May 3 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Jenni Marsh, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 9:01 p.m. ET, May 3, 2020
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4:10 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Boris Johnson says "arrangements" for his death were made when he was in hospital with coronavirus

From CNN’s Leona Siaw in Atlanta

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said doctors had a plan when he was in hospital in case his treatment for coronavirus went wrong.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said doctors had a plan when he was in hospital in case his treatment for coronavirus went wrong. Frank Augstein/AP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed "strategic plans" were put in place while he was in hospital with the coronavirus. 

In an interview with The Sun newspaper on Sunday, the Prime Minister said he was given "litres and litres of oxygen" to keep him alive.

“It was a tough old moment, I won’t deny it. They had a strategy to deal with a ‘death of Stalin’-type scenario. I was not in particularly brilliant shape and I was aware there were contingency plans in place. The doctors had all sorts of arrangements for what to do if things went badly wrong," Johnson told The Sun.

Earlier, Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds revealed they had named their newborn son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson.

The names are a tribute to their grandfathers and two doctors who treated the prime minister in hospital. Wilfred was the name of Boris Johnson’s grandfather and Lawrie was the name of Symonds’s grandfather. The doctors who treated Johnson were both named Nicholas. 

The baby was born Wednesday, just weeks after the Prime Minister was discharged from hospital.

4:02 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Dalai Lama calls for world unity in fight against coronavirus

From journalist Tenzin Dharpo in Dharamsala and Sugam Pokharel in Atlanta

The Dalai Lama speaks during an inter-faith religious conclave in Mumbai, India, on August 13, 2017.
The Dalai Lama speaks during an inter-faith religious conclave in Mumbai, India, on August 13, 2017. Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images

The Dalai Lama has called for a “coordinated, global response” to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"In this time of serious crisis, we face threats to our health and sadness for the family and friends we have lost. Economic disruption is posing a major challenge to governments and undermining the ability of so many people to make a living," the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said in a statement today.

The Dalai Lama also urged people to focus on "what unites us as members of one human family."

"Accordingly, we need to reach out to each other with compassion. As human beings, we are all the same. We experience the same fears, the same hopes, the same uncertainties, yet we are also united by a desire for happiness. Our human capacity to reason and to see things realistically gives us the ability to transform hardship into opportunity," he said.

The Dalai Lama went on to say that the pandemic "and its consequences serve as a warning" and that "only by coming together in a coordinated, global response, will we meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face."

On February 12 the Dalai Lama canceled all his public engagements “until further notice” after his personal physician and others advised him to due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement from the Dalai Lama’s office in Dharamsala, and from his personal secretary.

3:38 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Indian laborers found in cement mixer trying to get home amid lockdown

From Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap in New Delhi

Eighteen laborers crammed inside a concrete mixer in a desperate attempt to evade India's nationwide lockdown and travel home, police said.

They were found in the machine when the truck carrying the cement mixer was pulled over by police in the state of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

“The laborers were found in the vent where the cement is mixed for construction purposes when a cement mixing truck was stopped for checking in central India’s Indore town by the police," Umakant Choudhary, a senior police official in Indore said.

The workers were traveling from Mumbai, in western India, to their homes in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said Choudhary -- a distance of more than 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles).

Police said they impounded the truck and the laborers were sent to a quarantine centre in Indore. A formal complaint was filed by police.

India's nationwide lockdown has been in effect since March 24 and on Friday was extended by two more weeks until May 17, although exemptions have been issued for certain areas and activities. 

Travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road is prohibited.

Over the past few days, the government has arranged transportation for stranded migrant workers, students and tourists who need to travel back to their homes.

3:35 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

It's 9:30 a.m. in Berlin and 4:30 p.m. in Tokyo. Here are the latest developments

People gather along the Huangpu River for May Day in Shanghai, China, on May 1.
People gather along the Huangpu River for May Day in Shanghai, China, on May 1. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 3.4 million people and killed at least 243,000 worldwide. If you're just joining us now, here are the latest developments on the pandemic.

China's busy holiday weekend: Mainland China reported no new deaths for the fifth day in a row on Saturday, as people flocked to attractions around the country for the Labour Day weekend. One million people visited Shanghai in two days. Meanwhile, Harbin City, on the Russia-China border, closed all dine-in restaurants until further notice, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The measures were to prevent crowds gathering over the holiday weekend.

France's deaths decline: The daily number of deaths from coronavirus in France continues to decline. At least 24,760 people have died there after contracting Covid-19, an increase of 166 since Friday, the Health Ministry announced Saturday. Meanwhile, the French government will extend its state of emergency for another two months.

But deaths in Brazil climb: Brazil's Ministry of Health reported 421 deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with the total death toll now at 6,750. Brazil has the most reported cases in Latin America.

Warren Buffett shares some optimism: The billionaire investor said he remains convinced that America will recover from the Covid-19 pandemic -- just as it did after other crises during the past century. He also announced his company Berkshire Hathaway recently sold its entire stakes in four airlines, calling it a mistake to invest in the industry.

Thailand lifts alcohol ban: Thailand began to ease some of its month-long coronavirus restrictions today, as Covid-19 cases in the country continue to fall. Certain businesses such as markets and hairdressers can reopen, train and bus stations can also reopen and bars can sell alcoholic drinks, but people must consume them at home.

But the Philippines suspends air travel: All passenger and commercial flights to and from the country were suspended today to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Philippines has confirmed 8,928 coronavirus cases and 604 deaths.

