Your Monday Briefing

nytimes.com Monday, May 11, 2020 | View in browser Good morning. We’re covering a proposed quarantine for travelers to Britain, worldwide coronavirus cases passing 4 million and how pandemics historically end.  By Isabella Kwai A family gathered around the television to watch Boris Johnson address the nation on Sunday.  Adrian Dennis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Britain to allow travelers entry, but they will have to quarantine Britain will soon impose a mandatory quarantine on travelers arriving by air to avert a wave of new restrictions — a sign that the country will relax its seven-week lockdown cautiously. In an address on Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not detail how the quarantine would work but urged Britons to “stay alert,” and said restrictions would be eased on some activities, including exercising outside and sunbathing in parks. Shops and schools may open as early as June 1. Critics, however, said the new “stay alert” message was muddled. Context: Britain has the largest death toll in Europe, with 31,855 reported deaths from the virus — the second largest in the world, after the United States. Here are the latest updates. In other news: ■ France will begin lifting an almost two-month lockdown today, days after its daily coronavirus toll rebounded. ■ The Trump administration is racing to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 inside the White House after two staff members there tested positive. ■ Protesters in Hong Kong chanted antigovernment slogans in malls on Sunday, prompting riot police to fire pepper balls and cordon off sections as they stopped and searched people. ■ The reopening of New York City, the global epicenter of the pandemic, remains a long way off. The city’s density, tourism and dependence on mass transit complicate a return to any semblance of normalcy. ■ India’s train network will gradually restart operations on Tuesday as the country eases its coronavirus lockdown, even as infections there are on the rise. ■ For the victims of Australia’s fires, a double disaster as the pandemic raises concerns about their mental health and safety. ■ A video showcasing an unsubstantiated “secret” plot by global elites like Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci to exploit the pandemic has turned a discredited scientist into a new champion for conspiracists. The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription. Grave diggers in protective suits buried a virus victim as mourners stood at a safe distance at a cemetery near St. Petersburg, Russia.  Dmitri Lovetsky/Associated Press Flare-ups as cases exceed 4 million Worldwide, the number of coronavirus cases has soared above four million people across 177 countries, and more than a quarter-million people have died, according to a New York Times analysis. Flare-ups in countries that appeared to contain the virus are a cautionary tale as nations consider when to restart their economies. In South Korea, the mayor of Seoul ordered all the capital’s bars and nightclubs shut down on Saturday after the discovery of new infections among patrons and their close contacts. Germany, hailed as a public health leader, announced last week it would send students back to school in the coming weeks. Its reproduction factor — the average number of people who get infected by every newly infected person — has crept back up to 1.13. (Nations typically want the number to be below one, but Germany’s public health agency has cautioned against reading too much into it.) Side effects: Some people in Italy counted among the recovered say they still experience debilitating symptoms, such as dulled senses, fatigue and painful bones. Undercounts: Official counts of coronavirus cases and deaths are frequently incorrect, because of factors that can include limited testing, differing standards for inclusion and possibly suppression of data. A Times analysis of mortality data in 17 countries underscores the gaps. With the global paralysis induced by the coronavirus, even Venice’s famously murky canals are running clear.  Manuel Silvestri/Reuters A face-off between climate change and the economy After decades of slow action on climate change, pollution and carbon emission levels are dropping everywhere — leaving bluer skies and visible mountains. But with Europe’s economy projected to decline 7.5 percent this year, competing camps are now locked in a debate on how to rebuild: those who want to repair ravaged industries, no matter how, and others who want to accelerate the transition to a cleaner economy. The battle between green militants and die-hard industrialists “will define the post-pandemic world,” wrote one economist, as European governments argue over how to allocate funds for the near future. Looking forward: The European Union began the year promoting “the Green Deal,” a plan to transition to a carbon-neutral future. The question is how far political