Europe, New York start emerging from lockdown as fresh cases hit Asia
by Peter Hutchison with Joseph Schmid in Paris and AFP bureaus
Swathes of Europe as well as New York began the long process of reopening from coronavirus lockdowns on Monday, but a resurgence of infections in China and South Korea offered a sobering reminder of the dangers of a second wave of cases.
The mixed fortunes illustrate the high-wire act governments face across the globe as they try to resuscitate shattered economies while keeping in check a pandemic that has now killed some 284,000 people and infected more than 4.1 million.
For the second straight day, the United States recorded fewer than 900 days over the past 24 hours although the toll shot past 80,000, by far the highest in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.
New York, the worst-hit US state, gave the green light to return gradually this week to normal life — but not yet in packed New York City, which will wait at least until June.
“We start a new chapter today,” Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters, adding, “It’s an exciting new phase; we’re all anxious to get back to work.”
As France and Spain embraced new freedoms and Britain also announced plans for a partial reopening, the Chinese city of Wuhan where the pandemic was born reported a second day of new cases after a month without a sign of the virus.
And South Korea announced its highest number of infections for more than a month driven by a cluster in a Seoul nightlife district.
With millions out of work and economies badly bruised, governments are desperate to hit the accelerator, but most are choosing a gradual approach as fears about a resurgence of the virus loom large.
In parts of Europe, officials have been emboldened by promising trends, with Spain’s daily fatalities falling to 123 and Italy — once Europe’s epicenter — reporting fewer than 1,000 patients in intensive care, the lowest since March 10 before the peak of its outbreak.
France has seen its daily fatalities decline for several days but reported an uptick on Monday with 263, as it began to dismantle a military field hospital set up when hospitals were being inundated. (AFP)
