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Countries in the Asia-Pacific region have announced plans to cautiously reopen business as governments around the world compete to restart economies devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia They have all promised that their residents will return to school and work in the coming days as Covid-19 infection rates decrease. Financial markets have been caught between concern over crater economies and rising tension between the United States and China, and the possibility of more countries reopening their doors.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong The leader, Carrie Lam, announced plans to reopen schools, cinemas, bars and beauty salons starting Friday, with authorities willing to deliver reusable masks to the 7.5 million residents. Hong Kong has had 1,041 cases of coronavirus with four deaths.
The move comes after the territory’s economy, already damaged by months of protests before the coronavirus outbreak, registered its worst decline on record. GDP declined 8.9% yoy in the first quarter, the deepest contraction since records began in 1974, and the fourth consecutive quarter fell. Lam noted that it was worse than that experienced during the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
In South KoreaOnce the worst-affected country was China, the government relaxed social distancing rules on Wednesday and students will return to school starting Monday. The country, with more than 10,800 cases and 255 deaths, has been presented as an example of how to contain the virus. On Wednesday, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported two new cases, both imported, as the number of new infections continued to decline.
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said that high school seniors, who are preparing for highly competitive college entrance exams, would return to schools on May 13 with younger students to continue in phases from May 20.
Students and teachers will have to wear a mask, except during meals, clean their desks and observe social distancing while on the move. Schools should also regularly disinfect their facilities, perform temperature checks, and rearrange seats.
South Korea’s professional baseball season started on Tuesday, although the teams played in empty stadiums, and football will follow suit on Friday.
Thailand, which has seen 2,987 cases and 54 deaths, began easing movement and meeting restrictions on Monday, allowing restaurants, beauty salons, and outdoor markets to resume business, as long as social distancing is maintained and homeowners conduct checks Of temperature. In neighbor Vietnam, which has had 271 cases and no deaths, life is also gradually returning to normal, but the economy, which depends on tourism for 6% of its GDP, faces great challenges
the Australian On Wednesday, the government said it was looking for ways to reopen the blocked companies in early July, as its success in containing the coronavirus outbreak allows it to focus on trying to recover a million jobs lost since mid-March.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state leaders will discuss health protocols at a national cabinet meeting on Friday that could allow companies to open in a “safe environment for Covid,” and the government said the closure would It has cost the economy $ 4 billion a week.
“The lesson of history … is that the faster you can get people back to work and out of unemployment, the better the economy will be and the better those people will be,” treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the ABC television.
There would be three stages to ease restrictions on social distancing for affected industries, with cafes, restaurants and retail stores expected to be among the first to reopen. Each state would move at its own pace with the common goal of restarting most of its economies by July.
Australia has had fewer than 7,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and fewer than 1,000 cases remain active. Ninety-six people have died in the outbreak.
The resumption of business could also coincide with the opening of the border between Australia and New Zealand, creating what has been called a trans-Tasmanian “travel bubble”, given that both countries have significantly reduced levels and rates of infection.
In the USA In the U.S., the Trump administration is also pushing to end blockades to focus on economic growth, despite the nation leading the world in infections and deaths, and experts warn that the worst is yet to come. President Donald Trump ruled out the daily briefings of the coronavirus task force and sidelined his medical experts, preferring that economic officials publicly urge states to reopen.
Chinese stock indices reopened in positive territory on Wednesday after spring break, but the Australian market lost 0.6% and futures trading signaled a similar drop in London and New York later in the day. Disney crushed Wall Street by announcing $ 1.4 billion losses in the first quarter and the entertainment company had no indication yet of when it might reopen its profitable theme parks in Europe and the United States. Airbnb, the home reservation site, said it was cutting 1,900 jobs amid the global travel crisis.
In other coronavirus developments:
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Brittany has passed Italy to become the most affected nation in Europe and the second worst in the world, with more than 32,000 deaths.
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Youth unemployment in Brittany It will reach 1 million people in the next year unless the government provides job guarantees or incentives for those who drop out of school and graduates to continue their education, a group of experts warns.
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The global blockade caused by Covid-19 is at risk of a “devastating” increase in tuberculosis cases, with nearly 1.4 million additional deaths by 2025, according to new research.
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Brazil confirmed their highest daily coronavirus deaths on Tuesday. There were 6,935 new cases since Monday night and 600 new deaths. The previous record of 474 deaths occurred on April 28.
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Mexico The president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, pointed out that some automobile factories could open in the coming weeks.
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After two consecutive days of zero new cases of coronavirus, on Wednesday New Zealand reported a new case of the virus and one more death. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said success in curbing Covid-19 had provided a “safe haven” advantage that allowed the country to be open to investment.
