The United States remains by far the country most affected by the pandemic, both in number of cases and number of deaths.
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July 8, 2020 10h51
Updated at 23h13
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COVID-19: the beginning of the reconfinement in Melbourne, three million cases in the United States
AFP
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON — The pandemic of coronavirus, which is accelerating on a global scale according to the WHO, obliges Australia to reconfiner Thursday, the five million inhabitants of Melbourne, the second largest city in the country, whereas the United States have exceeded the threshold of three million people infected.
Far behind the staggering recorded by the most affected countries such as the United States and Brazil, Australia – which has about 9 000 new cases and 106 deaths – recorded an increase of cases in Melbourne (south-east), with more than a hundred new infections daily. An outbreak is in the eyes of the authorities of that country, who seemed to have managed to control the epidemic of COVID-19.
The five million inhabitants of the metropolis were therefore ordered to be confined again for six weeks, starting from midnight in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
They will have to stay in them unless for professional reasons, to do physical exercise, get to medical appointments or to buy products of first necessity. Such measures had only recently been lifted.
Restaurants and cafés will no longer be able to serve dishes to take away, while the gym and the cinemas will again have to close.
According to Daniel Andrews, Premier of the State of Victoria of which Melbourne is the capital, it is the only possible solution because otherwise, “potentially”, there will be “thousands and thousands of cases of” extra”.
In anticipation of the reconfinement, the shelves of supermarkets have been robbed Wednesday. “As frustrating as it might be, I support [the confinement] – but replace me with the question in six weeks”, was launched at theAFP Michael Albert, a resident of Melbourne.
“Never back down”
After their divorce with the world health Organization (WHO) – qualified Wednesday by Germany of “setbacks” in the face of the pandemic that has claimed more than 545, 000 deaths in the world – the United States remains the country most severely affected by the disease, number of infections as well as the number of deaths.
The epidemic has done to date 132 195 died in the first world economic power, and 3 046 351 cases of contamination had been detected Wednesday night.
After a stabilization of the epidemic in its early households, including in New York, the country is facing since a few weeks an outbreak of infections in the South and the West. Several States have been forced to suspend their process of déconfinement.
“We went upstairs, we never back down to the base level, and here we are in the process of going back”, was concerned that Anthony Fauci, the highest expert in infectious diseases of the u.s. government.
In this tense context, the WHO has warned against the likely ability of the virus to be transmitted by the airborne route, especially in public places, that is to say, much more contagious than originally envisaged.
Motorists are waiting in their vehicle before they get the screening test for the COVID-19. Texas surpassed the 10,000 new cases in one day.
AP’s David J. Phillip
“Overwhelmed”
The epidemic continues its ravages in Latin America and the Caribbean, where more than three million cases of COVID-19 have been identified, of which more than half in Brazil, according to a report drawn up Wednesday by theAFP.
Second is the most affected country, Brazil identifies 67 964 deaths per 1 713 160 cases, but Jair Bolsonaro, its president, 65-year-old, even contaminated, it remains challenging: “I am perfectly well”, he assured.
Peru has exceeded the 11 000 people dead, a week after having started a déconfinement gradual, and Mexico has registered a new daily record of 6 995 case Wednesday. And the official figures bound in Venezuela: more than 1 500 patients on the 1st of June, more than 7 000 a month later.
The explosion of cases in the State of Zulia, on the border with Colombia, has led to a situation “horrible” at the university hospital of Maracaibo, entrusts to theAFP Pilar, a nurse. “We are overwhelmed”, she says.
By far the most affected country in the Near and Middle East, Iran has exceeded the 12 000 dead, announced on Wednesday that the authorities.
Africa remains far behind, both in terms of infections reported than deaths due to the COVID-19, but the continent has passed, Wednesday, the bar of the 500 000 cases, having passed the July 1st 10, 000 deaths.
Africa has passed, Wednesday, the bar 500, 000 cases officially recorded.
AP Denis Farrell
In Europe, the situation seems to be under control, even if the Old Continent remains the most heavily affected by the virus with more than 200 000 dead, including more than two-thirds in the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain.
In Serbia, new clashes broke out Wednesday in Belgrade at a rally of protesters furious about the authorities ‘ handling of the crisis of the sars coronavirus.
In France, the mayor of Paris announced that the city would have its traditional fireworks fired from the Eiffel tower for the national festival of 14 July, but without an audience. It will be in hand this Thursday for the first concert since mid-march of the Philharmonie de Paris, which displays full.
In the case of Finland, announced that it was reopening its borders to tourists from 17 european countries considered as having a low infection rate, a list does not include France nor Luxembourg for the moment.
In London, the National Gallery became Wednesday the first major museum to reopen, with masks and scrolling with the arrows to the visitors.
On the economic front, the british government announced Wednesday of new stimulus measures totalling 33 billion euros. And in Brussels, chancellor Merkel has called on Europeans to show solidarity and to ensure the adoption as of the summer of the recovery plan is solid intended to get out of the crisis of the sars coronavirus.
The National Gallery became Wednesday the first major museum to open in London.
AP, Victoria Jones
Le Soleil
