Coronavirus News on Monday: Key Developments on Sars-CoV-2 and Covid-19

This article is constantly updated.

Don’t miss anything else: For the latest developments and most important backgrounds, subscribe to our Coronavirus Newsletter.

No imminent end to travel warnings

3:14 p.m.: In the Corona crisis, the current travel warnings and restrictions on cross-border traffic are not expected to end quickly. However, during talks in Brussels with EU partners, the Foreign Office is seeking to develop common criteria for when travel and total transport can be resumed, a ministry spokesman said.

“The travel warning is currently in effect until 3 May and the extension must be discussed and decided by then,” the spokesman said. He spoke of a “clear expectation management” that the 2020 holiday season would be different than desired and familiar. “There is no formal decision yet, but you hear from my words that an early end to travel warnings is not immediately expected,” he said.

A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said this also applies to the so-called internal border controls, which are provisionally ordered at five land borders in Germany up to and including 4 May. A decision on an extension of this step will have to be made in advance.

Söder announces correction of trade restrictions

2:47 p.m.: Markus Söder (CSU) has announced corrections for the restrictions on trade after the Bavarian Administrative Court declared the ban on the sale of shops with more than 800 square meters of retail space unconstitutional. This week, however, nothing will change, said the Bavarian Prime Minister. “We are considering (…) how we deal with next week.” The court decision was based on the court decision, Söder said.

The administrative judges consider this to be a violation of the principle of equality of the Basic Law because of the unequal treatment of smaller shops and the exemptions for larger shops in other sectors. The court did not repeal the provision “exceptionally” because of the current situation, but found that it was incompatible with the Basic Law.

Söder said that after conflicting decisions by lower courts, there is now clarity. However, he did not consider the decision to be a criticism of the course of the state government. “So basically, it’s more of a security measure and confirms the prudent course against the somewhat looser federal course.” It is not an attack, but a clarification from the point of view of the state government. “And of course we will implement and implement them accordingly,” Söder said.

Germans hoarded more cash in March

2:13 p.m.: According to one evaluation, the Corona crisis seems to lead to the Germans hoarding even more cash than usual – at least at the beginning of the crisis. At the same time, digital payment is also increasing. Read more here.

Revenues from aviation tax significantly reduced

1:50 p.m.: The sharp drop in air travel in the Corona crisis is also reflected in tax revenues: As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, tax revenues from aviation tax in Germany fell by 56.7 percent in March 2020 compared to the previous year. For the entire first quarter of 2020, this represents a decrease of 27.3 percent compared to the first quarter of 2019.

In 2019, the federal government had raised a total of 1.2 billion euros for approximately 96.6 million passengers transported through the air traffic tax. The tax revenue is paid by the air carriers and allocated to the month in which the passenger departed.

So far, revenues in March of each year since the introduction of the air transport levy in 2011 have increased compared to February. In the year of the Corona crisis, according to the Federal Statistical Office, this is now not the case for the first time. Tax revenues were therefore 54.8 percent lower in March 2020 than in February 2020.

Spain launches antibody study with 90,000 participants

1:25 p.m.: Spain wants to estimate the extent of the coronavirus outbreak by testing antibodies in 36,000 households with around 90,000 inhabitants. The test series was scheduled to begin this Monday and last for several weeks. All participants are subjected to two different tests, which are carried out three times every three weeks.

The study takes place nationwide and participation is voluntary. Health authorities hope to use the analysis to provide information on the transmission of the virus in homes after a six-week stay-

At the weekend, Italy had already announced that it would use antibody tests on 150,000 people to determine the number of people infected with coronavirus from 4 May. Germany is also planning a large-scale test, and smaller projects have already begun.

Prohibition of sale of large shops in Bavaria unconstitutional

12:56 p.m.: Bavaria’s highest administrative court has declared the state government’s ban on the sale of shops with more than 800 square meters unconstitutional during the Corona crisis. The judges see this as a violation of the Basic Law because of the unequal treatment with smaller shops. This was announced by the Bavarian Administrative Court (BayVGH). However, the General Court did not repeal the provision.

