[ad_1]
The count of 1,998,897 infections was “the highest number of cases reported in a single week since the start of the epidemic,” the WHO said, adding that the number of deaths decreased compared to the previous week.
A passenger boards a bus from the main gate in central London on April 8, 2020. Image: AFP.
LONDON – The British government announced new measures on Tuesday to try to stem a rise in coronavirus in England, as the World Health Organization warned that new cases around the world soared to record levels last week.
The count of 1,998,897 infections was “the highest number of cases reported in a single week since the start of the epidemic,” the WHO said, adding that the number of deaths decreased compared to the previous week.
The death toll in the United States surpassed another sad milestone on Tuesday, surpassing 200,000 as cases approached seven million in the world’s worst-hit country.
The intensified response in Britain followed warnings that the country could see an explosion of cases and deaths if it did not take decisive action.
As of Thursday, English pubs, bars and other venues must close at 10pm. Food and beverage establishments will also be restricted to table service.
Some companies have criticized the move, saying it will inflict further suffering on an already beleaguered industry.
But patrons outside cafes in central London widely supported the new rules if it meant avoiding another closure.
“It’s not just about money,” Francesca Galluzzo, operations manager, told AFP. “It should be about people’s lives.”
Britain has also shelved plans to allow fans to return to sports venues in England next month and has increased fines for violators in a broad tightening of restrictions.
NOBEL CEREMONY CANCELED
Many nations in Europe were easing restrictions after largely overcoming initial outbreaks, but the resurgence of the virus has forced them to tighten restrictions again.
The Spanish Minister of Health on Tuesday asked Madrilenians to limit their movements and social contacts to the essentials.
Across Europe, hundreds of major events have been curtailed or canceled and on Tuesday, the most august of all gatherings, the Nobel Prize ceremony, he announced that he had also succumbed to the pandemic.
The famous event in the Swedish capital Stockholm, which recognizes excellence in subjects from economics to physics, has been canceled for the first time since 1944 and will be replaced by a televised event.
Instead of receiving their medals and diplomas from the King of Sweden in person, the winners will be honored in their own countries.
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway in December will also be shortened.
Meanwhile, a summit of European Union leaders that would begin on Thursday was postponed after a security guard tested positive for coronavirus, forcing EU chief Charles Michel into quarantine.
TRUMP UNDER PRESSURE
But the US continues to top the charts for numbers of infections and deaths in a single country.
President Donald Trump has faced intense criticism for his handling of the crisis, and the prospect of elections in November has sharpened focus.
Trump insisted on Monday that the country was “turning the corner with or without a vaccine.”
But the head of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, warned Tuesday that full recovery in the world’s largest economy “is likely to occur only when people are confident that it is safe to engage again in a wide range of activities “, according to the comments prepared.
The pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of jobs around the world, and millions live in difficult conditions.
Hundreds of restaurant, bar and nightclub workers demonstrated in the southern Spanish city of Malaga on Tuesday to seek help from the government to overcome the crisis.
They held banners reading “We are not the problem” and “Rescue now.”
“Many of my colleagues cannot make ends meet. We have to save this sector by any means because there are many families that depend on this,” Borja Ramos, a 37-year-old cook, told AFP.
Until a vaccine is developed, the treatment options available to the underprivileged are limited.
In Mexico, where more than 73,000 people have died, many choose to stay home when sick rather than seek treatment in creaky public hospitals.
Jessica Castillo, in the state of Hidalgo, said she suffered for a week at home and even had suicidal thoughts.
“I felt like the air I was breathing was not getting into my lungs,” said a 43-year-old pastry chef, whose recovery from coronavirus took more than a month.
“But I said, ‘If I go to the hospital, I’ll never come back.’
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
