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WASHINGTON: America’s leading infectious disease expert. USA He warned on Tuesday (May 12) that coronavirus closures not relax too quickly when France began reopening schools and Russia and India began to return to work despite cases of the virus.
The harsh words of government immunologist Anthony Fauci fueled concern that even a cautious exit from the world’s unprecedented economic shutdown could trigger a second wave of the highly contagious virus.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). USA They reported 1,342,594 cases of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, an increase of 18,106 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had increased from 1,064 to 80,820.
In France, primary and kindergarten schools reopened their doors with teachers wearing face masks and separate child seats to prevent the spread of the virus.
READ: COVID-19: Thousands of schools reopen as France facilitates closure
French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer praised the reopening, which will gradually roll out across the country, including Paris schools on Thursday.
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Russia also gradually began to relax the blocking rules even as the country’s infections increased by more than 232,000, now the second most confirmed case in the world after the United States.
Russia reached the milestone on Tuesday after a week of reporting more than 10,000 infections a day and, as confirmed, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman tested positive for the virus.
US Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive last week and the White House said Tuesday that Pence has decided to “stay away” from President Donald Trump for a few days.
In testimony to US lawmakers, Fauci admitted that the true death toll from the epidemic in the US USA It is probably higher than the official number.
And despite Trump’s evident desire to restart the economy before the November elections, Fauci warned that a sustained 14-day decrease in cases was a vital first step to safely get out of the blockades.
“If a community or a state or region does not follow those guidelines and reopens … the consequences could be really serious,” Fauci said.
“There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” he added, warning that it would not only cost lives, “but could even push you back on the road to try to regain the economy.” .
‘NECESSARY MEASURE’
Fauci’s warning came after the World Health Organization called for “extreme vigilance” to prevent a second wave of the disease, which has killed more than 289,000 people worldwide according to a number of AFPs.
READ: WHO urges ‘extreme vigilance’ as countries exit blockade
In Russia, parts of the country came back to life on Tuesday, the end of a period of “no work.”
For those challenging public transports, masks and gloves were a must under the new antivirus regulations.
“It is a necessary measure,” said Tatiana Khan, 25, speaking on a half-empty bus in Moscow.
“If everyone had worn masks from the beginning, had observed precautions, I think we would not have had as much spread of the epidemic,” he added from behind a surgical mask.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $ 270 billion economic stimulus as the Asian giant’s economy comes to life.
READ: COVID-19: India PM announces $ 270 billion economic package
Its gigantic rail network restarted in defiance of a recent spike in the number of infections, with 3,600 registered on Monday, just below Sunday’s record.
The 1.3 billion country imposed a strict shutdown in late March, which the Modi government has credited for keeping the cases at a modest 70,000, with around 2,300 deaths.
Masked passengers queued in front of the New Delhi station on Tuesday, waiting to be screened for virus symptoms.
Ajay Dewani, a photographer, said he walked for four hours to reach the station.
“They haven’t paid me for two months and my landlord was bothering us about the rent,” Dewani told AFP.
Meanwhile, Iran said it would reopen mosques for three nights this week, after struggling to contain the outbreak that has killed more than 6,700 people there.
‘RADICALLY TRANSPARENT’
South Korea, credited with one of the world’s most successful antivirus campaigns, said it was using mobile phone data to track visitors to Seoul nightclubs after a group of new cases.
The outbreak, which forced delaying the reopening of schools, hit gay places and potential carriers may fear showing up due to the stigma surrounding homosexuality.
And in Britain, which has the most confirmed fatal cases in Europe, the Office for National Statistics said reports of nursing homes for the elderly suggest that a government account of 32,065 deaths underestimates the overall figure.
READ: UK death toll COVID-19 exceeds 38,000, worst in Europe
Precautionary economic and social blockades have affected the global economy, and while many areas are now cautiously returning to work, world markets are cautiously advancing amid fears of a second wave.
Nasdaq’s six-day winning streak ended on Tuesday when US stocks fell after Fauci’s warnings about reopening the economy too quickly.
READ: US stocks close lower, ending Nasdaq’s streak down 2.1%
Observers nervously watch Wuhan, where the virus was first reported late last year, after the Chinese city registered the first group of new COVID-19 infections since it reopened after a 76-day blockade on April 8.
Chinese authorities mobilized to assess the entire population of 11 million people after the new cases came to light.
In an interview with AFP, US epidemiologist Larry Brilliant urged China to be “radically transparent” with medical researchers.
Scientists believe the virus leaped from bats to humans in a Wuhan market, but there have been unproven claims, including from Trump, that the disease somehow escaped from a Chinese laboratory.
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