PARIS, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Here are some of the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– MORE THAN 774,000 DEATHS: The pandemic has killed at least 774,832 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year. More than 21.9 million cases have been registered.
The United States has recorded the most deaths with 170,497,
followed by Brazil with 108,536, Mexico with 57,023, India with 51,797
and Britain with 41,369.
– SEOUL SURGE: South Korea orders nightclubs, museums and buffet restaurants closed and bans large gatherings in and around the capital amid a burst of new cases, mostly linked to Protestant churches.
Authorities report 246 new infections, the fifth consecutive day of
triple-digit increases after several weeks with numbers generally in
the 30s and 40s.
– YOUNG SPREADERS: Virus cases in Asia-Pacific countries are now being driven by people under the age of 50, many of whom have mild or no COVID-19 symptoms and risk infecting the elderly and other vulnerable
populations, the World Health Organization says.
“What we are observing is not simply a resurgence. I believe it’s a
signal that we’ve entered a new phase of the pandemic in the
Asia-Pacific (region)”, the WHO’s Western Pacific regional director
Takeshi Kasai tells a virtual briefing.
– ‘PATENTLY WRONG’: New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern slaps down as “patently wrong” US President Donald Trump’s talk of an out-of-control “surge” in her country.
“Anyone who is following,” Ardern says, “will quite easily see that
New Zealand’s nine cases in a day does not compare to the United
States’ tens of thousands.”
– RUSSIA MINISTER TESTS POSITIVE: Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak has tested positive for the virus, the country’s prime minister says, making the announcement on the eve of a videoconference by the ministerial monitoring committee of OPEC and its allies in which Novak was due to take part.
– QUIET NIGHTS IN MALTA: Malta will close its bars and night clubs once again after a surge in cases in the Mediterranean island state, its health minister says, with the measure to take effect on Wednesday and will also concern sports facilities and social clubs.
– TEACHERS QUESTION RESPONSIBILITY: Head teachers in Italy, already bracing for the looming school year under new health protocols, are now demanding they not be held legally responsible for any infections in their establishments.
The National Association of Head Teachers wants the government to
specify in an upcoming decree that head teachers cannot be held liable
if they follow required directives when students or teachers are
nevertheless found to be infected.
– UNIVERSITY GOES REMOTE: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the most popular in the US, announces it will switch to entirely virtual classes for its nearly 20,000 students, after dozens test positive for
the virus in the first week back at school.
– FRENCH FOOTBALL DAMPENER: The Ligue 1 season opener for France’s top-flight football is postponed after three more people at Marseille test positive for the virus. The club’s match against Saint Etienne scheduled to take place Friday and marking the kick off for the season will now be played in September.
– NEW YORK’S MoMA RETURNS: The Museum of Modern Art in New York will reopen on August 27, the institution announces, after a five-month shutdown. Entry will be free for the first month, but face masks will be mandatory, there will be timed ticketing with staggered entry and just 25 percent occupancy.
– M&S AXES 7,000 JOBS: Marks and Spencer, the British food and clothes retailer, says it will cut around 7,000 jobs, to be implemented over the next three months. The losses will include from its central support centre, in
regional management and across its UK stores. — NNN-AGENCIES
