No new Covid-19 deaths in Spain for first time since March – as it happened

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UK ministers have been accused of not taking seriously the threat posed to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Britons by Covid-19, after it was reported that the release of an official review of the issue had been delayed over fears of potential civil unrest.

According to Sky News, officials are concerned about the effect the publication could have amid global anger over the death of George Floyd, an African American man who pleaded for air as a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck.

Citing an unnamed government source, Sky said the release of the Public Health England (PHE) review, due by the end of May, had been pushed back yet further because of “worries” around “current global events”.

The source was quoted as saying there were concerns in Whitehall about the “close proximity to the current situation in America”, where protesters are demanding an end to police violence against black people. The source reportedly said it would be a “bad combination” if the review was released amid such tensions.

De Cordova added: “There is a gross irony in delaying the release of a report into the unequal suffering of the BAME community, on the basis of global events that relate to the suffering of black communities around the world.

Get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Trump’s remarks come as the US faces not only national protests, but the number of highest coronavirus infections and deaths worldwide, as well as the Depression-level unemployment the pandemic has caused.

The US has 1,804,206 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data. There have been 105,003 fatalities. Both figures are far higher than any other country.

Brazil has the next highest cases, with roughly half a million. The UK has the next highest deaths, with more than 39,000 lives lost.

The US accounts for more than a quarter of cases and deaths worldwide.

Meanwhile, new analysis from the US has found that masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, AP reports.

Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A distance of 1 meter (more than 3 feet) between people lowers the danger of catching the virus, while 2 meters (about 6 1/2 feet) is even better.

Eye protection such as eyeglasses or goggles can help too. None of the strategies work perfectly and more rigorous studies are needed, according to the analysis published Monday.

With the coronavirus still new, health officials have relied on studies involving its cousins, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome. The findings come from a systematic review of 44 studies, including seven involving the virus causing Covid-19. The remaining focused on SARS or MERS.

Public health officials have given conflicting advice about masks.

The World Health Organization, which funded the new analysis, has said healthy people need to wear a mask only if they are caring for a person with Covid-19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants everyone to wear at least a cloth mask when grocery shopping or in similar situations where keeping distance is difficult.

2 Jun 202019.10 EDT

Sam Levin

Fact check: Trump said he “strongly encouraged” states to activate the National Guard. He did not note that many states have already done this.

According to one estimate, there are now more than 17,000 National Guard troops activated in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Some have argued that the presence of the National Guard has only further escalated tensions and resulted in increased clashes and violence by police.

Trump said he would deploy the military if governors failed to sufficiently deploy national guard members, but that he was immediately deploying the military in Washington DC.

Our country always wins. That is why I am taking immediate presidential action to stop the violence and restore security and safety in America.

First we are ending the riots and lawlessness that has spread throughout our country. We will end it now. Today I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets. Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled. If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.

I am also taking swift and decisive action to protect our great capital - Washington DC. What happened in this city last night was a total disgrace. As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily-armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property.

We are putting everybody on warning - a 7:00 curfew will be strictly enforced. Those who threaten innocent lives and property, will be arrested, detained and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I want the organisers of this terror to be on notice that you will face severe criminal penalties and lengthy sentences in jail. This includes Antifa and others who are leading instigators of this violence.

Here are those comments in more detail. Trump mentioned the virus once, saying the protests mean, “Brave nurses who have battled the virus are afraid to leave their homes.”

My fellow Americans, my first and highest duty as president is to defend our great country and the American people. I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation and that is exactly what I will do.

All Americans were rightly sickened and revolted by the brutal death of George Floyd. My administration is fully committed that for George and his family, justice will be served. He will not have died in vain. But we cannot allow the righteous cries of peaceful protesters to be drowned out by an angry mob, the biggest victims of the rioting are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities and as their president I will fight to keep them safe. I will fight to protect you.

...

Innocent people have been savagely beaten like the young man in Dallas, Texas, who was left dying on the street or the woman in Upstate New York viciously attacked by dangerous thugs. Small business owners have seen their dreams utterly destroyed. New York’s finest have been hit in the face with bricks. Brave nurses who have battled the virus are afraid to leave their homes.

A police precinct has been overrun here in the nation’s capital, the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial have been vandalised. One of our most historic churches was set ablaze. A federal officer in California, an African-American enforcement hero, was shot and killed. These are not acts of peaceful protests. These are acts of domestic terror, the destruction of innocent life and the spilling of innocent blood is an offence to humanity and a crime against God.

Trump has ended his speech without taking questions from the press.

“What happened in [Washington DC] last night was a total disgrace,” he says. Those who ignore the curfew in Washington will be arrested and prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”

He is deploying “thousands” of soldiers into the city.

“We are ending the riots and lawlessness that has spread throughout our country. We will end it now,” says Trump.

Trump has recommended to every governor to deploy the national guard in “sufficient numbers until we dominate the streets.”

Those cities who do not deploy sufficient national guard members will see the military deployed there by the president.

US President Donald Trump has started his address.

“All Americans were rightly sickened and revolted by the brutal death of George Floyd,” he says. He will not let it go unpunished.

“We cannot allow the righteous cries of peaceful protestors to be drowned out by an angry mob,” he says.

“I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protestors.”

He says in recent days the country has been gripped by rioters, looters, and antifa, among others.

He calls some of the acts of destruction in the protest acts of “domestic terror.”

This report from earlier explains the worries over how the George Floyd protests sweeping the US may lead to a surge in coronavirus cases:

According to figures from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, the US has seen nearly 1.8m infections and nearly 104,000 deaths in the Covid-19 pandemic. In a country that does not have universal healthcare, the crisis has disproportionately affected minorities, particularly those who live in crowded urban areas.

Images of demonstrators in close proximity, many without masks, have therefore alarmed leaders – to the point where some are pleading with those on the streets to protest “the right way”, in order to better protect themselves.

Read more here:

1 Jun 202018.32 EDT

Fauci says he and Trump no longer in regular contact

Sam Levin

My colleagues on our US live blog also report that Anthony Fauci, the government’s top public health expert and Covid-19 task force member, said he was no longer in frequent contact with the president.

Asked whether the president talks to him often about Covid vaccine work, he told a reporter with Stat News, “No ... As you probably noticed, that the task force meetings have not occurred as often lately. And certainly my meetings with the president have been dramatically decreased.”

Fauci noted that they used to have task force meetings daily, including on the weekend, and said that frequently, the two would talk after the meeting, estimating that a month ago, they met four times a week.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also told a CNN reporter that he has not spoken or met with Trump in two weeks and that their last interaction was 18 May, during a teleconference with the nation’s governors.