Italy Set to Relax Lockdown; German Cases Ease: Virus Update

April 21, 2020, 1:18 AM CDT

U.S. President Donald Trump said he’ll sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

More signs emerged that the coronavirus outbreak is slowing in hard-hit areas, with Germany’s cases increasing by the smallest amount this month. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Italy expects to gradually ease its lockdown beginning May 4. Hong Kong extended social distancing measures, even as infections have dropped off.

The U.S. disbursed $2.9 billion to airlines in the first round of payroll assistance, while the Senate neared a vote on a stimulus package of as much as $500 billion.

Key Developments

Virus Tracker: Cases top 2.4 million; deaths exceed 170,000

Testing pivots to focus on how far virus has spread

Southern states push to reopen with economic pressure rising

Treasury hands out $2.9 billion to airlines

Hong Kong extends social distancing measures as cases drop

Virgin Australia collapses after pandemic halts air travel

Italy Plans to Gradually Ease Lockdown From May 4 (2:12 p.m. HK)

Italy will present a plan this week to ease its lockdown, said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a post on Facebook. “A reasonable forecast” is that a detailed restart program will be applied from May 4, Conte said.

Conte said that his cabinet is working with various experts to coordinate the so-called “phase 2” when Italy will have to cohabit with the coronavirus. The plan will be done at a national level but it will take into account regional differences, Conte said.

Peugeot Maker PSA Expects Chaotic Rebound (2:09 p.m. HK)

French automaker PSA Group said sales slumped 16% in the first quarter and forecast the European market will shrink by a quarter this year as the coronavirus pandemic slams the car industry. The company planning to merge with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has secured liquidity and cut costs, Chief Financial Officer Philippe de Rovira said in a statement, adding that it is preparing a rebound in a chaotic economic environment.

German Cases Rise the Least This Month (1:35 p.m. HK)

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany increased by the smallest amount this month as the country starts to gradually loosen restrictions on public life. There were 1,323 new infections in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, taking the total to 147,065, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Fatalities rose by 220, the most in three days, to 4,862.

Angela Merkel warned on Monday that the public debate about easing preventative measures brought in last month risks sparking a new wave of infections. In a closed-door meeting of her Christian Democratic Union party, the chancellor made it clear that her government doesn’t plan to introduce any further restrictions, though the option remains on the table.

Virus Wipes Out More Than 90% of International Flights (12:26 p.m. HK)

Airlines have cut international capacity to just half a million seats a week from an average of 5.9 million before the coronavirus shut borders and decimated travel demand, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide.

“There isn’t much more international capacity that can be dropped around the globe,” OAG senior analyst John Grant wrote in a post dated April 20.

Strong domestic capacity has at least helped stem declines in countries such as the U.S., Japan and Indonesia, though demand is lacking, Grant said.

Indonesia Bans Mass Travel Ahead of Eid Festival (12:07 p.m HK)

Indonesia banned an annual ritual of citizens traveling in large numbers to their hometowns and villages ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr to prevent spread of coronavirus.

Health-care experts had called for a ban on the exodus, known as mudik, as it could spread the virus to more areas from the Greater Jakarta area, the nation’s epicenter of the outbreak. Roughly one out of every eight Indonesians head home ahead of Eid, the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan. An estimated 19.5 million people traveled to their hometowns from big cities like Jakarta during last year’s Eid, official data show.

Australia Sees ‘Road Back’ (11:58 a.m. HK)

Australia’s government said lockdown measures have led to a “sustained and consolidated” slowdown in new coronavirus cases, though cautioned there will be no easing of restrictions for at least three more weeks.

The growth rate has been less than 1% for nine consecutive days and has averaged less than 0.5% for the past three days, Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Canberra Tuesday.

In a sign of the nation’s success in flattening the curve, the government announced that elective surgery will gradually resume starting next week -- one of the first steps to reopening locked down sections of the economy.

Trump Says He’ll Suspend Immigration to U.S. (10:24 a.m. HK)

President Donald Trump said he’ll sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the U.S. as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus.