US registers millionth case as pandemic lockdowns ease
by Ben Sheppard with AFP bureaus
The United States on Tuesday recorded its one-millionth coronavirus case as countries including Spain, Russia and Nigeria took tentative steps back towards normal life by preparing to reopen some businesses.
Excitement over partial easing of the lockdowns affecting more than half of humanity has been tempered by fear of new outbreaks and growing evidence of the economic devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US — where millions of jobs have gone — reached another grim milestone as it registered 58,351 deaths, a larger loss of life than recorded by the US military in the Vietnam War.
The overall US case load rose to 1,011,877 in a public health disaster that could threaten President Donald Trump’s re-election chances.
But some countries have reported falling infection numbers, and governments have begun to chart their way out of the shutdowns.
France said Tuesday that shops, markets and selected schools could reopen next month, with face masks required on public transport and work-from-home orders staying in place for several more weeks.
Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe admitted even a gradual return to normal life was “risky.”
Spain said restrictions would be slowly lifted over the next two months, while Italians will be able to exercise outdoors and visit relatives from next week — but only if they wear masks and refrain from hugs and handshakes.
Italy, Spain and France have been the worst affected countries in Europe, with each reporting more than 23,000 deaths.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin warned that the peak of coronavirus infections still lay ahead, saying “the situation remains very difficult.”
But he nonetheless said lockdown measures could be eased from next month.
Data on infection rates has shown mixed results in Germany, which is being closely watched after allowing some shops to reopen last week.
“We all need to take care that we don’t end up with more infections,” said Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute for disease control. (AFP)
