Brazil is expected to pass 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, as the virus continues to ravage Latin America's largest country even as cities reopen bars, restaurants, and gyms sparking fears infections will keep rising.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday watered down a law requiring the wearing of face masks in public places to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The far-right leader used his veto power to remove articles obliging people to wear masks in shops and churches.
Portugal's tourism sector reacted with fury and disbelief at Britain's decision to maintain a quarantine regime for travelers coming from Portugal despite having a higher number of coronavirus cases and deaths.
Mass testing revealed an outbreak of novel coronavirus infections at plants operated by JBS SA and BRF SA in Brazil's Center West, the labor prosecutor's office in Mato Grosso do Sul state said on Friday, citing company data.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her first public appearance wearing a mask on Friday after dismissing accusations of hypocrisy earlier this week for not wearing one.
The Falkland Islands government has confirmed that one individual has tested positive for Coronavirus antibodies. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Rebecca Edwards, said that it is likely that the individual was exposed in late February or early March, and exposure is thought to have taken place on a fishing vessel.
Brazil’s government on Thursday revised its 2020 fiscal outlook, forecasting significantly higher debt and wider deficits due to the COVID-19 crisis, and said it will be over a decade before public debt falls back to last year’s level.
A two-week quarantine period for anyone arriving in the Falklands has become a legal requirement, following on the introduction of regulations on the issue, this week by the Islands' Executive Council.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge Britons to act responsibly when pubs reopen this weekend, warning that businesses, livelihoods and the future of the whole economy depend on it.
Britain and the European Union (EU) failed to make progress in talks on post-Brexit relations this week due to major differences and called off a one-on-one meeting between their chief negotiators, officials said on Thursday.