May 4 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 9:19 p.m. ET, May 4, 2020
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9:16 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

German border checks will continue through next week

From Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

German Federal police officers control vehicles at the border to France in Saarbruecken, Germany, on March 26.
German Federal police officers control vehicles at the border to France in Saarbruecken, Germany, on March 26. Ronald Wittek/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Germany's border checks will continue until at least next Friday, May 15, the Interior ministry said.

Germany is part of the European open-border Schengen area, which imposed emergency border checks to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The group of 26 European countries — including Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Italy and Poland — do not have internal borders and usually allow people to move between them freely.

The ministry said the extension of the border checks is in line with the EU commission.

"Of course, we are guided by the European spirit not to act unilaterally or in an uncoordinated way," the spokesman added.
9:09 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

Ukraine extends lockdown until May 22

From CNN's Denis Lapin in Kiev

A medical worker waits for patients inside a clinic in the Ukrainian town of Irpin on April 15.
A medical worker waits for patients inside a clinic in the Ukrainian town of Irpin on April 15. Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Ukraine has extended its nationwide lockdown until May 22 but has agreed to loosen some restrictions starting on May 11, the government announced in a televised cabinet meeting today.

The partial lifting of some restrictions on May 11 will include the reopening of parks, some specialist shops and cafes for take out services.

Ukraine has reported at least 12,331 Covid-19 cases and 303 deaths as of May 4, according to the Health Ministry.

The country’s lockdown began on March 12.

8:52 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

German hair salons can reopen today. Here's what it's like to get a hair cut now.

From Stephanie Halasz in London

Hairdresser Andrea Macha cuts a customer's hair in her salon in Puchheim near Munich, Germany, during the first day of reopening amid the novel coronavirus pandemic on May 4.
Hairdresser Andrea Macha cuts a customer's hair in her salon in Puchheim near Munich, Germany, during the first day of reopening amid the novel coronavirus pandemic on May 4. Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

German hairdressers are allowed to open today after being closed for many weeks over the threat of coronavirus.

Customers must have a pre-booked appointment, and in Berlin, they will have to fill out a personal questionnaire.

Berlin hairdresser to the stars Udo Walz, told CNN he is booked out for three weeks in advance. His Berlin salons have been closed for six weeks.

"I was in the shop this morning, everyone is wearing masks, the customers, the hairdressers, it is a bit funny," Walz said.

To adhere to social distancing, Walz said every other chair remains empty, which works for him as he has big salons.

"Most of the customers have two centimeters of roots showing. Some of them tried to cut their hair themselves or cover up the color, but that usually went wrong, although I gave tips on the telephone," he said.

Walz — who has styled hair for Marlene Dietrich, Nancy Reagan and Gwyneth Paltrow — said he has not yet had to lay off any of his 86 employees, but his hairdressers are still hurting financially. “They did not get tips and that is important as we have a good clientele. Their salary was reduced a bit, but we have a great team," he said.

Meanwhile, Anne Bruemmer, the owner of Salon Heidi in Hamburg, told CNN they are booked two weeks in advance.

In addition to wearing masks, Bruemmer said she must keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters — or about 5 feet — between customers. Her salon is disinfecting seats, door handles and anything else that may have been touched.

If she's caught violating the health and safety measures, Bruemmer said she may be fined upwards of 500 Euros, or about $547 USD.

"Customers are generally very safe here,” Bruemmer said. 

8:49 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

Spain reports record low coronavirus cases as country begins to reopen

From Al Goodman and Ingrid Formanek in Spain and Vasco Cotovio in London

Commuters wear face masks to protect against coronavirus on a platform at Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, on Monday, May 4.
Commuters wear face masks to protect against coronavirus on a platform at Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, on Monday, May 4. Manu Fernandez/AP

Spain has begun its transition into a new phase of de-escalation toward a "new normal" Monday as the country’s health authorities report a second day of record low Covid-19 new infections and deaths.

The country is seeing “the lowest number of cases in two months” by percentage, said Dr. Fernando Simón, Spain’s Director for Health Emergencies, speaking at the government’s daily coronavirus technical briefing.

Spain's Ministry of Health has reported a record low 0.16% rise of new coronavirus infection cases confirmed by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests, since Sunday. 

The number of deaths rose by 164 in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 25,428 since the start of the pandemic in Spain.

The number of daily recoveries outnumber new infections, but Simón cautioned that even though the data is good, it doesn't "eliminate risk," and noted that the positive coronavirus cases figures could be adjusted in the coming days due to delayed weekend holiday reporting.

When asked whether relaxation of the country’s restrictions will mean a new wave of infections, Simón said health authorities are working on early detection to know the number of possible cases much more quickly.  

Instead of the [current] periods that can be of up to 10, in some cases 15 days, we want this to be reduced, if possible” Simon said, adding “the objective is a maximum of 48 hours”.

The faster detection and tracking will “guarantee that from the moment you move from one phase to the other, the regions are prepared to respond correctly in case of a [new] outbreak”, Simón explained.

When asked about the possibility of Spain using apps to track the contagion, Simón said: “What we need to know is what added value these apps bring to the systems that we already have in place, or that we are putting place to do contact tracing.” 

He also noted that Spain has restrictive data protection laws, so those would need to be taken into consideration “to be sure that they [the apps] don’t infringe on other rights in an irreversible way.”

Restrictions eased: Spain started a transition out of eight weeks of strict restrictions on Monday, under the country’s state of emergency, which has been in place since March 14. 

