Coronavirus: infections worldwide exceed four million, deaths in the US USA They reach 80,000 on Mother’s Day

Trump administration officials spoke optimistically about a relatively rapid rebound in the United States from the coronavirus, as life inside the White House was reflected in the stark challenges the pandemic still poses, with Vice President Mike Pence “self-isolated. “after one of his assistants. positive result

A balancing act was unfolding around the world, with leaders beginning to loosen the blockades that have left millions unemployed while warning of the threat of a second wave of infections.

The United States has seen 1.3 million infections and more than 80,000 deaths, the most in the world by far, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, four million people have been reported infected and more than 280,000 have died, more than half of them in Europe, according to Johns Hopkins.

United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin predicted on Sunday (New Zealand time) that the US economy will recover in the second half of this year from unemployment rates rivaling the Great Depression, while President Donald Trump has been constantly pushing to get the economy back on track. Another 3.2 million US workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total in the past seven weeks to 33.5 million.

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“I think you’re going to see a rebound from a low point of view,” said Mnuchin, speaking in Fox News Sunday.

But the head of the University of Washington institute that created a White House-backed coronavirus model said states’ measures to reopen businesses “will translate into more cases and deaths in 10 days from now.” Dr. Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Measurement and Assessment said that states where cases and deaths are increasing more than expected include Illinois, Arizona, Florida and California.

As a reminder of the continuing threat, Pence’s move to isolate himself came after three members of the White House coronavirus workforce were quarantined after contacting the aide. An administration official said Pence voluntarily kept his distance from other people and has repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19 since his exposure. He plans to be at the White House on Monday.

Meanwhile, families celebrated Mother’s Day at a time of social estrangement. For many, it was the first without loved ones lost in the pandemic. Others sent good wishes from a safe distance or by phone and video calls.

The virus has caused particular suffering to the elderly, with more than 26,000 deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the United States, according to a Associated Press bill.

At a senior center in Smyrna, Georgia, Mary Washington, 73, spoke through a window with her daughter Courtney Crosby and grandson Sydney Crosby.

In Germany, which also celebrated mothers, officials made an exception to allow children living outside the country to enter for a Mother’s Day visit. Germany’s restrictions currently prohibit entry, except for “compelling reasons” such as work.

In Grafton, West Virginia, where the Mother’s Day tradition began 112 years ago, the brick building now known as the International Mother’s Day Shrine had its first online-only audience. Anna Jarvis first held a memorial service for her mother and all mothers on the second Sunday in May 1908.

“Anna Jarvis would consider that taking refuge safely at home with the family would be exactly how she wanted Mother’s Day to be celebrated,” Marvin Gelhausen, chairman of the sanctuary’s board of trustees, said in a YouTube speech.

Matilda Cuomo, the mother of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, called her son’s daily briefing so that he and his three daughters could wish him a happy Mother’s Day.

“I am as blessed as many mothers today,” she said.

The governor announced two policy changes the day after a Associated Press A report in which residents’ families, watchdog groups and politicians on both sides alleged that it was not doing enough to counter the increase in deaths in nursing homes, where some 5,300 residents have died. Staff at nursing homes in New York will now have to be tested for Covid-19 twice a week and facilities will no longer be required to receive infected hospitalized patients.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a moderate reduction in the country’s coronavirus blockade, but urged citizens not to give up on the progress already made.

Those in the construction or manufacturing industries or other jobs that can’t be done at home “should be actively encouraged to go to work” this week, he said. Johnson, who took a harder line after getting sick from what he did. Called “this devilish disease,” it set the June 1 target to start reopening schools and shops if the UK can control new infections and the transmission rate of each infected person.

“We will not be driven by mere hope or financial need,” he said. “We will be powered by science, data and public health.”

Germany, which managed to drive new infections below 1,000 daily before deciding to reduce restrictions, has seen regional spikes in cases involving slaughterhouses and nursing homes.

France is allowing some younger students to return to school on Monday after almost two months of absence. Attendance will not be compulsory immediately. Residents of some Spanish regions will be able to enjoy limited seats in bars, restaurants and other public places starting Monday, but Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the country’s largest cities, will remain closed.

China, where the virus was first detected, reported 14 new cases on Sunday, its first double-digit increase in 10 days. Eleven of the 12 domestic infections occurred in the northeast province of Jilin, prompting authorities to raise the threat level in one of its Shulan counties at high risk, just days after degrading all regions to low risk.

Authorities said the Shulan outbreak originated from a 45-year-old woman who had no recent history of travel or exposure, but who infected her husband, three sisters and other family members.

In addition, South Korea reported 34 more cases, as new nightclub-linked infections threaten its hard-earned profits against the virus. It was the first time that South Korea’s daily infections exceeded 30 in about a month.