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Germany agrees on way to ease lockdown

Germany's federal government and 16 states have agreed shops and some sports can restart under certain conditions, schools will gradually open for all pupils and states will each decide on reopening restaurants, hotels and gyms, a document showed.

Germany went into lockdown in March but its coronavirus reproduction rate has been drifting down for several days, leading to pressure from regional governments and business groups for restrictions to be relaxed.

The draft seen by Reuters, dated late on May 5, was prepared by federal chancellery chief Helge Braun and the heads of regional chancelleries for a telephone conference Chancellor Angela Merkel is to hold with state premiers later on Wednesday.

Post-pandemic workspace makeover

As lockdowns are gradually lifted and people anticipate returning to offices, many wonder what the post-pandemic workspace will look like.

Occupational experts say one-way corridors, buffer zones marked out by colored carpet or tape around desks, and clear plastic screens to guard against colleagues' coughs and sneezes may become the norm.

The changes could be hard to adapt to, and could have a negative impact on employee well-being, said organizational psychologist Brad Bell.

Remdesivir pricing

Beximco Pharmaceuticals, one of Bangladesh's largest drugmakers, will start this month to make the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting the virus.

In a first cost indication, the company plans to price each vial between $59 and $71, Beximco's Chief Operating Officer Rabbur Reza told Reuters, adding that a patient might need anywhere from five to 11 vials.

Gilead's remdesivir patent in theory means it has exclusive rights to make it, but global trade rules allow nations defined by the United Nations as least-developed countries, including Bangladesh, to ignore such patents and make drugs more affordable in those markets.

Bangladesh would then be allowed to export the drug to other least-developed countries, though Reza stressed Bangladesh would get first priority.

Llama nanobodies

A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a virus treatment, say U.S. and Belgian scientists who have identified a tiny particle that appears to block the coronavirus.

The llama in Belgium is central to the studies of the scientists, from the country's VIB-UGent center for medical biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin, who published their research on Tuesday in the journal Cell.

Llamas and other members of the camel family are distinct in creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies called nanobodies, with which scientists can more easily work.

The team aims to begin animal tests, with a view to allowing trials with humans to begin by the end of the year.

Special Report: As Washington and Beijing trade barbs over the coronavirus pandemic, a longer-term struggle between the two Pacific powers is at a turning point, as the United States rolls out new weapons and strategy in a bid to close a wide missile gap with China.

Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Drugs, Jack Ma, Buses, Banks.
Read concise views on the pandemic’s financial fallout from Breakingviews columnists across the globe.

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Life under lockdown

The ousted director of a U.S. agency responsible for developing drugs to fight the coronavirus pandemic filed a whistleblower’s complaint accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of retaliating when he raised concerns. Rick Bright says in the complaint filed with a government watchdog that he warned about the virus in January and was met with hostility from Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and other high-ranking officials in the agency.

As countries around the world ease the lockdowns that have been crippling their economies, the race is on to develop smartphone apps to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus when people are no longer confined to their homes. Scientists say contact tracing is key to prevent a resurgence of the virus, by tracking down infected people and finding everyone who has been near them, so they can get tested or quarantined.

Pakistan has raised concerns with the United Arab Emirates that many citizens were returning home from the Gulf Arab state infected with COVID-19 and that crowded living conditions for workers in the UAE may be helping spread the virus, officials said. “Both (governments) are working together to find (an) optimal solution to this shared concern,” ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqi told Reuters in a WhatsApp message.

When Lionel Platteuw started planning how he would cope under Belgium’s coronavirus lockdown, there was one item he wanted to make sure he had enough of - alcohol. “My first concern was that we didn’t have enough beer and wine,” said the Brussels-based consultant. “I wasn’t concerned about toilet paper, but I didn’t want to be stuck at home without alcohol supplies.” Soaring sales of beer, wine and spirits at retail outlets suggest drinkers across the world took a similar attitude.

When the nightclub in which she touted for business in southern Chile was shut down by the authorities as the new coronavirus spread, sex worker Camila Hormazabal was left without access to her sole source of income. The heavily-tattooed 24-year-old had been picking up clients in the downtown bar in Concepcion for four years, making around $715 a month. Overnight, her income disappeared.