Weekend Edition Newspaper BW

PEOPLE WITHOUT FACE MASKS FORCED TO SWEEP STREETS IN MADAGASCAR

New rule was announced on April 20 alongside the gradual lifting of lockdown measures in three main cities
Madagascar police have forced citizens caught outside without a coronavirus face mask to sweep pavements as punishment.

On Monday, around 500 people in Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa were penalised, police deputy head Christian Rakotobe said. Antananarivo commissioner Hector Razafindrazaka said 25 people were sentenced on the spot and forced to sweep the capital's dusty streets. Images of the embarrassed-looking offenders were widely circulated on social media. President Andry Rajoelina has made it compulsory to wear face coverings outdoors in the capital Antananarivo, as well as in the cities of Fianarantsoa and Toamasina, to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities warned that citizens leaving the house without face masks would face community service. "Seventy percent of people on the street respected the rule ... because they are scared of having to sweep pavements," the head of anti-coronavirus operations, Elak Olivier Andriakaja, said on state television. "Measures were taken before the sanctions fell into place to raise awareness and distribute mouth covers. I think that's enough and that sanctions must now be applied." To date the Indian Ocean island-nation has detected 128 cases of coronavirus. No fatalities have been recorded so far and 75 patients have recovered.

TRUMP 'NOT HAPPY WITH CHINA' AS US CORONA VIRUS DEATH TOLL SURGES

US president says Beijing could have stopped the virus from becoming a pandemic and says will conduct an investigation.

US President Donald Trump has renewed his attack on China over the spread of the coronavirus, saying Beijing could have stopped the disease before it swept the globe. He promised to conduct "serious investigations" into China's handling of the pandemic.

Trump lashed out at China as he projected that the death toll in the US from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, could reach 70,000. "We're doing very serious investigations ... We are not happy with China," Trump said during a White House news conference. "There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable." "We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly, and it wouldn't have spread all over the world." Trump's criticism was the latest from his administration to target how China's managed the coronavirus outbreak, which began late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan and grew into a pandemic. Trump had previously referred to COVID-19 as "Chinese virus", igniting a war of words with Beijing, which accused the US military of bringing the disease to Wuhan.
Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US "strongly believed" Beijing failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner and covered up the danger posed by the respiratory illness. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on social media on Monday that Pompeo should "stop playing the political game. Better save energy on saving lives." The coronavirus outbreak has killed more than 211,000 people around the world, including more than 56,000 in the US, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Earlier on Monday, White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro also accused China of sending low-quality and even counterfeit coronavirus antibody testing kits to the US and of "profiteering" from the pandemic. Navarro, an outspoken critic of Beijing whom Trump has appointed to work on supply-line issues relating to the health crisis, said more testing both for the virus and antibodies was vital to getting Americans currently in lockdown back to work. "That's where, perhaps, we can find people who are immune that can be in the workplace in a safer environment. But we can't have China, for example, bringing in those fake tests and counterfeit tests, because that's going to be very disruptive,” "There's a lot of these antibody tests coming in from China now that are low quality, false readings and things like that," he said. The US is heavily reliant on China for basic equipment and drugs.

GLOBAL HUNGER COULD DOUBLE DUE TO CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC

COVID-19 is likely to leave 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to 135 million already in the category.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to leave about 130 million more people acutely hungry this year, in addition to 135 million already in that category.

"COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread," said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the WFP. "We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don't the cost will be too high - the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods," he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva. Husain said it was critical to act quickly to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again. In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added. "These were the people we were concerned about - those who were OK before COVID and now they are not," he said, adding he was "really worried" about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets. "Acute food and livelihood crisis" is category three of five UN phases, meaning a "critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition". Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit.

The WFP expects to need $10-$12bn to fund its assistance programmes this year compared to a record $8.3bn raised last year, Husain added. It plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs. Tuesday's fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises by the WFP and other partners found that food insecurity was already on the rise last year before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis.

It found that 135 million people in 55 countries were in living in situations of acute food crises or outright humanitarian emergencies last year. The increase by more than 20 million people takes it to a record level in the four years the report has been compiled. Comparing the 50 countries in the reports this and last year, the number of people in food crisis rose by nearly 10 percent to 123 million people. The increase was due to conflicts, economic shocks and weather-related events such as drought.

