(Mecca) A limited group of faithful Muslims began a pilgrimage surrounded by draconian sanitary measures to Mecca on Wednesday, as the United States suffered the heaviest daily death toll from coronavirus in more than two months , with nearly 1600 dead.
Posted on 29 July 2020 at 6 a.m. 31 Updated to 10 h 13
France Media Agency
Europe fears for its part a second wave of the coronavirus, which has made more than 260 000 dead in the world.
In the Muslim holy city in Saudi Arabia, only from 787 (according to Riyadh) to 10 00 (according to local media) faithful were allowed to take part in the great annual pilgrimage, up from 2.5 million last year.
Subjected to screening tests and placed in quarantine on their arrival in Mecca, the pilgrims, wearing a mask and standing at a distance from each other, carried out the seven ritual convolutions around the Kaaba, the stone black in the heart of the Great Mosque.
They then took the road to Mina, 5 km east of the Great Mosque, to spend the night there in a disinfected canvas town.
All wore the seamless white garment, the “ihram” required for the pilgrimage, but the contrast was striking between these small groups and the crowd that usually fills the Grand Mosque every year on this occasion.
“It is an indescribable feeling”, declared an Egyptian pilgrim, Mohammed Ibrahim, 31 years . ” It's like a dream “.
Drastic measures in Hong Kong
In the world, the disease has already done 660 787 dead, according to the latest report established by AFP on Wednesday.
The United States remains the most bereaved country with more than 101 260 deaths, and lamented Tuesday 1592 additional deaths in 24 hours, a heavy daily toll that had not been reached since mid-May, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The country has also recorded more than 60 00 new cases in one day, after a slight decrease in the last two days.
President Donald Trump has once again scrambled the message on COVID – 14 after making a dramatic shift a week ago, acknowledging the seriousness of the health crisis and calling for a mask.
On Tuesday, he retweeted a video showing a group of doctors explaining that masks are not necessary and that there “is a drug” to treat the coronavirus, hydroxychloroquine. The video was deleted by Facebook, YouTube and Tweeter for misinformation.
In China, the authorities announced on Wednesday 101 new cases of coronavirus, the heaviest toll in three months, while sports halls, bars and museums were closed in the most affected areas.
Hong Kong, for its part, is on the verge of a “large-scale” epidemic, the chief executive officer, Carrie Lam, warned on Wednesday when social distancing measures came into force in the city. the most severe since the appearance of the coronavirus at the beginning of the year
As of Wednesday, the 7.5 million inhabitants of this very densely populated city are required to wear a mask in public, while restaurants can only serve take-out.
Gatherings of more than two people – with the exception of families – are no longer allowed.
Second wave?
In Europe, Spain has seen the number of new daily cases more than triple in the past two weeks, to exceed 1800. After France and the UK, Germany has advised its nationals not to travel there.
The French Minister of Health Olivier Véran for his part assured Wednesday that France “is not in a second wave of the coronavirus”, estimating however that “must not let go” the efforts if we want avoid it.
In Mumbai, a study commissioned by the municipality and published on Tuesday shows that more than half of the slum dwellers of the city in western India appear to have had the coronavirus and have antibodies.
India is already the third most affected country in the world after the United States and Brazil, with nearly 1.5 million cases.
Experts have warned that due to the shortage of tests, the actual figure could be much higher.
Vaccines: hopes for a Russian breakthrough
On the global race to produce a vaccine, Russia said on Wednesday that it hopes to start production of two vaccines in September and October, trying to overtake the world.
Two vaccines designed by researchers from Russian state centers “are the most promising today,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova.
“The Americans were amazed when they heard the signal from Sputnik”, the first artificial satellite launched by the USSR in 1957, told CNN Kirill Dmitriev, the president of the Russian Sovereign Fund which funds the development of the vaccine at the Nikolai Gamaleïa Center. “With the vaccine, it will be the same. We will be the first ”, he assured.
In Spain, the announcement of two football players positive for the virus, a few days before the restart of the European Cups, fueled concern around the final phase of the Champions League and the Europa League , which must in principle end in a final tournament played in Portugal and Germany.
