April 13 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott, Amy Woodyatt, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 9:11 p.m. ET, April 13, 2020
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6:18 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Virus may dash Trump's plan for a "big bang" economic opening

Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson

President Donald Trump arrives for a daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 7.
President Donald Trump arrives for a daily briefing on the novel coronavirus at the White House on April 7. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump almost certainly won't get his "big bang" reopening of the frozen US economy.

His hopes for a sharp rebound in the summer of his reelection year are likely to be dashed by the science of a virus that is highly contagious, for which there is no vaccine and no proven therapies.

Furthermore, many state governors and big city mayors -- who so far retain more public trust over their management of the crisis than Trump -- are nervous about a premature end to stay-at-home orders. Trump can't simply force them to open up.

And the administration itself appears far short of the readiness required to reopen the country safely. Mass testing capabilities needed to underwrite a staged return to normal life before the pandemic is contained are nowhere near needed levels.

There is also no sign of a government plan for how vital functions like air and surface transport can safely resume without triggering a new wave of mass infections.

Read the full analysis here:

6:07 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Iran fires back at US opposition to IMF coronavirus loan

From CNN’s Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei is pictured during a news conference in Tehran, Iran in July 2019.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei is pictured during a news conference in Tehran, Iran in July 2019. Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

The United States has no right to veto the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) measures, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said at a press conference on Monday, in response to US opposition to Iran accessing IMF funds to fight coronavirus.

“America, legally speaking, is not authorized to prevent the enactment of any operation of international bodies,” Rabiei said on state TV, adding, “America has no right to veto IMF's measures. We have paid for years our membership fees and our nation is entitled to receive the loan amid the pressure of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.”

US set to veto: CNN reported last Thursday that the US would veto any vote at the IMF on a $5 billion emergency loan to Iran to help them combat the pandemic, two administration officials told CNN.

“The world's leading state sponsor of terrorism is seeking cash to fund its adventurism abroad, not to buy medicine for Iranians,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN. "The regime’s corrupt officials have a long history of diverting funds allocated for humanitarian goods into their own pockets and to their terrorist proxies."

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called on the IMF to provide access to the $50 billion "Rapid Emergency Fund" to help fight coronavirus.

5:59 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

UK nurses can refuse to treat Covid-19 patients as "last resort" if they don't have adequate protective equipment, says union

From CNN’s Mick Krever in London

A person wearing a face mask holds up a banner reading: 'PPE' outside St Thomas' Hospital on April 07, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
A person wearing a face mask holds up a banner reading: 'PPE' outside St Thomas' Hospital on April 07, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

The Royal College of Nursing, a union in the United Kingdom, has advised its members that they can refuse to treat Covid-19 patients as a last resort if they are not provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Ultimately, if you have exhausted all other measures to reduce the risk and you have not been given appropriate PPE in line with the UK Infection Prevention and Control guidance, you are entitled to refuse to work,” the union said in a guidance document to its members.
“If the employer does not provide appropriate PPE and a safe working environment, as an employee you can refuse to care for a patient, but you must follow RCN guidance before making this decision.”

The union emphasizes that this should be a “last resort,” and that “you must be able to justify your decision as reasonable, so keep a written record of the safety concerns that led you to withdraw treatment.”

Lack of protective equipment: Donna Kinnair, the union’s chief executive, told the BBC on Saturday that British nurses do not have adequate protection.

“My inbox, on a daily basis, this is the number one priority that nurses are bringing to my attention – that they do not have adequate supplies of PPE,” she said.

Addressing reports of PPE shortages, the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Sunday that “there are now record amounts in the system.”

When asked at the daily government briefing about the Royal College of Nursing’s guidance, he said: “We’re working night and day to make sure that we get the right PPE.”

Hancock told the BBC on Saturday that 19 National Health Service staff members had died due to Covid-19.

6:39 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Indian Railways transport camel milk for child with food allergies amid coronavirus lockdown

From CNN's Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap in New Delhi

Indian Railways transported 20 liters of camel milk to a needy family on Saturday after a Mumbai resident tweeted at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help.

"Sir, I have a 3.5 yrs old child suffering from autism and severe food allergies. He survives on Camel Milk and limited qty of pulses. When lockdown started I didn’t have enough camel milk to last this long. Help me get Camel Milk or its powder from Sadri (Rajasthan)," tweeted Neha Kumari, a resident of Mumbai earlier last week.

Modi didn't respond but transportation companies across India sprang into action.

"I came across a tweet from a distressed mother and reached out to officials from the western Indian state of Rajasthan and Indian Railways for help," said Arun Bothra, chief managing director (CMD) of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation. 

The company offered its own camel milk powder for the child. However, sending it to Mumbai was an issue and so he got in touch with Tarun Jain, chief passenger transport manager, North-Western Indian Railways, for further assistance. 

The milk container reached the family on Saturday, Bothra said.

