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Coronavirus world round-up: President Trump says he's 'all for' face masks

Donald Trump gives a statement without wearing a mask. He has so far been reluctant to wear a mask in public -  MANDEL NGAN/AFP
Donald Trump gives a statement without wearing a mask. He has so far been reluctant to wear a mask in public - MANDEL NGAN/AFP
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was “all for masks” and would wear one if in close quarters with other people to prevent the spread of coronavirus in an apparent softening of position.

The US president, who has been reluctant to wear a face mask when seen in public, said in a Fox Business interview that he thought masks were “good”.

However Mr Trump continued to decline to issue an order making the wearing of face masks in public compulsory, saying: “I don’t know if you need mandatory.”

The comments come amid coronavirus case numbers surging across America, with the daily record for new cases being broken four times in the last week.

Read more: I would wear a mask, says Trump

US drug purchase sets 'dangerous precedent'

The Trump administration’s move to purchase virtually all remdesivir stocks for the next three months has set a “dangerous precedent” and undermines global efforts to tackle the pandemic, experts have warned.

The drug, produced by Gilead Sciences, has been shown to cut recovery time for Covid-19 patients by four days and is one of only two that is currently proven to work against the virus.

But the US has purchased more than 500,000 doses of remdesivir - which equates to all of Gilead’s projected production for July and 90 per cent of the company’s capacity for August and September.

The announcement has brought into sharper focus Donald Trump’s “America first” attitude throughout the pandemic, but is not unexpected - the President has already attempted to skip the queue on medical supplies.

Read more: US could harm pandemic response, experts warn

Analysis: How Donald Trump could spark a dangerous bout of ‘vaccine nationalism’

Donald Trump with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who announced this week that the US has “struck an amazing deal” to ensure access to remdesivir - REUTERS
Donald Trump with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who announced this week that the US has “struck an amazing deal” to ensure access to remdesivir - REUTERS

Sweden begins inquiry into virus response

Sweden has launched a commission to investigate the shortcomings that have led to the country having one of Europe’s highest Covid-19 death rates – but it will not report on whether its lockdown should have been stricter until the end of 2021 at the earliest. “Thousands of people have died and many more are naturally in mourning,” prime minister Stefan Löfven said as he announced the inquiry. “This crisis has put the shortcomings of our society under the spotlight,” he said. “The question is not whether Sweden is going to be changed by this, but how.”

Read more: Stockholm launches investigation into response

Sweden resisted a hard lockdown, choosing instead to ask people to follow social distancing guidelines - EPA
Sweden resisted a hard lockdown, choosing instead to ask people to follow social distancing guidelines - EPA

Indian groom dies as 110 wedding guests infected

More than 110 people have tested positive in the northern Indian state of Bihar after attending the wedding of a groom who had reportedly contracted coronavirus. The 30-year-old died two days after the ceremony, which went ahead on June 15 despite him asking for it to be postponed after he briefly went to hospital with symptoms. Family members said they did not panic as there had been few confirmed cases in Paliganj district. However, the groom had recently returned from Gurgaon, near New Delhi, which had more than 750 cases by May 31.

Australians who refuse Covid tests face big fines

The Australian prime minister has warned that people refusing Covid-19 tests in the south-eastern state of Victoria, where the second wave of infections has led to the return of strict restrictions, could face significant fines after 1,000 refused to be tested. Scott Morrison said: “We’re doing this in an Australian way. We’re looking to do it through incentive, through the use of carrot, not stick. But occasionally the stick will have to be put about, whether it’s fines or other sanctions that are in place to ensure that we keep everybody safe.”

Read more: 1,000 people in Melbourne refuse coronavirus testing

A nurse swabs a child in Melbourne - EPA
A nurse swabs a child in Melbourne - EPA

New Zealand's health minister resigns

New Zealand's health minister, David Clark, resigned on Thursday following recent slip-ups in the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and personal mistakes. "It has become increasingly clear to me that my continuation in the role is distracting for the government's overall response to Covid-19 and the global pandemic," he said in a news conference in parliament. Mr Clark said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had accepted his resignation.

Military hands out masks to protect isolated Amazon tribes

Brazilian soldiers handed out masks to barefooted Yanomami indigenous people including body-painted warriors carrying spears and bows and arrows on Wednesday on the second day of a military operation to protect isolated tribes from Covid-19. The Yanomami are the last major isolated people in the Amazon rainforest where dozens of indigenous communities have been infected with the latest disease to come from the outside to threaten their existence.

Personnel from a military health brigade check the Yanomami people in the Surucucu region -  Joedson Alves/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Personnel from a military health brigade check the Yanomami people in the Surucucu region - Joedson Alves/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Mayor takes son to police for breach of lockdown

The mayor of a Colombian town has handed his own son over to police for breaking lockdown rules. Carlos Higgins Villanueva, who is mayor of Juan de Acosta, in Atlántico state, tweeted: “My family are the first who have to respect the rules.” Atlántico has the country’s second-highest number of infections. Mr Higgins Villanueva posted photographs of himself driving his son and nephew to the police station after they were seen at a party. The party was held during curfew hours and guests also broke the ban on alcohol.

Coronavirus podcast newest episode
Coronavirus podcast newest episode

What you might have missed

  • The global pandemic is accelerating, the World Health Organisation has said, pointing out that June saw 60 per cent of the cases reported since the start of the outbreak. "For the past week, the number of the new cases has exceeded 160,000 every single day," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

  • The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a halt to conflicts to facilitate the fight against the pandemic, after more than three months of painstaking negotiations. Drafted by France and Tunisia, it is the Security Council's first statement on the pandemic and its first real action since the outbreak started.

  • Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo has wanred that his country faces a worsening health crisis in the coming weeks with "the most difficult phase in this global situation is to come". Panama is the Central American country worst hit from the pandemic, with more than 33,500 infections.

  • Palestine announced a five-day lockdown across the West Bank after total confirmed coronavirus infections in the territory more than doubled following the easing of previous restrictions.

  • California became the latest southern and western state to tighten restrictions, with its governor ordering restaurants to close indoor dining in Los Angeles and 18 other counties badly hit by the pandemic. Gavin Newsom's order will remain in place for at least three weeks and also affects bars, wineries, movie theatres, museums and other businesses.

  • Canada extended its entry ban for most foreigners by another month to July 31 and also prolonged its quarantine requirements. The general border closure does not apply to people coming from the US, who remain restricted to only essential travel to Canada until at least July 21, with visits for tourism or recreation forbidden.

  • Egypt reopens the Giza pyramids to the public after a three-month closure. They are the country's first tourist attraction to reopen, along with the Egyptian Museum next to Cairo's Tahrir Square.