1m tests to be rolled out across Africa, as WHO warns over Europe situation

In a bid to keep up with the coronavirus spread, the Indian state of Kerala is set to convert thousands of its iconic houseboats into isolation wards, writes Hannah Ellis-Petersen, the Guardian’s South Asia correspondent.

Around 2,000 houseboats, which usually travel through the serene, palm tree-lined backwaters of Kerala, are currently being converted into isolation facilities for coronavirus patients.

The two storey luxury boats are beloved by tourists and are also a popular purchase among Bollywood actors, who are known to renovate them to the highest standards of luxury.

“We are happy to hand over our boats,” said Kevin Rozario, general secretary of All Kerala Houseboat Owners and Operators Association. “By handing over our boats, we are joining the global fight against the virus. We see it as our duty and we will provide all help.”

According to the local government, the boats can be made fit for purpose by the end of the month, and then can be moved to remote locations for the safety of patients and locals.

It follows on from the Indian government beginning to renovate 20,000 train carriages into medical facilities and isolation wards two weeks ago. Each train carriage holds 16 beds and a total of 320,000 patients could be cared for in the “quarantine coaches”, a statement from the railways said.

India currently has 12,380 confirmed coronavirus cases and 414 deaths. However, officials believe the real figure could be much higher as India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world.

apan has expanded its state of emergency to cover the entire country, AFP reports.

My colleague in Tokyo, Justin McCurry, earlier reported that Shinzō Abe, the country’s prime minister, was poised to announce the expansion of measures, which had already been declared in seven regions, including Tokyo.

On Thursday evening, Abe told a special meeting of medical experts called to discuss the disease:

Areas where a state of emergency should be carried out will be expanded from the seven prefectures to all prefectures

According to AFP, the declaration allows regional governors to urge people to stay indoors, but with no punitive measures or legal force the measure is far weaker than strict lockdowns seen in other parts of the world.

Despite recording its first case in mid-January, Japan has so far seen a relatively small outbreak with about 8,500 infections and 136 deaths by Thursday.

Security forces enforcing the lockdown in Nigeria to curb the spread of Covid-19 have killed more people so far than the virus itself, the country’s official human rights body reports.

Nigeria has imposed a total lockdown in the capital Abuja and economic hub Lagos, a city of some 21 million people, and set restrictions in other regions in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with security forces, including the police and army, deployed to enforce them.

In a report released late on Wednesday, the National Human Rights Commission said it had received and documented “105 complaints of incidents of human rights violations perpetuated by security forces” in 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja.

Of these complaints, “there were 8 documented incidents of extrajudicial killings leading to 18 deaths”, it said. According to the latest figures published on Wednesday night, 12 people in Nigeria have died of Covid-19, out of a total of 407 confirmed cases. The report added:

This speaks volumes of the protocols and rules of engagement for our law enforcement as well the efficiency level and capacity of law enforcement agents to deal with civil population. It’s a sheer display of impunity and reckless disregard for human life in law enforcement by security personnel.

The number of new confirmed coronavirus infections in Germany has risen for a second consecutive day, as the country prepares to lift restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported 2,866 new confirmed cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s total to to 130,450. The number of new cases on Wednesday was 2,486.

The daily death toll also rose for a second day, by 315 to 3,569, the tally showed. On Wednesday the reported death toll was 285.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the head of the World Health Organization in Africa, has called Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding for the UN health body a blow to efforts to support healthcare across Africa.

Asked in a press briefing about the impact of the decision by the WHO’s biggest funder to withhold cash, Moeti said it would have an impact that went beyond the WHO’s ability to fund efforts to fight Covid-19. She warned efforts to fight polio, HIV and malaria in Africa were also likely to be affected.

Overall, we will be needing about $300m for the next six months at least to support what countries are doing [to combat Covid-19). This has been a blow to the global WHO budget.