Taxpayers’ Association wants 100 Euro flat rate for workers in the home office

12:44 p.m.: The Confederation of Taxpayers is asking for a lump sum of 100 euros per month for all those who work from home during the Corona crisis. “Politics must exhaust all room for manoeuvre for unbureaucratic accommodation,” said reiner Holznagel, president of the association. He also suggested lowering the sales tax on certain services to seven percent and abolishing the solidarity surcharge earlier. The aim is to help entrepreneurs get out of the Corona crisis.

Children return to Norway’s primary schools

12:09 p.m.: In Norway, students have returned to class until the fourth grade. After a month and a half, educational institutions for younger children in the Scandinavian country reopened on Monday. According to the broadcaster NRK, a total of 250,000 children are affected. Now distance rules apply. In many places, students were divided into smaller class groups. Children belonging to a risk group should continue to be taught remotely.

Nurseries in Norway have been reopened for a week, having been closed since 12 March, as have schools. The government’s goal was for all students to return to schools in an appropriate way by the summer. All written and oral final examinations for high school students have been cancelled.

In total, there are around 7500 infections and almost 200 deaths due to the coronavirus in Norway so far. However, the spread of the virus has slowed significantly in recent weeks. On 15 April, Denmark had already reopened daycare centres and schools up to fifth grade. The experience from Scandinavia should also be interesting for other countries such as Germany.

Slow opening of gastronomy according to Söder only conceivable from the end of May

11:52 a.m. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) believes that a slow reopening of the restaurant industry is not conceivable until the end of May. He said this in a video link of the CSU party executive, according to participants. Söder defended the previous course in the fight against the coronavirus and continued to call for only cautious easing.

The strategy so far, the content and timing, were correct. One must now continue to act slowly, cautiously and cautiously – but with perspectives. There should be no competition for overbidding in the relaxations.

In the video switch, the CSU leader distanced himself from North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU). On Sunday evening, he complained on ARD that virologists changed their minds every few days. This leads to uncertainty. Söder said in principle, without mentioning Laschet by name: “It would be wrong not to listen to virologists, because they have advised us well so far.”

Switzerland relaxes Corona measures

11:35 a.m. Switzerland has relaxed its requirements in the Corona crisis. In addition to construction and garden markets, hairdressers, physiotherapists, pet and dentists as well as cosmetics and tattoo studios are also allowed to reopennen. However, citizens are called upon to continue to comply with the rules on distance and hygiene.

Schools and other shops are expected to reopen in two weeks. From 8 June, vocational and university schools as well as museums, libraries and zoos will also be allowed to reopen.

Formula One plans to start the season with Austria

11:19 a.m. Formula One plans to restart on July 5 with a race in Austria. The revised racing calendar will include 15 to 18 Grand Prix with a season finale in December in Abu Dhabi, the racing series announced. The first races are to take place in July and August without spectators in Europe. From September, there will also be races on other continents. Read more here.

Nearly two million Australians download Corona Alert app to their phones

11:10 a.m. In Australia, nearly two million people downloaded a Corona Warning app on the first day. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the offer was “extraordinarily” well received. In less than 24 hours, 1.9 million people would have installed the app. The Australian Health And Executive Service hopes that just over half of its 25 million residents will end up using the app.

The app is designed to help track contacts of coronavirus-infected people. The “COVIDSafe” app, which has been available since Sunday evening, uses Bluetooth to track users who have stayed 15 minutes or more at a distance of up to 1.5 meters from a coronavirus infected person. This data can then be accessed by the authorities in order to contact the contact persons more quickly than before.

The use of the app is voluntary. Users can use a pseudonym, the police do not have access to the data. In addition, all information is automatically deleted after 21 days. The app has only one function, only the health authorities have access, “no one else,” Hunt said.

Chinese ambassador threatens Australia with goods boycott

10:50 a.m. The Chinese ambassador to Canberra has threatened to boycott Australian goods by Chinese consumers following the Australian government’s call to investigate China’s responsibility for the global spread of the novel coronavirus. Such an investigation could have “dangerous” consequences for Australia’s tourism industry and agriculture, Ambassador Cheng Jingye said in an interview with the Financial Review.

