FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, is considering re-imposing social distancing restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new infections in more than two months. * Thailand will allow pubs and bars to reopen on Wednesday and plans to let in some foreign travellers.

Tracing contacts of people with coronavirus infections is the most important step in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and countries that are failing to do so have no excuse, the World Health Organization chief said on Monday, a day after the death toll from the health crisis crossed half a million people. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

* Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and a summary of developments. EUROPE

* Lawmakers in Germany's lower house of parliament backed stimulus measures including a cut in value-added tax (VAT) to 16% from 19% from July 1. * Britain's health minister will meet leaders from Leicester in central England, where officials fear a growing number of coronavirus cases could prompt a local lockdown.

* The return of professional cycle racing next month might be premature and could lead to new outbreaks, Deceuninck-Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere said. AMERICAS

* More than 2.56 million have been infected with the novel coronavirus in the United States and over 125,700 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 1345 GMT. * The recent spike in U.S. coronavirus infections has been fuelled in large part by Americans ignoring public health guidelines to keep their distance and wear masks, the government's top infectious disease official said.

* In a rare split with President Donald Trump, fellow Republican leaders are making a public push for face coverings as COVID-19 cases surge in some Republican-leaning states. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered his government to prepare restrictions similar to the hard lockdown that the Central Asian nation imposed in March-May after a recent sharp rise in infections. * Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, is considering re-imposing social distancing restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new infections in more than two months.

* Thailand will allow pubs and bars to reopen on Wednesday and plans to let in some foreign travellers. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Abu Dhabi will allow people to enter the emirate if they have tested negative for COVID-19 infection within the previous 48 hours, its government said. * Qatar aims to further ease curbs from July 1, allowing the limited reopening of restaurants, beaches and parks, as infections have passed their peak and the rate was subsiding, authorities said.

* Bahrain's government said it would pay 50% of salaries for private company workers in sectors that were hard-hit by the pandemic, state news agency BNA reported. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Gilead Sciences Inc has priced its COVID-19 drug candidate remdesivir at $2,340 for a five-day treatment in the United States and some other developed countries, it said, as it set the price for a single vial at $390. * Medical device maker Danaher Corp said its COVID-19 blood test for detecting if a person had ever been infected received emergency use clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * World share markets rose on Monday, led by a rebound on Wall Street, even as rising COVID-19 cases threaten to stall the recovery of the world's largest economy.

* Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes rebounded by the most on record in May, suggesting the housing market was starting to turn around after being hammered by the pandemic. * Kenya has lost 80 billion shillings ($752 million) so far in tourism revenue, about half of last year's total, its tourism minister said.

(Compiled by Aditya Soni, Linda Pasquini, Anna Rzhevkina and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Tomasz Janowski and Shounak Dasgupta)