- Global cases: More than 2,494,900
- Global deaths: At least 171,249
- US cases: More than 787,900
- US deaths: At least 42,364
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
7:30 am: Lululemon apologizes after staffer offends with ‘bat fried rice’ T-shirt
U.S. exercise apparel brand Lululemon issued statements apologizing for, and distancing itself from, a T-shirt design promoted by one of its art directors that triggered outrage and accusations of racism online.
The hashtag “Lululemon insults China” was viewed 204 million times on China’s Weibo platform by Tuesday afternoon, with some commentators demanding a boycott of the brand. The furor started on Sunday, with an Instagram link posted by the Lululemon official, Trevor Fleming, that promoted the sale of a T-shirt on the website of California artist Jess Sluder, under the name “bat fried rice.”
The long-sleeved T-shirt, bearing an image of a pair of chopsticks with bat wings on the front and a Chinese takeout box with bat wings on the back, riled critics who said the two were trying to stir anti-Asian sentiment during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We acted immediately, and the person involved is no longer an employee of Lululemon,” the firm said in an Instagram response to a customer on Tuesday, without identifying the individual.
It called the image and the post inappropriate and inexcusable, and apologized that one of its employees had been affiliated with promoting the offensive T-shirt. —Reuters
7:06 am: Foundation’s plan would test 30 million per week and cost up to $100 billion
Dr. Natalia Echeverri, (R) uses a swab to gather a sample from the nose of Silvia Stagg, who said she is homeless, to test her for COVID-19 on April 17, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
7:00 am: Coca-Cola says April demand weakened, volume off 25% so far this month
Coca-Cola said in its first-quarter earnings report that the closure of movie theaters, restaurants, and stadiums is continuing to hurt its business, with a material impact expected on its second-quarter results.
The beverage company’s global volumes have plunged 25% since the start of April.
“The ultimate impact on the second quarter and full-year 2020 is unknown at this time, as it will depend heavily on the duration of social distancing and shelter-in-place mandates, as well as the substance and pace of macroeconomic recovery,” the company said in a statement. “However, the impact to the second quarter will be material.” —Amelia Lucas
6:20 am: WHO says virus likely to have come from animals, not a lab
5:40 am: Singapore extends ‘circuit breaker’ measures until June 1
A food outlet in Singapore placed markers on selected tables to separate diners as authorities implement stricter social-distancing measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that partial lockdown measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country will be extended by four weeks to June 1.
Some of those measures, which the Singaporean leader calls a “circuit breaker,” involve shutting schools and most workplaces temporarily. Those measures, which were implemented two weeks ago, were initially supposed to end on May 4.
The announcement after the country’s Ministry of Health preliminarily confirmed another 1,111 cases of the coronavirus disease, taking its total number of cases to 9,125 since the outbreak began. The government sometimes releases an update before confirming the cases later in the day. — Yen Nee Lee
5:20 am: Spain’s daily death rate rises slightly
A coronavirus patient is lifted into an Ambuiberica ambulance by her son and emergency technician Marisa Arguello de Paula during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Llodio, Spain, April 19, 2020.
Spain’s daily death toll has risen slightly from Monday, with 430 additional deaths reported in the last 24 hours in the country, up from 399 deaths reported the day before.
On Tuesday, the Spanish health ministry said the total number of fatalities had risen to 21,282, up 430 from 20,852 the previous day. The total number of confirmed cases stands at 204,178. —Holly Ellyatt
