CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

China has reported seven more Covid-19 deaths in Shanghai, as major firms such as Tesla forge ahead to resume production after a damaging weeks-long lockdown.

Supply chains have clogged and businesses have been forced to halt production in the metropolis of 25 million, as authorities cling to a zero-Covid approach to combat China's worst outbreak since the virus first emerged in late 2019.

Authorities have called for a “whitelist” of key industries and companies to be drawn up so production can continue, with over 600 firms identified for early work resumption in Shanghai, according to an AFP report.

The seven newly reported deaths were all unvaccinated patients, city health official Wu Qianyu told a press conference.

Uber Technologies has scrapped mandatory face masks for its riders and drivers in the United States, the ride-hailing company said, adding that riders have the option to cancel their trip if they feel uncomfortable with its move.

The company introduced mask mandates for its drivers, riders and delivery workers around the world in May 2020 as Covid-19 cases rose, Reuters reports.

Uber added that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a mask if a person has certain high-risk factors or if transmission levels are high in their area.

Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh has been admitted to hospital in India after testing positive for Covid-19, his Indian Premier League (IPL) team the Delhi Capitals has said, according to Rueters.

Marsh, who has played 32 tests for his country, was one of a “few” people in the team's “bio bubble” to test positive but the rest were asymptomatic, Delhi Capitals said.

“The Delhi Capitals medical team is closely monitoring Marsh's condition,” the team said in a statement on Twitter.

“All remaining members of the bubble are currently in isolation in their respective rooms, and will be tested regularly.”

Marsh will need to isolate for at least a week so will miss at least the games against the Punjab Kings on Wednesday and Saturday's clash with the Rajasthan Royals.

Pakistan has reported 85 coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours, following which the national tally has risen to 1,527,411.

Meanwhile, no new coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded in the country, and the death toll from the disease stands at 30,364.

A breakdown of the new cases is as follows:

• Sindh: 48 cases
• Punjab: 30 cases
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 4 cases
• Islamabad: 2 cases
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1 case

Pakistan has reported 45 Covid-19 recoveries over the past 24 hours, according to the government's portal for tracking the spread of the disease.

So far, the country has recorded a total of 1,493,707 recoveries. The recovery rate is 97.8 per cent.

A US federal judge on Monday struck down the Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation imposed by the administration of President Joe Biden, prompting major airlines to quickly drop the requirement.

US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida said the mask mandate exceeds the statutory authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to AFP.

The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, subways, trains, buses, taxis and other forms of public transportation was recently extended by the CDC until May 3 amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

In light of the decision, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which runs security at airports, will not enforce directives “requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time,” an administration official said.

After the ruling was announced, United Airlines dropped its mask mandate on domestic flights and some international flights, depending on the rules in the country of arrival.

Pakistan has reported 78 coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 1,527,326.

Meanwhile, one coronavirus-related fatality has been reported and the death toll has risen to 30,364.

A breakdown is as follows:

• Punjab: 30 cases
• Sindh: 21 cases
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 14 cases, 1 death
• Islamabad: 7 cases
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 6 cases

Pakistan has reported 56 coronavirus recoveries over the past 24 hours, according to the government's portal for tracking the spread of the disease in the country.

So far, a total of 1,493,662 recoveries have been recorded in the country, and the recovery rate is 97.8 per cent.

India's tally of daily Covid-19 cases nearly doubled from the previous day to more than 2,000 for the first time in a month, government data showed, and the southern state of Kerala reported a big jump in deaths.

According to Reuters, the country reported 2,183 new infections on Monday, taking the running total to more than 43 million, according to health ministry data.

The ministry reported 214 more deaths, including 151 since April 13 in the southern state of Kerala, which is widely considered to issue more accurate data than many other states.

Shanghai has reported the first Covid-19 deaths since the start of its weeks-long lockdown, three elderly people with underlying conditions, the city government said.

“The three people deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital, and died after all efforts to revive them proved ineffective,” the city said on social media, reports Reuters.

The deceased included two women aged 89 and 91, and a man aged 91, the city said, adding that they all had a variety of underlying health complaints such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

China is expected to report a sharp deterioration in economic activity in March as Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns hit consumers and factories, although first-quarter growth may have perked up due to a strong start early in the year, Reuters reports.

Data on Monday is expected to show gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.4 in January-March from a year earlier, a Reuters poll showed, outpacing the fourth-quarter's 4.0 per cent pace due to a surprisingly solid start in the first two months.

But on a quarterly basis, GDP growth is forecast to fall to 0.6pc in the first quarter from 1.6pc in October-December, the poll showed, pointing to cooling momentum.

China's financial centre Shanghai reported a new record number of symptomatic Covid-19 cases on Saturday as the country imposed new lockdowns, underscoring its “dynamic clearance” approach to Covid control.

According to Reuters, the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, an industrial area in the central province of Henan that houses manufacturing facilities of companies including Apple Inc supplier Foxconn, announced a 14-day lockdown on Friday “to be adjusted according to the epidemic situation.” Foxconn is the trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd.

Only personnel with valid passes, health codes and proof of negative Covid tests will be able to leave the zone during the period, though “special vehicles” will be able to travel normally for work reasons, economic zone authorities said in a post on an official WeChat account.

The announcement came as the northwestern city of Xian said it would temporarily impose a partial lockdown on its 13 million residents following dozens of Covid-19 infections this month.

