May 11 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Julia Hollingsworth, Zamira Rahim and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 9:20 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020
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3:55 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Travelers from France to be exempt from new UK quarantine measure

From CNN’s Hilary McGann in London

A jet comes in to land at Heathrow Airport on May 10 in London.
A jet comes in to land at Heathrow Airport on May 10 in London. Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Travelers from France will be exempt from a new quarantine period that will be imposed on people entering the UK, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Johnson announced Sunday that the quarantine period on people flying into Britain would be introduced “soon” to “prevent re-infection from abroad.”

The two countries are linked by train on the world’s longest undersea tunnel, the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994.

“Any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner,” the two leaders said in a joint statement late Sunday, adding that a working group between both governments will be set up.
3:42 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

US nears 80,000 coronavirus deaths as states start reopening

From CNN's Christina Maxouris

A leading model has upped its US coronavirus death toll projection again as governors continue lifting measures toward a reopening.

The model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington now forecasts more than 137,000 Americans will die by early August.

That rise is largely due to Americans moving around more, IHME director Dr. Christopher Murray said in a news release, adding that in some places the upward trend in movements began before statewide measures were relaxed. Researchers tracked that movement through anonymous cell phone data, according to the release.

"Unless and until we see accelerated testing, contact tracing, isolating people who test positive, and widespread use of masks in public, there is a significant likelihood of new infections," Murray said in the release.

States began setting reopening plans in late April -- with governors in South Carolina and Georgia leading the way with some of the most aggressive plans -- and by this week, nearly every state has begun relaxing restrictions.

Read more:

3:14 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Shanghai Disneyland reopens with timed entry and social distancing

From CNN's David Culver and Lilit Marcus

Performers dressed as Disney characters welcome visitors during the reopening of Disneyland Shanghai on May 11 in Shanghai, China.
Performers dressed as Disney characters welcome visitors during the reopening of Disneyland Shanghai on May 11 in Shanghai, China. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

After three and a half months of closure following the initial outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirusShanghai Disneyland has reopened its doors to visitors.

However, not everything at the theme park looks the same as it did before.

Normally, the park has a capacity of 80,000 people and 12,000 cast members -- Disney parlance for employees. But for reopening day on May 11, the cast members far outnumbered the guests, who were at less than the recommended 30% capacity.

Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland are now required to wear masks, have their temperatures taken and socially distance.

However, that did little to dampen the excitement of the Disney superfans who gathered to enjoy the park on its reopening day.

Read more about the park's reopening here:

2:53 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

A city in northeastern China is going into "wartime mode" to deal with new coronavirus cases

From journalist Alexandra Lin in Hong Kong

The mayor of Shulan in China's northeastern Jilin province announced the city will go into "wartime mode" in response to an uptick in local cases of Covid-19 over the weekend.

The city has reported 14 confirmed cases in the past two days, according to the Jilin Health Commission website.

Mayor Jin Hua said Monday that the city will adopt strict containment measures. Clinics and pharmacies will stop selling fever medication, as all suspected or confirmed coronavirus patients will be sent to designated hospitals.

The deputy secretary of the Jilin provincial government said authorities have screened a total of 2,005 people, while 290 people have been quarantined as a result of contact tracing.

Experts from China’s National Health Commission and the Chinese Center for Disease Control arrived in Shulan on Sunday to guide the epidemic prevention and control work.

2:38 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

The world's second-oldest airline just filed for bankruptcy because of the coronavirus pandemic

From CNN's Maija Ehlinger in Atlanta and CNN's Natalie Gallón in Mexico City

Aircraft of Colombian airline Avianca are seen on the tarmac at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota on August 28, 2019.
Aircraft of Colombian airline Avianca are seen on the tarmac at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota on August 28, 2019. Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Colombian carrier Avianca, the world's second-oldest airline, filed for bankruptcy due to the "unforeseeable impact of the Covid-19 pandemic," according to a statement released on its website on Sunday. 

The decision to file for bankruptcy was made with the intention to "protect and preserve operations" during the continuing pandemic.

