Coronavirus

Romain Cools of the potato growers' union Belgapom presented it as a matter of survival, as a major export sector fears ruin in the coronavirus crisis.

About 750,000 tonnes of potatoes are piled up in Belgian warehouses, as the lockdown has sent orders plummeting.

"Let's all eat chips twice a week, instead of just once," Mr Cools urged.

Since mid-March, restaurants in Belgium and many other markets for potato growers have closed. The cancellation of Belgium's many spring and summer festivals has added to their woes.

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said out of 38 samples, two tested positive for the virus, and one other case was reported earlier from Naval Hospital.

Five people have died from the virus in the US territory.

Meanwhile, roadblocks across Guam will be lifted today.

Ms Leon Guerrero said the situation will be closely monitored after the roadblocks are lifted, and a test programme will be expanded.

Many restrictions on everyday life will remain.

Officers say they caught a businessman unloading the masks from a lorry into a house in St Denis, north of Paris.

Last month, France requisitioned all stocks and production of face masks to equip health workers.

Meanwhile in China, the authorities have confiscated 89m poor quality face masks. The country has faced criticism over poor quality exports.

Officials had inspected nearly 16 million businesses and had also seized large quantities of ineffective disinfectant, government official Gan Lin said.

Ministry of Health guidelines restrict testing to those with at least one symptom of infection, or where there has been a cluster, or an outbreak in a vulnerable facility. Officials have maintained there is no need to expand the testing definition.

But at a community testing centre in Otara, managed by South Seas Healthcare, anyone living in a crowded home or with a pre-existing health condition can be tested, according to South Seas GP Andrew Chan Mow.

The family of Alba Maruri were informed of her death last month and later sent what they were told were her ashes.

But Ms Maruri awoke from a three-week coma in hospital on Thursday and asked doctors to call her sister.

Her family were overjoyed at the news - but are unclear whose ashes they have in their home.

The hospital has apologised for the mix-up. Ms Maruri lives in the city of Guayaquil, the epicentre of Ecuador's Covid-19 outbreak.

Ecuador has been badly affected by the pandemic, with more than 22,000 cases and nearly 600 reported deaths.

The extension was announced Friday by Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa.

This means, the nighttime curfews remain in force across Tonga until next month.

Kaniva News reports Tonga is still Covid-19 free.

The government set new rules governing public behaviour to help stop the spread of Covid-19 that came into force last week.

Under the rules, the boarder will remain closed until June 12 and there is a nighttime curfew from 8pm to 6am.

Liquor licensed nightclubs and kava clubs must close.

‘’We are just being extra careful and activated our quarantine process yesterday so that this particular person will be at the quarantine facility at Taliai Camp for the next 14 days,’’ said CEO for Health Dr. Siale ‘Akau’ola.

It is understood that the departing passenger had boarded the Air New Zealand flight at around 2:20pm Thursday when Immigration New Zealand sent a message to the Air New Zealand manager in Tonga to offload one passenger as they deemed him ineligible to arrive under New Zealand’s tightened travel restrictions or face infringement or prosecution.

Ardern acknowledged Kavapalu often working thirteen hour days.

PMN News spoke to Kavapalu who was ironically working when Ardern mentioned her.

"The Police were watching it and jumped over and ran to me excited, saying you are famous Rose!

"To be acknowledged like that just makes your day, I'm so proud," says Kavapalu.

Rose has worked for the Otahuhu Police Station for more than fourteen years.​​

But says this acknowledgement is not just for her, she says.

The cats, from separate areas of New York state, had mild respiratory illness and are expected to make a full recovery. It is believed that they contracted the virus from people in their households or neighbourhoods, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Animals, pets, can get infected. There's no evidence that the virus is transmitted from the pet to a human," Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the daily coronavirus briefing.

The WHO's Western Pacific division held a media briefing this week to discuss the coronavirus.

Asked when regional countries might lift some restrictions imposed under their states of emergency, the WHO Regional Director Takeshi Kasai urged caution.

"When we consider lifting, we need a careful analysis of the situation And we should not lift everything all at once."

Dr Kasai said this applied to all countries, including those in the Pacific islands who had no reported cases of Covid-19.