America ‘a war zone’ as 30 cities protest against George Floyd’s death.
Three people have been shot, one person killed, and hundreds arrested, as protests erupted in at least 30 US cities over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.
12 states have activated their national guards, as a fifth day of protesting saw stores looted, buildings and police cars set on fire, and the words “I can’t breathe” spray-painted across public property.
Tens of thousands also marched peacefully through streets to protest the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing.
US President Donald Trump has sparked fury for his response in previous days, including a tweet that read “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.
He is now blaming the media for “hatred and anarchy” and turning the protests into tweets for political gain, writing: “Call in our great national guard like they FINALLY did (thankyou President Trump) last night in Minneapolis. Is this what voters want with Sleepy Joe? All Dems!”
Trump has been told he should more forcefully denounce the riots – and that he hasn’t done so nearly enough, with Trump’s aides among those pushing him to adopt a more restrained response.
Model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen announced she was donating US $100,000 to protesters, before upping it to $200,000 when a Twitter user called the demonstrators “criminals”.
Protests have also spread to 100 cities globally, including in the UK, Canada and Germany.
READ: The 19 most powerful photos from the US protests over the death of George Floyd.
What is opening from June 1.
In NSW from today – which recorded three new COVID-19 cases on Sunday – 50 people can dine in restaurants, pubs, casinos and cafes. And zoos, museums, galleries and libraries can reopen.
Up to 20 people can attend weddings, and 50 are allowed at funerals and places of worship.
Regional travel is allowed within the state, and beauty salons can open with no more than 10 clients at a time.
Camping grounds and caravan parks will also reopen.
Only five people can still gather at households, outdoor restrictions are still limited to 10, and gyms, cinemas, theatres and concert halls remain off limits.
In Victoria from today, cafes and restaurants, libraries, galleries, museums, amusement parks, places of worship, beauty salons and massage parlours can reopen for 20 people at a time.
Victorians can stay in holiday homes, camping grounds and caravan parks, and schools will reopen as of today. Government advice is that if you can work from home, you must.
Six new cases were reported in the state yesterday.
In Queensland, groups of 20 can congregate at pubs, in homes, at community sporting fields and at the gym.
The border will remain closed until the end of June at least, but interstate travel is now allowed.
In South Australia, venues can now have up to 80 patrons provided they are contained in groups of 20 in separate areas.
WA will enter phase three of eased restrictions on June 6. The limit on non-work gatherings will be raised to 100 people — or 300 people for venues with divided spaces, and gyms, full contact sports, beauty salons, cinemas and zoos will reopen.
Three-year-old among new WA virus cases.
A three-year-old child is among three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Western Australia, while the condition of one of the previously confirmed cases from the Al Kuwait livestock ship has deteriorated.
The Department of Health says all of the three new cases are recently returned overseas travellers, who had been placed in hotel quarantine and remain there.
The child, a Western Australian, is also a known contact of a previously confirmed case.
The other two cases are a female in her 60s, also from WA, and a male in his 30s from interstate.
Italian doctor says COVID-19 losing potency.
The coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor says.
“In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” said Alberto Zangrillo, the head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy’s coronavirus contagion.
“The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutely infinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago,” he told RAI television.
Italy has the third highest death toll in the world from COVID-19, with 33,415 people dying since the outbreak came to light on February 21.
A second doctor from northern Italy told the ANSA news agency that he was also seeing the coronavirus weaken.
“The strength the virus had two months ago is not the same strength it has today,” said Matteo Bassetti, head of the infectious diseases clinic at the San Martino hospital in the city of Genoa.
“It is clear that today the COVID-19 disease is different.”
Around the world.
– More than 6.07 million people have been infected with the coronavirus globally and 368,539 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
The current COVID-19 figures.
– More than 8000 new virus cases have been reported in a single day in India, another record high that topped the deadliest week in the country.
– Emirates has laid off a number of trainee pilots and cabin crew from its 60,000 strong workforce.
– Two US astronauts have become the first people to dock a privately built spacecraft on the International Space Station.
– With AAP
Feature image: Getty.
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