June 15 coronavirus news

A return to normalcy following the Covid-19 pandemic could come within a year, but people need to tamp down their expectations regarding typical summer travel and activities, Dr. Anthony Fauci told British newspaper The Telegraph in a story published Sunday.

Fauci is the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The latest timing estimate came after a week that saw the case count in the US pass 2 million. Cases have increased in 18 states over the past week, with six states reporting more than a 50% jump. This has led some government and health officials to hit pause on reopening efforts.

More than 115,000 people have died in the United States as of early Monday morning, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Read more here.

Shoppers in England lined up outside stores across the country on Monday, as many non-essential retail outlets opened for the first time since March.

People formed long, socially-distanced queues outside businesses in Oxford Street, one of London's most popular shopping districts.

From Monday, retailers are allowed to open if they comply with the government's coronavirus-secure guidelines, which require customers to shop while keeping 2m apart. Changing rooms in clothes stores remain closed.

CNN's Anna Stewart said many of those she had spoken to outside the Apple Store on London's Regent Street were seeking repairs or returns, rather than shopping for new products.

Businesses are bracing for dramatically lower footfall than before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Bars, restaurants and pubs remain closed across the UK.

The UK has recorded more than 297,000 cases of coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University, making it the worst affected country in Europe.

WATCH:

England is the latest in a long list of countries to make mask wearing mandatory to slow down the spread of Covid-19, with face coverings compulsory on public transport starting Monday.

Many more of us are opting to wear a mask while shopping, when meeting friends and to attend medical appointments — even if it's not required.

But how does wearing a mask shape how we interact or communicate with others?

A smile is an easy way to defuse social tensions, but is this still possible when a mask is covering the bottom half of our face? And will the emotions of the people we encounter be harder to decode?

CNN spoke to communications expert Ursula Hess, a psychologist and professor at Humboldt University of Berlin, who says it's wrong to assume masks will make it harder for us to interact.

Read more here.

The rapid transition to online school — for those who hadn't made that choice themselves — has come with many downsides, from increasing inequality to the "Covid slide," which has seen children lose some of this year's learning, becoming less prepared to advance.

But after millions of schoolchildren suddenly transferred to cyber school, some are finding a surprising upside: Complicated social dynamics can simplify, sometimes evaporate, as they learn online.

One reason: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. "Kids are craving their peers and they're missing people they weren't even that close with before," Graber said.

Read more here.

Global stocks plunged Monday as the United States and China grappled with new coronavirus outbreaks, signaling that the pandemic isn't done wreaking havoc on the global economy.

Markets across Asia also recorded steep declines, after Beijing recorded a fresh cluster of cases of the virus, originating in the city's largest wholesale food market.

China reported concerning economic data, suggesting that the recovery in the world's second largest economy is progressing slowly.

And European markets broadly declined at open.

Read more here:

It's an outcome no one wants, but could become a "harsh reality": a second wave of shutdowns.

Weeks after lifting stay-at-home orders, some US states are seeing record numbers of hospitalizations from Covid-19 as thousands more Americans get infected every day.

"We're going to have to face the harsh reality in some states that we may need to shut down again," said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine.

And the second wave of state shutdowns could be more damaging than the first.

How Americans can prevent another round of shutdowns:

While states try to revive the economy, the fate of this pandemic is largely up to individuals.

"People must observe the safety guidelines," top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said. 

"Social distancing must be observed. Face coverings in key places must be observed."

Read the full story:

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Why a 2nd shutdown over coronavirus might be worse than the 1st -- and how to prevent it

Germany recorded 192 new coronavirus cases and four deaths on Sunday, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the national agency for disease control and prevention.

The total number of confirmed cases in Germany now stands at 186,461 including 8,791 deaths, the institute said.

Germany has lifted its travel warning for 27 countries in continental Europe.

Spain is not included in the list, but some German tourists can now travel to the popular Balearic island of Mallorca.

Frankfurt airport this morning remained quiet, however. Only two flights are leaving for Palma de Mallorca today the departure display showed, according to CNN affiliate n-tv. 

Spain’s Balearic Islands are set to see 10,900 German visitors in the second half of June in a “pilot project” to test tourism safety measures during the pandemic, the Balearic regional president said. 

The project starts on June 15 -- two weeks before the rest of Spain reopens for tourism -- and includes the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.

Guatemala has declared a state of "maximum alert" in four administrative regions, the country's President Alejandro Giammattei announced Sunday. 

The alerts went into effect in the regions -- called departments -- of Guatemala, El Progreso, Sacatepéquez and San Marcos. It comes in response to the increase in coronavirus cases in those particular areas, the President said in an address to the nation.  

The new measures will last for 15 days and include full-day curfews on Sundays, and from 6 p.m. until 5 a.m. the rest of the week. Vehicles with odd and even number plates are only allowed to drive on alternate days. 

The entire country has been on a state of "high alert" since February 25. 

Guatemala has so far registered 384 coronavirus-related deaths, with 9,845 people infected with the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data.