Brasilia,
BRAZIL
Confirmed
coronavirus cases in Latin America have surged past one million, while hard-hit
Britain and Russia eased lockdowns Monday, despite not having their outbreaks
fully under control.
Relatives carry the coffin of a suspected COVID-19 victim in the outskirts of Lima, Peru
Governments around the world are moving to ease
restrictions that have wrecked their economies, even as the number of cases
tops 6.1 million and virus deaths exceed 371,000.
With more than half a million known infections,
Brazil now has the second-highest caseload in the world, but its anti-lockdown
President Jair Bolsonaro again defied social distancing recommendations on
Sunday.
Wearing no face mask, the far-right leader met
a tightly packed group of supporters in the capital Brasilia as the crowd chanted
"Myth! Myth! Myth!" -- echoing his dismissal of the virus threat.
Bolsonaro has been a staunch opponent of
lockdowns as a tool for containing the coronavirus, saying they are unnecessary
and harmful to the economy, but he has faced intense criticism from worried
state authorities and angry citizens.
Despite his skepticism, the virus rages on in
Brazil and other parts of South America, with the situation in Chile, Bolivia
and Peru also worsening.
While South America and parts of Africa and
Asia have only just started to feel the full force of the pandemic, hard-hit
European countries have cautiously begun easing lockdowns as they seek a return
to some form of normality.
But experts have cautioned that moving too fast
could spell disaster, with no vaccine or effective treatment yet for COVID-19.
In Britain, where schools were set to partially
re-open on Monday, some senior government advisers warned things were happening
too rapidly.
"COVID-19 spreading too fast to lift
lockdown in England," tweeted Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government's
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
Hard-hit Russia, which saw an explosion of
infections in recent weeks, was also set to re-open shopping malls and parks in
Moscow, despite the still-high number of cases.
While Muscovites welcomed the opportunity after
weeks of being cooped up at home, many ridiculed Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin's
"experiment" aimed at regulating people's walks and exercise based on
their home address.
Popular comedian Maxim Galkin even released a
sketch about President Vladimir Putin and Sobyanin discussing a "breathing
schedule" for the capital's residents.
The pandemic has devastated the global economy,
which is facing its worst downturn since the Great Depression, and with
businesses and citizens growing tired of confinement, there is pressure on many
leaders to press on with reopenings -- especially in nations where outbreaks
appear to be slowing.
In the United States -- the worst-affected
nation in the world -- Washington and Los Angeles resumed outdoor dining, while
New York City is on track to begin re-opening from June 8.
In France, parks in Paris opened on the weekend
for the first time in months, ahead of restaurants, cafes and bars being
allowed to serve on sidewalks and terraces on Tuesday.
Hard-hit Russia, which saw an explosion of infections in recent weeks, was also set to re-open shopping malls and parks in Moscow, despite the still-high number of cases
But health experts have continued to warn of
the possibility of a second wave of infections if authorities and citizens let
their guard down, especially if they risk large gatherings of people like
concerts, festivals and religious services.
With the outbreak in Italy slowing, Pope
Francis made his first address to the faithful in Saint Peter's square in
nearly three months.
In Saudi Arabia, mask-clad worshippers thronged
mosques that opened nationwide -- except in the holy city of Mecca.
"I prayed, praise be to God, in the
neighborhood mosque... and it was a beautiful feeling," said one
worshipper, though he was concerned about others not taking necessary precautions.
"I swear to God that some people do not
care about anything. No face mask. No rug."
Asia was the first continent hit by the virus
after it emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, and
neighboring countries saw their economies hammered by the outbreak --
especially the aviation and tourism sectors.
Some Asian countries have started on a
tentative path to recovery, such as Thailand, which relies heavily on tourist
spending. The kingdom has now re-opened beaches nationwide after two months of
lockdown to try to revive tourism.
But other, much more populous nations have
moved to relax restrictions despite not entirely containing the disease.
India announced it would begin easing the
world's biggest lockdown in early June, even as it marked another record daily
rise in infections.
Neighboring Bangladesh, meanwhile, lifted its
lockdown on Sunday, with millions heading back to work in densely populated
cities, even as the country logged record spikes in new deaths and infections.
"I tried to avoid crowds when I walked to my office," banker Badrul Islam told AFP in the Bangladeshi capital. "But social distancing is impossible on Dhaka's footpaths." - AFP
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