Europe moves ahead with lockdown easing, but caution in Asia
PARIS, France — Several European countries including France and Britain on Thursday moved to further lift crippling coronavirus lockdown measures, but fresh restrictions in parts of Asia signalled the crisis is far from over.
As much of the world grapples to find the path forward, with the deadly virus still spreading in some places and a vaccine at best a distant reality, Europe is slowly emerging from isolation.
France is set to reopen its bars, restaurants and museums next week — when Britain will send some children back to school and shops throw open their doors.
On the sporting front, the English Premier League and Italy's Serie A unveiled plans to resume play in mid-June.
"Freedom will be the rule and restriction the exception," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.
But of course, there was sombre news as well.
The death toll mounted to more than 357,000 around the world. More than 5.7 million have been confirmed as infected since the virus emerged in China late last year.
On the economic front, the number of unemployed climbed as well — more than 40 million in the United States have filed jobless claims since the crisis began, and Brazil shed five million jobs in the first quarter.
British carrier EasyJet said it would axe up to 30 percent of its staff, and Japanese car manufacturer Nissan reported a huge $6.2-billion annual net loss.
And in Asia, restrictions were reimposed in South Korea and Sri Lanka after a spare of new infections sparked fears of a second wave of contagion.
The picture remained grim in Latin America, now fully in the throes of the pandemic, with deaths in Brazil topping 25,000, and Chile recording a new record daily death toll Thursday.
In the Chilean capital Santiago, residents have taken to the streets to demand state aid as their livelihoods vanish.
"We don't even get a little help from the government here. They believe that we can live without money. But how can we buy food?" asked welder Oscar Gonzalez.
'Real sense of freedom'
In France, residents enjoyed the reopening of iconic department store Printemps on Thursday — and the news that restaurants can serve patrons on outside terraces from June 2.
At the country's museums, face masks will be required.
Citizens will also be allowed to travel more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from their homes, just in time for the summer holidays.
"The virus is still present to varying degrees across the territory," Philippe warned as he unveiled the new measures, urging citizens to respect social-distancing guidelines and be vigilant about hand-washing.
France has recorded 28,662 virus-related deaths — the fourth highest total in the world.
In Britain, football fans rejoiced as the Premier League announced play would resume on June 17. In Italy, Serie A competition will begin again three days later.
Both leagues will play without supporters in the stands, but in Russia, a limited number will be allowed to attend matches when play restarts next month.
"Football is back soon," tweeted England captain Harry Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.
Elsewhere in Europe, Spaniards were revisiting old joys — belting out tunes from "Grease" at a 50s-themed drive-in theatre.
"It gives you a real sense of freedom. We really wanted to get out of the house," said 22-year-old Belen Perez, who came with her flatmate.
'Heartfelt sympathy'
In the United States, the country processed a grim milestone — more than 100,000 Americans have succumbed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
"To all of the families & friends of those who have passed, I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent. God be with you!" President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday.
More and more US states are moving to open up their economies, but health experts have warned not to move too quickly.
The US capital Washington will slowly move into its phase one of reopening on Friday.
The new unemployment data — another 2.12 million workers filed claims for benefits — along with US-China tensions, including over the virus, sent Wall Street tumbling at the close.
Fresh restrictions
Amid all the reopenings, there were renewed signs of caution as well.
South Korea — held up as a global model in how to curb the virus — reimposed some social distancing rules after a series of new clusters emerged, many in the capital Seoul.
Museums, parks and art galleries will all be closed again from Friday for two weeks, while companies were urged to reintroduce flexible working, among other measures.
And in Sri Lanka, some lockdown rules will be rolled out again from Sunday after more than 250 returnees from Kuwait were found to be infected with coronavirus.
In a bit of happier news in Asia, a Bali zoo named a newborn giraffe after the virus.
"Corona is healthy and is still breastfeeding. We'll keep her under observation for three months," said zoo spokesman Anak Agung Ngurah Alit Sujana.
But visitors will have to wait to meet the young calf, as the zoo remains closed to the public. — with AFP bureaus
Follow this page for updates on a mysterious pneumonia outbreak that has struck dozens of people in China.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says on Sunday that he had contracted COVID-19, testing positive at a key point in his flailing campaign for re-election.
Hipkins saYS on his official social media feed that he would need to isolate for up to five days -- less than two weeks before his country's general election.
The leader of the centre-left Labour Party said he started to experience cold symptoms on Saturday and had cancelled most of his weekend engagements. — AFP
The World Health Organization and US health authorities say Friday they are closely monitoring a new variant of COVID-19, although the potential impact of BA.2.86 is currently unknown.
The WHO classified the new variant as one under surveillance "due to the large number (more than 30) of spike gene mutations it carries", it wrote in a bulletin about the pandemic late Thursday.
So far, the variant has only been detected in Israel, Denmark and the United States. — AFP
The World Health Organization says on Friday that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80% in the last month, days after designating a new "variant of interest".
The WHO declared in May that Covid is no longer a global health emergency, but has warned that the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, causing occasional spikes in infections, hospitalisations and deaths.
In its weekly update, the UN agency said that nations reported nearly 1.5 million new cases from July 10 to August 6, an 80% increase compared to the previous 28 days. — AFP
The head of US intelligence says that there was no evidence that the COVID-19 virus was created in the Chinese government's Wuhan research lab.
In a declassified report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) says they had no information backing recent claims that three scientists at the lab were some of the very first infected with COVID-19 and may have created the virus themselves.
Drawing on intelligence collected by various member agencies of the US intelligence community (IC), the ODNI report says some scientists at the Wuhan lab had done genetic engineering of coronaviruses similar to COVID-19. — AFP
Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over Covid lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street when he was prime minister, a UK parliament committee ruled on Thursday.
The cross-party Privileges Committee said Johnson, 58, would have been suspended as an MP for 90 days for "repeated contempts (of parliament) and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process".
But he avoided any formal sanction by his peers in the House of Commons by resigning as an MP last week.
In his resignation statement last Friday, Johnson pre-empted publication of the committee's conclusions, claiming a political stitch-up, even though the body has a majority from his own party.
He was unrepentant again on Thursday, accusing the committee of being "anti-democratic... to bring about what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination".
Calling it "beneath contempt", he said it was "for the people of this to decide who sits in parliament, not Harriet Harman", the veteran opposition Labour MP who chaired the seven-person committee. — AFP
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