The Deseret News is tracking developments related to the coronavirus pandemic across the United States and around the world. Refresh this feed for updates as news comes in throughout the day.
After a long, devastating climb, coronavirus deaths in Spain are falling
3 p.m.
Coronavirus-related deaths in Spain have fallen for the fourth consecutive day, the BBC reports. On Monday, Spanish officials reported that 637 people had died from the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. It was the lowest death toll since March 24 — nearly two weeks.
The deputy chief of Spain’s health emergency committee said the spread of the coronavirus seemed to be declining “in almost every region.” Spanish health officials planned to increase COVID-19 testing and to begin looking for asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
At the pandemic’s peak in Spain on April 2, nearly a thousand people died in a single day. More than 13,000 people have died in the country due to the virus. As of Monday afternoon, the country had a total of 135,032 confirmed cases, according to a Johns Hopkins tally.
UK prime minister moved to intensive care
2 p.m.
Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, was moved to an intensive care unit on Monday as he continues his fight with COVID-19.
British officials said earlier in the day that Johnson was still fit enough to continue running the country, The New York Times reported. UK foreign secretary Dominic Raad — who said he has not spoken to the prime minister since Saturday — is standing in for Johnson.
“I’m in good spirits,” Johnson said on Twitter Monday.
The 55-year-old prime minister first noticed symptoms of the virus on March 26. A test confirmed Johnson had COVID-19 later that evening. Johnson has been in quarantine since the diagnosis.
Florida deems religious services ‘essential’ — with a note of caution
11:30 a.m.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has warned Floridians to be cautious as they attend religious gatherings, which are listed as “essential activities” under a statewide stay-at-home order that took effect in Florida on Friday.
“Please keep God close, but please keep COVID-19 away,” he said, according to The Hill. “We want people during this time to be spiritually together, but to remain socially distant.”
DeSantis, a Republican, ordered that people “limit their movements and personal interactions to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential businesses,” Tampa Bay Newspapers reported.
Other essential activities included outdoor recreation — like walking, swimming and fishing — and taking care of loved ones, friends and pets.
Florida has more than 12,300 confirmed coronavirus cases and 220 people have died from the virus, according to The New York Times tally.