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Millions of European children wearing masks returned to school on Tuesday with governments determined to get pupils back to class even as coronavirus infections continue to rise, rising to more than four million across the continent for the first time.
Schools reopened in Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and France, where teachers and children 11 years and older were forced to wear face covers, echoing regulations in force across the continent.
The lockdowns imposed since March meant that many children have lost months of education, as well as time with their friends.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time!” Chahda, 12, told AFP excited when she arrived with her friend at school in the southern French city of Marseille.
However, the largest school district in the United States, New York City, announced a delay in face-to-face classes in public institutions until September 21, after reaching an agreement with a prominent teachers union that had threatened with a strike over health problems. he felt he had not been cared for.
In Europe, the decision to go ahead with the reopening of schools comes as the virus is rapidly spreading again in many countries, raising fears of further closures and disruptions in the fall and winter.
Where are the 4 million cases of Covid-19 in Europe. By Romain ALLIMANT (AFP) “I am convinced that we can and will avoid a second general shutdown,” said German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, revealing figures that suggest his country has passed the worst of its recession.
An AFP infection count, using official data from across Europe, showed that more than four million people have contracted the disease, with Russia accounting for nearly a quarter of the infections.
The virus appeared late last year in China and has now infected more than 25 million people worldwide and killed nearly 850,000.
The Chinese city at the center of the initial outbreak, Wuhan, took another leap to normal on Tuesday when its nearly 1.4 million young people also returned to schools and kindergartens.
State media released images of thousands of students raising the Chinese flag, a daily routine in all public schools, despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings.
‘Weird’ tennis is back
As schools try to get back to normal, the virus continues to wreak havoc at cultural and sporting events.
Tennis players faced the prospect of playing in large stadiums without fans at the US Open. By MATTHEW STOCKMAN (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP) The United States is hosting the world’s first major tennis tournament since Covid-19 emerged, but it hasn’t been easy at the US Open, where a player was sent home after testing positive and other players are grappling with creepy empty arenas.
“It’s a little strange to play without fans and without the support and atmosphere on center court,” said former champion Angelique Kerber.
The Italian city of Venice is also gearing up for the annual film festival, with about half the usual number of visitors expected and no Hollywood A-listers ready to accept invitations from the organizers.
“It is a festival without stars because Hollywood is still closed,” festival director Alberto Barbera told AFP. “Will there be less glamor? Yes. Will there be fewer stars on the red carpet? Certainly.”
Blow for Sanofi
Tuesday also brought bad news for everyone hoping for a rapid medical breakthrough that could end the pandemic.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced that a drug being tested as a treatment for severe cases of Covid-19 had been disappointing and that trials will be halted.
People wait at a COVID-19 coronavirus testing center in Hong Kong. By ISAAC LAWRENCE (AFP) The drug “did not give us the results we expected,” said the firm’s head of research, John Reed.
Sanofi is also part of the global race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, with more than two dozen different products being tested around the world, according to the World Health Organization.
In Hong Kong, health authorities are focusing on implementing a massive testing plan, but their efforts have been hampered by mistrust of officials following China’s crushing of the city’s democracy movement.
Mainland Chinese physicians and testing companies are involved in the program, fueling public fears that their DNA and data will be collected to create a biometric-backed monitoring system.
“I think it’s a waste of time,” local resident Emily Li told AFP. “The government cannot convince me in terms of the effectiveness of the testing program.”
‘Bubble within a bubble’
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro pictured during a statement on financial aid for vulnerable Brazilians on Tuesday. By Sergio Lima (AFP) Elsewhere, new economic data for the second quarter further revealed the extent of the economic devastation caused by the virus’s march around the world.
Brazil’s economy, the largest in Latin America, contracted a record 9.7 percent in the second quarter of 2020, the official statistics agency said on Tuesday.
There is uncertainty as to whether the economy will recover strongly for the rest of the year as the virus continues to wreak havoc and space is running out to continue the massive government stimulus spending that has softened the blow so far.
On Monday, India said its economy had collapsed 23.9 percent.
Only China, where the outbreak was first reported, has escaped a recession in the period, according to official data.
burs-adp / bp
