Francis was praised by Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte for his "gesture of responsibility" to observe Easter in private. In the United States a handful of priests and pastors, snubbing rules and medical advice, risked arrest by announcing they would hold public services in their churches on Sunday. Numbers out of Spain offered a shred of hope Saturday: 510 new deaths, a dip in fatalities for the third day in a row. SEE ALSO: Travelers to be screened for ‘Chinese’ coronavirus- GovernmentNewly-reported coronavirus deaths in France fell by one-third from Friday to 635 on Saturday. Italy meanwhile said the number of daily deaths there was starting to level off -- though the government resisted pressure to lift its lockdown, extending confinement measures until May 3.

Source: Standard Digital April 12, 2020 01:52 UTC