A visitor attends one of the exhibition rooms of the permanent exhibition behind the paintings 'Kaete and Hugo Perls' (1913) by Edvard Munch, left and 'Self-portrait with mask' (1910) by Paul Wilhelm, right, in the Chemnitz Art Collections (Kunstsammlungen) in Chemnitz, eastern Germany, Monday, May 4, 2020. The German state Saxony has reopened museums and exhibitions under certain conditions after the coronavirus lockdown. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
The Associated Press
Millions of people were allowed to return to work in Italy on Monday as Europe's longest coronavirus lockdown started to ease, while the U.S. took halting steps to lift some of its own restrictions even as tens of thousands of new cases are reported every day.
In Washington, the U.S. Supreme Court held hearings by phone for the first time, and the Senate convened for the first time since March.
Here are some of AP's top stories Monday on the world's coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day and APNews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak for stories explaining some of its complexities.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:
- U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it. Chinese leaders 'œintentionally concealed the severity'ť of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report obtained by The Associated Press.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one of the first governors to impose a statewide stay-home order, announced that some businesses can reopen as early as Friday, with restrictions.
- 'œThe case is submitted.'ť With those words, Chief Justice John Roberts wrapped up the first U.S. Supreme Court argument conducted by telephone and where audio was available live to the public. The court's plaza was deserted as it has been since the building was closed to the public in mid-March.
- World leaders, organizations and banks pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus but warned that it is just the start of an effort that must be sustained over time to beat the disease. The United States was notably absent from the video-conference event hosted by the European Union.
- A woman, her adult son and husband have been charged in the fatal shooting of a security guard in Michigan who refused to let her daughter enter a store because she wasn't wearing a face mask.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.
One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.
You should wash your phone, too. Here's how.
TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you're worried about live.
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ONE NUMBER:
- 11: As in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which struggling fashion brand J.Crew has filed for, becoming the first major retailer to do so since the coronavirus pandemic forced most stores across the United States to close their doors. More retail bankruptcies are expected in coming weeks.
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IN OTHER NEWS:
- PANDEMIC SONGS: Musicians have been inspired to write and record songs that reflect the mood of a world dramatically altered by the new coronavirus.
- PARAMEDIC HONORED: Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles drove in procession from the Denver airport to honor a retired Colorado paramedic who died after volunteering to help combat the pandemic in New York City.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, a worker cleans as a young shopper uses a nearby escalator at the Galleria Dallas mall in Dallas, Monday, May 4, 2020. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The Associated Press
A woman wearing a face mask exits a shop along Makarios Avenue, a busy shopping street in the downtown of Cyprus' capital Nicosia, on Monday, May 4, 2020. Retail shops were opened Monday, the first day of the gradual rolling back of a strict stay-at-home order that was enacted in late March to arrest the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
The Associated Press
Residents protest with the covered dead body of a man, who they claimed had been beaten by police for being outside during the dusk to dawn curfew, but which could not be independently verified, in the Mathare slum, or informal settlement, of Nairobi, Kenya Monday, May 4, 2020. Human rights groups have protested the police use of excessive force to enforce the curfew put in place to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
The Associated Press
A couple wears a face mask as they enjoy the sun in park full of flowers, in Milan, Italy, Monday, May 4, 2020. Italy began stirring again Monday after a two-month coronavirus shutdown, with 4.4 million Italians able to return to work and restrictions on movement eased in the first European country to lock down in a bid to stem COVID-19 infections. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The Associated Press
A woman wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walks past a graffiti dedicated to the victory of the Soviet Union in the World War II, in St.Petersburg, Russia, Monday, May 4, 2020. Victory Day, marking the 75th anniversary of defeating of Nazi Germany will be celebrated on May 9 in Russia. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
The Associated Press
A procession of emergency vehicles follows the ambulance carrying the body of retired paramedic Paul Cary after its arrival from New York late Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Denver. Cary died from coronavirus after volunteering to help combat the pandemic in New York City. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Associated Press
In this photo taken on Saturday, April 25, 2020, Alexandra Novatova, wearing gloves to protect from coronavirus, pets Barly, her new two year old mutt dog at her apartment building in Moscow, Russia. Alexandra Novatova opted to use a delivery service a big decision because she was ordering more than a pizza or a shipment of toilet paper. She got a dog brought to her door. With humans spending all day at home, it's an opportune period to find the time to acclimate a new dog and an online project is capitalizing on this to match shelter dogs with people. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
The Associated Press
FILE - This Aug. 2, 2011 file photo shows a stone seawall, lower right, on the west side of Tangier Island, Va., which protects the island's airstrip. The fishing community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay has reported zero cases of the coronavirus. But the virus would be devastating if it were to reach the island, which has a large elderly population and no full-time doctor. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
The Associated Press
FIL - This Wednesday April 3, 2013 file photo shows a creek along with boats on Tangier Island, Va. The fishing community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay has reported zero cases of the coronavirus. But the virus would be devastating if it were to reach the island, which has a large elderly population and no full-time doctor. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Associated Press
A man runs past the Supreme Court where the justices will hold arguments by telephone for the first time ever, Monday, May 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press