According to the statement, Avianca directly employs 21,000 people throughout Latin America. Nearly 90% of countries where Avianca operates are under total or partial travel restrictions, according to additional information on the Avianca website. 

“Avianca is facing the most challenging crisis in our 100-year history as we navigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anko van der Werff, the company's CEO.

According to Van der Werff, Avianca is the second-oldest continuously running airline in the world. 

2:21 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

It's just past 8:20 a.m. in Berlin and 3:20 p.m. in Seoul. Here's what you may have missed

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 4.1 million people and killed at least 282,700 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. If you're just joining us, here is the latest on the pandemic:

  • Germany on alert: The coronavirus reproduction rate is estimated to have risen over the crucial value of 1, reaching 1.13, according to the country's disease and control center. The increase indicates a rise in infections, a few days after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced an easing of lockdown measures.
  • New Zealand to ease restrictions: PM Jacinda Ardern said authorities will begin to lift lockdown measures in several phases, but warned that while her country "may have won a few battles," it has not "won the war," against the virus.
  • Small spikes in China: Fresh lockdown measures were announced for the city of Shulan in northeastern Jilin province over the weekend after 11 cases were reported. Five local transmissions were reported in Wuhan, ground zero for the pandemic. The city reported its first new case in more than a month yesterday, raising concerns that new cases could be coming.
  • Potential second wave in South Korea: At least 85 coronavirus patients in South Korea are believed to have contracted the virus in nightclubs in recent weeks, prompting authorities to order the businesses shuttered. Of 35 new cases reported Monday, all 29 locally transmitted infections were related to clubs in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul.
  • World's second-oldest airline grounded: Colombia-based airline Avianca Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US Southern District of New York. The "voluntary petition" was filed as a result of the "unforeseeable impact of the Covid-19 pandemic," according to a statement released on their website.
1:54 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Fresh outbreaks in China and South Korea show we can't let our guard down

Analysis by CNN's James Griffiths in Hong Kong

"It's not over until it's over."

That was South Korean President Moon Jae-in, speaking Sunday after a new cluster of coronavirus cases emerged in the country's capital Seoul, sparking fear of a second wave of infections in the East Asian country.

South Korea was among the first places to deal with a major coronavirus epidemic, and seemed to be on track to loosen restrictions, after weeks of social distancing measures and careful surveillance. But the new cluster seems to have put an end to that, for now, with Moon warning his people "we must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention."

China too, is introducing renewed restrictions after two cities reported new cases of the virus. Shulan, in Jilin province in the country's far northeast, has been put under lockdown, following 11 newly confirmed cases. Jilin borders both Russia and North Korea, and concerns have previously been raised over imported cases from overseas causing a renewed outbreak.

More alarming are the new cluster of infections in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where cases of the novel coronavirus were first detected late last year. Wuhan was the first city in the world to enter into lockdown, only returning to relative normality late last month after 76 days.

On Monday, city officials said five new cases had been confirmed in the city, none of which were imported from overseas. While that is a far cry from the figures at the beginning of the crisis, or those being reported daily across much of western Europe and the United States right now, the apparent ability of the virus to continue spreading undetected -- especially in a city as intensely surveilled and restricted as Wuhan -- will lead to concerns about the viability of reopening.

Read the full analysis:

1:35 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

India records highest single-day spike in cases

From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi

Authorities in India said Monday that 4,213 coronavirus patients were reported in a 24-hour period ending Sunday evening local time -- the highest number of cases identified in a single day since the pandemic began.

At least 67,152 people inside the country have been diagnosed with Covid-19. Of those, 20,916 have recovered while 2,206 have died.

1:25 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Japan records another 70 Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

A medical staff member holds a swab at a coronavirus testing site on May 10 in Kashima, Japan.
A medical staff member holds a swab at a coronavirus testing site on May 10 in Kashima, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Japan reported 70 new coronavirus infections and eight Covid-19-related deaths on Sunday, the country's health ministry said.

The country has now recorded 16,510 cases and 634 fatalities. Of those, 712 infections and 13 deaths are tied to the Diamond Princess cruise ship.