World News Roundup: Healthy again, British PM says too risky to relax lockdown yet; 'Another pandemic': In Latin America, domestic abuse rises amid lockdown and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Healthy again, British PM says too risky to relax lockdown yet

Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on Monday after recovering from COVID-19 with a warning that it was still too dangerous to relax a stringent lockdown hammering Britain's economy for fear of a deadly second outbreak. Looking healthy again after a life-threatening bout of the coronavirus, Johnson compared the disease to an invisible street criminal whom Britons were wrestling to the floor.

South Korean officials caution against reports that North Korean leader Kim is ill

South Korean officials are emphasising that they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea and are cautioning against reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be ill or is being isolated because of coronavirus concerns. At a closed door forum on Sunday, South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who oversees engagement with the North, said the government has the intelligence capabilities to say with confidence that there were no indications of anything unusual.

Builders back at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris after coronavirus shutdown

Construction workers were back at the burned shell of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday, resuming the mammoth task of rebuilding after the coronavirus outbreak forced a pause of a month and a half. Fire engulfed the 850-year-old building on the banks of the River Seine on April 15 last year. The flames destroyed the spire and roof and, according to officials, came within 30 minutes of razing the cathedral to the ground.

Thirty workers on Equatorial Guinea offshore oil platform test positive for coronavirus - sources

Thirty workers at an offshore oil platform in Equatorial Guinea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, two sources close to the ministry told Reuters. The workers on the Serpentina floating production storage and offloading platform have since been evacuated back onshore and are in quarantine, while operator Exxon Mobil and government officials are working to disinfect the platform.

Portugal eyes easing lockdown, textile firms step up mask production

Portugal may soon ease its coronavirus lockdown, but widespread use of protective equipment will be essential and the country does not rule out "taking a step back" if the situation worsens again, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Monday. During a visit to one of hundreds of textile firms reorienting to produce protective gear, he praised the industry for supporting the relaxation of restrictions and said facemasks would likely be obligatory in certain locations such as schools and public transport.

'Another pandemic': In Latin America, domestic abuse rises amid lockdown

Lockdowns around Latin America are helping slow the spread of COVID-19, but are having a darker and less-intended consequence: a spike in calls to helplines suggests a rise in domestic abuse, in a region where almost 20 million women and girls suffer sexual and physical violence each year. In cities from Buenos Aires to Mexico City, Santiago, São Paulo and La Paz, families and individuals have been confined in their homes in an unprecedented way, often only allowed out for emergencies or to shop for essentials.

More than two million Australians download COVID-19 app, testing expands

More than two million Australians have downloaded an app to trace contacts of COVID-19 patients hours after its release, the government said on Monday, as states set out plans to expand testing for the infection. Prime minister Scott Morrison has said more testing and widespread use of the CovidSafe phone app - which has angered some privacy campaigners - are among the main conditions for easing nationwide lockdowns.

China to keep coronavirus tests focused, stops short of wider testing

China will focus testing for COVID-19 on high-risk groups such as people from infected areas or with symptoms, the head of a top state research institute said on Monday, suggesting that authorities are not about to rush into large-scale testing. The government said recently that it intends to carry out more widespread testing to quickly identify and isolate carriers, following spikes in cases linked to people arriving from abroad and new local transmissions.

Germany should only carefully lift virus restrictions: minister

Germany's economy minister urged the country's 16 federal states on Monday to go slowly in lifting coronavirus restrictions to avoid the outbreak spreading further, which could force them to reintroduce lockdown measures. Under Germany's decentralised political system, the states have the power to implement and rescind the social distancing measures on which the federal government is relying to slow the virus's spread. Chancellor Angela Merkel is resisting pressure from business groups to further ease restrictions.

Some countries prise open COVID-19 lockdowns, but UK says not yet

Countries from Italy to New Zealand have announced the easing of coronavirus lockdowns but Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, back at work on Monday after being hospitalised with the disease, said it was too early to relax restrictions there. Nearly 3 million people have been infected by the coronavirus across the world and 205,948 have died, according to a Reuters tally of official figures. But many countries are looking to ease lockdowns as rates of infections fall and fears of economic ruin rise.