8:39 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

After criticism, Indian government to cover most train fare for stranded workers

From Swati Gupta in New Delhi

A migrant worker lifts his disabled brother, center, as they board a special train at Sabarmati Railway Station near Ahmedabad, India, on May 2. 
A migrant worker lifts his disabled brother, center, as they board a special train at Sabarmati Railway Station near Ahmedabad, India, on May 2.  Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images

In a U-turn, the Indian government announced that it will cover the train fare cost incurred for the transportation of stranded migrant workers, students and tourists to return home.

“Both the Government of India or the Railway Ministry have not discussed charging any of the workers. Eighty-five percent of the fare will be borne by the Central government and 15 percent by the state government,” said Lav Agarwal, a senior official for the Ministry of Health said.

The change in stance comes after increasing criticism on an earlier official order issued by the Ministry of Railways, asking state governments to collect the fare from the migrant workers. 

“The local state government authority shall handover the tickets to the passengers cleared by them and collect the ticket fare and hand over the total amount to Railways,” read an earlier order issued on May 2.

On Monday morning, the president of India’s main opposition Congress Party attacked the government for discriminatory behavior towards migrant workers.  

In a statement on Twitter, Sonia Gandhi questioned the Indian government’s reasoning behind charging hundreds of thousands of migrant workers for train tickets for their travel back home.

Restrictions loosened: The Indian government loosened the restrictions of the nationwide lockdown last week, allowing hundreds of thousands of stranded Indians to travel back to their homes by special trains and buses.

8:21 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

Scotland launches Covid-19 "Test, Trace, Isolate, Support" strategy

From CNN’s Sarah Dean in London

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks during First Minster's Questions (FMQ's) in the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on April 28.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks during First Minster's Questions (FMQ's) in the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on April 28. Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA/Reuters

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled Scotland’s next phase in its battle with coronavirus - a "test, trace, isolate, support" approach.

Sturgeon denied that Monday’s announcement was an admission that it had been wrong to abandon tracing earlier in the UK’s coronavirus outbreak, in a press briefing in Edinburgh on Monday.

It's not some kind of quick fix, it doesn't work on its own to get infection rates down or keep them down … It's important to use in combination with physical distancing and hygiene," Sturgeon explained.

In a foreword to the strategy published on the Scottish government website, Sturgeon warned "our lives are not going to go back to exactly how they were."

"To protect each other, our lives are not going to go back to exactly how they were. Instead, we will need to continue to adapt our behavior to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.

"We will need to continue with physical distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene, including the appropriate use of face coverings," she said.

8:18 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

German officials will meet on Wednesday to discuss further easing of lockdown measures

From Stephanie Halasz in London

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a press conference in Berlin on April 30.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a press conference in Berlin on April 30. Kay Nietfeld/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet the prime ministers of the German states on Wednesday to discuss how the country plans to return to normal life after coronavirus.

Germany's center for disease control on Monday recorded Germany's lowest increase in deaths in a 24-hour span since March 25. 

The ministers plan to discuss when schools and kindergartens can restart classes, and when restaurants, pubs and cafes may be able to reopen.

They will also talk about when sporting events may be back on the calendar, according to Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert.

Churches in Germany re-opened on Sunday and people across the country can finally get their hair cut, with hairdressers and barbers opening from today.

7:54 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

Wuhan schools to re-open Wednesday for some students

From Isaac Yee in Hong Kong

Students in grade three of Hubei Wuchang Experimental High School have their blood taken for nucleic acid and serum antibody tests on April 30, in preparation for classes to resume in Wuhan, China.
Students in grade three of Hubei Wuchang Experimental High School have their blood taken for nucleic acid and serum antibody tests on April 30, in preparation for classes to resume in Wuhan, China. Zhang Chang/China News Service/Getty Images

Final-year high school students in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected last December, will return to school this Wednesday.

On May 6, all the senior students will return to schools, which marks a new beginning for the education plan for this year," Xia Chunyin from Wuhan’s education bureau said.

Senior students will be returning to school to prepare for the Gao Kao, China’s university exam, which has been postponed by a month, to July. 

Xia said school officials have implemented a three-step plan to help students readjust to the classroom, including psychological assistance to aid the transition from online learning. 

For now, only final-year students will be allowed to return to school. The education bureau said younger students will slowly go back to school in several phases, but a time frame for their return has not yet been laid out. 

7:40 a.m. ET, May 4, 2020

South Korean students to begin returning to school from May 13

From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul

A teacher gives an online class lecture at Seoul Girls' High School in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9.
A teacher gives an online class lecture at Seoul Girls' High School in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

South Korea will gradually begin to re-open schools from May 13, the country's education minister Yoo Eun-hae said on Monday.

Year Three students in high schools will be the first to return to classes, allowing them to make career and college decisions, she said. Other schools, including kindergartens, elementary schools and middle schools, will be fully opened by June 1.

As a precautionary measure, students and teachers should wear masks and keep ample distance from each other, and schools should keep desk surfaces clean and windows open, to ensure good ventilation, she said.

The minister added that anyone with suspected coronavirus symptoms must have their health checked at designated medical centers. Schools with confirmed cases will be immediately shut to prevent the spread of Covid-19, she said.

Social distancing measures relaxed: South Korea will relax its strict social distancing rules, starting May 6, as the number of new coronavirus cases has remained low, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday. The measures has been in effect since March 22.