“Smart” countries coordinate

The Austria Local and Barrons, both via AFP, reports that the government heads of Austria, Australia, the Czech Republic Denmark, Greece, Israel, New Zealand and Singapore have created an informal group of “smart” countries who, according to Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, “reacted quickly and intensively and so have come through the crisis better than others”. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said the group hoped to foster “strategic co-operation to become self-sufficient in protective equipment, medical devices and vaccines”. The group first met via video-conference on 24 April to discuss best practices. According to Prague Morning, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the group that “the world needs these tools and needs them fast.”

Boris Johnson back at no.10

Following convalescence from his coronavirus hospitalisation, on Sunday evening Boris Johnson was “whisked through the rear entrance of Downing Street”, as the Daily Mail put it. The BBC cites foreign secretary Dominic Raab saying Johnson was “raring to go”. Johnson will chair a cabinet meeting on Monday morning as the government faces competing pressures to ease lockdown measures and ensure public health. The Guardian lists 6 urgent items Johnson should address.

States reopen as US unemployment rises

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told ABC News on Sunday he expects the unemployment rate in the United States to reach levels comparable to the Great Depression. But CNN says Hassett’s opinion seemed to be contradicted by treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told reporters that he believes the economy could “bounce back in July, August, September” if it is opened up again in May and June. Meanwhile, among the states reopening for businesses were Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana and Tennessee, Reuters says.

Latest coronavirus stats

Worldwide, as of 6am on 27 April, there have been 2,971,477 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 206,544 deaths and 865,733 patients have recovered, according to the John Hopkins coronavirus resource center. In Luxembourg, as reported in Delano’s rolling coverage, the latest figures show 3,723 confirmed covid-19 cases and 88 deaths. But just 146 people are now hospitalised.

Africa faces food scarcity

The World Bank forecasts that agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa will fall by 3-7%, and food imports by 13-25%. The Economist suggests that the “nightmare scenario” could see similar scenes to the situation of 2007 and 2008, “when the world’s governments hoarded staple grains, making prices soar.”

Germans shun re-opened shops

Despite shops re-opening in Germany, there has hardly been a rush back to stores, according to The Irish Times. CNBC cites Stefan Genth, CEO of the Handelsverband retail federation, saying that consumer sentiment was at an “all-time low”.

Spanish kids get outside

For the first time on Sunday, children in Spain were allowed to step outside as the death toll dropped to the lowest level since 20 March. The BBC  and Fox News have reports.

Tourism warning

German foreign minister Heiko Maas has said the EU should find common agreement on the lifting of restrictions on travel and warned that “a European race to see who will allow tourism travel first will lead to unacceptable risks,” according to Deutsche Welle.

Belgians told to eat more frites

Belgium’s potato farmer organisation Belgapom is calling for people to eat frites twice a week at home instead of once, according to The Brussels Times. Some 750,000 tonnes of potatoes are at risk of being destroyed as demand for frites has fallen, partly due to the cancellation of music festivals, the report says.

Tattoo you, every day

The BBC reports on Chris Woodhead who has been giving himself a tattoo every day since lockdown began in the UK. “Without structure people are at a complete loss,” he says. His latest efforts include inking “When will it end” on the sole of his foot and an homage to the National Health Service on his sternum, where he says it “feels like you're going straight into the bone.”

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts