This British brewer is giving away free beer in exchange for NHS donations
From CNN's Sara Spary
Brewer and manager Phil Bell prepares for a busy day of giving away free beers to locals. Alnwick Brewery/Harry Hotspur Holdings Group
A brewery in Northumberland, northeast England, has been giving away gallons of free beer to local residents after the coronavirus lockdown hit sales and left it with a surplus.
Alnwick Brewery, which supplies craft lager, ale and stout to local pubs and restaurants, produced morethan 5,000 pints of beer ahead of Easter but was then unable to sell it after the UK government closed non-essential businesses in March.
Co-owner Ian Robinson told CNN he came up with the idea of giving it away after hearing of a brewer in Scotland doing the same — but decided to ask locals to give voluntary donations to the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in return.
"We produced around 80 casks of beer for Easter, and almost immediately the government closed the pubs and restaurants so we were left with it," he said. "The casks were virtually dead money."
Robinson has been giving away beer on each Friday for the last three weeks, raising £940 ($1,180) so far.
It's 8 a.m. in New York, 1 p.m. in London. Here's the latest on the coronavirus pandemic
A jogger wears a face mask as he crosses Pier 45 in Hudson River Park in New York on Thursday. Mark Lennihan/AP
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 3.3 million people and killed at least 238,000 worldwide. If you're just joining us now, here are the latest developments.
Some rules are relaxed: Americans are returning to weekend routines after more than 30 states began easing restrictions -- some doing away with stay-at-home orders altogether while others loosenmeasures to allow businesses such as movie theaters to reopen. But experts have warned a second wave could hit in the fall. The United States has at least1,104,161reported cases of coronavirus and 65,068 related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Spaniards out exercising: In Spain, people took to the streets to run, cycle or walk after seven weeks in confinement. From today, people can exercise near their homes from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Since the strictest lockdown in Europe began on March 14, they have only been allowed out for short trips to the grocery store or pharmacy.
First therapy drug authorized in US: The experimental drug remdesivir has been approved to treat hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19, the US Food and Drug Administration said in a letter on Friday. The FDA issued an emergency-use authorization on Friday, saying the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks.
WHO congratulates Wuhan: The World Health Organization has congratulated the Chinese city of Wuhan for having no severe coronavirus cases left. Wuhan was ground zero for the country's outbreak, and in lockdown from January to April. China's National Health Commission (NHC) has reported only a single new case of the coronavirus and no deaths for the fourth consecutive day.
Countries reopening: Singapore has announced plans to ease restrictions over the coming weeks, with business to resume more fully from June 1. Malaysiawill allow most businesses to reopen Monday, but movie theaters and nightclubs will remain closed. India's lockdown, affecting 1.3 billion people, has been extended to May 17 but restrictions have eased in low-risk areas that haven't had new cases in three weeks. Australiais considering easing its lockdown earlier than planned.
White House blocks Fauci: The White House is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the administration's coronavirus task force, from testifying before the Democratic-led House next week. But it appears Fauci will testify in front of a committee of the Republican-led Senate committee in May. Fauci has repeatedly distanced himself from Trump’s framing of the federal government’s handling of the pandemic to strike a more somber tone.
7:20 a.m. ET, May 2, 2020
Big cities were already seeing their populations dip. Then coronavirus hit
From CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Athena Jones
The streets of New York -- and many major cities across the US -- are hauntingly empty as the pandemic leaves most of the country on lockdown.
This chilling sign of the times brings to mind a big question: After the pandemic passes, will some people choose to leave big-city life behind?
That trend was already starting to emerge in parts of the country, even before coronavirus hit. Now the pandemic is changing the way we talk about city life. And some experts say it could change who opts to live in them.
"It's hard to think about living in New York when we don't have our existence and our careers there," says Ashley Arcement, a dancer, singer and actor who headed to a friend's house in Florida with her boyfriend, a pianist, after Broadway shut down in March.
Before this, we weren't the kind of people who wanted to live outside the city and commute in. ... Now it's like, will it ever be the same?" Arcement adds.
With Broadway closed, restaurants open only for takeout and many working from home -- if they still have a job -- the city that never sleeps is looking downright dormant.
"Why New York? Why are we seeing this level of infection? Well, why cities across the country?" said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at a news briefing last month.
"It's about density. It's about the number of people in a small geographic location allowing that virus to spread ... Dense environments are its feeding grounds."
The executive director of the Houston-based Urban Reform Institute, Kotkin says that cities were already in trouble. And in the age of social distancing, he says, dense cities particularly have a lot going against them.
Diabetic Olympic hopeful adapts to training in quarantine
From CNN's Cesar Marin
Isolation isn't a new concept for US Olympic hopeful Mandy Marquardt. As a track cyclist she's become inured to the discipline of a sport that demands the toughest of psyches in dealing with hours of solo training.
So social distancing hasn't been that daunting for the 28-year-old. But trying to keep her Olympic training at an elite level while being in virtual isolation? That's taken some ingenuity.
Due to the pandemic, Marquardt has been forced to give up access to a cycling velodrome track, world-class gym, and all the perks that come with being an Olympic hopeful.
In their place she's created a do-it-yourself, at-home Olympic-style training facility, including a bike simulator to measure all vital performance numbers and a makeshift gym that includes everything she needs for her weight workouts.
"My dad is full-on German. He's always said, 'Do it or don't do it!' So it's always been in me to find a way to make things happen, and I really love competing, so I knew it was something I wanted to do," she said.
And training under quarantine conditions is hardly the biggest challenge Marquardt has ever faced. It's almost a miracle that she's competing at all, especially at the elite level, considering the up-and-coming cyclist was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16.
Georgia's governor said they could reopen. More than 50 restaurateurs said in a newspaper ad they're not ready
From CNN's Christina Maxouris
Federico Castellucci, Ryan Pernice, Gina and Linton Hopkins, and Anthony Vipond. Photos provided to CNN.
Owners of more than 120 of Georgia's most popular restaurants announced this week they would not reopen their doors yet, despite getting a green light to do so from the governor.
Gov. Brian Kemp said customers could again go to restaurants for dine-in service starting April 27 as long as eateries put in place measures to limit potential exposure of their staff and guests to coronavirus. The state has so far had more than 27,490 infections and at least 1,169deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In a full-page advertisement in a local newspaper, more than 50 restaurateurs said they would hunker down for a little longer.
"We pledge ourselves to act as custodians of the public's trust," the statement reads. "...Recognizing that each operator faces incredibly difficult decisions on the path ahead, we affirm the fact that public safety is the top priority as we navigate the challenge."
About two weeks after putting its stay-at-home order in place, Georgia introduced the nation's most aggressive reopening timeline, despite resistance from local leaders and health officials, as well as a rebuke from President Donald Trump.
A flock of flamingos flies above Mumbai on April 20. Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images
The humans may be in lockdown in India, but tens of thousands of flamingos are making the most of the peace and quiet.
Huge numbers of the birds have flocked to Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state in western India, with photos of the flamingos becoming a hit with birdwatchers on social media.
The birds traditionally migrate to the area for feeding from September to the end of May, according to Rahul Khot, assistant director at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Last year a record 134,000 flamingos were counted in the area, but Khot believes a new record will be set this year.
BNHS had already counted 125,000 flamingos before its work was disrupted by India's coronavirus lockdown measures, introduced on March 25, said Khot, who expects the population to surpass the previous record by the end of May.
The birds have spread to wetlands where they were previously a rarity,added Khot.
They are being reported from places where they have earlier been reported less in number because there is no human activity there now," he said.
Removing human pressure on the environment allows us to appreciate the importance of the wetlands in Mumbai, he added.
The Kentucky Derby isn't happening, but a turtle race is
From CNN's Alaa Elassar
The Kentucky Derby, hailed as the "Fastest Two Minutes in Sports," is being replaced with something slower.
Much... much... slower.
This year eight elite turtles will square off instead, after the annual horse race had to be rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kentucky Turtle Derby, sponsored by bourbon brand Old Forester, whose mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. Fans can watch the race on Old Forester's YouTube channel.
"The first time the Kentucky Derby was postponed they raced turtles, so we thought it'd be fun to do something similar and give fans at home a little bit of entertainment this year...And who doesn't love a good turtle race in May?" Campbell Brown, the company's president, told CNN.
The Kentucky Derby, America's oldest continuously held major sporting event, is traditionally run on the first Saturday in May in Louisville, Kentucky.
The first "Run for the Roses" was held in 1875 and has only been postponed once before. In 1945, wartime restrictions forced it to be pushed back by one month.
After 7 weeks in confinement, Spaniards emerge for walks, runs and bike rides
From CNN's Al Goodman in Spain, Helena DeMoura in Atlanta and Claudia Rebaza in London
Runners outside Madrid's Retiro Park, which remains closed, on Saturday morning. Credit: Al Goodman/CNN
At 6 a.m. local time in Spain, many people took to the streets to run, cycle or take walks of up to one kilometer after seven weeks in confinement.
Parks remain closed in Madrid, so runners and cyclists outside the capital's Retiro park used the broad avenue as a racetrack, occupying lanes normally used for traffic. Some buses and cars had to honk to get them to move over.
The government has insisted people stick to 2-meter or 6-foot social distancing, especially runners and cyclists who are supposed to exercise alone, but CNN observed numerous people bunched together.
At 10:25 a.m. local time, a Madrid municipal van pulled alongside a cyclist and an officer leaned out of the window to shout:
You were supposed to be home a half hour ago. A half hour ago!"
But the police did not stop to issue a fine and drove off.
From today, people older than 14 can take one-hour walks, accompanied by one person, once a day close to their homes, or do sports like riding a bike alone, within their city. They are allowed to do this from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Several ran in the roads, where there was little traffic, as Spaniards were allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks. Credit: Al Goodman/CNN
The elderly had their turn a little later, with a special timetable to avoid crowds: from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent a message via Twitter on Saturday morning asking Spaniards for caution:
"Today we take a new step in the relaxation of confinement but we need to do it with caution and responsibility. The virus is still there. We need to follow the guidelines for hygiene and social distancing," he wrote.
Spain's government moved to further ease the nation's strict confinement rules due to coronavirus earlier this week. Last weekend, children under 14 were allowed to take one-hour walks daily with their parents.
The government has asked its population to wear masks if they cannot observe strict social distancing.
Some runners and cyclists wore masks as they were allowed out for solo exercise in their cities. Credit: Al Goodman/CNN
Spain's state of emergency, with the strictest confinement rules in Europe, will continue until May 9. The new "relaxation" measures give most Spaniards more time outside their homes daily than they've had since the lockdown started on March 14, after which only short trips were allowed for food shopping and to the pharmacy.
From Monday, May 4, Spain will start "Phase Zero" of its transition to "new normality" as announced by Prime Minister Sánchez last week. Some stores will be allowed to open for a limited number of clients, by appointment only, and some restaurants will be allowed to open with limited takeaway service.
Cases in Spain have now reached 216,582 with 1,147 new infections. There have been 25,100 deaths in the country with 276 more in the past day -- a slightly smaller increase than yesterday when there were 281 new deaths.
5:49 a.m. ET, May 2, 2020
Coronavirus cases jump by more than 9,500 in Russia, bringing total to 124,054
From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina in Moscow
Russia reported 9,623 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday in its biggest spike to date, according to the country’s coronavirus response center.
The total number of officially reported cases is 124,054, with 1,222 deaths.
Moscow, the country’s worst-hit city, has also seen a record spike after a few days of relatively steady growth, adding more than 5,000 cases in a day.
For weeks, Russian independent media and non-governmental organizations have reported anonymous pleas from outraged medical workers who said they had been ordered to the frontlines of a public health crisis without adequate protection, and that bureaucratic foot-dragging was costing lives.
As the situation worsens and case numbers surpass those reported from Iran and China, many have become more outspoken, sometimes risking legal action against them.
