COVID-19

Aid charities advised to innovate now to survive Covid-19

Paul Ronalds was presenting virtually at an event hosted by New Zealand's Council for International Development.

He said Covid-19 will be a true test of whether NGOs can make the necessary changes to fit the new strategic environment.

Mr Ronalds said charities that are prepared and able to undertake significant change will survive.

He said the virus has accelerated existing trends that were already putting pressure on aid charities, "the business model was already broken…In most countries, there is simply too many NGOs, chasing too few dollars."

Samoa Methodist church leaders delay annual conference

The delay also includes two of the church’s usual events held every July in advance of the main conference.

The other events that are also likely to be postponed are the Au-uso Felofani (mothers) Conference, the Christianity examinations for the Sunday school students, the graduations for the church ministers and other small annual gatherings.

The postponement of the July main conference follows several discussions by the church leaders which were also not possible due to the current pandemic.

Cameras to monitor masks and social distancing

The resort city of Cannes on the Côte d'Azur has trialled the monitoring software, installed at outdoor markets and on buses.

It is not clear how many other cities will adopt this digital surveillance.

French firm Datakalab says its software does not violate EU data privacy law.

"No image is stored or transmitted, ensuring that personal information is protected," Datakalab said, announcing its collaboration with Cannes city hall, ahead of the 11 May relaxation of France's tough lockdown.

Fiji reels from dengue as it recovers from Covid-19 and cyclone

The country was still reeling from the devastation caused by Cyclone Harold last month and heavy rains last week.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said dengue was spread by mosquitoes which thrived in pools of still water that gathered after a storm.

He urged the public to work with health officials who were conducting a door-to-door LTDD campaign to tackle leptospirosis, typhoid, dengue and diarrhoea.

"LTDD and Covid-19 share the same symptoms and the same precautions can be taken to combat them."

Curfew lifted in PNG capital

The curfew had been in place in Port Moresby and its surrounding region for around a month as part of PNG's state of emergency provisions in response to Covid-19.

The NBC reports Emergency Controller David Manning saying markets, pharmacies, hotels and restaurants, banks, supermarkets and licensed wholesalers are allowed to trade.

All public gatherings remain banned, and public transport has resumed with limits on passenger numbers

Mr Manning has urged the public to continue observing social distancing and safe hygiene measures.

JK Rowling donates £1m to two charities

Half of the money will go to Crisis which helps homeless people, and half to Refuge to support victims of domestic abuse.

Rowling's donations come amid #HarryPotterDay on Twitter.

Saturday also marks the anniversary of one the author's major events in her stories.

On Twitter, Rowling said: "Today's the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I am going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths.

"Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world."

Coronavirus: Air passengers told to wear face masks

Many big US airlines are bringing in new health and safety policies for both passengers and cabin crew this week.

Other carriers around the world are also making mask wearing mandatory for when they restart flights.

While around 90% of international flights have been cancelled, airlines hope to gradually resume air travel starting this month.

From Monday, US carrier Delta said it requires passengers to wear a mask or other face covering in the check-in area, premium lounges, boarding gate areas and onboard planes for the whole flight.

The masses return to church in Samoa

The streets were again whitewashed with flashy Sunday best attire.

Inside one church in Apia, there was initial trepidation as parishioners looked around to see who would be the first to observe the two metre social distancing rule, but with more and more arriving it was soon evident this was not going to happen.

The government had banned all gatherings of more than 10 people, including all church gatherings as part of the coronavirus pandemic State of Emergency.

Covid-19: Australia fights clusters as parts of country ease restrictions

Thirteen new cases were recorded in Victoria today, health officials said, with six of the cases related to an infections cluster at a meat processing facility in Melbourne.

"What I'm worried about is the unknown unknowns," Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said at a televised briefing, urging more people to get tested.

"We want to make sure that if we have cases that are positive in the community we can identify those individuals... this is how we are going to defeat the virus."

Coronavirus: Los Angeles offers free virus testing to all residents

Mayor Eric Garcetti made the announcement just hours after Los Angeles County reported its largest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases.

Until now, only essential workers and those displaying symptoms could receive tests due to a scarcity of kits.

It comes as California is expected to close all beaches across the state.

Los Angeles County currently accounts for almost half of California's confirmed coronavirus cases. The state has so far reported over 48,000 cases and more than 1,900 deaths.