Around the world...

CORONAVIRUS has infected more than 5.8 million people across the world and killed more than 360,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates on the pandemic from around the world:

SWEDEN

The top two divisions of the Swedish football league have been given the go-ahead to start their seasons on June 14. There will be no spectators. The season was scheduled to start on April 4 but was suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak.

SOUTH AFRICA

The government said it has a backlog of nearly 100,000 unprocessed coronavirus tests.

A health ministry statement puts the backlog as of Monday at 96,480.

The ministry says “this challenge is caused by the limited availability of test kits globally”.

It says priority is being given to processing tests from patients admitted to hospitals and health workers.

INDONESIA

Muslims in some parts of the country attended Friday prayers yesterday as mosques closed by the coronavirus for weeks were allowed to start reopening in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

The guidelines for worship facilities released by religious affairs minister Fachrul Razi change many traditions in mosques.

Worshippers usually pray shoulder-to-shoulder, and they huddle, hug and shake hands once the prayer ends, with cheek-tocheek kisses common.

Muslims in the Jakarta satellite city of Bekasi were expected during Friday’s prayers to stay at least one metre apart from one another without shaking hands and would hear shorter sermons. No children were allowed to join the prayers, and police and soldiers were there to ensure health protocols such as social distancing and wearing a mask were observed.

President Joko Widodo said his administration wants Indonesia to remain productive economically, but also safe from the virus.

THAILAND

Authorities are relaxing restrictions imposed two months ago to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Venues allowed to reopen on Monday include cinemas, theatres, zoos and aquariums, but they must limit admissions. Cinemas will be allowed to hold a maximum of 200 people at a time, seated at a safe social distance from each other – with the exception of couples.

Other establishments permitted to reopen include massage parlours, gyms, bowling alleys and sports venues.

UNITED NATIONS

The UN humanitarian chief is urgently appealing for $2.4bn (£1.9bn) to help millions in war-torn Yemen cope with the conflict and Covid-19, saying programmes are already being cut and the situation is “alarming”.

Mark Lowcock told a briefing that the UN has only received $516m (£419m) of the $3.4bn (£2.76bn) it needs until the end of the year, amounting to just over 15%.

The United Nations and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a virtual pledging conference for Yemen on Tuesday seeking $2.4bn, including $80m (£65m) to respond to the pandemic.

AUSTRALIA

A state government has announced that as many people will be allowed in churches as in pubs after an archbishop complained of unfair pandemic rules.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher encouraged Catholics to sign a petition calling on the New South Wales government to treat churches the same as pubs by increasing capacity limits from 10 to 50 people beginning on Monday.

State premier Gladys Berejiklian announced churches will also be allowed to increase congregation sizes from 10 in line with relaxed restrictions on pubs, cafes and restaurants.

SOUTH KOREA

The government will partially lift its export ban on face masks, allowing domestic companies to sell 10% of their production overseas beginning in June.

At the height of its Covid-19 crisis in March, the country banned the export of masks and channelled most of the domestically made products to pharmacies, where people are currently limited to buying three masks per week.

While the nationwide rationing programme was a drastic attempt at calming public anger over shortages, the supply has now stabilised, with local companies driving up their production capacity to more than 100 million masks per week, food and drug safety minister Lee Eui-kyung said.

South Korea is already in the process of providing one million masks to foreign veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and 370,000 others to tens of thousands of South Korea-born adoptees living in the West.

CHINA

The government has again reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in the country.

Just 70 people remain in hospital for treatment of Covid-19, and another 414 are being isolated as possible cases.