May 1 – WORLD
Global health – coronavirus, or COVID-19
– China reopens Beijing’s parks and museums to the public, including the ancient Forbidden City. However, temperature checks and social distancing remain in force.
– The field hospital at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits convention center closes after nearly 1,100 patients were treated there to help alleviate strain on the city’s hospitals.
– Washington Gov. Jay Inslee extends the state’s “stay home, stay healthy” order through May 31, outlining four phases of reopening businesses and events.
– India mandates that all public and private sector employees use a government-backed Bluetooth tracing app and maintain social distancing in offices as part of easing some of its lockdown restrictions in lower-risk areas.
(May 2): According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of reported coronavirus cases on the continent of Africa surpassed 40,000, with South Africa having the highest number of cases — 6,000 — followed by three North African countries: Egypt, Morocco and Algeria. Lesotho is the only African country with no reported cases. Despite that, South Africa has started easing lockdown restrictions allowing some sectors of the economy to reopen.
– Spain’s coronavirus death toll surpasses 25,000. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country also rose to 216,582.
– Protesters carrying guns and at least one Confederate flag to the Kentucky Capitol rally against Gov. Andy Beshear’s stay-at-home order and his phased approach to gradual reopening of the economy. Similar protests are held in Ohio.
(May 4): Japan extends its state of emergency until May 31.
– South Korea reopens schools and reveals plans to set up 1,000 clinics to treat potential coronavirus patients during a possible second wave of COVID-19 later this year.
– Around 4 million Italians return to work after Italy eased some conditions of the country’s eight-week lockdown. Its coronavirus daily new cases and fatalities declined for the first time since March 10.
(May 6): The European Commission forecasts that the European economy will contract by a record 7.5 percent this year in a recession brought on by the pandemic.
(May 7): After weeks of shutdowns, 30 states have started or will soon begin to reopen the economy with more new cases or a higher share of positive tests than two weeks ago. The White House said states should have a “downward trajectory” of cases over a 14-day period before reopening. But most of these states have actually had an increase of daily average cases in the past two weeks. (see article below)
(May 8): The Department of Labor reports that the U.S. economy lost an unprecedented 20.5 million jobs in April, bringing total to 33 million. The unemployment rate soars to 14.7 percent.
– Pakistan, with 26,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, moves forward with its plans to relax lockdown restrictions despite a rapid increase in new cases, with approximately 1,000 of them per day in the last week.
(May 10): Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world surpass 4 million. The global death toll reaches nearly 280,000.
– Colombia’s national airline Avianca files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, becoming one of the major airlines to file for bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The 100-year-old airline follows others, including Virgin Australia and Flybe, into bankruptcy.
– U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils a plan for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions that includes a five-level alert system. The announcement comes as the country’s death toll continued to rise to nearly 32,000.
– Coronavirus fatalities in the U.S. surpass 80,000, with New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, Connecticut and California among the hardest hit states.
(May 11): China implements a five-year ban on the trade of illegal wildlife and the consumption of wild animals.
– Russia outbreak becomes the world’s third largest after Italy and the U.K.
– France begins to lift lockdown measures, allowing stores, factories and other businesses to reopen for the first time in eight weeks. Bars, cafes, restaurants, museums and cinemas remain closed.
(May 12): Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and other top Trump administration officials testify at a public Senate hearing about the coronavirus response and plans for people to return to work and school. Dr. Fauci warns of serious consequences if governors reopen state economies prematurely.
(May 13): A United Nations (UN) report forecasts that the coronavirus pandemic will shrink the world economy by 3.2 percent this year, the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
– Some Middle Eastern countries, such as Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates with Dubai as its business and tourism hub, begin easing strict social-distancing measures by reopening public parks and allowing hotel guests to access private beaches. Mosques, cinemas and nightclubs, however, remain closed.
(May 15): April retail sales in the U.S. sank by 16.4 percent to their lowest level on record. JC Penney stores and other retailers, as well as rental car company Hertz file for bankruptcy.
(May 16): South Korean health authorities say a virus hotspot linked to a nightclub district in Seoul shows how difficult it is to contain the virus.
– India’s Health Ministry reports a spike of coronavirus new cases to 85,940 total infections and 2,752 deaths.
– Pakistan resumes domestic flights between major cities for the first time in nearly two months. International flights will remain suspended till May 31.
– Sri Lanka re-imposes a strict 24-hour curfew over the weekend even though the government had begun easing the two-month coronavirus lockdown.
(May 18): Japan’s economic growth plunges into recession in the first quarter as the pandemic suppressed production, exports and spending.
– Kuwait announces that people who don’t cover their nose and mouth in public face jail time for up to three months and a fine of a up to $16,000.
– More than 130,000 autoworkers return to factories across the U.S. for the first time in nearly two months, in one of the biggest steps yet to restart American industry.
(May 19): The U.S., Canada and Mexico agree to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential travel until June 21.
– U.S. President Trump raises tension between the World Health Organizations (WHO) and the United States by threatening to make permanent a temporary funding freeze on American donations to WHO. He accuses it of helping China cover up the coronavirus outbreak.
