April 10 coronavirus news

Germany's death toll has increased by 266 in the past day, according to the country's disease and control centre, marking the largest 24 hour increase in fatalities since the country's coronavirus outbreak began.

Overall, 2,373 people have now died form the virus in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute said.

The total number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 113,525, which marks an increase of 5,323 in the past 24 hours.

Merkel offers "cautious hope": German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged people to continue to observe social distancing rules over Easter, adding that the number of people infected with the virus is declining slightly.

''The latest developments in the figures regarding the spread of the virus give reason for cautious hope," she said on Thursday. "The coronavirus curve is flattening out slightly and the number of those currently infected is declining slightly.''

Germany has so far been spared the vast death tolls seen in other major European countries like Italy and Spain, and has implemented a large-scale testing program to identify cases among its population.

Merkel added that the coronavirus pandemic will be ''with us some time to come'' and that a decision on if and how to ease the restrictions would be based on a broad scientific study published on next week.

A total of 16 school systems in the United States have been ordered closed through to the end of the school year, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The states are:

Meanwhile, officials in three other states have recommended statewide closures through the end of the school year:

California: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said:

Closing and reopening school facilities is a decision that is made at the local level in California. The State Superintendent does not have the authority to close schools.

Idaho: The State Board of Education closed schools through the end of the academic year, but left local school districts the option to reopen their schools

South Dakota: The governor asked accredited schools to remain closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. Schools in South Dakota are independent entities.

Malaysia is extending its nationwide movement restrictions for two more weeks until April 28, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced today, according to state-run Bernama News Agency.

The spread of Covid-19 has "more or less" been checked since the order was first imposed on March 18, but the extension will allow more room and flexibility for healthcare workers to combat the virus and prevent cases from surging again, Bernama reported. 

Under the current restrictions, all Malaysian nationals are prohibited from traveling abroad. All social, religious and educational gatherings are also banned.

Malaysia now has 4,229 confirmed cases and 67 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to announce an extension to the country's lockdown measures when he addresses the nation on Friday.

Conte held a call with Italian union representatives on Thursday and explained the country was still not ready to ease restrictions, Christian Ferrari, president of the CGIL labor union in the northeastern Veneto region, who was present on the call, told CNN on Friday.

According to Ferrari, Conte said the extension would continue until May 3 with only a few exceptions of businesses being allowed to reopen slightly sooner. Conte went on to tell union representatives that this was the only way to protect public health in Italy.

The Italian Prime Minister is expected to address the country on Friday, an official government source told CNN. The source declined to comment on whether Conte would announce an extension to the lockdown measures.

A new study backs up what has already been documented anecdotally in the past few months: The coronavirus pandemic has coincided with a surge in Sinophobic, or anti-Chinese, sentiments -- especially online.

Researchers at the Network Contagion Research Institute, an organization that tracks misinformation and hate speech, released a report Wednesday that looked at the spread of hate online toward Asians.

"NCRI's research indicates that hateful communities may serve as sources of spread for disinformation and propaganda during politically volatile events for purposes of hate."

The group of researchers looked at a variety of social media platforms and online bulletin boards like 4chan, where there was a rise in derogatory terms for Chinese people around February of this year.

Other terms and slurs toward minority groups decreased or flatlined in relation to topics surrounding the virus, research found.

For example, researchers found an instance where one user said he and his friends would shoot Asian people in Chinatown because "that's the only way we can destroy the epidemic."

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A new story book that aims to help children understand and cope with Covid-19 has been released by the United Nations Children’s Fund, in collaboration with more than 50 humanitarian organizations.

The book would help children "understand and navigate this new landscape and learn how they can take small actions to become the heroes in their own stories,” she said. 

The book, titled “My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID-19!”, features the fantasy creature Ario, who helps children understand how they can protect themselves, their families and friends from coronavirus, and how to manage difficult emotions when confronted with a new reality.

The book is aimed at children aged 6-11: It's a collaboration between UN agencies, national and international nongovernmental organizations and international agencies providing mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. 

Widely translated: Six language versions have already been released and translations to 30 more languages are in the works. The book is being released as a printable version available online for download, and as an audiobook. 

Much of Europe is still on lockdown with severe movement restrictions -- but not Sweden.

Restaurants and bars are open in the Nordic country, playgrounds and schools too, and the government is relying on voluntary action to stem the spread of Covid-19.

It's a controversial approach, and one that's drawn President Donald Trump's attention. "Sweden did that, the herd, they call it the herd. Sweden's suffering very, very badly," Trump said on Tuesday.

The next day, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Trump was "factually wrong" to suggest that Sweden was following the "herd immunity" theory.

Here's their strategy: The idea, Linde said, was "No lockdown and we rely very much on people taking responsibility themselves."

The approach is about encouraging and recommending, not compulsion. Two days after Spain imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 14, Swedish authorities were encouraging people to wash hands and stay at home if sick. On March 24, new rules were introduced to avoid crowding at restaurants. But they very much stayed open.

Is it working? "I think Sweden is doing okay," Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told CNN affiliate Expressen.

"It's producing quality results the same way it's always done. So far Swedish health care is handling this pandemic in a fantastic way."

Sweden has reported 9,141 cases of the coronavirus and 793 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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The UK is beginning to see coronavirus cases plateau, indicating a potential slowdown in the rate of new daily cases -- but it is still too early to lift restrictions, said National Health Service England Medical Director Stephen Powis.

When asked about the possibility of lifting any restrictions, Powis said, "I'm not going to confirm anything because I think those discussions are still ongoing. I think it is too early to be clear about which of those options we should pursue."

"One of the things we do know is that it's very likely ... that there are people who are asymptomatic, and that's one of the unknowns that we will need to find out. Once the virus has more established, as in all countries, you need to evolve your strategy," Powis said.

UFC 249, the highly anticipated fight event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, will not happen on April 18 as previously scheduled.

Additionally, all other UFC events have been postponed indefinitely.

UFC 249 had been moved to Tachi Palace Casino Resort near Fresno, California. On Thursday, US Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a statement that the event should be postponed.

"I'm concerned by reports that Ultimate Fighting Championship plans to hold a pay-per-view event in California, in defiance of the state’s shelter-in-place order,” Feinstein said. "This event would involve dozens of individuals flying to California and driving to a casino for a purpose no one can honestly claim is essential."