PARIS, April 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments
in the coronavirus crisis:
– More than 500,000 cases in US –
The United States tops half a million reported infections on
Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
It also becomes the first country in the world to register more
than 2,000 deaths from the virus in a single day, bringing its total
death toll to more than 18,000.
– Mass graves –
Unclaimed victims are being buried in unmarked mass graves on Hart
Island in New York, officials confirm.
Authorities have used the site for more than 150 years to bury
unclaimed bodies, unidentified people and residents whose families
could not afford a private burial.
The New York Times reports that around 25 people are being buried
there a day. Before the outbreak it was 25 a week.
– Toll tops 103,000 worldwide –
Some 103,000 people have died worldwide from the coronavirus in 193
countries and territories, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT
Saturday based on official sources.
There have been more than 1,700,770 reported infections.
Italy has had the highest death toll with 18,849, followed by the
US, Spain with 16,353, France with 13,197 and Britain with 8,958.
Spain registers a fall in its daily death toll for a third
consecutive day with 510 people dying in the last 24 hours.
– Confinement goes on –
The World Health Organization warns that prematurely lifting
lockdown restrictions could spark a dangerous resurgence of the
disease.
Turkey orders citizens to stay home for 48 hours across 31 cities
including Istanbul and Ankara, starting midnight Friday.
– Easter on screen –
Celebrations for Easter weekend around the world kick off as
billions of people are stuck indoors, traditional ceremonies are
cancelled and churches lie empty.
Pope Francis will livestream his Easter message from the seclusion
of his private library.
– Flights postponed –
Latin America’s biggest airline, the Brazilian-Chilean group LATAM,
announces it is suspending all international flights until May.
– First case in war-torn Yemen – Yemen reports its first case, in a
southern government-controlled province, raising fears of an outbreak
in the war-torn country.
– Apple and Google join forces –
Google and Apple announce they have teamed up for a joint
initiative to develop a coronavirus smartphone “contact tracing” tool
that could potentially alert people when they have crossed paths with
an infected person.