5:48 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

South Korea to ship virus test kits to US

From CNN’s Yoonjung Seo in Seoul

South Korea will send a shipment of Covid-19 testing kits to the United States on Tuesday afternoon, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN on Monday.

The official did not disclose how many kits would be sent, but said the kits had been produced by two manufacturers.

South Korea’s ability to test large numbers of people in a short period of time has been a major contributing factor in its success in combating the virus.

A Seoul city official guides visitors at a walk-thru coronavirus testing station in Seoul on April 3.
A Seoul city official guides visitors at a walk-thru coronavirus testing station in Seoul on April 3. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

SolGent, the first South Korean coronavirus test kit manufacturer registered for stockpile procurement by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told CNN on Monday that the company had shipped coronavirus test kits for 150,000 people to the US on April 7.

US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in spoke on the phone last month about the pandemic; Trump had requested assistance procuring medical equipment from South Korea.

South Korea to track quarantine violators with bracelets: On Saturday, South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the country would adopt an electronic bracelet system to monitor people in quarantine who have previously violated quarantine orders.

5:56 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

India’s Prime Minister to address nation on last day of nationwide lockdown

From CNN’s Vedika Sud in New Delhi

 

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10am, local time, on April 14, according to a tweet from the PM’s office.

April 14 marks the last day of the three week nationwide lockdown that was implemented on March 25.

A man watches Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on a mobile phone in Jabalpur, on March 19.
A man watches Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on a mobile phone in Jabalpur, on March 19. Uma Shankar Mishra/AFP/Getty Images

Lockdown extended in some areas: Several states have already extended the lockdown, as numbers of coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country.

Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha were all originally scheduled to come out of lockdown along with the rest of the country on Tuesday.

So far, there has been no announcement from Modi as to whether the nationwide lockdown will be extended.

Cases continue to rise: India recorded 796 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the nation's total to 9,152 confirmed cases as of Monday, according to the country's health ministry.

5:37 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Japan's Hokkaido declares state of emergency for second time

From Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo

Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki holds a press conference at his office on April 2.
Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki holds a press conference at his office on April 2. Kyodo News/Getty Images

The Japanese island of Hokkaido has issued a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus outbreak for the second time, as the prefecture reported a double-digit increase in infections for a fifth day Sunday.

Residents urged to stay indoors: Naomichi Suzuki, the Hokkaido governor, said a “second wave crisis” was hitting the region, urging residents to stay indoors unless essential. Suzuki indicated that Hokkaido had a number of positive cases of people who had traveled from other prefectures currently under a state of emergency.

The Hokkaido prefecture has also asked residents to avoid dining in restaurants to prevent face-to-face contact, while urging the national government to help mitigate the economic fallout, particularly to the tourism industry.

Sapporo -- the capital of Hokkaido, where schools resumed for the new academic year just last week -- will close from April 14 until May 4.

Since April 8, Hokkaido has reported more than 10 new cases of coronavirus every day. As of Sunday, the prefecture had reported a total of 267 confirmed cases.

Hokkaido first declared its own state of emergency in February, but lifted it on March 19.

Regions under state of emergency: Hokkaido joins the list of eight other Japanese prefectures under in a state of emergency, which include the country's capital, Tokyo, and Japan's second largest city, Osaka.

Japanese cases spike: The number of confirmed cases has spiked in recent days, after it appeared that Japan's initial response had brought the virus relatively under control. As of Monday, at least 7,967 cases have been reported across the country, including 712 cases linked to the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, according to Japan's health ministry.

4:52 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Italian police fined nearly 23,000 people for coronavirus violations in just two days

From Valentina DiDonato in Rome 

Mounted police patrol in Rome, Italy, on April 11.
Mounted police patrol in Rome, Italy, on April 11. Alberto Lingria/Xinhua/Getty Images

Italian police fined almost 23,000 people for breaking coronavirus containment rules on Friday and Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said today.

The ministry is expected to release the number of fines handed out on Easter Sunday later today.

Over Friday and Saturday, 22,956 people were fined, along with 397 businesses, according to the ministry.

During the Easter weekend, police forces tightened controls on most roads to prevent the movement of people and maintain compliance with the containment measures against the spread of coronavirus, the ministry added.

From the start of the national lockdown in Italy on March 11 to April 11, a total of 6,762,858 people have been checked to make sure they were complying with containment measures.

4:40 a.m. ET, April 13, 2020

Russia reports record one-day rise in coronavirus cases

From CNN's Nathan Hodge

A municipal worker disinfects a bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow on April 12.
A municipal worker disinfects a bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow on April 12. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

Russia has seen a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases today, with the country's coronavirus headquarters reporting 2,558 confirmed infections in 24 hours.

The figure surpasses the number of confirmed coronavirus cases over the previous 24-hour period, when cases rose by 2,186.

In total, Russia has reported 18,328 confirmed cases of Covid-19.