Baby names: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has named his newborn son in honor of doctors who treated him for coronavirus. The baby's name is Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson -- Nicholas is in honor of two doctors who treated Johnson.

2:50 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Philippines suspends all passenger and commercial flights amid coronavirus outbreak

From CNN's Isaac Yee in Hong Kong

AirAsia passenger planes sit on the tarmac of Manila's international airport on April 19 in the Philippines.
AirAsia passenger planes sit on the tarmac of Manila's international airport on April 19 in the Philippines. STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Philippines has temporarily suspended all passenger and commercial flights to and from the country starting from 8 a.m. local time Sunday, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the country's airport authority said.

In a statement released late Saturday night, the Manila International Airport Authority added that “cargo flights, medical supplies, utility, and maintenance flights will remain unhampered."

The Philippines currently has 8,928 confirmed coronavirus cases and 604 deaths, according to the country's Department of Health.

2:34 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Thailand lifts alcohol ban and other coronavirus restrictions

People shop at an open-air market outside Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 3.
People shop at an open-air market outside Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 3. Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

Thailand began to ease some of its month-long coronavirus restrictions today, as Covid-19 cases in the country continue to fall.

Bangkok and provinces can consider reopening certain businesses and loosening restrictions on daily life -- including the sale of alcohol, which had been prohibited under the Emergency Decree -- according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT),

Here's how the resumptions will work:

  • From May 3, hotels can sell food and drinks. Airports, train stations, bus stations, hospitals, restaurants and beverage shops, convenience stores, and street stalls can reopen.
  • Pubs and bars can be reopened for takeaway only. People can buy alcoholic drinks but they must consume them at home.
  • In shopping malls and department stores, the only businesses allowed to open are supermarkets, pharmacies, and other "necessary" services such as banks, and government and state enterprise services. Restaurants and food courts can reopen for takeaway only. Phone shops can reopen.
  • Retail shops, wholesalers, markets, floating markets and flea markets can reopen "with strict disease control."
  • Hairdressers and barbers can reopen for limited services and by appointment only.
  • Hospitals, clinics, dental clinics and all healthcare facilities can reopen.
  • Golf courses and driving ranges, tennis courts, horse riding tracks, and shooting ranges can reopen without gatherings or competitions.
  • Public parks can reopen for outdoor activities such as running, walking, biking or individual workouts, but no gatherings, competitions or shows.
  • Pet shops and hospitals can reopen under strict control and on appointment only.

The extended Emergency Decree will run until midnight on May 31.

A curfew from 10 p.m. local time until 4 a.m. is still in effect. A ban on "high-risk transmission areas" such as cinemas, zoos, water parks, public swimming pools, gyms and beauty clinics remains in effect.

2:16 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

Queen and Adam Lambert reimagine classic song with "You Are The Champions," dedicated to health care workers

From CNN's Leah Asmelash

Adam Lambert performs with Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen on February 16 in Sydney, Australia.
Adam Lambert performs with Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen on February 16 in Sydney, Australia. Cole Bennetts/Getty Images

Almost everyone knows the lyrics to Queen's "We Are the Champions." Now, the band has turned the song on its head, as a tribute to workers on the frontline fighting coronavirus.

Brian May, Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert teamed up to release "You Are The Champions" on Thursday, in a new version of the classic song.

All proceeds made from the song will go towards the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for The World Health Organization.

Queen and Lambert were scheduled to be on the European leg of their Rhapsody tour, but the ongoing pandemic led the musicians to postpone the dates. This song, though, was recorded while May, Taylor and Lambert were all self-isolating in separate cities.

1:50 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

A few weeks ago, they were engineers, chefs and waitresses. Now they're farming

 From CNN's Mick Krever and Nic Robertson

The British government wants you: To cut lettuce from the fields, pick berries from the bushes and load boxes of fresh produce into cold storage warehouses.

While many people hunker down at home, reloading the internet sites of grocery stores to secure a home delivery slot or dreading the socially distanced, masked visit to a supermarket, it's easy to lose sight of the supply chain and where that food is coming from.

As Covid-19 cases surpass 170,000 in the United Kingdom, British farmers are facing spring cut off from the Eastern European migrant workers that make the harvest possible. But with thousands of Brits laid off or furloughed, the UK government now says its official policy is to try to get locals onto the fields.

Sally Penfold, 45, was until recently a waitress at a restaurant in Hastings. After the UK government lockdown took effect, she lost her job.

Penfold is one of several people seeking work at a family-owned farm in Kent, southeast England.

"I was fed up with being indoors, not earning any money," said Sally Penfold, 45. "I just wanted to get out there and do some kind of work. I think providing food for the nation is quite an honorable thing to do."

Read the full story:

1:36 a.m. ET, May 3, 2020

This Japanese aquarium wants you to FaceTime its shy eels

From CNN's Emiko Jozuka and Amy Woodyatt

The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan
The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan Shutterstock

With much of the world's human population stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, one Japanese aquarium is exploring a new way to ensure its inhabitants don't get too used to the peace and quiet.

In an appeal this week, Tokyo's Sumida Aquarium asked for volunteers to FaceTime its 300 spotted garden eels, which have had limited interactions with humans since the aquarium was forced to close in March.

"As the (aquarium) has been closed for a long time, the animals aren't seeing any other people other than the staff ... they're beginning to forget about humans," the aquarium said in a statement.
"The garden eels in particular have started to burrow themselves into the sand and hide even when aquarium (staff) pass by their tank," they added.

This, the aquarium says, is a problem -- the eels' newfound shyness means staff are unable to check up on the fish and make sure they are healthy.