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17-04-2020
By SJA Jafri + Agencies + Bureau Reports
LONDON/ PARIS/ NEW YORK/ CANBERRA/ MOSCOW/ ROME/ MADRID: The American government reported 5.2 million more citizens applied for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the four-week total to 22 million – the worst stretch of US job losses on record. The losses translate to about one in seven American workers.
The number of infections from the disease, also known as COVID-19, has now reached 2,152,000 worldwide, with nearly 145,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally, prompting some governments, including that of the United Kingdom and Canada to extend the lockdown.
Earlier, the American President Donald Trump has announced “a phased approach” to ease restrictions of movement on Americans, even as the coronavirus death toll in the country continues to rise nearing 35,000, and with cases soaring to 667,000 as of 01:00 GMT on Friday.
On the other side, the Chinese city of Wuhan has raised its number of coronavirus fatalities by 1,290 to 3,869, most of China’s total. That brings the total fatalities in nationwide to at least 4,642. Wuhan also revised up its number of confirmed cases by 325 to 50,333, accounting for about two-thirds of China’s total 82,367 announced cases. Almost 78,000 of the patients have already recovered.
China reported on Friday that its economy shrank 6.8 percent during the first quarter of 2020 – the first ever slump in 44 years.
Coronavirus cases in Africa could surge from just thousands now to 10 million within three to six months, according to provisional modelling, a regional World Health Organization (WHO) official said but Michel Yao, head of emergency operations for WHO Africa, said on Thursday it was a tentative projection that could change. He noted worst-case predictions for the Ebola outbreak had not come true because people changed their behaviour in time.
Russia registers new record number of COVID-19 cases
Russia announced a new record number of coronavirus cases as well as deaths caused by the infection.
A total of 4,069 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, bringing the tally to 32,007, the country’s emergency team said in a statement.
The death toll rose to 273, as 41 people died over the last 24 hours, the statement said.
Germany’s coronavirus outbreak “manageable again”
The coronavirus outbreak in Germany has become manageable again as the number of patients who have made a recovery has been higher than the number of new infections every day this week, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday Germany would take small steps out of lockdown with the partial reopening of shops next week and schools from May 4.
“The outbreak has – as of today – become controllable and manageable again,” Spahn told a news conference, adding that the health care system had “at no time been overwhelmed so far”.
Pope prays for pregnant women during pandemic
Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for pregnant women as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Speaking to an audience of a few priests and nuns at morning mass in his residence at the Vatican, the Pope said “I would like us to pray for women who are expecting a baby”, to give them “courage to carry these children” in a world that “will certainly be a different world.”
The Pope has been conducting all his events within the Vatican walls as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the globe.
Almost 25,000 to be freed under Myanmar prisoner amnesty
Myanmar announced that it was releasing almost 25,000 prisoners under a presidential amnesty marking this week’s traditional New Year celebration.
The release for the Thingyan holiday was announced in a statement from President Win Myint’s office. Mass amnesties on the holiday are not unusual, though the number this year was the highest in recent memory.
The president’s statement did not say if the release was related to calls to free them because of the hazard of contracting COVID-19 in the close quarters of prison.
Human rights groups estimate Myanmar’s overcrowded prisons hold 92,000 people, including those awaiting trial.
London mayor calls for compulsory face masks
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on the British government to make face masks compulsory for people travelling around the capital or shopping.
The mayor said that evidence from around the world was that face coverings help stop the spread of the virus.
New York has ordered residents to wear masks or substitute face coverings when in any public situation that may not allow them to be at least six feet away from others.
“In those circumstances where its not possible for us to keep our social distance, think of public transport usage, think of when you’re in a shop, we should be using non-medical facial coverings like bandandas, like scarves, like reusable masks,” Khan told media.
Saudi Arabia faces coronavirus crisis from position of strength
Saudi Arabia is facing the current global crisis from a position of strength, given its strong financial position and reserves, with relatively low government debt, its finance minister said, referring to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Mohammed al-Jadaan said in the virtual meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee, held on Thursday, which the Saudi government’s priorities are necessary resources for health care system, financial and economic support to those affected by coronavirus while taking into account the re-prioritization of spending under the current circumstances, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Pakistan gets $1.5bn loan from IMF
The International Monetary Fund has given Pakistan $1.5bn in emergency financing to help absorb some of the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has been handing out roughly $70 to more than 10 million families hit hardest by the lockdown.
Pakistan has 7,025 confirmed coronavirus cases including 135 deaths, an increase of 11 in the last 24 hours.
New cases in South Korea down for fifth day
South Korea has reported 22 new cases of the coronavirus, the fifth day in a row its daily jump was in the 20s, with no fresh cases reported in the hardest-hit city of Daegu, where infections have waned in past weeks.
South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said on Friday that its national totals have reached 10,635 cases, with 230 reported deaths.
Singapore reports 728 new coronavirus cases
Singapore has reported 728 new coronavirus cases, a record daily high for a second straight day that was broadly expected amid increased testing at foreign workers’ dormitories.
The health ministry said that foreign workers accounted for 90 percent of the new cases, with five new clusters reported in the crowded dormitories housing up to 20 men in each room with shared facilities. It said the sharp rise in cases pushed total infections past the 4,000 mark to 4,427.
UN warns coronavirus putting children in jeopardy
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that the coronavirus pandemic is putting many of the world’s children “in jeopardy” and is urging families everywhere and leaders at all levels to “protect our children.”
Guterres said “children have so far been largely spared from the most severe symptoms of the disease,” but with a global recession gathering pace, he said, “there could be hundreds of thousands additional child deaths in 2020.”
Australia may keep some coronavirus restrictions for a year
Australian public life could be constrained for another year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Friday, as the country’s most populous state mulled sending children to school in shifts.
Morrison said some measures, like a rule requiring people to stand at least 1.5 metres apart, would likely remain for several months, given there was no guarantee a vaccine would be developed in that time.
“Social distancing is something we should get very used to,” Morrison told radio station 3AW. “It could be a year, but I’m not speculating about that.”
Japanese cabinet official tests positive of coronavirus
Japan’s cabinet announced on Friday that another official had tested positive for the coronavirus, making him the third case among officials at the cabinet office.
The infected cabinet official in his 50s works at the cabinet’s council for science, technology and innovation, but had no close contact with ministers around when he developed symptoms from April 10, an official at the cabinet office said. He was confirmed with the virus on April 16.
Two officials who worked with the man, and were within two metres, are staying at home but have not yet been tested, based on cabinet policy, according to the cabinet office.
As of Thursday, there were an estimated 9,000 infections in Japan and nearly 200 deaths.
Canada’s restrictions with US to remain
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the country’s border restrictions with the US will remain in place “for a significant amount of time” as the two countries fight the coronavirus outbreak.
Washington and Ottawa agreed last month to clamp down on non-essential travel while allowing trade to continue across their long shared frontier.
“As we move forward, there will be special thought given to this relationship. But at the same time we know that there is a significant amount of time, still, before we can talk about loosening such restrictions,” Trudeau told a daily briefing.
Balkan states agree to coordinate coronavirus response
Health ministers of the Western Balkan countries have agreed to facilitate any joint action in the fight against the coronavirus, according to the Kosovo Health Ministry.
A statement said Kosovar Health Minister Arben Vitia had telephone calls with his colleagues in the region in which they agreed that “transport routes for goods, health personnel and medical equipment remain free.”
All countries are in lockdown and only goods can cross their borders.
COVID-19 has infected 8,801 people and killed 233 in the six Western Balkan countries.
