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This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news comes out.
- Global cases: more than 3.2 million
- Global deaths: more than 233,000
The above data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University at 8:04 a.m. Beijing time.
All times below are in Beijing time.
1:25 pm: EU chief backs investigation into virus origin, says China should participate
The President of the European Commission supported calls for an investigation into the origin of the new coronavirus and said China should be involved in the process.
Speaking to CNBC, Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive arm, said she would like to see China work together with her organization and others to get to the bottom of exactly how it came about.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Philipp von Ditfurth | image alliance | fake pictures
“I think this is important for all of us, I mean for everyone it is important. You never know when the next virus is starting, so we all want next time, we have learned our lesson, and we have put in place an early warning system. it really works and everyone has to contribute to that, “he told Geoff Cutmore in an exclusive interview Thursday.
He called for more transparency in the future and said that governments should learn lessons from the current crisis. – Silvia Amaro
12:39 pm: US report warns Afghanistan could face ‘health disaster’
The Covid-19 outbreak in Afghanistan could push the country to face an impending health crisis, warned a report sent to the United States Congress.
The report was released Thursday by the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan, John Sopko.
“Afghanistan’s numerous and, in some cases, unique vulnerabilities (a weak health system, widespread malnutrition, porous borders, massive internal displacement, contiguity with Iran and ongoing conflicts) make the country likely to face a health disaster in the future months, “the report said.
He added that there was concern that the virus outbreak could complicate peace talks, warning that “intra-Afghan negotiations could be significantly hampered if large numbers of prisoners on either side contract or die from the virus while in captivity “
Afghanistan reported 2,171 cases of infection and 64 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
11:26 am: Colorado meat packing plant sees an increase in cases as operations restart
The number of reported coronavirus cases more than doubled in a few days at a JBS meatpacking plant in Colorado after reopening nearly a week ago, Reuters reported, citing a union official.
The Greeley plant began operating again last Friday after two weeks of closing as the company attempted to stop an outbreak among workers, Reuters reported. The number of confirmed cases at the plant increased to 245 on Wednesday, from 120 on Sunday, a union spokesperson told Reuters.
“The increase in cases in a matter of days shows how serious this crisis is and the dangers workers face every day simply by trying to do their job,” Kim Cordova, president of United Food and Commercial Workers, told Reuters.
It comes as President Donald Trump this week invoked the Defense Production Act to order that meat-packing plants remain open, as “the closures threaten the continued operation of the national meat and poultry supply chain.” – Joanna Tan
10:23 am: Major US airlines USA Require facial masks on flights
Major airlines in the US USA They will begin to require passengers and employees meeting customers to wear cloth face covers throughout the flight, the Airlines for America trade group announced. This includes check-in, boarding, flight and disembarkation, according to the statement.
“The requirement to wear a cloth cover during air travel is just one of the ways that carriers work to protect passengers and employees during this crisis,” said the trade group representing the largest airlines in the United States. . “Carriers are working around the clock to disinfect cabins, cabins, and key touch points, such as tray tables, armrests, seat belts, buttons, vents, handles, and sinks, with CDC-approved disinfectants.”
Members of the business group include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. – Joanna Tan
On April 27, 2020, an art installation depicting dozens of pink planes is seen in a parking lot at San Diego International Airport (SAN) in San Diego, California, USA. USA
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | fake pictures
9:37 am: China reports 12 new cases, says half of them were ‘imported’
The Chinese National Health Commission said there were 12 confirmed new cases of infection and that six of them were attributed to foreign travelers. No new deaths were reported, but there were 25 additional asymptomatic cases.
Cumulatively, 82,874 confirmed cases of infection have been reported on the continent and 4,633 people have died.
On April 17, the number of cumulative deaths increased substantially after an investigation in Wuhan City, where the outbreak was first reported, added 1,290 deaths. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
9:14 am: California will allow obtaining marriage licenses through videoconferencing
Adults in California could obtain marriage licenses by video conference for the next 60 days, Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted.
The state has 48,917 confirmed cases of Covid-19, of which 3,497 people are in hospitals, Newsom tweeted. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
9:03 am: Walmart announced a new delivery service in less than two hours
Walmart said its new express delivery service will deliver customers in less than two hours.
The service has been available in 100 Walmart stores since mid-April. It will expand to nearly 1,000 stores in early May, according to Walmart. In the following weeks, the service will be extended to almost 2,000 stores in total.
Customers can order more than 160,000 items Walmart carries, including food, groceries, and everyday items.
The service will cost $ 10 in addition to existing delivery charges, but Walmart Unlimited Delivery customers will pay a flat rate of $ 10 for express delivery. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
8:47 am: Australia reportedly planning to restart sports activities again
The Australian government will meet on Friday to discuss how sports activities can be restarted now that daily reported cases in the country are declining, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the details.