Chinese auto makers warned they may have to put the brakes on production if strict Covid-19 curbs in Shanghai persist, with a top Huawei executive also sounding the alarm about snarled supply chains, AFP reported on Friday.

The restrictions have kept Shanghai's 25 million residents mostly at home for weeks, forcing manufacturers to halt operations and making China's GDP growth target of around 5.5 per cent look increasingly difficult to achieve.

Covid outbreaks across the country and the associated reductions in economic activity have already hit the auto industry hard, with car sales dropping 10.5 per cent in March.

“If supply chain companies in Shanghai and its surrounding areas cannot find a way to dynamically resume work and production, all original equipment manufacturers may have to stop production in May,” He Xiaopeng, chief of XPeng — Chinese challenger to US electric car giant Tesla —said Thursday on social media.

South Korea has said it will drop most Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions next week including a midnight curfew on eateries as the Omicron surge in cases shows signs of waning, although people will still have to wear masks, reports Reuters.

From April 18, the midnight curfew on restaurants and other businesses will be scrapped, along with the cap on private gatherings which was set at 10, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a coronavirus response meeting.

The government will also allow rallies and other events with 300 or more people, while removing a 70 per cent cap on capacity at religious facilities.

Global Covid-19 cases have surpassed 500 million, according to a Reuters tally, as the highly contagious BA.2 subvariant of Omicron surges in many countries in Europe and Asia.

The rise of BA.2 has been blamed for recent surges in China as well as record infections in Europe. It has been called the "stealth variant" because it is slightly harder to track than others.

South Korea leads the world in the daily average number of new cases, reporting more than 182,000 new infections a day and accounting for one in every four infections globally, according to a Reuters analysis.

Britain has approved Valneva's Covid-19 vaccine, making it the first European country to give a nod to the French firm's coronavirus shot that is easier to store and involves a process widely used in making flu and polio vaccines.

The shot is also the sixth Covid-19 vaccine to be approved in the United Kingdom (UK), reports Reuters.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, UK's independent medicines regulator, said Valneva's Covid-19 vaccine met the required safety, quality and effectiveness standards.

“It (Valneva shot) is also the first, whole-virus inactivated Covid-19 vaccine to gain regulatory approval in the UK,” the regulator said in a statement.

President Xi Jinping has said that China must stick to its strict “dynamic Covid clearance” policy while the global pandemic remains very serious, promising those enduring lockdowns that persistence will win out in the end, according to Reuters.

China's zero-Covid policy has put millions of people into lockdown and has had a growing impact on the world's second-largest economy, in contrast with other countries that have thrown off restrictions even though the virus is still spreading.

“We must persist putting people above all, life above all ... We must adhere to scientific precision, to dynamic zero-Covid,” Xi said during a visit to the southern island of Hainan on Wednesday, state media reported.

Pakistan has reported 123 coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 1,526,952.

Meanwhile, no coronavirus-related fatality has been reported and the death toll remains 30,362.

A breakdown of the cases is as follows:

Sindh: 62 cases Punjab: 42 cases Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 12 cases Islamabad: 2 cases Gilgit-Baltistan: 2 cases Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 2 cases Balochistan: 1 case

Pakistan has reported 71 coronavirus recoveries over the past 24 hours, according to the government's portal for tracking the spread of the disease in the country.

So far, a total of 1,487,144 recoveries have been recorded in the country, and the recovery rate is 97.4 per cent.

To fight Covid, Hong Kong shut schools and businesses, nearly sealed its borders for two years, banned more than two people from gathering and quarantined whole buildings, Reuters reports.

Still the draconian restrictions were unable to contain the coronavirus, and with more than 8,600 deaths of mostly elderly, unvaccinated people, many just in the past two months, Hong Kong's citizens are reckoning with the costs of some of the world's most stringent social distancing rules on their mental health and livelihoods.

Empty streets in the financial centre, shuttered restaurants and bars, and bare supermarket shelves are a testament to the disruptions Hong Kong's Covid-19 rules wrought on its people.

Read more from Reuters here

Greece said on Wednesday that pandemic restrictions such as mask-wearing indoors and COVID certificates will be lifted throughout the summer tourism period and authorities will consider reinstating them in September, according to Reuters.

Coronavirus infections in Greece have eased in recent weeks, with authorities recording 15,000 infections and 64 deaths on Tuesday. Out of a population of 11 million, some 72 per cent are fully vaccinated.

From May 1 to August 31, the public will no longer need to present coronavirus vaccination or illness certificates to enter indoor or open spaces such as restaurants, and authorities are also considering lifting the requirement of presenting an EU digital COVID certificate to enter the country.

In addition, wearing masks indoors will no longer be mandatory as of June 1 and students will return to class after the Easter break without needing to regularly present negative self-tests.

The Chinese commercial capital of Shanghai has warned that anyone who violates Covid-19 lockdown rules will be dealt with strictly, while also rallying citizens to defend their city as its tally of new cases rebounded to more than 25,000, reports Reuters.

The city police department spelled out the restrictions that most of the 25 million residents are facing and called on them to “fight the epidemic with one heart ... and work together for an early victory”.

“Those who violate the provisions of this notice will be dealt with in strict accordance with the law by public security organs ... If it constitutes a crime, they will be investigated according to law,” the department said in a statement.

Pakistan has reported 102 coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 1,526,829.

Meanwhile, no coronavirus-related fatality has been reported and the death toll remains 30,362.

A breakdown of the cases is as follows:

• Punjab: 51 cases
• Sindh: 27 cases
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 14 cases
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1 case