(Reuters) – Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Virus genome data
China has released genome sequencing data for the coronavirus responsible for a recent outbreak in Beijing, with officials saying on Friday it identified a European strain based on preliminary studies.
China, which had been under pressure to make the data public sooner rather than later as COVID-19 cases mounted in the country’s capital, said it had also submitted the data to the World Health Organization.
China found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing’s wholesale food market at the centre of this outbreak to be severely contaminated with the new coronavirus and suspects the area’s low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors, officials have said.
Seeking united recovery
European Union leaders will try to narrow their differences over a coronavirus economic recovery plan at a video-conference summit on Friday, worried that further bickering and delay will only dent public confidence in the bloc as a deep downturn takes hold.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU, reeling from more than 100,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 and facing its worst recession since World War Two, urgently needed an agreement on its multi-year budget and a multi-billion-euro recovery fund.
“The pandemic has revealed how fragile the European project still is,” Merkel told parliament in Berlin, lamenting the “rather national and not European” initial response to the pandemic by EU governments, including her own.
Mandating mask-wearing
California, North Carolina and a string of U.S. cities mandated or urged mandatory mask use on Thursday to get a grip on spiralling coronavirus cases as at least six states set daily records.
Putting aside concerns about individual rights and political unpopularity, U.S. governors and mayors said they were turning to compulsory face coverings to stop the virus running out of control as economies reopened.
“This piece of protection may even save your life,” North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper told reporters.
Popular Uniqlo masks
Japanese shoppers queued at Uniqlo stores and crashed its website on Friday as the clothing chain began selling face masks with breathable fabric used in the brand’s popular underwear, preparing for the coronavirus outbreak lasting through summer.
Scenes of people standing in the rain waiting for stores to open were seen throughout Japan and broadcast on Twitter, while the online store displayed an apology to those looking for the washable Airism masks, saying the website was inundated.
Japan’s “paper drivers”
As Japan emerges from its coronavirus lockdown, restaurants and offices are practicing social distancing, but public transport does not require it. “Paper drivers”, so-called because they have a licence but don’t own vehicles, are an untapped pool of potential car buyers, as people look to avoid crowded confined spaces.
Akitake Sawamura, who manages a driving school that offers refresher courses to inexperienced drivers, estimates around two-thirds of gold licence holders are paper drivers, who have become more numerous over the years as more Japanese use public transit.
“There’s been a pick-up in people attending courses since the emergency was declared in April,” Sawamura said.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
