Canadian health authorities have issued a warning against the use of anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus infections or prevent reinfections. “Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can have serious side effects. These drugs should be used only under the supervision of a physician,” Canada’s public health agency said in a note posted on Saturday on its website
Saudi Arabia eased curfews on Sunday across the country but kept 24-hour lockdowns in place in the city of Mecca and neighbourhoods previously put in isolation to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, state news agency SPA said. It also signed a deal with China to conduct 9 million tests for the virus. Saudi has so far recorded 17,522 cases of infection and 139 deaths. These are the highest numbers in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which together have recorded almost 46,000 cases and 258 deaths
French police say they have seized 140,000 face masks destined for sale on the black market. Officers say they caught a businessman unloading the masks from a lorry into a house in St Denis, north of Paris. Last month, France requisitioned all stocks and production of face masks to equip health workers
Turkey has recorded 2,357 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its total number of infections to 110,130, Health Ministry data showed. The death toll rose by 99 to 2,805 while the number of recoveries stood at 29,140 as of Sunday
The Netherlands’ number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen by 655 to 37,845, health authorities said, with 66 new deaths. The country’s death toll stands at 4,475, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The RIVM cautioned it only reports confirmed cases, and actual numbers are higher
Hundreds of textile workers in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka have taken to the streets demanding wages, flouting social distancing norms amid a nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic. The second-largest apparel producer after China, Bangladesh is set to lose export revenue of about $6bn this fiscal year as the sector has been hit by cancellations from some of the world’s largest brands and retailers, two industry bodies have said
German police arrested dozens of protesters in Berlin for flouting the lockdown measures they were demonstrating against. About 1,000 people turned out for the rally, which has become a weekly event. Saturday’s protest attracted mainly far-left activists but also saw attendance from right-wing supporters and members of fringe groups
