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- The Germans were warned to prepare for another 4-5 months of severe blockade measures.
- Brazilians begin to vote in the midst of the pandemic.
- Mexico exceeded one million cases of Covid-19.
Germans should prepare for 4-5 months of severe Covid-19 measures
Germans should prepare for another 4-5 months of tough measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect current rules to loosen quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told the weekly Bild am Sonntag.
Germany has imposed a series of measures called “blocking light” to curb the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. Although restaurants are closed, schools and stores remain open until now.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany rose from 16,947 to 790,503. The figures for the weekend tend to be lower, as local authorities do not report all the data.
Altmaier said Germany should be careful to relax restrictions too quickly.
German police fired water cannons during an anti-blockade demonstration in Frankfurt on Saturday and eventually broke up the meeting because rules such as wearing masks and social distancing were not observed.
Brazil votes in local polls marked by virus
Brazilians began voting on Sunday in municipal elections that will test the strength of the country’s right shift under President Jair Bolsonaro, with the looming coronavirus pandemic likely to affect turnout.
These are the first elections since Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain often compared to US President Donald Trump, emerged victorious in 2018, turning the political game board in America’s largest economy. Latin.
Postponed six weeks because of the pandemic, the vote already bears the imprint of Covid-19, which has killed more than 165,000 people in Brazil, the second highest death toll in the world, after the United States.
Authorities are urging Brazil’s 148 million voters to bring their own pens, respect social distancing guidelines, and disinfect their hands multiple times at their polling stations.
Czech Republic sees further decline in Covid cases, still among the highest in Europe
The Czech Republic on Sunday reported a further decline in the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths from daily highs seen in early November, but the country remains one of the hardest-hit in Europe during this second wave of the pandemic.
The total number of cases in the country of 10.7 million since the start of the pandemic now stands at 458,229. The death toll stands at 6,058, a tenfold increase since the end of September.
The Czech Republic, like many other Central and Eastern European countries, weathered the first wave of the pandemic relatively well in the spring, but it has suffered greatly in this second wave. Despite the current drop in cases, it still has the highest number of deaths per capita in Europe at 26.7 per 100,000.
The Czech authorities have closed schools, non-essential shops, theaters, cinemas and gyms, while restaurants have been limited to take-out service only. Meetings are limited and there is a nightly curfew.
Mexico exceeds one million cases
Mexico surpassed 1 million Covid-19 cases on Saturday, registering 5,860 new infections during the previous day in a country with one of the highest death rates in the world from the virus, the government said.
A total of 1,003,253 people have tested positive for the virus in Mexico, said Health Ministry official Ricardo Cortés.
Meanwhile, the death toll reached 98,259, including 635 registered in the last day, it added.
Mexico has the fourth highest number of deaths from the virus in the world behind the United States, Brazil and India, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
It also has the 11th highest number of infections.
– additional AFP reports
