Summary

  • US stock markets have seen steep falls, while several states have reported rising Covid-19 caseloads

  • Texas saw a one day record of more than 2,500 new cases on Wednesday

  • Shutting US economy again to deal with a surge is not a viable option, the US Treasury Secretary says

  • UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the Test and Trace system is "critical" to control the virus

  • More than 31,000 close contacts identified during the first week of the test and trace system in England

  • Number of confirmed cases in Russia passes 500,000 - third highest in the world, behind the US and Brazil

  • There have been more than 7.3 million infections globally and more than 416,000 deaths

Live Reporting

Edited by Patrick Jackson

  1. New Zealand goes 20 days with no new cases

    New Zealand has now gone 20 days with no new virus cases, even after the country lifted almost all of its restrictions.

    The country is at Level 1, which allows all schools and workplaces to open. Weddings, funerals and public transport can resume without any restrictions. Social distancing is no longer required but is encouraged.

    And following the recovery of an Auckland woman on Monday, the country has no known active cases of Covid-19.

    New Zealand has recorded 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19 since the virus arrived in late February.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the opening of the new Commercial Bay shopping precinct on June 11, 2020Getty Images

    New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her handling of the outbreak

  2. US infections about to pass 2 million

    Scientists working on virus testsReuters

    The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the US since the outbreak began is 1,999,392 according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

    The United States has by far the overall highest infections - almost three times the number of Brazil (772,416).

    The US also carries out the most tests, with around half a million performed per day. That partly explains the high infection figure, with around 20,000 new cases added each day.

    The US also has the highest death toll, at 112,878, ahead of the UK (41,213) and Brazil (39,680). Again, it's worth stressing that different countries record Covid-19 deaths in different ways.

  3. Welcome to our coverage

    Welcome back to our coverage of the pandemic. We’ll keep you posted on all developments as the day shifts from Asia, across Europe and Africa, to the Americas.

    Here's what you need to know this morning.

    • The number of confirmed infections in the US alone is nearing the 2 million mark, data from the Johns Hopkins University shows
    • Infections are still rising in more than 20 states, as restrictions are eased
    • Mexico City will begin large scale testing as it plans to reopen its economy
    • The Disneyland theme park in California plans to open in July with a "significantly limited" capacity
    • Worldwide, there have been more than 7.3 million confirmed infections since the outbreak began and around 416,000 deaths