TSA screens more than half a million for first time since pandemic hit
From CNN's Greg Wallace
Passengers queue up in to pass through the south security checkpoint in Denver International Airport on June 10 in Denver. David Zalubowski/AP
More than 500,000 people crossed through US Transportation Security Administration checkpoints on Thursday, the first time the numbers have climbed above that mark since travel cratered this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 502,209 people TSA reported screening is still well below typical levels — nearly 19% of the 2.7 million the agency screened on the same Thursday last year.
The passenger rates have steadily risen since bottoming out at about 3% of last year’s traffic – less than 100,000 daily travelers — in mid-April.
Airlines are operating more flights than at that point, and each plane is also carrying more passengers.
Airlines for America, representing the major US carriers, said Thursday that the average departure carries 57 passengers, compared to 50 the group reported on Monday and fewer than 20 at the low point.
8:46 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
Coronavirus mutations not expected to influence vaccine efficacy, WHO chief scientist says
From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard
Alissa Eckert/Dan Higgins/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
All viruses mutate — including the novel coronavirus. But as the world now races to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, the coronavirus mutations are not expected to alter vaccine efficacy during this race, said World Health Organization chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.
"The mutations have not been shown to be in those regions of the virus — the spike protein, the receptor binding domain — that are going to alter the efficacy of a vaccine so far," Swaminathan said on Friday during a live Q&A broadcast on WHO's social media pages.
Swaminathan added that "viruses keep on changing and we have to keep an eye on that."
Currently there are about 200 vaccine candidates in development around the world, with 10 in human trials — four in the United States, five in China and one in the United Kingdom — and 126 in preclinical trials globally, according to WHO.
Regarding how the coronavirus may differ across countries due to mutations, "the virus may be slightly different but it’s not so different that the vaccine will not work," Swaminathan said.
"It’s also good to have vaccine trials in many different countries because you have different populations, different genetics, different risk factors and WHO very much would like to see the candidates that are being developed now being tested in many countries."
8:42 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
Thailand will ease more lockdown restrictions on Monday
From CNN's Kocha Olarn in Bangkok
Passengers sit next to empty seats with social distancing signs on a train at Tanyong Mat railway station in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat, on June 11, following the lifting of coronavirus travel restrictions. Madaree Tohlala/AFP/Getty Images
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health announced that the country will begin phase four of easing lockdown restrictions according to a spokesperson on Friday.
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health and the Center for the Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said that on June 15, some schools can resume classes with social distancing and people will be able to dine and drink alcohol in restaurants. Bars and clubs will remain closed.
A CCSA spokesperson said that in phase four there will no longer be a countrywide curfew, but Thailand's border will remain closed.
The spokesperson also said the CCSA committee had discussed the principle of Thailand could open a "travel bubble" with selected countries, but there was no conclusion on whether visitors would have a mandatory quarantine on arrival.
China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Middle Eastern countries would be considered for the travel bubble.
Travelers would have to be tested for the virus in their origin country, tested again on arrival, and purchase health insurance. Business travelers and medical tourists would be prioritized.
8:42 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
WHO scientist: "A vaccine would be the best way out of this pandemic"
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan is pictured during a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 12. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Having a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine available for the world is currently the "best way" to beat the coronavirus pandemic, according to World Health Organization chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.
"Everyone is waiting for a vaccine because it’s clear that a vaccine would be the best way out of this pandemic. If you can vaccinate enough people — let’s say 50% to 60% of people become immune — the virus can stop spreading from one person to another," Swaminathan said on Friday during a live Q&A broadcast on WHO's social media pages.
Currently, there are about 200 vaccine candidates in development around the world, with 10 in human trials — four in the United States, five in China and one in the United Kingdom — and 126 in preclinical trials globally, according to WHO.
"Vaccine development normally takes 10 to 20 years. So here we’re talking about developing a vaccine in 12 to 18 months, but we have to be sure each step of the way that we establish that this vaccine actually works -- which we call efficacy, which means that it protects against infection -- and safety. These are the two properties of the vaccine. It should be safe in the sense you do not want a vaccine to cause more problems than what it’s supposed to protect against," Swaminathan said.
"The other thing that WHO is working on is developing an allocation framework because we don’t want to be in a situation where there are some doses of a vaccine but they’re not available to everyone, they’re just available to a few people in a few countries. So this is where global solidarity comes in," Swaminathan said.
"Our member states are discussing, how do we make a fair and equitable allocation? So that, let’s say you have 50 million doses to begin with -- who are the people who need it the most? It shouldn’t be limited by country but it should be: Is it the most vulnerable? The frontline workers that we see are getting infected? Is it the elderly? The people above 60 or 65? We need to have a consensus on that."
8:35 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
Spain announces plans to revive tourism as lockdown measures ease
From CNN's Tim Lister
A general view shows the RIU Concordia Hotel in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on June 10, as the Balearic Islands prepare to welcome tourists from parts of the European Union beginning on June 15. Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images
The Spanish government has provided new details of a program to begin opening up parts of the country to European tourists as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
From next Monday, travellers from other parts of the European Union will be allowed to travel -- on specified air routes -- to the Balearic islands, which include the holiday destinations of Majorca and Ibiza.
