berlin. the european union launches a major initiative in the search for a coronavirus vaccine.e. the eu president pledged 7.5 billion euros to fund research for a vaccine that will be available around the world. protesters in berlin defy social distancing rules to hold may day rallies, but the protests are muted compared to previous

years. three people tested positive for coronavirus at colon and are placed into 14 day quarantine. south africansns are allowed to leave their homes as the government relaxes one of the world's strictest lockdowns. i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. german chancellor angela merkel and french president emmanuel macron have thrown their support behind efforts to fund a coronavirus vaccine research effort. the european commission president said the goal of the fund is to develop a vaccine, treatments, and tests available to all at an affordable price.

>> as scientists around the world race to develop a vaccine, the eu is trying to rally global support in the fight against coronavirus. in an interview with dw, the commission president called for a coordinated approach. >> we have to build up capacity to manufacture billions of doses, and then we have to make sure we can deploy it to every corner of the world at a fair and affordable price, and that is exactly what we are working on. for that, we need money and we need global cooperation. >> the pandemic is also putting a strain on state finances. countries like italy and spain want to support in the shape of so-called corona bonds, essentially a shared debt between european countries. but illustrating the north-south divide, the plan for solidarity has met opposition from the netherlands and germany. >> even though we will have the

right balance of loans and grants, this is a process where we have to negotiate with all 27 member states. this is a democracy. we have to speak about the details, the tailor-made programs. but we all agree it is important to support the countries hardest hit by the virus and the economic consequences. >> a majority of eu countries have declared states of emergency in a bid to contain the virus. fog line had a warning for any government seeking to -- she had a warning for any government seeking to abuse that. >> when it comes to the european values, indeed the freedom of speech, freedom of media, for example, we stand ready to intervene immediately. >> for now, the priority remains at saving lives and stopping the

spread. a vaccine is seen as key to a return to normalcy. 1 you can see -- phil: you can see the full interview on our website. hundreds in berlin have defied social distancing mandates to gather in the district to protest against conditions in greece's overcrowded refugee camps as well as the german government's response to the coronavirus crisis. our political correspondent is there, where hundreds of people are flouting social distancing rules. welcome, simon. what is going on? simon: it's a pretty aggressive atmosphere on the streets this evening. that is nothing unusual on the first of may, the revolutionary first of may as they call it. there are often clashes between

demonstrators and police. but the whole context of the coronavirus makes the situation that much less controllable. the police have been making announcements to the crowds that have been gathering here, saying you cannot be observing social distancing. people are milling around, waiting for something to happen. the police are trying to appeal to people to separate, not to gather in groups of more than 20. that is what is allowed under the current rules. some people are waiting for their opportunity to face off against the police. so far, we have seen just a few arrests, but it is certainly something we are expecting later. phil: this is, as you say, a long-held tradition. how has the day played out? simon: as i mentioned, there has

not been real violence. there has been a lot of shouting. i don't know if you can hear in the background behind me, there are demonstrators in large groups blocking the streets, trying to get people to go home. a lot of people are ignoring that advice. they are enjoying the opportunity, some of them, to square off against police. the police response has been very robust. if you look over here, you will see police in riot gear moving into position. that is typical of what we have seen over the last few hours. i think that could be surprising and shocking to some viewers around the world. phil: thank you for that, political correspondent simon young. traditionally, german units have marked mayday with marches, but

this year, events have been small-scale because of coronavirus. some have moved to social media. >> three union reps carry three flags and maintain social distance. the first mayday demo in hamburg looks a little different this year. >> when i got here, i thought, the fish market doesn't look great. but i understand what's happening. i think it is important to let people know that we are active and approachable for our colleagues. >> finally, a bus with 25 demonstrators of eyes -- arrives. that is the legal limit, according to police. the german federation originally counted on 600,000 people showing up. >> it is a little spooky. nevertheless, it is an important sign f e everyone e out there. nextxt the officicial mayday -- >> the official m mayday

declararionn wille given online, threree hours of talks. demandnds are beieing made thate people now considered corona heroes be better paid. >> we need a european investment program for this, a european marshall plan. we have been demanding this for some time. >> also in hamburg, people protested while following social distancing rules, and anti-capitalists marched through the city after being approved by city offices. all in all, a peaceful may 1. phil: three members of the bundesliga have tested positive for coronavirus. to preserve privacy, the club is not disclosing their names or positions. they hope to resume football in mid-may.

