Global death toll due to coronavirus COVID-19 crosses 1.4 lakh, over 21 lakh infected

As another day of battle between the coronavirus COVID-19 and humanity came to an end, the total number of cases across 185 nations reached 2,101,164 and the death toll stood at 140,773 at 11.45 pm (IST) on Thursday.

The US continues to record the highest number of cases at 641,166, followed by Spain at 182,816, Italy at 168,941, Germany at 135,663, and France at 134,598. With a massive jump, US has witnessed the highest death toll across all the nations at 31,590, followed by Italy at 22,170, Spain at 19,130, France at 17,188 and the UK at 13,755.

Various countries around the world are wondering when and how to ease coronavirus lockdowns, though the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that should be done slowly and only when there is the capacity to isolate cases and trace contacts.

The UNITED STATES, which has the world`s highest infections and deaths, is inching toward a gradual resumption of business. President Donald Trump has cited May 1 as a target, but a 50-state patchwork of policies is likely, with many state governors forming regional alliances to coordinate actions. New York, the epicentre of the country's COVID-19 epidemic, has suffered more than 14,000 deaths across the state alone. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump promised to unveil plans to reopen the US economy, claiming his country has "passed the peak" of the coronavirus crisis despite the record daily death tolls. 

Italy is keeping the lockdown largely in place although it lifted restrictions on two categories of shops - stationers and children`s clothes - on April 14. A group of doctors and other scientists in Bologna are testing new surgical masks to ensure they meet EU safety standards, hoping to get them faster to medical workers fighting coronavirus. A group of professionals at the University of Bologna's Policlinico di Sant'Orsola hospital are working around the clock to test and validate the surgical mask prototypes to European safety standards. Shortages of masks for hospital workers have been a persistent challenge in Italy and around the world since the coronavirus emergency began, and many have worked without appropriate protection, risking their lives.

Over 100 doctors have died in Italy alone, according to estimates. "It's not easy to make a mask. It seems like a small thing but it's not," said chemical and materials engineer Christiana Boi. "You have to leave it open enough to breathe, but close it enough to block the aerosol."

In SPAIN, construction and manufacturing sectors returned to work on April 13, but the government has said the nationwide confinement in force until April 26 would likely last until May.

FRANCE plan to extend current measures and President Emmanuel Macron said schools and shops would gradually re-open from May 11, but restaurants, hotels, cafes and cinemas would remain shut for longer. 

Britain on Thursday extended its nationwide lockdown for at least another three weeks on Thursday, as stand-in leader Dominic Raab ordered Britons to stay at home to prevent the spread of a coronavirus outbreak. "We have just come too far, we`ve lost too many loved ones, we`ve already sacrificed far too much to ease up now, especially when we are beginning to see the evidence that our efforts are starting to pay off," he told reporters. Raab is deputising while Prime Minister Boris Johnson recuperates from COVID-19 complications that nearly cost him his life. Raab chaired an emergency meeting on Thursday to review scientific evidence on the impact of the existing lockdown "Based on this advice ... the government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks," he said. "Relaxing any of the measures currently in place would risk damage to both public health and the economy." The announcement, which had been widely expected, means Britons must stay at home unless they are shopping for basic necessities, or meeting medical needs. Citizens are allowed to exercise in public once a day and can travel to work if they are unable to work from home.

GERMANY, Europe`s largest economy, will allow stores of up to 800 square metres (8,611 square feet), car dealers and bike shops, to reopen from April 20, while schools will reopen on May 4.