June 16 coronavirus news

More than 52,000 people across the UK have died after contracting Covid-19. 

According to the statistic bodies from within the UK, the total number of deaths listing Covid-19 on a death certificate is now 52,110. 

In England and Wales 47,336 deaths mentioning coronavirus were recorded up to June 5. Health authorities recorded 1,588 deaths mentioning the disease in the week up to June 5, the lowest weekly number in nine weeks.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced a sixth consecutive week of declining coronavirus deaths. 

Scotland recorded 4,000 deaths mentioning Covid-19 up to June 7 and Northern Ireland recorded 774 deaths up to June 5.

The UK remains one of the worst affected countries globally.

The global tourism industry might be struggling, but that's not stopping China's second-biggest airline from launching a new carrier in Hainan, the country's most popular island holiday destination.

The new carrier, Sanya International Airlines -- named after the main beach city of Hainan province -- is a joint venture between China Eastern Airlines and several other companies including the state-owned Hainan Province Transport Investment Holding Company Limited and Trip.com, China's largest online travel platform.

Sanya International Airlines was revealed during a signing ceremony on June 13 held to launch the future development of Hainan as a free trade port -- "a project envisioned and directed personally by China's President Xi Jinping," said a news release.

As for when the airline will start flying, no timeline was provided at the ceremony.

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By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN

Authorities in Beijing locked down more residential compounds, had more than 30,000 restaurants disinfected and tightened outbound travel as the Chinese capital's latest coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, with more than 100 people now infected.

The Beijing Municipal Health Commission reported 27 fresh Covid-19 cases today -- taking the five-day total to 106 following a flare-up at Xinfadi, the city's largest wholesale food market.

The sprawling, bustling market in Beijing's southwestern Fengtai district occupies 277 acres and has more than 2,000 stalls, selling mainly fruit and vegetables as well as meat and seafood. It supplies about 70% of the city's vegetables and 10% of its pork, according to officials.

The market has been shut down since Saturday, but its sheer size and the amount of people who work or visit there from in and outside of Beijing have heightened the risk of the outbreak spreading.

Via door-to-door visits and calls, authorities have tracked down nearly 200,000 people who had been to the market during the two weeks prior to its closure. They have been told to stay at home for medical observation and are being tested for the coronavirus, a city official told a news conference on Monday.

Read the full story:

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The German government's coronavirus warning app went live this morning.

The "Corona-Warn-App" works by notifying users when a person infected with Covid-19 is in close proximity.

If a user has tested positive and shares this information with the app, other users will be alerted that they were close to a person with the virus.

Due to privacy concerns, the app doesn't rely on a central hub to store contact information -- instead it will be stored on individual smartphone devices.

The app is not mandatory for German citizens.

US President Donald Trump has no intention of accepting any new normal dictated by the coronavirus pandemic.

His big return-to-the-campaign trail rally set for Saturday night is dramatic proof of that. The event in Oklahoma, will be an extraordinary moment, even in a presidency that has often defied credulity. 

In effect, it will be one of, if not the first, mass participation event indoors anywhere in the world in months. Trump's 20,000-strong crowd will be packed together, flouting social distancing, at a moment when major North American sports leagues are weeks away from playing games -- without spectators amid fears of creating "super-spreader" events. 

The rally is only the most dramatic example of the President's refusal to temper his behavior any longer to reflect a pandemic that has buckled the rhythm of normal life. In order to push economic openings, he is continuing to spread disinformation about the disease and the state of US testing. 

The cumulative effect is that it makes it seem like the worst public health crisis in 100 years has all but passed. By suppressing the White House appearances of leading governmental health officials and flouting his government's advice on wearing a mask, Trump is also downplaying the seriousness of a virus that is still killing thousands of Americans every week.

Trump on Monday suggested that the disease was already a faded threat in comments that defied science and logic.

"If you don't test, you don't have any cases," he said.

Read the full analysis:

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India's central government and the local government of New Delhi have announced a series of measures following a steady increase in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the capital. 

The government has directed that testing capacity should be doubled in the next two days and tripled by the end of the week, according to a news release.

The New Delhi government will also be conducting house-to-house health surveys for contact tracing in containment zones in the city.

Private hospitals have been asked to ensure 60% of their beds are available to Covid-19 patients in anticipation of a possible influx of positive cases. 

The measures come after 500 railway coaches, which were converted into isolation wards, will be moved into the city to increase the number of beds. 

The Ministry of Railways said that 50 coaches equipped with the needed medical facilities have been installed at two local railway stations in the city. 

The total number of confirmed cases in New Delhi stands at 42,829, including 1,400 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The city has reported the third-highest number of cases in the country. 

India recorded 10,667 new coronavirus cases and 380 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The number of confirmed cases in the country stands at 343,091, including 9,900 deaths.

India has conducted almost 6 million Covid-19 tests in total, with 154,935 taken in the past 24 hours, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Global coronavirus cases have now surpassed 8 million, including more than 436,000 deaths.

If you're just joining us, here are the latest developments.

The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has announced a complete lockdown for four of its major districts, including the capital Chennai. 

The lockdown will restart from June 19 and will be extended till the end of the month.

During the lockdown period, only essential services will be allowed to operate in the affected areas. 

Tamil Nadu is the latest state to extend its lockdown after the Indian government announced earlier this month that it will begin opening up the economy and facilitate movement after more than two months of restrictions.

Earlier in June, the states of West Bengal, Punjab and Mizoram also announced lockdown extensions. 

Tamil Nadu has recorded the second highest number of cases in the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 46,504 cases have been reported there, including 479 deaths.