The Chinese public is “frustrated, dismayed and disappointed” by Australia’s demand to investigate China’s crisis management internationally following the initial appearance of the coronavirus in Wuhan, Cheng said. The ambassador accused Australia of adopting anti-China statements from the US government.

The ambassador also pointed to the large number of Chinese students enrolled at Australian universities and an important source of income for Australia’s economy. Parents of these students could reconsider in the future whether a place “not so friendly, but even hostile” to China is the best place for their children, Cheng said.

Poland’s government to discuss easing for commuters

10:38 a.m. After protests against the strict restrictions in the Corona crisis for commuters on the German-Polish border, the government in Warsaw plans to discuss solutions in the coming days. The issue should be discussed at the next meeting of the crisis unit, government spokesman Piotr Müller told public radio station Trojka. “This week the discussion about this will be very intense.” The solution is difficult, however, because Germany has a much higher number of Covid-19 diseases than Poland. He did not give a date for the meeting.

At the weekend, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) said he was looking with concern at the closed border. The Polish government had overstepped the mark. Brandenburg’s head of government Dietmar Woidke (SPD) also asked for an easing. In the Polish border towns of Zgorzelec, Slubice and Gubin, several hundred people had previously protested against the regulations.

The national conservative government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki closed its borders to foreigners in mid-March. Commuters have to go home in isolation for two weeks after returning to Poland. Saxony and Brandenburg provide financial support to commuters if they choose to stay on the German side of the border.

Scheuer for mask duty also in long-distance public transport

10:23 a.m. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) is also advocating a protective mask requirement for long-distance public transport. This is what he wants to propose for the Federal Government’s talks with the prime ministers this week, Scheuer said. In public transport, it is mandatory to wear a mouth-nose protection in all federal states from Monday, but a cloth or scarf is also sufficient. For Scheuer, it would be a “system break” to do things differently in long-distance traffic, he said. He also believes that the citizens are prepared to do so.

It is important that rail transport, for example, does not have different rules than in Germany, scheuer said. The railways are in talks with companies in the other countries, and the German government is also agreeing with other countries in preparation for a meeting of EU transport ministers this Wednesday. Consideration must be given to whether the open German railway system can be maintained without a reservation obligation, Scheuer said.

Condor gets state aid

9:57 a.m. The ailing airline Condor is getting new state aid. The EU Commission approved a loan programme of the Federal Government and the State of Hesse for a total of EUR 550 million because of the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Germany could replace Condor with some of the losses caused by the Corona crisis, said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

“We are working with Member States to find solutions to support businesses in these difficult times in line with EU state aid rules,” she said. Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) justified the further support with good prospects for the airline. “The company was operationally sound and profitable in normal times and has a good future perspective,” he said. Hessian representatives expressed strong interest that Condor, as an employer at Frankfurt Airport, survived the crisis.

The renewed rescue of the Condor had become necessary in the course of the Corona crisis. The Polish aviation holding company PGL with the airline LOT had canceled the takeover of the German holiday airline, which had already been agreed in January, due to its own problems. The Frankfurt-based company Condor, with around 4900 employees and more than 50 aircraft, had gone into a protective shield procedure after the bankruptcy of the British parent company Thomas Cook in September 2019. Read more here.

First restaurants in Stockholm closed

9:42 a.m. Five restaurants have been closed in Stockholm for the first time due to a breach of the distance rules. Despite previous inspections and the possibility of correction, the operators of the premises had not complied with the regulations and recommendations of the Swedish health authority to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the Stockholm region announced.

The closures would have to do mainly with the crowd both in the restaurant and before. The situation in the health sector is extremely tense and the spread of the coronavirus must be slowed down.

