Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has asked that there be no gun salutes to mark her birthday on Tuesday, a reporter for ITV News said on Twitter, saying that the monarch did not feel it appropriate in light of the coronavirus crisis. Gun salutes, in which blank rounds are fired from various location across London, are typically used by the royal family to mark special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays. The Queen’s 94th birthday is on April 21.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday called for the reopening of the country’s borders, as he pushes to restart South America’s largest economy, but conceded he may be blamed if the new coronavirus outbreak worsens as a result. Bolsonaro fired his health minister on Thursday after clashing with him over lockdown measures, which the president argues are overly damaging to the economy and should be rolled back. But the right-wing populist conceded on Friday that it is not up to him to decide whether or not social distancing measures should be relaxed in states and cities after the supreme court ruled that governors and mayors are responsible for the decisions
Healthcare staff across hospitals in England are being advised by the UK Government to consider reusing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns as it battles to deal with a shortage of supplies due to rising demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. Public Health England updated its guidance on PPE to say that some should be considered for reuse based on advice on suitable decontamination arrangements obtained from the manufacturer or supplier. “Gloves and aprons are subject to single use as per SICPs (Standard Infection Control Precautions) with disposal after each patient or resident contact,” notes the guidance
Iran allowed some businesses in the capital and nearby towns to re-open on Saturday after weeks of lockdown aimed at containing the worst virus outbreak. Iran was slow to respond to the pandemic and held off on imposing widespread restrictions even after other countries with far fewer cases forced most businesses to close
