Paris (AFP)

New assessments, new measures, highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 disease pandemic, which killed nearly 340,000 people worldwide.

- Spain: "the hard part is over" -

The Spanish football championship will resume on June 8 and foreign tourists will be able to return to Spain from July because "the hardest part" of the pandemic has passed, announced Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

- Less than 100 dead in 24 hours in New York -

The death toll in New York State has dropped to 84 in the past 24 hours, the lowest number since March 24.

- China: no new cases -

China has not identified any new cases of contamination between Friday and Saturday, for the first time since Beijing began to publish data on the epidemic in January.

- Hydroxychloroquine -

The French Minister of Health Olivier Véran asked for a "revision of the derogatory rules of prescription" of various treatments like hydroxychloroquine, after the publication of a vast study pointing out its ineffectiveness and its risks for the patients of Covid-19.

- Nearly 340,000 dead -

The pandemic has killed at least 339,758 people worldwide since its onset in December in China, according to a report compiled by AFP from official sources on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. GMT.

More than 5,260,970 cases have been diagnosed in 196 countries and territories.

The United States is the most affected country in terms of both death and case numbers, with 97,048 deaths for 1,621,658 cases. This is followed by the United Kingdom with 36,675 dead, Italy (32,735), Spain (28,678) and France (28,332).

- Italy: reopening of sites -

In Italy, the archaeological site of Paestum and its three Greek temples, on the South coast, has just reopened to the public. The Pompeii site, south of Naples, will be accessible on Tuesday.

The Vatican Museums, a major tourist destination in the world, announced their reopening on June 1, by reservation.

- Places of worship -

Hand disinfection, compulsory mask: religious ceremonies, prohibited due to the epidemic, are once again authorized in France.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher will reopen on Sunday, announced Christian leaders of the holy place in Jerusalem.

- Containment measures for Eid -

While most Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, the holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Afghanistan has announced "strict" containment measures.

In Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, authorities have banned traditional travel across the country, and many locals turn to smugglers and false certificates to nonetheless join their loved ones.

- Events -

Several dozen demonstrations were organized Saturday in Germany, within the framework of a protest movement targeting the measures of restrictions.

Thousands of people demonstrated in a car Saturday in major Spanish cities at the call of the far-right party Vox to denounce the management of the coronavirus crisis by the left government of Pedro Sanchez.

Immigrant workers demonstrated in Doha, a rare event in Qatar, to protest unpaid wages, the government announced on Saturday, facing economic hardship due to the new coronavirus pandemic and falling oil prices.

- EU: alternative recovery plan -

Four European countries - the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden - presented their own stimulus package to help the European Union overcome the crisis.

They want emergency aid for the seriously affected countries but reject the prospect of any "significant increase" in the EU budget and of a general pooling of its debt, as envisaged by the Macron-Merkel plan.

- Hertz in difficulties -

Car rental company Hertz has announced that it has filed for bankruptcy in the United States, which affects its operations in the United States and Canada.

- Services in Peru -

Peruvian hairdressers will be able to return to work from Monday but in an unusual way, "at the home" of customers, the government announced on Saturday, a measure applying to other services to revive an economy paralyzed by the pandemic of coronavirus.

With more than 111,000 confirmed cases and 3,200 deaths, Peru is the second country in Latin America most affected by Covid-19 disease.

burx-elm / roc

© 2020 AFP