A few days ago, the city of Stockholm and Sweden’s Interior Minister Mikael Damberg had already threatened to close restaurants and cafes if they did not provide sufficient distance between customers. Previously, there had been repeated reports of dense crowds in Swedish locomotivesespecially in the capital Stockholm. The five closed restaurants now have the opportunity to rectify the defects and ask for a re-inspection – or to take legal action against the decision.

First students return to schools in Shanghai and Beijing

9:25 a.m. After months of isolation, tens of thousands of children and young people have returned to their schools in the Chinese metropolises of China and Shanghai. In Shanghai, the classrooms for the final and high school graduation classes opened on Monday, while in Beijing, classes started only for the final classes of the high schools. Schools in China have been closed nationwide since mid-January.

Strict precautions are in place for returning students. Police officers oversaw schools in Beijing in the morning, and staff continuously disinfected school entrances.

According to the Ministry of Education, fever is measured daily among pupils in the capital before the start of classes. They must also show a health code on a special app that calculates the smartphone user’s risk of infection before entering the school building. Some schools in Beijing had pre-rehearsed the start of classes with actors, the ministry said.

Söder offers further easing

9:12 a.m. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has promised further easing of restrictions in the Corona Crisis. “If this works well this week, then we can think about further relief,” Söder told Bayerischer Rundfunk.

From this week on, shops with up to 800 square metres of retail space will be allowed to reopen in the Free State, subject to conditions. However, there is a strict mouth-nose protection requirement in shops and on public transport. In schools, classroom instruction begins again for final classes.

He wants to continue to take a cautious path for Bavaria, Söder said. At the end of the week, a balance sheet will be taken with regard to trade and local transport, among other things. The line is: rather a week later than the others – and on the safe side.

Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand a decisive step forward

8:13 a.m. New Zealand has reported success in the fight against the coronavirus. There is no longer any large-scale, undetected transmission of the virus, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. “We won this fight.”

After just under five weeks of restrictions at the top four level, they should be lowered to level three from Monday evening. In addition to vital shops, this will allow some other shops, takeaway restaurants and schools to reopen.

However, Ardern warned that it was not yet clear when a full return to normality would be possible. Everyone wants to “return the social contacts that we all so miss,” she said. But this had to be done “slowly and cautiously.” It will not jeopardise the steps already taken for people’s health. If restrictions at level three are still needed, it will remain so for the time being. So most people would have to stay at home.

In New Zealand, according to media reports, there was only one new case on Sunday. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are 1,469 people infected and 19 deaths in the country. New Zealand is home to around five million people.

People rely on cash in corona crisis

7:49 a.m. People hoarded more cash at the start of the corona crisis, according to a study. Cash in circulation in the euro area rose by almost 100 billion euros, or 8 percent, in March, according to an analysis by the consulting firm Barkow Consulting on behalf of the direct bank ING Deutschland. Compared to the development in the previous months of January and February, a “corona special effect” of about 30 billion euros could be seen. Of this, about 20 percent and 6 billion euros respectively were accounted for by private households in Germany.

At the beginning of the crisis, the Bundesbank had also initially noticed an increase in demand for notes and coins. Subsequently, however, volumes fell significantly again. According to the analysis, at the end of 2019, people in Germany were sitting on a total of 253 billion euros in cash. That was 32 billion, or 15 percent more than in the previous year. On average, this equates to more than 3,000 euros for each citizen of Germany.

According to the data, the boom in notes and coins began with the low interest rate phase in the euro area. Since the end of 2013, cash holdings in Germany have more than doubled.

The past 20 years have been marked by different bubbles and crises in the financial markets. Added to this is the low interest rate phase of the recent past. “So it’s no wonder that the Germans seem to be a little unsettled and prefer to put some of their money under the pillow,” says Thomas Dwornitzak, Head of Savings & Investing at ING Germany.

Japan’s central bank continues to ease monetary policy

7:10 a.m. Japan’s central bank has adopted further measures to support the economy in the Corona crisis. On Monday, it expanded the program for the purchase of money market securities and corporate bonds to a volume of 20 trillion yen (about 171 billion euros). So far, the program has been worth seven trillion yen.

