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BERLIN: A coronavirus curfew closed the doors early on the legendary nightlife of the German capital Berlin on Saturday (October 10) in a bid to limit the rise in infections, while in Latin America and the Caribbean the number of cases exceeded 10 million.
Bars and restaurants closed at 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) in Berlin under a partial curfew announced until October 31, and the capital followed in the footsteps of Frankfurt’s financial center, where a curfew had already been imposed. remains, but starting an hour earlier.
With more than 400 new cases daily in Berlin, the 11:00 pm closure also covers all stores, except pharmacies and gas stations, in an attempt to avoid late-night alcohol sales.
“This is not the time to party,” Berlin Mayor Michael Muller said in a message to young people, who are increasing new infections. “We can and want to prevent another more severe lockdown.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel had already warned on Friday that high-infection areas would be given 10 days to eliminate cases or face tougher actions, calling big cities the “stage” to keep the pandemic under control.
Police said “several thousand” people marched through Berlin on Saturday in a silent protest against the restrictions. Protesters also demonstrated in Rome, Warsaw and London against mask-wearing requirements and restrictions on viruses.
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Governments around the world are struggling to keep up with a sharp rise in infections and handle mounting public frustration over new restrictions as the pandemic enters a second wave.
Since it emerged in China late last year, the virus has killed more than a million worldwide, infected nearly 37 million and put millions more out of work as the pandemic hits the global economy.
Latin America and the Caribbean marked 10 million cases on Saturday and with more than 360,000 deaths, the region is the most affected in terms of deaths, according to official figures.
Brazil’s death toll from the virus surpassed 150,000 on Saturday, according to figures from the Health Ministry, although the rate of new coronavirus infections continues to decline in the South American country.
In France, health authorities reported a record 27,000 new infections in a single day on Saturday, although numbers in intensive care remained well below the peaks seen in the spring.
The spiraling cases in France have sparked fears that the government may have to impose local blockades in major cities, which are the epicenter of disease, that would mimic measures already announced in Spain, where the government has prevented people from leaving the region. from Madrid.
READ: Daily COVID-19 cases in France set a new record at nearly 27,000
Residents can only leave the Spanish capital for work, school or medical reasons as part of the restrictions that have been denounced by the right-wing authorities in the city.
“We have always put public health above all other considerations,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during a visit to Portugal on Saturday, adding that Madrid needed “a strong response” to the increase in cases.
In Poland, authorities told people to wear masks in all public spaces after coronavirus cases reached a new daily record of 4,280.
To the south, the Czech Republic faced the prospect of a new lockdown as growth in COVID-19 cases set a fourth consecutive daily record, with infection growth being the highest in Europe.
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ANTI MASK PROTESTS
EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel was the last high-profile figure to test positive for COVID-19. She announced the news on Saturday, the first senior Brussels official known to have contracted the coronavirus.
British rider Simon Yates withdrew from the Giro d’Italia after testing positive.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spent time in hospital for the virus in April, will outline a new three-tier lockdown system on Monday.
But as with the Berlin march, the new restrictions have often met with opposition as public frustration grows over restrictions on social life, mask requirements and business closures.
Local leaders were enraged by London’s plans, and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said “we will not hand our residents over to hardship this Christmas or our businesses to failure.”
In Rome, hundreds of people gathered in two separate marches against orders to wear masks, one organized by a far-right group, the other gathering conspiracy theorists, “anti-vaccines” and other protesters.
“Of course there is a virus, but from a political and philosophical point of view, they are simply exaggerating,” Giulio Lessi, a protester from Rome, said of the government’s measures.
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