“The agenda includes principles for sport and other recreational activities,” a source told the news agency.
The Australian National Rugby League said it will resume a 20-round competition on May 28, but still requires government permission to restart, according to Reuters.
The Health Ministry said that as of 6 a.m. local time on Friday, there were 16 new cases. Australia has 6,762 cases in total and 92 people have died. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
8:26 am: Smartphone shipments suffer the biggest annual decline, IDC says
Global smartphone shipments fell 11.7% yoy in the first three months of 2020, preliminary data from International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed. Phone makers shipped 275.8 million smartphones for the quarter.
IDC said that while the first quarter generally experiences a “sequential decrease (quarter-over-quarter) in shipments,” this is the largest year-over-year decrease.
China experienced the largest regional decline in the quarter as shipments fell 20.3% compared to the previous year. Most of China closed in February for an extended period as part of the country’s efforts to contain the outbreak. “China’s global reliance on its smartphone supply chain also caused major problems as the quarter progressed,” IDC said.
Research firm Counterpoint said its analysis showed that the global smartphone market declined 13% yoy in the quarter. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
7:42 am: Tons of fruit and flowers risk being spoiled when virus disrupts supply chains
Farmers around the world are grappling with oversupply of their produce as their crops are unable to reach their intended customers due to blockage disruptions and movement restrictions.
Some have turned to creative ways to get rid of excess supplies. Belgians have been asked to eat more potato chips, as more than 750,000 tons of potatoes are at risk of being discarded; Indian farmers are feeding their cows with strawberries, which are normally intended for tourists and ice cream producers; while companies in the Netherlands are buying flowers to give away to employees.
“The blockages we are experiencing around the world are causing a disruption in the workforce, so we are not getting people to enter the fields to produce on farms,” said Michael Strano, senior researcher of disruptive and sustainable technology in agriculture at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
“It is an interruption in global transport and supply chains that is causing this unusual phenomenon of shortage in some areas and excess in others,” he added. – Huileng Tan
7:30 am: global cases exceed 3.2 million, death toll exceeds 233,000
More than 3.2 million people have been infected worldwide by the coronavirus and more than 233,000 people have died from Covid-19 respiratory disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
A man in a mask tries to hail a cab in Times Square amid the Covid-19 pandemic on April 30, 2020 in New York City.
Johannes Eisele | AFP | fake pictures
The United States reported the highest number of cases, with more than 1 million infections and more than 62,000 deaths from people, according to Hopkins data. Earlier this week, the death toll exceeded American deaths from the Vietnam War.
Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are still some of the most affected countries after the USA. USA
The virus outbreak was reported in China’s Hubei province late last year before it quickly spread to the rest of the world in just four months. – Saheli Roy Choudhury
All times below are in Eastern Time.
6:39 pm: Former TARP watchdog says Washington is to blame for big business taking small business loans
Large companies that received money from the small business loan program are not to blame, according to former TARP regulator Neil Barofsky.
“You have to go back to the design of the show itself,” Barofsky told CNBC.
“I mean, Congress did everything possible to create companies that have more than 500 employees but that are restaurants, restaurant chains,” he said in “Closing Bell.” “They wanted the money to go to restaurant chains.”
Barofsky, a lawyer, previously served as general inspector for the controversial Troubled Asset Relief Program, which Congress approved to stabilize the financial system amid the 2008 crisis.
Listed companies, such as Shake Shack, Potbelly and Ruth’s Hospitality Group, received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, but have since announced that they will return the money.
“They participated because they qualified and then there is this tremendous political reaction,” Barofsky said, specifically referring to Shake Shack as an example. –Kevin Stankiewicz
6:23 pm: Trump suspects coronavirus outbreak came from China’s lab, cites no evidence
President Donald Trump said, without offering any evidence, that he has reason to believe that the coronavirus outbreak originated in a laboratory in China.
“I can’t tell you that. I’m not allowed to tell you that,” Trump said when asked what evidence he has seen to lead him to believe that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Initially, a reporter asked Trump at a White House event on Thursday about the origins of the virus, and replied, “You have heard all the different things. Three or four different concepts about how it came out.”
“We should have the answer to that in the not too distant future and that will determine a lot how I feel about China,” said the president.
But then a journalist asked him if “he had seen anything that gave him a high degree of confidence, at this point, that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the source of this virus.”
Trump replied, “Yes, I did,” and then repeated that statement. –Dan Mangan
Read CNBC coverage of the United States overnight: Trump feeds the theory that the virus came from China’s laboratory, Big Tech’s profits are affected