The central bank also reiterated that it would buy unlimited government bonds in case of doubt. The interest rate was left unchanged by currency watchers on Monday.

Corona aid to poorer countries – Foreign Office gives 300 million euros

6:53 a.m. The Foreign Office in Berlin is providing EUR 300 million in humanitarian aid in the fight against the coronavirus in poorer countries. The ministry responded to a call for help from the United Nations, it announced on Sunday evening. The UN had provisionally estimated the additional humanitarian costs incurred as a result of the Corona crisis at two billion dollars (1.85 billion euros).

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said the coronavirus was particularly dangerous for people living in war zones or refugee camps – or in states whose health systems were “totally overwhelmed” by the pandemic: “Here our solidarity is called for to alleviate suffering.” In addition, the pandemic could only be permanently defeated across borders, otherwise new waves of infection were constantly threatened.

More than a thousand new Corona Falls in Germany

6:41 a.m. In Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of Corona infections increased by 1018 to 155,193 within a day. Another 110 people also died, he said. In total, the number of registered Covid-19 deaths was 5750, the RKI reported. Some 114,500 patients have since recovered, an increase of about 2,500 compared to the previous day.

President of the German Weather Service: “Climate change is progressing, no matter what else happens”

6 a.m.: From the point of view of the President of the German Weather Service, Gerhard Adrian, the fight against climate change must not be allowed to fade into the background even in the Corona crisis. “It would be bad if climate protection were put on hold over the fight against the virus,” Adrian, who is also chairman of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told the German Press Agency. “Climate change is advancing no matter what else happens – regardless of the corona crisis.” International climate talks will begin in Berlin this Monday. However, because of the pandemic, ministers from around 30 countries will be brought together by videoconference.

Not only environmental associations, but also many companies are already calling for recovery plans to cushion the crisis in such a way that they bring climate-friendly technologies forward. “The challenge is to reduce CO2, methane and nitrous oxide emissions,” Adrian said. “If the economic system has to change its life, stimulus programs in the Corona Crisis would, of course, be an opportunity to bring the two together.”

According to Adrians, it is not yet possible to say how the pandemic itself affects greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and air quality. “The variability in the atmosphere is too great for this,” he said, but added: “There is so much CO2 in the system that the temporarily lower emissions are unlikely to have much effect.” Whether there will be a similar drought to last year, which would be threatening, given the warm and dry spring, could be he does not yet say that it is too early to do so.

Death toll in the U.S. rises – prices too

5:43 a.m. The real economy is in free fall – only US stock markets are moving up, even if millions of jobs are being lost. Have investors gone mad? Here’s more on that.

Johnson back at Downing Street

5:13 a.m. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street in London on Sunday night after surviving covid 19 disease. A government spokeswoman confirmed the reports at the request of the German Press Agency. Johnson plans to resume his duties this Monday.

Johnson had been recovering from lung disease at his Chequers estate, near London, for the past two weeks. Previously, he had to spend a week in hospital after being infected with the coronavirus, and three days in intensive care. He was represented by Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.

Difficult tasks await Johnson: the UK health service is chronically underfunded, while the lockdown is placing a heavy burden on the world’s fifth-largest economy. It could slide into its worst recession in more than 300 years, experts say. And Johnson still has to negotiate solutions with the EU for the upcoming Brexit. According to Johns Hopkins University, 154,032 Britons are currently infected with the coronavirus, and 20,794 have died. Britain now has only around 3,000 fewer people infected than Germany.

Work on Paris Cathedral Notre-Dame starts again

5 a.m.: Six weeks after construction at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral was halted, work to secure the church, which was badly damaged in a fire, continues on Monday. A multi-stage resumption under strict hygiene requirements for construction workers is announced. Work was halted on March 16 due to the spread of the coronavirus.

Among other things, a tonne-heavy iron scaffold must be removed from the roof of Notre-Dame, which weighs on the vault. It partially melted down in the fire on April 15, 2019. Large parts of the roof and the spire of the cathedral collapsed due to the fire. Despite the pandemic, French President Emmanuel Macron is sticking to his commitment to rebuild the church by the summer of 2024.