Tourists will only be allowed to visit parts of Spain that are already in "Phase Three" of the process easing lockdown -- and where the rate of coronavirus infection is lower than nine per 100,000 people -- without going into quarantine.
The place where tourists start their journey must have a similarly low rate of infection. Tourists must have evidence of round-trip travel and stay at least five nights.
In other parts of Spain, arrivals from abroad still have to quarantine for two weeks.
Those arriving must be residents of the state from which they leave. In other words, a British citizen could not travel to Germany and then onwards to Spain.
On Tuesday, the Balearic regional president announced the region would receive 10,900 German visitors in the second half of June in a “pilot project” to test tourism safety measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both the origin and destination airports must be part of a program run by the European Union Agency for Air Safety. that stipulates measures to avoid infection at airports.
The Spanish government expects to open up the rest of the country for tourism next month as the easing of lockdown measures continues. Spain is the world’s second-most visited country.
7:19 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
Australia's PM announces further easing of social distancing restrictions in July
From CNN's Anna Kam in Hong Kong and Angus Watson in Sydney
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 12. Sam Mooy/Getty Images
Australia will continue to ease social distancing restrictions in July, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday.
The enforcement of restrictions is up to state governments, which will introduce changes in their own timeframe. Morrison’s announcement Friday came after a joint meeting with state leaders.
"Stage 3" of the relaxation would allow bars and restaurants to increase the number of patrons to one per four square meters and ticketed stadium events would be able to hold 10,000 seated spectators.
Morrison also announced that these "stage 3" restrictions should include the lifting of internal border closures.
Queensland on Friday immediately announced that it would open its border on July 10. South Australia will allow domestic travelers in from July 20.
Australia has a total of 7,290 confirmed coronavirus cases and 102 known deaths.
8:07 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
Italian PM questioned by prosecutor of Bergamo -- the area hardest hit by coronavirus
From CNN's Ben Wedeman, Hada Messia and Sharon Braithwaite
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attends a press conference at Chigi Palace in Rome, on June 11. Handout/Filippo Attili/Chigi Palace Press Office/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been questioned by the prosecutor of Bergamo, Lombardy, on the outbreak of coronavirus in the region.
The prosecutor arrived Friday morning at Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian government, to question Conte as an “informed person on the facts.”
The investigation was launched by the prosecutor after many complaints were filed with the prosecutor's office by a group of people whose loved ones died of coronavirus.
Lombardy, in Italy's north, was the region worst affected by the virus.
The government has been accused of being late in imposing a lockdown on two towns in the region -- Alzano and Nembro -- when outbreaks happened there in early March.
This is the first legal action over coronavirus against the Italian government.
Conte told reporters Wednesday that he was not worried about the questioning.
“I will say everything that I was made aware of,” Conte said. "The citizens have the right to know and we have the institutional responsibility to respond in all the institutional departments and in front of citizens. If there is a case by the Prosecutor of Bergamo it is right that even the Prime Minister makes himself available as an informed person on the facts."
The prosecutor has already questioned Silvio Brusaferro, head of the Italian Health Institute and president of the scientific and technical committee appointed by the government to advise on the fight against coronavirus when the epidemic started.
The prosecutor will question Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese on Friday.
The leader of the Lombardy regional government was questioned earlier this week.
This post has been updated to correct when the Health Minister and Interior Minister are being questioned.
6:10 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
New coronavirus cases delay school reopening in Beijing
From CNN's Isaac Yee in Hong Kong and Shawn Deng in Beijing
Fourth-graders attend a class at a primary school in Beijing on June 8, as students in fourth and fifth grades returned to school for the first time in this semester. Ren Chao/Xinhua/Getty Images
Beijing’s Municipal Education Commission has suspended the planned resumption of lower primary classes next week after new cases of coronavirus were discovered in the city.
Beijing’s Health Commission said two new cases confirmed on Friday involved patients who worked at the same plant for the China Meat Food Research Center. Epidemiological investigations are under way, the commission said.
A new case was also discovered on Thursday, making Friday the second day running that the city had reported local cases. Prior to Thursday, the city had gone 56 days without any locally transmitted cases.
Students in grades one to three were originally scheduled to return to school on June 15, but due to the “changes in the epidemic prevention and control situation in Beijing” and the new cases found on June 11 and 12, the resumption of classes will be further suspended," according to the Education Commission.
6:36 a.m. ET, June 12, 2020
F1 Grand Prix races in Japan and Singapore canceled due to pandemic
From journalist Anna Kam in Hong Kong
Formula One Grand Prix Races in Japan and Singapore have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement on Formula One's website.
It was confirmed today that "Azerbaijan, Singapore, and Japanese races will not be part of the calendar for 2020," the statement says.
"These decisions have been taken due to the different challenges our promoters face in those countries. In Singapore and Azerbaijan, the long lead times required to construct street circuits made hosting the events during a period of uncertainty impossible and in Japan, ongoing travel restrictions also led to the decision not to proceed with the race," the statement said.
The 2020 season will start with two races at the Austrian Grand Prix, the first being on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.
All racing was put on hold because of the spread of novel coronavirus across the world.
This post has been updated to clarify the dates of races in Austria.
