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Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
* Manufacturers including Tesla began preparing to reopen their Shanghai factories on Monday, as the city accelerated efforts to exit a COVID-19 lockdown that has forced most businesses in China's economic hub to shut for nearly three weeks.
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Workers are seen wearing protective clothes next to some lockdown areas after the detection of new cases of covid-19 in Shanghai on March 14, 2022 (AFP/Hector Retamal)
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hina's supply chains must be stabilised amid COVID-19 outbreaks, with local governments helping key companies get back to work, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Vice Premier Liu He as saying.
Asia-Pacific
* Manufacturers including Tesla began preparing to reopen their Shanghai factories on Monday, as the city accelerated efforts to exit a COVID-19 lockdown that has forced most businesses in China's economic hub to shut for nearly three weeks.
* The tensions of lockdown have exposed divisions among Shanghai residents, pitting young against old, locals against outsiders, and above all, COVID-negative against COVID-positive people.
* Shanghai has set a target to stop the spread of COVID-19 outside of quarantined areas by Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter said, which would allow the city to ease its lockdown and start returning to normal life.
* Japan's top representative in Shanghai urged China's most populous city to address concerns of Japanese businesses over losses and other disruptions caused by lockdowns aimed at containing a COVID-19 surge.
* China said it will help hundreds of companies in key sectors to resume production in locked-down Shanghai, as businesses warn of the growing economic toll of restrictions.
* Shanghai reported a record number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases and other areas across China tightened controls as the country kept up its "dynamic clearance" approach that aims to stamp out the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Europe
* Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thrust Britain into a constitutional crisis by breaking the law he set for pandemic restrictions, effectively "shredding the ministerial code", the country's leading constitutional expert said.
Americas
* The US State Department said it will sharply cut back on "Do Not Travel" advisories for international destinations after public health officials announced a change in how they will assess COVID-19 concerns.
Africa and Middle East
* Africa is experiencing its longest-running decline in weekly COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said.
Medical Developments
* COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by a Sinopharm subsidiary and Sinovac Biotech to target the Omicron variant were approved for clinical trials in Hong Kong, the companies said.
Economic Impact
* China's economy grew at a faster than expected clip in the first quarter, data showed on Monday, expanding 4.8 percent year-on-year, but the risk of a sharp slowdown over coming months has risen as sweeping COVID-19 curbs and the Ukraine war take a heavy toll.
* A sharp rebound in automotive output in March spurred a third straight monthly gain in US factory activity, perhaps signalling the worst of the production woes that have dogged the motor vehicle industry over the last year may have passed.