Trump denies soon replacing Health Minister Azar

4:16 a.m. In the midst of the Corona crisis, is another ejection from Donald Trump’s Cabinet looming? According to US media, Health Minister Azar is listed. Now the US President has vehemently denied this. Read more here.

NRW Family Minister Stamp calls for greater room for manoeuvre for the Länder in the opening of daycare centres

3:20 a.m. The North Rhine-Westphalian Minister for Family Affairs, Joachim Stamp, has called for greater scope for the Länder to open up daycare centres. “We have regionally different developments of the pandemic, to which we must also be able to react differently regionally,” the FDP politician told the “Westfälische Nachrichten” and the “Westfalen-Blatt” ahead of the family ministerial conference scheduled for this Monday. Higher infection rates in Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg should not slow other countries to open up daycare centres: “Then we should tackle this in the countries with the appropriate speeds.”

The family ministers of the federal and state governments want to make a recommendation for the switch of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) with the prime ministers on Thursday. Stamp criticized the decision-making channels: “It is also not a permanently acceptable state of affairs that the Chancellor and the Prime Ministers explain in two-week rhythms in a nationally uniform way what is now possible and what is not.” The task of the round was to establish a common framework. “But it is not acceptable for such a body to govern all the individual parts of the country. We also have state parliaments with sovereign deputies who are able to decide what makes sense and does not make sense.”

Hundreds of demonstrators in Brasilia show solidarity with Bolsonaro

3:02 a.m. Several hundred demonstrators have expressed solidarity with President Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, after Justice Minister Sergio Moro left the government last week following a dispute with Bolsonaro. The demonstrators marched in vehicles and on foot through the government quarter to the seat of parliament on Sunday. Banners read “Support for Bolsonaro.” The departed Justice Minister Moro was called a “traitor.”

Moro was a key figure in Bolsonaro’s cabinet, having previously sacked the head of the federal police, Mauricio Valeixo. Moro accused Bolsonaro of “political interference” in judicial matters. It is the second departure in a very short space of time: last week, the president fired his health minister after a dispute over the right course in the Corona crisis. Bolsonaro’s lax crisis management is not only controversial in the government: most recently, many government supporters called for the intervention of the armed forces.

Swiss are allowed back to the hairdresser

2:50 a.m. Switzerland is beginning to relax corona protection measures some six weeks after most of its stores close. From this Monday, for example, hairdressing shops, cosmetics or nail salons as well as DIY stores and garden centres will be allowed to reopen. Doctors and physiotherapists can open their practices again for non-urgent appointments, hospitals are again allowed to perform deferred procedures since the beginning of the crisis. On 16 March, Switzerland declared the emergency with extensive restrictions on public life in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus too severely.

There is no requirement for masks in the country, but shops must comply with stricter hygiene requirements and ensure distance between customers. Schools and other shops are expected to reopen in two weeks. If the number of infections with the Sars-CoV-2 virus does not increase significantly, vocational and university schools as well as museums, libraries and zoos are also to reopen from 8 June. According to Johns Hopkins University, 29,061 people are currently infected with the coronavirus, and 1,610 have died.

Airbus boss prepares staff for tough cuts

2:22 a.m. The survival of the Group is at stake – with these drastic words, the Airbus CEO is launching austerity measures. Jobs are also likely to be lost. Read more here.

Federal Environment Minister: Commitment to climate protection must continue

2 a.m.: Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze wants to anchor climate protection as a central element in the reconstruction of the economy in the Corona crisis. “It is important for us that the upcoming economic recovery plans are designed in such a way that they promote jobs, innovation and climate protection at the same time,” the SPD politician tells the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe.

There are positive signals from important countries in this regard, Schulze explains. “China, for example, is considering green stimulus packages.” Because climate change continues to exist even in the times of Corona, the commitment to climate protection must continue, the minister said. After the crisis, environmental and climate protection would be needed all the more as drivers of the economy, innovation and employment.

