VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

People living in England were allowed on Wednesday to leave their homes, including to go to work, in the first stage of an easing of the seven-week coronavirus lockdown.  As quoted by AFP.com ( 13/5) the partial lifting of restrictions comes despite concern over Britain's death toll from the virus -- the second highest in the world -- and confusion about the new rules. The Office for National Statistics says more than 36,000 people have died and mortality rates remain high in care homes, despite an overall downward trend in cases, deaths and hospital admissions. The official government toll, which does not include all care home deaths, stands at over 32,000. The health ministry announced another 494 deaths on Wednesday in its latest daily update, a dip on the previous day's figure. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged millions unable to work from home to return to their jobs under the new guidelines, which do not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland//AFP

Chinese hackers are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, US authorities said Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers as markets slumped on warnings from the US Federal Reserve that prolonged shutdowns could cause "lasting damage". As quoted by AFP.com ( 13/5) Europe, meanwhile, pushed ahead with plans to gradually reopen for summer tourism, even as fears persist of a second wave of infections in the pandemic that has forced more than half of humanity behind closed doors in recent months.  With some countries scrambling after a fresh surge in cases and the global death toll exceeding 294,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that the virus "may never go away". Currently there is no proven therapy for COVID-19. An effective vaccine could allow countries to fully reopen and potentially earn millions of dollars for its creators//AFP

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will likely  downgrade its global economy projections amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and predicts the economy will partially recover next year, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Tuesday. Georgieva said during a virtual conference hosted by the Financial Times, with the crisis still spreading, incoming economic data from many countries is worse than IMF already pessimistic projections. Asked about a possible downgrade of economic forecasts, Georgieva also said such a move by the IMF is "very likely."

According to Georgieva, IMF is going to come up with update of IMF projections sometime in June. At that time IMF expectation is that unfortunately there would be a bit more bad news how we see 2020. Georgieva urged governments to take decisive actions to stabilize the situation in their countries and noted that the IMF expects a partial economic recovery next year//Sputnik

Top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci warned the Senate of the United States will see "needless suffering and death" from the coronavirus if it tries to reopen too soon, The New York Times reported. Fauci, who has become the trusted face of the government's virus response, is one of four top medical experts due to testify remotely at a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. According to Fauci, if USA skips over the checkpoints in the guidelines to: 'Open America Again,' then USA risks the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. Fauci, a leader of the White House coronavirus task force,  said that this will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set USA back on the US quest to return to normal.

"Opening Up America Again" is the administration's guidelines on a three-phase approach to help state and local officials reopen their economies, while observing medical advice on limiting the spread of the virus. Among the administration's requirements before moving to a phased comeback, states should have a "downward trajectory" of documented cases or positive tests, as a percentage of total tests, over two weeks. There should be a robust testing program for at-risk healthcare workers, with asymptomatic cases screened as well, and contacts of positive cases traced//JP