Russia’s Minister of culture has tested positive for the coronavirus, the third Russian Cabinet member infected. Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova has mild symptoms and is undergoing treatment at home, according to her office. The ministry says Lyubimova attends video calls with other officials. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Construction minister Vladimir Yakushev were reported to have the virus last week.
An ambassador to China says the Government is not “allergic” to welcoming World Health Organization envoys to examine the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan at some point. Chen Xu was asked about WHO assertions that the UN agency won’t send envoys to visit Wuhan until it receives an invitation from Beijing. “First things first: The top priority for the time being is to focus on the fight against the pandemic,” Chen said. “We need the right focus and allocation of our resources.”
Serbia’s parliament is expected to vote to end an overnight curfew, an almost complete lockdown for people older than 65 and military patrols in towns and borders. Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told the assembly lifting of the emergency measures is made possible after the rate of infections substantially decreased. Serbia has recorded more than 9,600 COVID-19 cases and 200 deaths.
Mosques in Bosnia opened their doors amid a gradual rollback of a coronavirus shutdown that began nearly two months ago. Bosnia’s official Islamic Community, which governs all Muslim religious affairs, allowed the return to the mosques for five daily prayers after livestreaming of weekly prayers and sermons.
A foundation in northern Thailand wants to help elephants who have lost their jobs at parks due to tourists disappearing on account of the coronavirus. So the Save Elephant Foundation has established a project to have the animals return to their homes in natural habitats where they won’t be so dependent on handouts. Animal protection organizations warn that their situation is desperate, with 1,000 to 2,000 elephants at venues all over the country at risk of starving. The animals’ owners have been left with insufficient income to afford the beasts’ daily diet of as much as 300 kilograms of grass and vegetables.
A comprehensive study in the Czech Republic to determine the undetected infections with the coronavirus in the population has revealed a low number of COVID-19 cases. Health Minister Adam Vojtech said a total of 26,549 people were tested across the country, including the capital, with 107 previously undetected positive tests. The study was conducted in different parts of the Czech Republic where the epidemic was at different stages on people aged 18-89.
France’s Government is warning the French that they shouldn’t expect to travel far for their vacations this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, a deputy minister at the French Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday that the external borders of Europe’s visa-free Schengen area, incorporating 26 nations, will remain closed “for several weeks, for several months.”
