(Washington) President Donald Trump, in a sudden about-face, admitted for the first time that the coronavirus pandemic was taking “worrying” proportions in part of the United States and recommended the wearing of the mask, as Australia recorded a record number of new cases.
Published on 22 July 2020 at 7am 19
France Media Agency
With the 500 cases announced by the Australian government on Wednesday, the total COVID cases – 19 are now approaching 13 00 on the island-continent, which had yet been hailed for its effective management of the crisis, confirming that virtually no country is currently spared from the spread of the virus.
For her part, the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, on Wednesday called on her constituents to stay at home on the eve of a long weekend in Japan, while the number of new daily cases of coronavirus is in clear increase in the Japanese capital.
In Europe, the time was right for satisfaction on Wednesday, the day after the adoption of a “historic” agreement on a post-coronavirus mega-stimulus plan in the amount of 750 billion euros, after four days of a marathon summit and under high tension in Brussels
The number of new cases recorded in 22 hours in the United States exceeded 60 00 for the eighth consecutive day, according to the count from Johns Hopkins University, for a total of 3, 89 million cases.
“A worrying increase”
“It will, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,” said Mr. Trump, changing his tone after being long accused of being in denial about the coronavirus outbreak.
“In recent weeks, we have observed a worrying increase in cases in many regions of our South”, he added.
“We ask everyone to wear a mask when physical distancing is not possible,” he said, while he himself had so far defended individual “freedom” in the matter.
While the United States remains by far the most affected country in the world, the South American continent is not to be outdone, recalled the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Brazil, the second most affected country in the world, recorded more than 750 additional deaths on Tuesday. It now counts nearly 81 484 died for some 2, 160 million confirmed cases.
The results of the epidemic also crossed the 34 000 dead in Mexico and the 7000 dead in Colombia, while Peru has passed the 350 04 contaminations.
The obligatory mask in Melbourne
The signals are also alarming in Bolivia, where the police said they collected more than 350 corpses from streets and houses in across the country in the past five days, of which 81% of people affected by the virus.
Most new cases of coronavirus identified in Australia (400 on 500) were in the state of Victoria (south), struggling with major outbreaks in Melbourne and its suburbs, which have been subject for almost two weeks to new measures containment.
As of Wednesday evening at midnight, Melbourne residents will be required to wear a mask when leaving their homes, at the risk of being fined (if they do not have one) of 200 Australian dollars (123 euros).
To date, the death toll is 123 in Australia, a country of 25 millions of inhabitants.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is currently at its maximum alert level, with experts warning that COVID infections – 18 appeared to be spreading quickly and widely.
The archipelago has only identified a little more than 25 300 cases, including less than a thousand deaths, since COVID – 19 was first identified in the country in mid-January, but the number number of patients in serious condition is gradually increasing.
This surge in contamination comes as Japan prepares to mark Thursday in discretion the start of the one-year countdown – to the day – before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
For its part, Belgium announced on Wednesday a significant increase of 85% of contamination by COVID – 19 between the 12 and the 13 July and called for “acting quickly” to avoid new containment measures.
In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron described the agreement reached at the Brussels summit on a recovery plan for the 26 members of the EU at “the most important moment since the creation of the euro”, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel saw it as “a response to the most great crisis of the EU since its creation ”.
The plan, which provides for a joint debt issue, a first, will mainly benefit the countries of the south, primarily Italy and Spain.
The stimulus package and the long-term budget approved by the leaders of the EU countries are still to be discussed in plenary on Thursday by the European Parliament.
Thousands of bankruptcies in Spain
This plan should allow a return to growth in all EU countries “by 2021”, according to the German Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier.
For the time being, the crisis has already forced 12% of cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels in Spain to be permanently closed, i.e. approximately 34 000 establishments, said the employers' organization representing the sector.
The pandemic also got the better of the Washington tennis tournament, which was to mark the resumption of the ATP season, and could threaten the holding of the US Open.