Several pubs in Stockholm closed due to corona restrictions

1:30 a.m. In Stockholm, several bars and restaurants have been temporarily closed by the authorities. Reason: They would have violated the rules to protect against the coronavirus. The swedish capital’s head of health services, Per Follin, said on Sunday that the measure had not been met in the five closed-off venues.

In Sweden, according to w,he before relatively loose corona controls. On Friday, however, the government threatened to close restaurants because restaurant owners did not always comply with hygiene regulations. At present, however, an unusually large number of people are dying in the country. As of Sunday, 2,194 people had died in Sweden. 18,640 people were infected with the coronavirus.

Deutsche Bank beats analysts’ expectations

1 a.m.: Deutsche Bank performed surprisingly well in the first quarter. Despite the Corona crisis, Germany’s largest money house posted a pre-tax profit of 206 million euros, the institute announced on Monday night. Analysts surveyed by the bank itself, on the other hand, had expected an average loss of EUR 269 million. After taxes, the Group earned EUR 66 million.

“We are very pleased that the results for the first quarter confirm our progress in restructuring our bank, the operational strength of our business and our resilience,” said Group CEO Christian Sewing. The Bank also performed better than expected in terms of revenues: it recorded revenues of EUR 6.4 billion in the first quarter, while the experts had expected an average of only EUR 5.7 billion. But Deutsche Bank is also feeling the effects of the pandemic. Loan loss provisions amounted to EUR 0.5 billion and the capital cushion melted. The money house will present its full balance sheet for the first quarter on Wednesday.

Austria only wants to open up “cautiously” to holidaymakers

12:30 a.m. Austria’s government has assured that the country will be “cautious” about summer tourism for foreign guests. Cross-border tourism will be “only possible carefully and step by step,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told the Bild newspaper (Monday’s edition). Austria will work together with partner countries and in close contact with the EU Commission “on solutions to enable a cautious ramp-up of summer tourism again.”

In addition, only holidaymakers from countries that are as far as Austria in the fight against the coronavirus and have similarly low infection rates are eligible for entry, Schallenberg stressed. Earlier, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) had warned of a “European race” in the reopening of tourism. Such competition could lead to ‘unacceptable risks’.

The German government’s tourism commissioner, Thomas Bareiß, had told the dpa news agency that summer holidays in Germany were possible – but not long-distance trips. However, he called for cautious easing of the current global travel warning.

Austria was one of the first EU countries to ease restrictions on the spread of the coronavirus. As of Sunday, there were about 15,000 confirmed cases of infection and 542 deaths in the country, according to authorities.

All 20 million residents of Mexico City will have to wear masks from Monday

12:16 a.m.: In the fight against the coronavirus, all of Mexico City’s roughly 20 million residents are expected to wear masks in public from Monday. This was announced by Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum at a press conference on Sunday. “There are many people who can be infected but don’t show symptoms,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to cover your mouth.”

According to Sheinbaum, non-compliance with the rule should not result in penalties. But she urged all residents of the metropolis to comply with their order.

Nearly 14,000 corona infections have been registered in Mexico so far, and more than 1,300 people have died. The government expects the peak of the infection wave to be reached between 8 and 10 May.

Health Minister Spahn: Introduction of Corona app may take some time

00.10: According to Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn, it may take some time before a Corona app is available in Germany. The CDU politician said on Sunday evening on ARD’s “Tagesthemen” that the path now taken was to be taken with a decentralized app “as soon as possible, but also as safely as possible.” He did not give a specific date.

Referring to the fact that an app was originally due to go into operation as early as mid-April, the minister said he had “always pointed out, with the experience of other digital projects, that it usually takes one, two, three weeks longer than some people say publicly because data security and data protection are so important.” With the now planned app, one can “rely on what has been developed in the last few weeks” and develop it further. “And we will do this very thoroughly, but also very quickly in the next few weeks.”

The Federal Government had decided at the weekend for decentralized storage. In the broadcast, Spahn cited the higher acceptance of this solution as the reason. “We need as many people as possible to participate in order to get the virus and the outbreak under control.” The app is designed to help track contagion