Coronavirus cases surge in Europe and Latin America

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BERLIN, Oct 10, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Germany and Poland enforced new
restrictions to fight the coronavirus Saturday, as the number of cases
surged in Europe and breached 10 million in Latin America and the
Caribbean.

Bars and restaurants are to close at 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) in Berlin
until October 31 in a partial curfew, a measure already imposed — but
starting an hour earlier — in the financial capital Frankfurt.

With more than 400 new cases daily in Berlin, the shutdown of the
German capital’s legendary nightlife also covers all shops except
pharmacies and petrol stations, although they will be banned from
selling alcohol.

“This is not the time to party,” said Berlin mayor Michael Muller.
“We can and we want to prevent another more severe confinement.”

Police said “several thousand” people marched through Berlin on
Saturday in a silent protest against restrictions. Protesters also
rallied in Rome, Warsaw and London against mask-wearing requirements
and virus curbs.

Governments across the globe are struggling to keep up with a sharp
rise in infections and manage growing public frustration over a new
restrictions as the pandemic enters a second wave.

Since it emerged in China late last year, the virus has killed more
than one million worldwide, infected nearly 37 million and forced
millions more out of work as the pandemic batters the global economy.

Latin America and the Caribbean marked 10 million cases Saturday
and with more than 360,000 deaths, the region is the worst hit in
terms of fatalities, according to official figures.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel had already warned Friday that
high-infection areas would be given 10 days to bring down cases or
face tougher action, calling big cities the “arena” to keep the
pandemic under control.

In neighbouring Poland, authorities told people to wear face masks
in all public spaces after coronavirus cases hit a new record daily
high of 4,280.

To the south, the Czech Republic faced the prospect of a new
lockdown as the growth in Covid-19 cases set a fourth straight daily
record. The number of 8,618 was the fastest spike in Europe.

– Anti-mask protests –

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel was the latest high-profile figure
to test positive for Covid-19. She announced the news on Saturday, the
first top Brussels official known to have caught the coronavirus.

British cyclist Simon Yates pulled out of the Giro d’Italia after
he tested positive.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself spent time in
hospital for the virus, is to outline a new three-tier lockdown system
on Monday.

But as with the Berlin march, new restrictions have often run into
opposition as public frustration grows over curbs on social life, mask
requirements and business shutdowns.

Local leaders bristled at London’s plans, with Manchester mayor
Andy Burnham saying “We will not surrender our residents to hardship
this Christmas or our businesses to failure”.

In Rome, hundreds of people gathered for two separate marches
against mask-wearing orders, one organised by a far-right group, the
other bringing together conspiracy theorists, “anti-vaxxers” and other
protesters.

“Of course there is a virus, but from a political and philosophical
point of view, they are just exaggerating,” Giulio Lessi, a Rome
protester, said of the government measures.

Spain’s government also faces increasing public resistance to
anti-virus measures after declaring a state of emergency and a new
partial lockdown for Madrid on Friday.

People were barred from leaving the city except for work, school or
medical reasons, measures denounced by the city’s right-wing
authorities.

Defiance in Madrid echoes problems the French government faced last
month when it shut bars and restaurants in Marseille, provoking the
fury of local officials.

Partial shutdowns have since been extended to Paris and other major
urban areas, and another four French cities were placed on maximum
coronavirus alert Thursday, with bars ordered closed and public
gatherings limited.

– Trump ‘safe return’ –

US President Donald Trump was to give a public speech at the White
House Saturday for the first time since he tested positive for
Covid-19. He also announced plans to hold a rally in Florida on
Monday, despite receiving treatment all week for coronavirus.

Trump’s doctor issued a statement saying he was fit for a “safe
return to public engagement” from Saturday.

But there is widespread scepticism about the president’s health,
given doctors’ refusal to explain exactly when he might have been
infected and when he last had a negative test.

Media reports said the White House was preparing a $1.8 trillion
economic rescue plan, but with political divisions firmly entrenched
ahead of the November presidential election, it faces major
roadblocks.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday wished coronavirus
sufferers around the world good health at a military parade that
defied the pandemic while claiming his country was free of the virus.

Pyongyang closed its borders in January to try to protect itself
from the disease and regularly said it had no cases.

In a rare display of normality on Sunday, New Zealand and Australia
are to play the first rugby Test since the pandemic began, in front of
a packed, largely mask-free crowd in Wellington.