World coronavirus dispatch: UK's massive study, and stay-at-home Ramadan

From the status of the pandemic in South Asia, to the UK's massive study to test 300,000 people, and Trump's 'political' push to re-open economy - read these and more in today's world digest

The number of coronavirus infections in South Asia has crossed 37,000, with more than half of those being in India, official data showed on Thursday, complicating the task of governments looking to scale back lockdowns. Here is an update on the virus spread in the region:

• India: 21,392 cases, 681 deaths
• Pakistan: 10,513 cases, 224 deaths
• Afghanistan: 1,176 cases, 40 deaths
• Sri Lanka: 330 cases, seven deaths
• Bangladesh: 3,772 cases, 120 deaths
• Maldives: 34 cases, no deaths
• Nepal: 45 cases, no deaths
• Bhutan: 6 cases, no deaths

For a complete analysis of this break-down, click here

Let’s look at the global statistics:

Total confirmed cases: 2,580,729

Change over previous day: 66,783

Total deaths: 184,372

Total recovered: 4,482,434

Nations hit with most cases: US (842,624), Spain (213,024), Italy (187,327), France (157,135) and Germany (150,729).

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

UK launches study to test 300,000 people for infection and immunity: The UK is going to test 300,000 people over the next 12 months to discover levels of coronavirus infection and immunity in its population. Nearly 20,000 households are already being contacted in the first wave of the study, which aims to cover a representative sample of people living in the country by geography and age. Read more here.

US jobless claims rise: Another 4.4 million people filed for new unemployment claims last week, bringing the five-week total to more than 26 million. The relentless increase in the jobless ranks has intensified the debate over when to lift restrictions that have helped halt the virus’ rapid spread but placed the economy in a stranglehold. Read more here.

Trump’s push to re-open economy may be a political move: Trump aides and allies say they are growing confident that an earlier restart amid the coronavirus pandemic could help the president in his re-election campaign. A swift economic restart, however, could backfire politically for Trump if it causes a flare-up. Public health experts caution that the country currently lacks the robust testing capacity needed to relax social-distancing guidelines. Read more here.

Journalists let into Wuhan say it was difficult to get out: As a 76-day lockdown neared its end, journalists and others were allowed to enter central China’s Wuhan city, where the global pandemic started. Few hotels were accepting foreigners and each neighbourhood had different regulations. Some forced multiple nucleic acid tests on journalists and 48 hours of quarantine. But the most difficult part was to travel out of the city. Read the account here.

US’s fourth stimulus package explained: The $484-billion relief package, passed on Thursday, will inject another $310 billion into a key loan programme designed to keep employees’ salaries flowing in small and medium companies. The initial $350 billion in the so-called paycheck protection programme dried up last week. Another $60 billion is allocated to small lenders as part of the small business aid programme. About $75 billion will be infused in hospital relief and $25 billion will be spent on coronavirus testing. The latest package takes the total aid by the US government to $3 trillion. Read more here.

Magic Leap to lay off 50% workforce: Augmented-reality start-up Magic Leap, which raised more than $2 billion from high-profile investors Alphabet and Alibaba, among others, is cutting about half of its workforce as part of a major restructuring. About 1,000 employees will be affected as the company winds down its consumer business. Read more here.

Lockdowns lower personal hygiene standards, says Unilever: As large numbers of people work from home, they are washing their hair less often, putting off shaving and even abandoning deodorant. Graham Pitkethly, Unilever’s chief financial officer, said homeworking was leading to a decline in demand for products like razors, shampoo and deodorant. The company said lockdowns had affected its haircare portfolio in China and India, while skincare sales were also down. Read more here.

Specials

When $8 trillion in global fiscal stimulus is not enough — a region-wise analysis of govt aid: As governments dedicate more than $8 trillion to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a further widening in the gap between rich and poor countries threatens to exacerbate the global economy’s pain. Wealthy nations have delved deep to cushion the blow. For instance, Germany and Italy have each allocated more than 30 per cent of gross domestic product, while many African and Latin American economies have failed to reach even a few billion dollars in fiscal aid. Read more here.

Ramadan on Zoom: Ordinarily during Ramadan, the holy month that commences this week, the Muslim community life swells with special prayers at mosques and crowded iftaar dinners that can stretch into the early hours. But that kind of socialising now risks spreading coronavirus, and bans on religious and family gatherings will persist across much of the Islamic world. In the UK, more than 1,400 have signed up for nightly iftaar broadcast organised over Zoom by a group called Ramadan Tent Project. Read more here.

All you need to know about Trump’s immigration ban: Who is exempt from the order? The different types of immigration applications. What will happen to foreign workers already working in the US? Find these and more questions answered here.

Long Reads

What Covid-19 does to your brain: Scientists are racing to figure out why some patients also develop neurological ailments like confusion, stroke, seizure, or loss of smell. It’s an open question, the answer to which could have wide-ranging implications for how doctors diagnose and treat Covid-19 patients. Read more here.

Opinion

Emerging countries need a helping hand: Oxford University professor of globalisation and development Ian Goldin proposes “a global Marshall plan” where $44 billion in debt owed by African countries in 2020 would be erased, and richer countries would divert at least $2.5 trillion to poor countries. The emerging countries, he says, will need a helping hand. Read his comments here.

Gorbachev’s message to the world:  Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian leader and the Soviet Union’s only president, says the world must come together after the pandemic is over. His message: World leaders should convene an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, as soon as the situation stabilises. It should be about revising the entire global agenda. “Specifically, I call upon them to cut military spending by 10 per cent to 15 per cent. This is the least they should do now, as a first step towards a new consciousness, a new civilisation.” Read his comments here.