Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world
(Reuters) - The global death toll from the novel coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, and the number of confirmed cases of the illness is expected to reach 3 million in coming days.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.
* For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.
EUROPE
* Britain's COVID-19 death toll passed 20,000 in what the interior minister called "a tragic and terrible milestone" as she urged people to stay at home.
* Spain released guidelines allowing children to go outside after six weeks living under one of Europe's strictest lockdowns.
* The World Health Organization said there was currently "no evidence" that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second coronavirus infection.
* German police wearing riot gear and face masks tussled with dozens of protesters demonstrating in central Berlin against the coronavirus lockdown.
* Deaths from the epidemic in Italy climbed by 415, the smallest daily tally since March 17, the Civil Protection Agency said.
* Poland plans to reopen outdoor sports areas on May 4 and will allow top league football matches to be played at the end of next month, as part of an easing of coronavirus restrictions.
AMERICAS
* Many Americans were expected to flock to beaches on Saturday as one Florida county relaxed restrictions and California braced for a heat wave, even as new coronavirus cases hit a record high the day before.
* New York will begin conducting antibody tests for workers at four hospitals hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and will allow local pharmacies to begin collecting samples for diagnostic tests, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said plans underway to restart the economies of Canadian provinces do not depend on presuming people who become infected with coronavirus develop immunity to it.
* A key U.S. government trial of Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental coronavirus treatment may yield results as early as mid-May, according to the study's lead investigator, after doctors clamored to enroll their patients in the study.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* The Indian government allowed a limited reopening of shops in neighbourhoods and residential areas from Saturday, more than a month after the nation went into a lockdown, officials said.
* Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an official said.
* Tokyo reported 103 new cases of coronavirus infections, Kyodo news reported, amid concerns that the start of a holiday season could lead to an increase in infections.
* The epidemic has not only put Nepal's people and economy in lockdown for a month, but also stopped the slow and desperately needed reconstruction of homes and other buildings devastated by two huge earthquakes in 2015.
* China is dropping a requirement that a number of key virus care products get domestic regulatory approval before export, as long as they are approved in the importing countries, the commerce ministry said on Saturday.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran should draw up economic plans based on a worst-case scenario of nearly a year of disruptions due to the coronavirus, President Hassan Rouhani said, as the death toll from the disease rose by 76 to 5,650.
* Nigerian state governors have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the compulsory use of face masks in public as confirmed coronavirus cases rise, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
* South Africa plans to reopen its agriculture sector and allow some manufacturing and retail to resume as the country balances the need to restart economic output and curb the spread of the new coronavirus, trade minister Ebrahim Patel said.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* Low cost airline Wizz Air said it would restart some flights from London's Luton Airport on May 1, becoming one of the first European carriers to begin to restore services which have been grounded during the pandemic.
* EU countries will soon be able to grant subordinated debt to prop up virus-hit economies, people familiar with the matter said, as state aid regulators once again loosened rules to make it easier for companies get state support.
* The Greek economy, hit by coronavirus restrictions, is expected to shrink by 5-10% this year, the country's finance minister said.
* Global equity benchmarks struggled on Friday as some U.S. states began reopening businesses despite the disapproval of health experts, and as the European Union put off addressing details of its new economic rescue plan.
(Compiled by Frances Kerry)
