April 28 coronavirus news

The US state of Missouri’s restrictions on businesses will be lifted on May 4, following a new plan put in place by Gov. Mike Parson.

In a news conference Monday, the governor said the state will be ready to begin reopening the economy next week. 

Under the new plan, any business will be able to reopen as long as 6 feet of social distancing can be maintained. Indoor retail businesses will also have to limit their number of customers to no more than 25% of normal capacity. Local communities will be allowed to have stricter rules if they choose.

The governor’s order does not distinguish between essential and non-essential work. “All of Missouri’s businesses, employers, and employees are vital to our state’s economy and well-being,” Gov. Parson said in a written statement.

Missouri has recorded at least 7,305 coronavirus cases and 343 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:

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Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

Japan’s health ministry reported 191 new coronavirus cases and 25 deaths across the country on Monday.

That brings the total number of infections to 14,288, including 389 deaths. The total includes 712 cases and 13 deaths linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The number of confirmed cases of the virus in Japan has spiked in the past month -- dashing hopes that the government's initial virus response had succeeded in controlling its spread. 

On Sunday, Japan reported 199 new coronavirus cases and three deaths.

On March 1, the country had reported 243 cases.

The lower rate of increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Los Angeles suggests “the curve really is beginning to flatten,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news conference on Monday.

Garcetti said:

Garcetti noted that it’s important to look at how many tests come in positive versus negative.

About 8% of all tests from the city and county’s testing sites come back positive and about 15% overall, including tests from providers and hospitals, he said.

Los Angeles County reported at least 20,417 new cases and 942 deaths today.

Lifting restrictions a gradual process: The stay-at-home order in Los Angeles County runs through May 15, but not every restriction will be lifted on that day, Garcetti said.

Expanded testing: Starting Tuesday, Los Angeles County will expand its coronavirus testing to include delivery drivers, rideshare drivers, and taxi drivers even if they’re asymptomatic. Members of the media are also eligible to get tested.

The novel coronavirus has now infected more than 3 million people and killed at least 210,842 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

If you're just joining us, here are the latest developments:

Concerns dismissed: US President Donald Trump says he takes no responsibility for a spike in people using disinfectants improperly after he suggested ingesting disinfectant as a cure for coronavirus last week.

Not over yet: World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “the pandemic is far from over,” and that there are concerns about increasing trends in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and some Asian countries.

White House reopening plan: President Trump announced a "blueprint" to set guidance on how states should handle coronavirus, distinguishing the roles between states and the federal government.

US lockdowns: New York's first phase of reopening could begin after May 15 in some areas, the governor said. Other states are already taking their first steps toward reopening. Meanwhile, Georgia's shelter-in-place order remains in effect until April 30.

Nigeria extends restrictions: President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the country’s coronavirus lockdown in three major states -- Abuja, Lagos and Ogun -- for another week until May 4.

Testing in US states: A US health official says the federal government will continue to help US states procure supplies for testing, despite new guidelines that describe it as a “supplier of last resort” in obtaining tests.

UK jobs: Four million jobs have been furloughed in the UK and a quarter of businesses have stopped trading, Chancellor Rishi Sunak told Parliament on Monday.

Face masks in the air: US airline JetBlue will require all passengers to wear a face covering during travel starting on May 4, while American Airlines flight attendants will wear face masks during every mainline and regional flight from May 1.

China reported six confirmed cases of Covid-19 and no new deaths on Monday, according to the National Health Commission.

Among the news cases, three are imported and three are local cases from Heilongjiang province, in China's far northeast, on the Russian border.

In addition to the three new new cases, 40 asymptomatic cases were reported. There are 997 asymptomatic patients still under medical observation around the country. China previously did not include those patients not showing symptoms in some of its tallies.

The total number of confirmed cases to date is 82,836, the NHC said.

Of those confirmed cases, 77,555 patients have recovered and been discharged.

The country's official death toll stands at 4,633.

US airline JetBlue will require all passengers to wear a face covering during travel starting on May 4, according to a statement from the airline.

It is the first major US airline to take such a step, according to a major flight attendants' union.

The policy comes after the airline began requiring all crew members to wear face coverings while working.

On Monday, American Airlines said its flight attendants would be required to wear face masks during every mainline and regional flight starting May 1.

Turkey will send medical equipment to the United States on Tuesday including N95 masks, face shields, surgical masks, gowns and disinfectant, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in a speech on Monday.

The cargo bound for the US contains 500,000 surgical masks, 40,000 gowns, 2,000 liters of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N95 masks and 500 face shields, according to the Turkish presidency.

Turkey has sent medical equipment to 55 countries since the start of the pandemic, according to the presidency.

It is unclear where precisely the supplies -- which are expected to arrive Tuesday evening at Joint Base Andrews -- will go. CNN has reached out to the White House and FEMA for further information.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has authorized the use of lethal force by the police and army against gang members he says are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, after a weekend of violence left at least 50 people dead across the country.

24-hour lockdown: The President has also taken strong measures against gang members already in prison, ordering a 24-hour lockdown in seven of the country’s high-security prisons, putting metal sheets over jail cells and housing prisoners from different gangs together. 

Cells searched: Bukele shared images on his personal Twitter account of the jail cells being sealed off. He also retweeted images of several shirtless inmates lined up almost on top of each other in a courtyard at the Izalco prison as their cells were searched, some 40 miles outside of San Salvador. The images were originally posted by deputy justice minister and director of prisons Osiris Luna Meza.

Lethal force: In addition to the measures taken inside the penitentiaries, Bukele authorized the use of lethal force by the national police and the army “against the terrorists who are carrying out imminent threats against the physical integrity of the population.” 

Coronavirus lockdown: The President has imposed some of the strictest lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic, including the threat of detention and quarantine if health directives are violated and confiscating vehicles.

Bukele, who took office last June, campaigned on the promise of taking a tough stance on gang violence, which has plagued El Salvador for decades. 

US President Donald Trump said he “never even thought” of changing the date of the upcoming presidential election on November 3, despite former Vice President Joe Biden suggesting Trump would attempt a delay.

Trump added that Biden never said he would try to delay the election -- despite Biden saying those words exactly during a virtual fundraiser last week, according to a pool report.

Trump cannot unilaterally change the date of the election in November, as it has been set into law by federal statute and Congress would have to approve such a move. 

However, that has not stopped some Democrats from worrying that he will try to do so, and voters asked the previously large field of Democratic presidential candidates if they had concerns that Trump would try to delay the election or refuse to leave office if he were defeated in November.

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