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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
- Support for US President Donald Trump has dropped in the past month as the toll from the coronavirus has risen, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey. Trump now trails challenger Joe Biden by eight percentage points.
- Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, has warned that the country does not yet have the disease under control and that easing lockdowns too soon risks unnecessary deaths.
- More than 4.26 million people around the world have been confirmed with the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 291,000 have died – 82,000 of them in the United States. Nearly 1.5 million people have recovered.
Here are the latest updates.
Wednesday, May 13
02:45 GMT – Coronavirus hobbles cyclone response for Vanuatu and Pacific
The coronavirus pandemic is slowing efforts to help people in Vanuatu and other parts of the Pacific, after Cyclone Harold tore through the region a month ago destroying homes and livelihoods.
Michel Kerf, who heads the World Bank in the region, said the cyclone had been a “shocking reminder” of Vanuatu’s vulnerability to natural disasters.
Read more here.
People in Vanuatu are struggling to rebuild after Cyclone Harold as the world focusses on the coronavirus [Supplied/Dr Christopher Bartlett]
01:45 GMT – Iceland to ease restrictions on international arrivals from June
The government of Iceland says it plans to ease restrictions on international arrivals no later than 15 June and expects to be able to give travellers a choice between a COVID-19 test on arrival, or two weeks quarantine. A final decision will be made at the end of the month.
“When travellers return to Iceland we want to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic,” Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation said in a statement. “Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing and isolating have proven effective so far. We want to build on that experience of creating a safe place for those who want a change of scenery after what has been a tough spring for all of us.”
Iceland has already revised the quarantine regime that was first imposed in January, with essential workers and those involved in vital infrastructure eligible for a modified quarantine that does not require then to stay at home. The scheme will be extended to film makers, scientists and some others from May 15.
More:
01:30 GMT – China confirms seven new cases; focus on northeastern Jilin province
China’s National Health Commission has confirmed seven new cases of coronavirus, six of them in the northeastern province of Jilin where the city of Shulan increased its risk level from medium to high at the weekend.
The new cases were found in Jilin, the province’s second-biggest city, with five of them linked to an earlier case in Shulan. The city of Jilin has temporarily suspended train services as a result of the outbreak.
Jilin Railway Station in #Jilin City, NE China’s Jilin Province, announced temporary suspension of departures and ride-through services starting 6:00 am Wednesday after the province reported a cluster of #COVID19 cases. pic.twitter.com/onXljSyg6D
— People’s Daily, China (@PDChina) May 13, 2020
China’s other case was found in a traveller returning to Shanghai.
00:05 GMT – Brazil reports more cases than Germany; daily deaths reach record
Brazil’s confirmed cases of coronavirus surpassed Germany on Tuesday as the country recorded 881 deaths in 24 hours – the highest since the outbreak began.
Brazil has confirmed 177,589 cases of coronavirus, compared with 170,508 in Germany.
The country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has sought to downplay the disease and is now battling with state governors over a presidential decree he signed on Monday designating beauty salons and gyms as “essential” services that would allow them to open during lockdowns.
At least 10 governors have said they will not comply with Bolsonaro’s decree.
“Bolsonaro is walking towards the precipice and wants to take all of us with him,” Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel wrote on Twitter.
23:30 GMT (Tuesday) – Trump support ebbs as coronavirus death toll climbs
Americans have become more critical of President Donald Trump over the past month as the coronavirus outbreak in the country has deepened, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll shows 56 percent of those surveyed now disapprove of Trump, up five points from a similar poll in mid-April. Trump’s approval rating slipped four points to 41 percent.
It also found that 46 percent of registered voters would back Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the November 3 election, while 38 percent would vote for Trump.
Read all the developments from yesterday (May 12) here.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
