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Coronavirus latest: at a glance

Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:

Pope begs world leaders to provide coronavirus relief

Pope Francis implored world leaders on Saturday to act wisely and generously to provide social and economic relief for the many workers who have lost jobs, and called for the enormous sums of money used to grow and perfect armaments to instead be used to fund research to prevent similar catastrophes in the future.

Top health scientists blame British PM’s chief adviser for losing public trust

Britain’s top public health leaders and scientists have warned the prime minister, Boris Johnson, that trust in the government has been shattered by the Dominic Cummings affair and this now poses real danger to life when lockdown measures are lifted this week. Johnson’s top aide has been embroiled in a scandal after he was seen in Durham, 264 miles from his London home, despite having had coronavirus symptoms.

An Opinium poll for the Observer shows 81% of people believe Cummings broke the lockdown rules, and 68%, including 52% of Conservative supporters, think he should resign. The poll also shows the Tories’ lead over Labour has crashed from 26 points at the end of March to just four points now.

Romania’s PM pays fine for breaching own Covid-19 rules

Romania’s prime minister, Ludovic Orban, paid a 3,000 lei fine ($687/£556) on Saturday for breaking his own coronavirus restrictions by not wearing a face mask and smoking indoors. A picture which went viral on social media shows Orban in his office, sitting around a table with several other cabinet members, smoking a cigarette while none of them wore masks.

Russia to start vaccine trial within two weeks

Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to combat coronavirus, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved the country’s first anti-Covid-19 drug, Avifavir.

Greece to test arrivals coming from EU’s high-risk airports

Greece will conduct coronavirus tests on visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union’s aviation safety agency, EASA, when it opens its airports to tourism traffic on 15 June. EASA regularly updates a list of airports located in affected areas with high risk of coronavirus transmission, which include 13 in the UK, all airports in 22 US states, and those in the Ile de France region surrounding Paris.

Mexican healthcare workers to protest for better protection

Frontline workers in Mexico City’s hospitals are planning a national march on Monday to demand appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Nurses and other health workers account for about a quarter of all of Mexico’s coronavirus infections, government data shows, one of the highest rates in the world.

South Africa’s infection cases top 30,000

The country’s detected coronavirus infections now exceed 30,000, the health minister, Zweli Mkhize, said on Saturday. South Africa reported 1,727 new cases, taking the cumulative total to 30,967. Its death toll increased by 32 to 643.

Record daily death toll in Pakistan

Pakistan has reported 78 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a single day record since the pandemic arrived in the country in March. The country has recorded 135 deaths in the past two days and over 5,000 new cases, with health experts warning of a steep rise in the number of infections in coming days.

Colombia to lift quarantine in parts of the country

Colombia issued new measures to control the spread of coronavirus in three of its most affected cities on Saturday, including the capital, Bogota, as the rest of the country prepares for quarantine rules to start lifting. It has reported more than 26,600 coronavirus cases and 853 deaths.

Death benefit for New York frontline workers announced

The New York state governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed a bill on Saturday that will grant death benefits to the families of police officers, public health workers and other frontline workers who have died of the coronavirus. “You gave your lives for us, we will be there for your families going forward,” Cuomo said as he signed the legislation.