Turks flocked to buy groceries.
Pork Producer Warns of Shortages (3:15 p.m. NY)
The world’s biggest pork producer warned that the closure of processing factories as employees test positive for coronavirus is pushing meat supplies “perilously close to the edge” of shortfalls.
Smithfield Foods Inc. said it will idle its Sioux Falls, South Dakota, pork-processing facility — which accounts for 4% to 5% of U.S. production — after state officials reported more than 200 cases of Covid-19 at that company alone.
Mark Cuban Predicts Fanless NBA Games (2 p.m. NY)
Mark Cuban, the owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, said crowding back into sports stadiums and arenas won’t happen until the “science” is in place to make people feel safe.
“I think initially we’ll play just for the TV cameras, with essential personnel and players,” the billionaire said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“People aren’t going to just venture outside,” he said. “They’re not going to go to large gatherings. They’re not going to feel confident right off the bat. There’s going to be a lot of trepidation.”
France Cases Lowest in a Week (1:40 p.m. NY)
France’s new coronavirus cases fell to the lowest in a week and the number of intensive-care patients dropped for a fourth day. Infections rose by 2,937 to 132,591 cases, the smallest increase since April 5, the health ministry said in an emailed statement. The death toll rose by 561, the fewest in four days, to 14,393.
“We’re observing the beginning of a very high leveling off,” the health ministry said. “But we must remain vigilant because hospitals and ICUs are taking care of a very large number of patients.”
Mexico Exchange Chairman Dies (1:20 p.m. NY)
The chairman of Mexico’s stock exchange, Jaime Ruiz Sacristan, died early Sunday more than three weeks after he was hospitalized with coronavirus. He was 70. A statement from Bolsa Mexicana de Valores SAB didn’t cite a specific cause.
Ruiz, chairman since 2015, was among a cluster of high-profile Mexican executives who had tested positive after returning from a ski-resort vacation to Vail, Colorado, on a private jet.
Italy Daily Deaths Fewest Since March 19 (12:10 p.m. NY)
Italy reported 431 new deaths in the past day, the fewest in more than three weeks, as declining numbers of intensive care patients pointed to a lessening severity of the country’s outbreak. The country had 619 fatalities a day earlier.
The daily count is the lowest since March 19, when Italy registered 427 dead. Total fatalities reached 19,899, the most in Europe.
The country reported 4,092 new cases, compared with 4,694 a day earlier, civil protection officials said.
