Slovakia is testing its entire population over the age of 10, the head of the WHO is in self-isolation, oil prices are falling again, and lockdowns are happening all over Europe. Read more about the development of the Covid-19 pandemic situation worldwide in our overview.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected with Covid-19 worldwide exceeds 46.6 million and the number of deaths is 1.2 million. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus went into self-isolation after it was revealed that one of his recent contacts tested positive for Covid-19. Ghebreyesus said that he himself had no symptoms, but that he was obliged to act in accordance with WHO protocols.
Global oil prices have hit a five-month low as more countries impose strict restrictive measures. Trading on Asian exchanges opened Monday with a significant drop in the price of Brent crude oil, which is now trading at $35.7 per barrel – the lowest level since May. Since the beginning of the year, Brent has fallen by 45%. Analysts explain that new shutdowns will inevitably lead to an economic slowdown and, as a result, a decrease in demand for oil. In the past two weeks, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the UK have introduced partial or complete shutdowns. The upcoming U.S. election is also influencing the market.
Residents of Slovakia stand in line for testing and observe social distancing. The mass testing of all citizens over the age of 10 has begun in Slovakia. A total of 4 million people will be tested over the course of two weeks. According to the authorities, this is the only way to avoid a nationwide lockdown, given the sharp deterioration in the epidemiological situation in the country.
Funeral parlors across Spain have gone on strike to demand an increase in staff due to a sharp rise in COVID-19 deaths. The unions claim that burials could soon be delayed, as they were at the beginning of the epidemic in the country. According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected in Spain has exceeded 1.1 million, with 35,800 deaths.
Restaurants and bars in Germany will bear the brunt of the new closure. In Germany, a lighter lockdown has been in place for a month, with restrictions mainly affecting the sports, entertainment, and restaurant sectors. Food establishments will continue to offer take-out only. Outdoor gatherings are allowed in groups of up to 10 people, who must be members of only two households. Small businesses can expect compensation from the state for financial losses. Schools, shops and offices will continue to operate as usual.
Belgium, one of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, has also introduced strict restrictions. As in France, there is a night curfew and non-essential businesses are closed. With a population of 11.5 million people, the death toll from Covid-19 in the country exceeded 11 thousand. Over the past week, the daily statistics of new cases averaged 15.8 thousand. Hospitals across the country are operating in emergency mode.
Italy’s health minister said the new outbreak in the country was “horrifying”. Italy is preparing to impose a quarantine regime, in particular restricting movement between regions. Protests against the new lockdown are taking place across the country. Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses claim that the latest restrictions are more deadly to them than the virus itself. The strongest protest sentiments are observed in the northern region of Lombardy, which became the first European epicenter of the pandemic during the first wave in the spring of this year.
England is preparing for a lockdown that will begin on Thursday and last until December 2. Last weekend, the country’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced the implementation of the measure, saying it was necessary to “save Christmas. The number of people infected in Britain has exceeded one million and is still rising. Earlier, scientists stated that the real situation turned out to be four times worse than the gloomiest predictions of epidemiologists for this fall. At the same time, the government’s scientific council, Sage, is convinced that the lockdown should have been introduced earlier – during the two-week fall break, which has just ended.
In the UK, you can see signs all over the place with a set of rules for how to behave during a pandemic. According to Professor Andrew Hayward, this would help save thousands of lives and cause less damage to the economy. According to him, the British government is once again underestimating the virus and showing an inadequate and delayed response to the situation. From Thursday, all entertainment venues, pubs, restaurants, sports halls, swimming pools and shops selling non-essential goods will be closed in England. The difference with the spring lockdown is that schools, colleges and universities will remain open. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own quarantine regulations.
The chief epidemiologist of the United States, Anthony Fauci, said in an interview with the Washington Post the day before that the U.S. must prepare for very painful consequences of the pandemic and compared the approaches of the two candidates for the White House – Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Fauci has repeatedly blamed the current administration for the dire situation in the country. The Trump team accused the scientists, led by Fauci, of playing political games ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of people infected and the number of deaths – 9.2 million and 231 thousand, respectively.
Before the pandemic, millions of tourists visited Machu Picchu in Peru every year. Peru’s main attraction, the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, has reopened to tourists after an eight-month quarantine. For the foreseeable future, however, the daily number of visitors will be limited to 675, or 30% of the usual number. Peru is one of the most affected countries in Latin America by Covid-19: 902.5 thousand infected, 34.4 thousand deaths.