Ireland extends coronavirus lockdown until May 5

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland on Friday extended stay-at-home restrictions designed to slow the spread of coronavirus until May 5, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.

“The restrictions we introduced two weeks ago were due to expire on Sunday. Today the expert recommendation is to extend them for a further three weeks,” he said in a televised address.

Ireland has shut bars, restaurants and non-essential retail and told people not to travel more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) from their home or visit friends and family.

Small businesses in US turn to internet for survival

Small businesses across the United States are trying out new methods to try to survive the economic fallout of coronavirus.

Small businesses in the United States have turned to the internet to fight back against being hit too hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

It comes during a standoff between US senators on whether to free up $250bn in economic relief.

As Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan explains, some businesses are turning to the internet rather than waiting on the government to stay afloat.

Finland's emergency supply agency head quits over face mask scandal

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s government said on Friday it accepted the resignation of the head of the country’s emergency supply agency, over the multi-million euro purchase of Chinese face masks that proved unsuitable for hospital use.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin earlier said she had lost confidence in the official, Tomi Lounema.

Volvo India issues recall for 1,891 cars

Volvo India has issued a recall for 1,891 cars in relation to a suspected problem with the vehicle’s Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system. The recall is part of a much larger global recall of over 7 lakh Volvo cars with affected models in India including the MY2019 and MY2020 V90 Cross Country estate, S90 sedan, XC40, XC60 and XC90 SUVs.

The AEB system uses an array of sensors to identify obstacles on the road ahead, like pedestrians, cyclists and stationary vehicles. The system then automatically applies the brakes when getting too close to the obstacle, and thus helps prevent accidents.

The issue with the system seems to be that in high-temperature situations, while the obstacles are detected, the system doesn’t automatically apply the brakes.

The fix for this issue is a simple software upgrade, and the malfunction does not impede the drivability of the cars in any other way.

Though considering the current situation of the COVID-19 threat and with the government-issued lockdown in place across the country, it may take longer to get the cars sent across to workshops for the software update. Also, as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus, Volvo Car India announced a ‘work from home’ strategy on March 17, 2020.

Tapestry Extends Store Closures In US And Europe Through April 24

Tapestry Inc. (TPR) Friday announced that it will extend its store closures across North America and Europe. However, the company said its operations in the China are back up and running.

The New York-based luxury lifestyle company said its store closures in North America and Europe will be extended for an additional two weeks through April 24th.

As previously announced, employees at closed locations will continue to receive pay and benefits over this period. The company added that it will continue to reassess store closure decisions on a bi-weekly basis and will not reopen stores until safe to do so.

Tapestry, whose brand includes Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, also said that all stores in South Korea have resumed normal operating hours.

Meanwhile, Tapestry customers can continue to shop through its e-commerce platforms across all brands and regions, and at store locations in the Asia Pacific region that remain open.

The company will provide an update on the operational and financial impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on its global business during its third quarter fiscal 2020 conference call scheduled for April 30, 2020.

Beverly Hills Crop: Officials Order People To Wear Face Masks Whenever They’re Outside In The City

It’s come to this: If you want to go for a walk in Beverly Hills, or do anything else outdoors in that city, you’re gonna have to cover your face. City officials have decreed that everyone must sport some type of face covering when they leave their homes — be it mask, scarf, bandanna or cloth.

The order takes effect at 6 p.m. tonight, but there’s no official word on how scofflaws will be dealt with.

“We believe this action will help to protect and ultimately save lives,” Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman said in a statement. “While we continue to ask our community members to remain at home, those who do go outside and the people they encounter will be safer.”

City officials noted that drivers traveling alone or with members of their households do not need to cover up “unless they must lower their windows for any purpose such as to interact with first responders, food service workers or others who are not members of their households.”

The 90210 mandate expands on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s order that employees and customers at grocery stores and other non-medical essential businesses in that city must wear face coverings. That rule also kicks today.

U.K. Reports 980 New Coronavirus Deaths; Total Rises to 8,958

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The U.K.’s daily death toll was 980 in the 24 hours to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a televised briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.

The increase, the biggest daily rise in the outbreak, brings the total number of Britons to die from the disease to 8,958, Hancock said. There are 19,304 people being treated in hospital.

“Behind each one is a name, a loss and a family that will never be the same again,” Hancock said. “We all share a responsibility” to obey social distancing rules and stay at home to reduce the spread of the virus, he said.