Coronavirus

The government had set itself a goal of carrying out at least 700,000 tests per week, he said. Once a person tests positive, tracing would begin to identify, test and isolate all those who had been in close contact with the individual.

"When we end the lockdown, we will have the capacity to massively scale up testing," Philippe said in an address to parliament.

He said the lockdown had saved tens of thousands of lives but that the time had come to ease the unprecedented peacetime restrictions and rescue an economy in free-fall.

He was one of a handful of people left who survived Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp in occupied southern Poland during World War II.

He spoke to the BBC in January about his experience. Asked how he survived, he said: "You did not live through Auschwitz. The place itself is death."

In a Facebook tribute, his son Michel Kichka wrote: "A small microscopic coronavirus has succeeded where the entire Nazi army had failed. My father had survived the Death March, but today his Life March has ended."

With no income and no idea when they'll be allowed to return, some of those in Australia fear they may be left homeless if officials don't act soon.

When news broke last month of governments closing their borders, Dublin City University student Tristina Karae immediately booked a flight home to Vanuatu from Ireland.

“The situation was just getting a bit panicked … and my family were a bit worried of having me out there by myself in Europe,” Karae said.

The journey home for Karae meant transiting through two other countries, Abu Dhabi and then Australia.

The country says it has stopped community transmission of Covid-19, effectively eliminating the virus.

Lowering its alert level from four to three means that some non-essential business, healthcare and schools were able to resume this morning.

Around 400,000 people headed back to work, some schools and childcare facilities are open, and people are allowed to get takeout food again.

New Zealand, partly thanks to its isolation and easily-closed borders, managed to contain the virus early on.

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.

Vanuatu COVID-19 Media Focal Person, Dr Len Tarivonda, confirmed that the Director of the NDMO, Abraham Nasak issued the temporary lockdown on Sunday, after some villagers interacted with crewmembers of a cargo boat from Philippines at Litzlitz Wharf.

The National Disaster Management Office said the interaction was a breach of the State of Emergency and measures put in place for preparedness and prevention of COVID-19.

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.