Seoul closes nightclubs after dozens of revelers-related infections

Seoul has closed more than 2,100 nightclubs, hostess bars, and nightclubs after dozens of coronavirus infections linked with club-goers who came out last weekend when South Korea relaxed patterns of social estrangement.

The measures imposed by Mayor Park Won-soon came after the national government urged entertainment venues across the country to shut down or enforce anti-virus measures, including distancing, temperature controls, maintenance of customer lists and the requirement that employees wear masks.

Park said the closings will continue until the city concludes that infection risks have been significantly reduced.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously said 18 new cases were reported in the 24-hour midnight period on Friday, all but one related to a 29-year-old man who visited three clubs in the district of Itaewon from the capital last Saturday. positive test on Tuesday.

(PA graphics)

But Park said 16 more cases were confirmed in Seoul alone in the following hours. He said this brought the number of infections linked to club goers from 40 to 27 in Seoul, 12 in the neighboring cities of Incheon and Gyeonggi provinces, and one in the port city of Busan in the south of the country.

In Germany, a new outbreak in slaughterhouses also illustrates the challenges authorities face in trying to open up their economies.

Germany and South Korea have carried out extensive testing and contact tracing, and have been hailed for avoiding the mass deaths that have overwhelmed other countries in their regions, but even there authorities have struggled to strike the balance between saving lives and save jobs.

Health officials are struggling to contain new outbreaks at three slaughterhouses: two in western Germany and one in the north.

The response is seen as evidence for the government’s new strategy of getting local authorities to address any increase in new cases, which was agreed Wednesday as part of a plan to gradually ease restrictions and return to normalcy.

Commuters in Berlin (Michael Sohn / AP)

Elsewhere, Pakistan bowed to economic pressure and allowed some companies to reopen despite an increase in cases, while countries like the United States, Brazil, and Italy were also fighting over how to ease the brakes on business and activity. public.

Worldwide, the virus has infected at least 3.9 million people and has killed more than 270,000, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University based on data reported by governments.

Pakistan has allowed the reopening of stores, factories, construction sites and some other businesses, while 1,637 new cases and 24 deaths were reported. That was close to a day’s peak of 1,764 new infections on Thursday and brought the country’s total to 27,474.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government is easing restrictions because it cannot support millions of families who depend on daily wages.

Imran Khan (CNN / PA)

The government warned that controls will be re-imposed if the public does not follow the guidelines of social distancing.

The US government USA He reported on Friday that unemployment had risen to its highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s, adding to the conflict over when to allow companies to reopen.

The Labor Department reported that unemployment stood at 14.7% after 20.5 million jobs disappeared in April.

The department, citing the miscount of some workers by its respondents, said the real rate was probably closer to 20%. Some economists said the total could be even higher, at 23.6%, not far from the 1939 peak of 25%.

President Donald Trump is pressuring state governors to allow factories, restaurants and shops to reopen despite warnings that it could lead to a deadly rise in infections.

Donald Trump (Evan Vucci / AP)“/>

China, where the pandemic began in December, announced plans to reopen more schools in the capital Beijing.

More than 84,200 high school students and 13,200 teachers will return to classes on Monday, the city government announced. Nearly 50,000 high school students returned to classes on April 27.

Controls, including controls for the virus-revealing fever, are still in place at apartment complexes and public buildings in the Chinese capital.

Italy’s government said it would take legal action to prevent a northern province, Bolzano, from reopening its stores this weekend in defiance of a national wait plan until the end of this month.

Italy has reported more than 217,000 virus cases and 30,200 deaths.

In Brazil, the country’s fifth largest city, Fortaleza, began a shutdown on Friday amid growing infections, even as President Jair Bolsonaro asked the Supreme Court to order states to reduce restrictions on business.

Brazil has more than 140,000 cases and 9,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.