leaders will go now, as citizens pressure them for economic relief. If you have 10 minutes, this is worth it How pandemics end Edward Above, Red Cross volunteers in California during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Historians say pandemics have two endings: a medical one, when death rates plummet; and a social one, when the wave of fear over the disease wanes. “When people ask, ‘When will this end?,’ they are asking about the social ending,” said one historian at Johns Hopkins. Our science and medicine reporter explores past pandemics for clues about when the Covid-19 pandemic might also end. Here’s what else is happening U.S. shooting: A father and son were arrested in connection with the Feb. 23 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was fatally shot while jogging. The case has ignited a troubling debate over racial profiling and citizen policing. Iran: The country’s navy reported one death and several injuries during exercises on a missile ship, state media said. Unconfirmed posts on social media said dozens were killed after one Iranian ship fired on another. Israeli-Palestinian tensions: A new Israeli military order that took effect on Saturday forbids banks to process payments that the Palestinian Authority makes to the families of Palestinians who have spent time in Israeli jails. #MeToo movement: A German reporter said former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing had groped her repeatedly after a 2018 interview. Mr. Giscard d’Estaing has denied the accusations. Amanda Mustard for The New York Times Snapshot: Above, getting a trim at the Modern Dog pet salon in Bangkok. Certain businesses, including pet groomers, have been allowed to reopen in Thailand because of the country’s low coronavirus caseload. Overlooked: In 1966, June Almeida used a powerful electron microscope to capture an image of the first coronavirus known to cause human disease. Travel: As the idea of reviving tourism gains traction, we look at 10 top travel destinations and their timetables for reopening. What we’re reading: This essay in Places Journal on the new silences and sounds emerging in cities during the pandemic. Jon Pareles, our chief pop music critic, says: “With cities gone quiet, this far-reaching essay ponders how listening closely to the city as a body, a machine and a community can reimagine urban life.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Melissa Clark Cook: This challah, rich with orange and olive oil, is very adaptable as long as you have flour, eggs and yeast. Watch: Take in a virtual show of John Singer Sargent’s drawings of his muse Thomas McKeller, an African-American elevator attendant. And see how Diddy and Timbaland are using social media to bring hip-hop to life online. Cope: Has quarantine made dating better? If your indoor cardio routine is testing the patience of your relations or neighbors, we have some tips for quieter workouts. And, yes, you have permission to cry, eat, complain and zone out. For more ideas about what to read, cook, watch and do while staying safe at home, browse our At Home section. And now for the Back Story on … Those we’ve lost More than 279,000 people have died in the global pandemic. Our “Those We’ve Lost” series puts names and faces to a few of them and offers a glimpse of the diversity of the whole: an Afghan general, a painter from Wuhan, an emergency medical worker from New York, a nun in Quebec. This series is anchored by writers on the Obituary News Desk, but some 45 additional reporters from our Business, International, Culture and other desks have contributed. Daniel J. Wakin, who leads the project, talked with the Briefings team about it. Can you talk about some of the obits that have stood out? Dan: The ones that really get to me are the people who die so young, with such promise ahead of them. Valentina Blackhorse was a Navajo pageant winner who had big aspirations. She was only 28. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the centenarians. We have a few of those. Hilda Churchill was 108 and had lived through the Spanish flu and two world wars. The love stories also stand out. Norman Gulamerian spent years wooing his bride-to-be with hundreds of letters. Each story is kind of a gem. The New York Times It’s been nearly seven weeks since the series started. What has surprised you the most? It’s not so surprising but maybe unexpected how the categories of the victim have shifted. We knew at first that many were older. Then we learned young people were dying, too. Then it became apparent how many African-Americans, essential workers and nursing home residents were affected. What has been the feedback, over all? While some on social media have criticized us, saying we’re inflating the gravity of the epidemic, most readers say that putting names to the numbers is meaningful, powerful, moving. We’ve received more than 200 ... [Message clipped]  View entire message ReplyForward