(May 21): A huge spike in coronavirus cases in the Middle East, where many were observing the Islamic month of Ramadan, lead countries to extend and reinforce lockdown measures to prevent its spread during the Eid holiday.
(May 22): A new study published in The Lancet found that hydroxychloroquine, a drug that President Trump said he was taking as a preventive strategy and has publicly touted, does not help COVID-19 patients, and may increase deaths. (Article below)
– South America becomes a new global hot spot for the coronavirus with Mexico and Brazil recording the highest numbers of cases and deaths. Brazil has 330,890 confirmed cases with the number of fatalities passing 20,000, making it second in the world behind the U.S., which had 1.6 million cases.
– A CDC report says that more than 62,000 doctors, nurses and other health care providers on the front lines of the U.S.’s COVID-19 crisis have been infected, and at least 291 had died.
(May 26): In Chile, intensive care units in the hospitals are nearly at capacity amid a flood of coronavirus patients.
– Sweden’s government defends its response to the COVID-19 global pandemic despite the Scandinavian country reporting one of the highest mortality rates in the world with 4,125 fatalities, or about 40 deaths per 100,000 people. (see article below)
(May 27): The United States surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths. Confirmed cases in the country also rose to above 1.5 million.
(May 28): The Philippines record its highest daily spike in coronavirus cases, but President Rodrigo Duterte presses ahead with easing one of the world’s toughest and longest lockdowns.
– The Texas Supreme Court blocks an effort by Democrats in the state to expand voting by mail, ruling that lack of immunity to COVID-19 does not qualify a person to apply for a mail-in ballot.
(May 30): Low-income neighborhoods with large minority populations have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. (see article below)
(May 31): Pope Francis delivers his first address in three months from his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, as Italy’s lockdown comes to an end. Francis said that people are more important than the economy, as countries decide how quickly to proceed with reopening the economies from coronavirus lockdowns.
– Global coronavirus cases surpassed 6 million as the death toll worldwide
neared 370,000.[1]
A rush to make a vaccine against coronavirus
Sweden’s Different Coronavirus Response
Coronavirus and racial disparities (state by state)
Fauci warns reopening the country too soon could cost lives
Another large study finds no benefit to hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19
The Battle Between The Masked And The Masked-Nots Unveils Political Rifts
Three potential futures for Covid-19
Most States That Are Reopening Fail to Meet White House Guidelines
U.S. polarized approach to the coronavirus pandemic
May 25 – North America: United States
Protests sparked by George Floyd’s death in police custody
George Floyd, an African American man dies in police custody in Minneapolis after being pushed down to the ground and handcuffed by four police officers. One of them, white policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was heard saying repeatedly that he could not breathe. The other three officers did not intervene. Floyd lost consciousness and later died in the hospital. Bystanders capture the incident on video and later share it on social media.
(May 26): The video causes widespread outrage and sparks protests in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis police chief fires all four policemen involved in the arrest of George Floyd.
May 27
– Massive protests (that will last for several weeks) organized by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement spread nationwide. People protest police brutality, racism, and racial inequality, and demand reforms. According to Mapping Police Violence, a research and advocacy group, the number of police killings in the U.S. has hovered around 1,100 every year since 2013.[2]
– Most demonstrations are peaceful; however, there are instances of looting and destruction of property. Protesters clash with police who use tear gas and fire rubber bullets into crowds. Governor of Minnesota activates thousands of National Guard troops to Minneapolis. Some cities order curfews.
(May 29:) After intense pressure from the protests, former police officer Derek Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. From 2013-2019, 99 percent of killings by police have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime.[3]
(May 30): As protests continue with hundreds of thousands of people joining in across the country, cities report hundreds of arrests and the National Guard is deployed to dozens of states to help the police. President Trump threatens to use
– People in cities around the world march in solidarity and in support of Black Lives Matter protesters in the U.S.[4]
How Police Unions Became Such Powerful Opponents to Reform Efforts
For cops who kill, special Supreme Court protection
Protests in photographs
How to Distinguish Between Antifa, White Supremacists, and Black Lives Matter
May 28 – East Asia: China / Hong Kong
China’s parliament approves the proposal to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong. The process bypasses Hong Kong’s legislature.
The law, aiming at suppressing dissent in Hong Kong, targets secession, subversion of state power, terrorism activities and foreign interference. Despite assurances by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam that the rights and freedoms of people in the city will remain intact, the law is seen as eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy and the system that made it prosperous. Large street protests in Hong Kong erupt against the legislation.[5]
Background: Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China ruled under a “one country, two systems” principle, which allows the city some freedoms that those on the mainland do not have. This includes self-governing power, limited election rights, and a largely separate legal and economic framework. By imposing the new law, China is breaching its international obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration — the treaty that established the territory’s “one country, two systems” framework.[6]
‘This is the end of Hong Kong’: Reactions pour in as Beijing proposes security law
Hong-Kong protests: one year later