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France reported nearly 17,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday alone, the highest daily number since the country began conducting widespread testing.
People wearing a protective mask visit the Montmartre neighborhood, in Paris, on August 11, 2020 when the mayor decided to make the mask mandatory in certain areas of the city to fight against the increase in new infected cases of COVID-19. Image: AFP
PARIS – A second wave of the coronavirus in Europe forced Paris to close its iconic cafes on Monday as the US presidential race was in disarray after Donald Trump was released from the hospital following COVID-19 treatment.
France reported nearly 17,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday alone, the highest daily number since the country began conducting widespread testing.
The closings of bars and cafes on Tuesday, seen by many as the essence of Parisian life, were “brake measures because the epidemic is moving too fast,” Paris police chief Didier Lallemant told reporters. He added that the restaurants will remain open as long as they respect the new security measures. .
These will include supplying hand sanitizer gel, limiting customers to six per table with at least one meter (about one meter) between seats, and allowing diners to remove their masks just to eat.
“It’s not going to work for small restaurants,” said the owner of a small Paris restaurant that also doubles as a cafeteria and bar, depending on the time of day, as well as a tobacconist.
“Everyone is going to have to do the math: is it worth staying open or not?” the owner, who gave his name only as Michel, told AFP.
Trump, on the other hand, did not appear to be fazed by the virus when he left the hospital after four days of emergency treatment for COVID-19, removing his mask the moment he arrived at the White House.
Before leaving Walter Reed Military Hospital, he tweeted that “He will be back on campaign soon!”
He also told his followers: “Don’t be afraid of COVID,” claiming to feel rejuvenated after his illness.
With the Republican’s tough election campaign in his final month, he and his advisers have tried to project a sense of continuity.
But the coronavirus has continued to devastate the US: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that schools would temporarily close in nine neighborhoods experiencing an increase in COVID-19 infections.
The areas include large Orthodox Jewish communities, which recently celebrated the festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Meanwhile, two prominent Europeans announced Monday that they were going to self-quarantine after coming into contact with people who tested positive for the virus.
Ursula von der Leyen, 62-year-old head of the European Commission, said she would isolate herself for a day.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, 59, also began a week of self-isolation after meeting a COVID-positive French embassy staff member during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron.
Linkevicius himself tested negative for the virus, Foreign Ministry Rasa Jakilaitiene told AFP.
IRELAND, RUSSIA HESITATE
Europe, which has recorded 235,553 deaths, is approaching a burden of six million out of the more than 35.2 million cases officially diagnosed worldwide.
That figure, the World Health Organization said on Monday, is a fraction of the likely actual count, which the UN health body estimated at one in 10 of the world’s 7.8 billion people.
“Our current best estimate tells us that around 10 percent of the world’s population may have been infected by this virus,” said WHO emergency director Michael Ryan.
The virus has killed at least 1,037,971 people worldwide, according to the latest AFP count based on official sources.
The UK remains the hardest hit European country, surpassing its latest milestone of 500,000 confirmed coronavirus infections on Sunday.
Neighboring Ireland, for its part, is considering a nationwide lockdown after a wave of new cases.
The National Public Health Emergency Team recommended that the entire country repeat the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions imposed during the original shutdown in March.
Russia registered 10,888 new cases on Sunday, close to a peak reached in May, but failed to re-impose a new blockade.
Spain has decided partial closures for two more cities, León and Palencia, after residents of Madrid and nine nearby towns were prohibited from leaving the city limits for any reason other than work, school or medical appointments. or legal.
While regional authorities in Madrid have criticized the two-week restrictions for being too strict, health experts have said they don’t go far enough.
‘FORGOTTEN’ MENTAL HEALTH
Europeans dejected to return to the restrictions they thought were behind them can look forward to New Zealand’s triumph over a second wave in the Pacific island nation.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that her country had “beaten the virus again” and announced that restrictions in the largest city of Auckland would be eased after a second wave of COVID-19 was contained.
“Aucklanders and New Zealanders stuck to the plan that has worked twice now and beat the virus again,” Ardern said.
While the ravages of COVID-19 on the physical and economic life of the planet are clear, the devastating effects of the pandemic on mental health have been largely overlooked, the WHO said Monday.
A survey conducted between June and August revealed severe disruptions to mental health services in 93 countries, the WHO said ahead of a major fundraising campaign.
“This is a forgotten aspect of COVID-19,” WHO Mental Health Director Devora Kestel said at a virtual press conference.
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