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Global coronavirus deaths pass 200,000: Live updates | News

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  • The coronavirus global death toll exceeded the 200,000 threshold, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against countries issuing so-called “immunity passports” to those recovered from COVID-19, saying there is no evidence yet the previously infected cannot be reinfected.

  • In the United Kingdom, an additional 813 people died in hospital after testing positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 20,319.

  • India allowed a limited reopening of shops in neighbourhoods and residential areas, a month after the country of some 1.3 billion people went into lockdown.

  • Worldwide, the number of confirmed infections stood at more than 2.88 million people, with some 813,000 recoveries.

Here are the latest updates:

Sunday, April 25

02:25 GMT – Heat wave draws thousands to California beaches

A heat wave is bringing thousands of people to the open beaches in southern California, including Newport Beach and Huntington Beach despite stay-at-home orders for people across the state.

“We’re seeing a summer day crowd,” says Brian O’Rourke, a lifeguard battalion chief in Newport Beach in Orange County, which saw an estimated 40,000 people on Friday.

Huntington Beach California US

People sit in groups at Huntington City Beach during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Huntington Beach, California, US, April 25, 2020 [Kyle Grillot/ Reuters]

California Governor Gavin Newsom is pleading for those who visit the shore to practice social distancing.

01:22 GMT – Saudi Arabia partially lifts curfew, except in Mecca

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is ordering the partial lifting of a curfew in all regions of the kingdom, except in the city of Mecca and previously quarantined neighbourhoods, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The curfew will be lifted between 9am and 5pm from Sunday onwards, while malls, wholesale and retail shops will be allowed to reopen from Wednesday onwards for a period of two weeks.

The kingdom has more than 16,000 confirmed infections and 136 deaths. 

00:44 GMT – Mexico coronavirus cases rise to 13,842

Health authorities in Mexico are reporting 970 new cases of coronavirus infections and 84 additional deaths.

The figures bring the total confirmed cases in the country to 13,842 and the death toll to 1,305.

Oxford university begins testing possible COVID-19 vaccine on humans (5:34)

00:38 GMT – WHO ‘wants to discourage voluntary or coerced self-infection’

Chris Smith, lecturer at the University of Cambridge, says the WHO cannot afford to back immunity passes until they are sure about the long-term effects of the virus.

“I think the WHO is taking the stance they are because what they want to discourage is the possibility there could be the voluntary or coerced self-infection,” the medical virologist tells Al Jazeera.

“There’s a concern that if people thought this was their passport not just to travel internationally, but to not worry about this anymore, there might be a temptation to go out and actively seek out infection. That’ll be a high risk strategy, it’ll be uncontrolled and as a result it could lead to another surge in cases, surge of transmission.”

00:12 GMT – Tajikistan closes schools, cancels sports events

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon is cancelling sports events and ordering the closure of schools for two weeks.

The order is unexpected as Tajikistan is yet to acknowledge any coronavirus infections in the country. Alongside schools, theatres and cinemas are also to be closed.

The central Asian nation’s football association says it will suspend its football season until May 10.

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives. 

For all the key developments from yesterday, go here. 

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies

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