let's talk this through. welcome. this story is developing. what do we know at the moment? >> as you mentioned, we don't know if they are players or staff. some reports suggested two players and a physical therapist. those are just rumors at this point. but here is the most important thing. the german football league just started testing on thursday. they expect a decision to be made on the 30th of april. that is being pushed back to next week. the team started testing, they have three results. according to the high gene and control measures in place that have been in place since the beginning of april when they started training in small groups, these are the reasons they are trying to continue. phil: bundesliga was confident

of restarting in may. how will this affect that? >> i think it will definitely raise a red flag. the state will revisit the conversation next week. who knows how many positive results will come out of the test taking place. there have been three so far, and that might be three to many. besides that, you have this other conversation going on. the league has been pushing for german football to resume. they want bundesliga to serve as a beacon of hope for german society and an example to the rest of europe for how things can get back on track. some argue that his profit over players. some clubs risk bankruptcy if their product is not in front of the tv cameras. you have a lot of conversations. i think they will have to revisit the conversation. i would not be shocked if the state pulled the plug on german

football like we have seen in other countries. we have seen it in france and the netherlands. i think it is a negative sign. phil: so, we have three positive coronavirus tests and training is continuing. players must be concerned about safety. kres: of course, they have concerns. here in germany, the first club had a positive test and their captain has been continuously opposed to continuing. he said i just play a game. i understand if i am called back, i will have to be a company man and start playing. but we have heard other players expressed concerns about returning so soon, even outside of germany. a star player from manchester city basically said i am afraid, because at the end of the day, we are all human beings and we are as vulnerable as anyone of

contracting this deadly disease, and worst of all, bringing it back to our families. phil: kres harrington, dw sport, thank you. one group affected by the pandemic is health care workers. they have physical exhaustion and the emotional sprain -- strain of seeing someone die. some have even taken their own lives. we look at health workers in india who suddenly find themselves on the front line of the battle against covid-19. phil: every morning, this is how they g get reaeady for work. all she has to protect herself our gloves and a mask. she visits homes to check for symptoms of coronavirus. she is a health activist in india.

in addition to working as community health educators, they have been deployed as the first line of defense inin india's fit against covid-19. to reach her assigned area where she conducts surveys of other workers, she has to either visit or pacify areas called red zones where numerous cases of the virus have been detected. despite this, she has been provided with only one mask, which she washes and uses every day.y. most cannott afford protective equipment of their own. >> the first time i was m made o visit a red zone, i had neitherr gloves nor a a mask. the government treated us worse than bonded laborers. >> other workers half at times been forceced to visitit risky s

without masks, gloves, or hand sanititizers. some have refused to work as a consequence. the indian government has promised to help each health worker on the front lines of covid-19, but that's only if they die in the line of duty. ththey are not insured if they fall ill with coronavirus. the government tells us they are ensuring a regular supply of protective equipment to front-line workers, but these women are not the only ones of struggling to treat people w wh out protective gear. these health centers are run by the state government. they have been especially important in providing health care in underserved areas. now they play an important role in the capital in the struggle against the spread of the virus. while the doctors at these clinics are equipped w with basc protective gear,r, they also rua

risk of contracting covid-19 fromom asymptomatic carriers. this d doctor wantnted his name withheld because he feared repercussions. > we are at 100% risk because there may be a symptom addddict papatients coming to us s who he not been tested. we can also be a symptom addict carriers. we should get tested. >> with the number of cases in india still on the rise, community workers have a touou task ahead. >> we may also be infected. we do want to work, but not by putting our lives at stake. >> they work every day to conduct their duties. she and many health care workers like her are breathing a life and death threat. phil: thousands of extra police have been deployed to hong kong's streets after protesters called for demonstrations on labor day.

protesters say they will return to the streets once the outbreak is stabilized. irish budget airline ryanair has warned it could cut up to 3000 jobs as a result of the pandemic. it expects to operate only 1% of its normal schedule until june. canada's prime minister, justin trudeau, has announced an immediate ban on assault weapons following the countries worst mast -- worst mass shooting last month in which 22 people were killed in nova scotia. four out of five canadians support this. u.s. presidential hopeful joe biden has denied sexually assaulting a former aide in 1993. these are the former vice president's first public remarks on the issue more than a month after the allegation was made.

hundreds of demonstrators in the u.s. state of michigan have crowded inside the capital building to protest to the governments coronavirus lockdown order. they attempted to get into the chamber, b but w were held bacay police. >> for the second time in two weeks, protesters gathered to demand an end to lockdown orders. but this time, they did not stop there. hundreds of demonstrators stormed the capital building to condemn a plan to extend emergency powers for another month. some of them were armed with rifles. governor gretchen whitmer has already issued an executive order to extend the state of emergency, and protesters say that is a violation of their rights.

>> we need to get out and live our lives and quit taking our economy deep into socialism. it's time to let people go back to work. that's all there is to it. >> the measures s imposed have inflicted unprecedented economic pain and uncertainty. >> i know there are people who are compromised, people who are older and can't take it. they are free to stay in their homes. that is what freedom is. this isn't freedom. >> already, more than 30 million americans have filed for unemployment benefits, something not seen since the great depression. to prevent further economic decline, some states are preparing to lift restrictions and restart t their economies. inin georgia, the shelter-in-ple rules ended up midnight for all but the elderly and fragile. phil: here is a roundup of some of the latest pandemic developments around the world.

the world health organization warns that the rate of infection in africa is increasing despite efforts to contain it. lockdowns will be extended by two weeks. authorities in the u.k. have announced that the death toll has surpassed 27,500. lufthansa is negotiating a multibillion-dollar bailout that could see the government take a 25% stake in the airline. scientists in the world health organization understand -- agree that testing is a key measure of the pandemic. >> it might look like a newsstand, but in fact, this is a a new israeli development designed to meet the high demand for coronavirus testing. a few weeks agogo, a trial r run

started. >> i work in a nursing home and we all have to get tested. i think i am healthy, and i am excited about this new invention. >> the coronavirus test booth is a one-man operation. patients show identity cards and their data is printed on a label. a mouth smear is inserted into the pre-labeled tube. this is later taken to the lab. personnel do not come into personal contact at all. the whole process only takes five minutes, including disinfection. >> the unit itself protects him. we are consuming less protective equipment, less medical staff, so it is easy to use.

it is safe. >> the test booth is mobile and can be set up outdoors. in doctor's offices, the infection risk is much higher. >> in 24 hours, i will get the results. until then, i will be at home in quarantine. the test results are sent to mobile phones. this was developed by an israeli company that will soon install more units in other locations, especially those with a high number of corona cases. phil: south africa has begun to ease its coronavirus lockdown, one of the strict list in the world. factories are to reopen in phases. restaurants can also reopen, but only for deliveries. for many, the best news is that they can get out into the open air, but only for three hours a

day. >> south africans can exercise again. it is a relief for many who can go out for a bike ride. >> it feels good to be back. i could do this every day. >> five weeks ago, the country's president ordered most citizens to remain indoors and shuttered all businesses as part of the response to the pandemic. it has been one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. as a result, many have been struggling to make ends meet. >> i am not working. everything is stopped. i am feeling good today. we are going to get something on the table. >> although the lockdown seems

to have been effective, there have been dozens of complaints about police brutality. the united nations has expressed concern about heavy handedness. as the country slowly emerges from lockdown, south africa now faces the challenge of boosting the economy which was already in recession before the coronavirus struck. phil: let's get the latest from cape town. the government has a delicate balance to strike between restarting the economy and containing the pandemic. walk us through that approach. >> they introduced a lockdown in five stages that will possibly the adjusted depending on the growth of coronavirus infections. we started with stage five, the strictest level. best case, next week, we might go back to stage one. at the moment, it is stage four.

no sales of cigarettes or alcohol. only a few industries can get back to work and at limited capacity. it is a long way to go. you saw some shortcomings there as well. 6:00-9:00 is a limited time. the sun rises at 730 a.m. there is one and a half hours during which everyone tries to get out. that leads to congestion, which should not usually be the case. generally, south africa is divided about the measures. half of the population is saying it is very important. government must protect us and do eveverything t they can totoo this outbreak. on the other hand, coronavirus is a problem, but we are hungry, and this is a more urgent problem. >> around the world, we have seen how much of a part inequality plays in how this

virus strikes. what is the situation in south africa? wax absolutely. it is mainly the poor the sufferer. treasury has announced that up to 7 million people might lose their jobs because of this depending on how long the whole crisis will last. this is going to, of course, have a lot of negative impact on the situation. overall, i think there is a little bit of optimism. people are closer together. i have observed neighborhood initiatives all over the place, people trying to help each other. i hope this crisis might bring people closer together and not further apart. phil: what are the challenges facing the country as it tries to open up again? >> that the numbers will keep on growing. health experts expect the first peak to reach between july and september. in the beginning, south africa

was praised globally for their strict approach, for having a strict lockdown to bring the numbers down. but we will only see if that was successful if they could use this time to fix the health system, which was basically collapsing. phil: thank you. now, penguins. a singapore zoo is close to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic. it's penguins are f fe to movee around t p premises. ststaff try to keep them entertainedd during lockdown. they take them on walks through the deserted zoo where they can explore unfamiliar places like the children's playground. this is dw news. i will be back in a moment with the day. before i go though, tony allen has died in paris at the age of 79. he is credited with creating the

afro beach sound. here is one of his hits, crazy afro beat. have a good day. ♪ >> thank you all, go in peace.

i in the side he'll on france twenty four. further declines in france's covered ninety death toll as well as the number of hospitalizations putting the country on the right track before it's judy is locked out measures on may the eleventh. south africa partially reopens for business the five week lockdownn this help to limimit the spread of covered nineteen. has left some of the poorest in society struggling to get by. anand presumptive democratic presesidential nomomee joe biden makes his first public remarks on sexual assault allegations against him he tells msnbc it's never nenever hahappened