The world's cumulative coronavirus cases reached 4.6 million on Saturday with more than 310,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In the United States, there have been 1.46 million cases and more than 88,000 deaths.

Many parts of the U.S. have reopened with certain businesses opening with stricter guidelines.

However hard hit areas, such as New York City remain under tight restrictions as they wait for lower infection rates.

In New Orleans, buildings are restricted to 25% of capacity and restaurants, nail salons, and other businesses can only take customers by reservation. 

The coronavirus struck New Orleans so quickly in March that there were worries the pandemic would overwhelm the state health system. Hospitalizations have been going down for nearly a month, but officials warned a spike in cases or deaths could lead to putting restrictions back in place.

In Washington state, a local health official has said that the first documented coronavirus case in the United States in mid-January was likely not "patient zero", the Seattle Times reported.

"Maybe it was that individual that was the first introduction in January, (but) it certainly wasn't the only one," said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the Snohomish Health District."And it's reasonable to assume, given reports like the ones that we've had and others around the country, that introduction may have occurred prior to January, as we initially suspected."

Spitters spoke during a telephone press conference that included discussion of  35 “probable” cases that are based on COVID-19-positive blood tests of residents previously exposed to the virus.

According to the Times: Genetic sequencing has shown that a strain of the virus that traces back to the Snohomish County man diagnosed on Jan. 20 remains the dominant one in Washington and the Northwest, but "there are other strains that are dominant in other parts of the country," Spitters said. "So this is a multifocal problem, not something that just spread from a single introduction."

In Ohio, Cincinnati-based grocery chain Kroger said it would offer a bonus of $400 for full-time workers and $200 for part time workers in lieu of the previous hazard pay of an additional $2 per hour. The company said the bonuses total an estimated $130 million.

United Food and Commercial Workers International estimates that nationwide at least 65 grocery workers have died at Kroger and other retailers after contracting the coronavirus.

AROUND THE WORLD

BRAZIL

A small plane carrying a doctor sick with COVID-19 crashed in the Brazilian state of Ceara on Friday night, killing all four people on the aircraft, according to online news site G1, citing the state’s firefighters. The sick doctor was being transferred to an intensive care unit in his home state of Piaui. Two medical staffers treating him, as well as the pilot, were also on the plane.

CHINA

Zhang Yesui, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress said the annual legislative session will be curtailed to protect public health during the coronavirus pandemic. He told the official Xinhua News Agency that the agenda and schedule would be approved before the session starts in Beijing on May 22. The congress, delayed from March because of the outbreak, normally lasts about two weeks. 

FRANCE

Hundreds of beaches in France reopened with restrictions, including no sunbathing. Beachgoers can take a dip but cannot lay in the sun or picnic in the sand. Social distancing rules must be maintained and groups must be limited to no more than 10 people.

INDIA

India’s confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed China’s, with the Health Ministry on Saturday reporting a spike to 85,940 infections and 2,752 deaths.

The worst-hit Indian states are Maharashtra with 29,100 cases, Tamil Nadu with 10,108, Gujarat with 9,931 and New Delhi with 8,895.

In the last 24 hours, India had confirmed 3,970 new cases and 103 fatalities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is due to announce a decision this weekend on whether to extend the 54-day-old lockdown.

ITALY

Italy recorded the lowest number of deaths in a 24-hour period since early in its coronavirus lockdown at just 153.

That brings the total in the epidemic to 31,763, the civil protection agency reported on Saturday. The last time the death count was that low was March 9, the day after the nationwide lockdown was announced.

The number of confirmed new infections rose by 875 for a total of 224,760, while the number of currently infected dropped to just over 70,000.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said Saturday that the reopening of the economy brings a risk of new outbreaks of the coronavirus but said ‘’we must accept it.’’

Italy’s tourism industry is focused firmly on June 3, when both regional and international borders reopen, allowing the first prospect of tourists since Europe’s first lockdown went into place in early March. In tourist-reliant Venice, occupancy of the city’s 50,000 hotel beds has hovered around zero ever since.

NEPAL

Nepal reported its first confirmed coronavirus death. The Health Ministry says a new mother fell sick and died Thursday at a hospital near Kathmandu. Hospital results showed she tested positive for the virus.

Nepal has 281 confirmed coronavirus cases. A lockdown on March 24 has been extended several times and scheduled to end Sunday. All flights and ground transport have been halted and people are prohibited from leaving their houses. All schools and most markets are closed.

NEW ZEALAND

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiance, Clarke Gayford, were initially turned away for brunch by a restaurant in the capital city, Wellington, because it was too full under coronavirus guidelines. There was a happy ending: A spot freed up, and staff chased down the street to call the couple back.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan reopened its two key border crossings with Afghanistan to allow for trade and movement of people between the two countries.

The announcement comes about six weeks after the government closed the borders with neighboring Afghanistan and Iran to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. So far, no decision has been to reopen the border with Iran, which has been hard hit by the virus.

Pakistan reported 31 more deaths from the coronavirus Saturday, raising virus-related deaths to 834. Pakistan has nearly 39,000 confirmed cases.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean officials have so far confirmed 162 coronavirus cases linked to club goers in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, and are expressing cautious hope that infections are beginning to wane. Health Ministry official Son Young-rae said Saturday that the country may have ducked a major surge in transmissions in a region where half of its 51 million people live.

Son noted that the daily increase in infections has been within 30 over the past few days despite a jump in tests. Son said 46,000 people have so far been tested following a slew of infections linked to clubs and other nightspots in Seoul’s Itaewon entertainment district.

TURKEY

Turkey’s health ministry says 41 more people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,096. The death rate is the lowest registered since the end of March.

Minister Fahrettin Koca also tweeted Saturday that 1,610 new infections were confirmed, which brings the total number of confirmed cases 148,067.

UNITED KINGDOM

British authorities have reported 468 more COVID-19 deaths in their latest daily update, bringing the country’s overall death toll to 34,466. The deaths include those in hospitals, nursing and care homes and the wider community.

The health department says Saturday another 3,451 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, putting the total at 240,161.

Britain has Europe’s highest death toll and most confirmed cases.

Story with information from the Associated Press.

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