In Yemen and South Sudan, scarred by years of conflict, more than half of the population face acute food shortages. South Sudan even prior to COVID-19 "there were over five million people who were facing starvation, many of them relying on food aid to survive - 1.7 million women and children acutely malnourished". "So with coronavirus in the picture, access to delivery of aid services is severely impaired due to travel restrictions," she added. "We're likely to see the numbers of those who are suffering from malnutrition and food insecurity rise in the coming months."

SOUTH KOREA'S NEW CORONA VIRUS CASES FALL TO SINGLE DIGITS

South Korea had Asia's largest number of infections outside China earlier this year

South Korea has reported eight new corona virus cases, marking the first time new infections fell to single digits since the country's outbreak worsened in mid-February.
President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday South Korea's progress gave hope that the corona virus outbreak is "surmountable" in other parts of the world. Earlier this year, South Korea had Asia's largest number of infections outside China, but it has since been overtaken by other countries. "The government will prepare for new daily lives and the new world order 'post-COVID' with the unified power of the citizens," Moon said. COVID-19 is the name of the respiratory illness caused by the new corona virus.

Of the new cases, five were imported from overseas, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Sunday. It was the first time since February 18 that South Korea reported a single-digit daily rise. The figure brings its total infections to 10,661. The death toll rose to 234. South Korea reported its first case on January 20, but the number of daily new cases stayed in the single digits through mid-February. Soon afterwards, the number of infections skyrocketed as the virus spread rapidly through a church in the southeastern city of Daegu.

The number of infections peaked on February 29, with 909 cases reported. But Seoul has largely managed to bring the outbreak under control through social distancing measures and a programme of mass testing and meticulous contact tracing.

WUHAN REVISES CORONAVIRUS DEAT H TOLL UP BY 50 PERCENT

City says 1,290 more people died than previously reported amid questions about the credibility of China's reporting.

Chengdu, China - China's central city of Wuhan, the first corona virus-hit area, has revised its official death toll upward by 50 percent, raising more questions about the accuracy of its figures. Wuhan added 1,290 fatalities to the previously reported 2,579 on Friday, bringing the total toll to 3,869 nationwide.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian acknowledged the virus's rapid spread contributed to under counting that resulted in China raising its death toll, but added "there has never been any concealment, and we'll never allow any concealment". In a statement issued by Wuhan's COVID-19 prevention and control task force, health officials explained the sharp uptick was a result of a lack of medical resources at the beginning of the outbreak, with patients dying at home and falling out of the official data, and some victims treated in a vast network of medical facilities having not been properly reported. Additionally, officials said the late and missed reporting during the mayhem of the peak of the outbreak in Wuhan in January also contributed to an under count. Laying out the efforts by the task force to track every COVID-19 death toll, the authorities said they worked to collect "full information from all epidemic-related locations", including places such as "fever clinics, hospitals, makeshift hospitals, quarantine sites, communities with COVID-19 cases", in addition to special sites such as "prisons, and detentions center’s".

Wuhan also revised its confirmed case tally to 50,333, an increase of 542 from the previous number. After the revision, the death rate among the infected in Wuhan reached 7.7 percent.

BEIJING FACES A DIPLOMATIC CRISIS AFTER REPORTS OF MISTREATMENT OF AFRICANS IN CHINA CAUSES OUTRAGE

Beijing is facing a diplomatic crisis in Africa after reports of alleged corona virus-related discrimination against African nationals in China sparked widespread anger across the continent.
African students and expatriates in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou were last week subject to forced corona virus testing and arbitrary 14-day self-quarantine, regardless of recent travel history, amid heightened fears of imported infections. Large numbers of African nationals were also left homeless, after being evicted by landlords and rejected by hotels in the city Having reportedly contained the virus within China, concerns have grown in recent weeks over a so-called second wave, brought into the country by overseas travelers.
In Africa, however, governments, media outlets and citizens reacted angrily to the apparent rise in anti-foreigner sentiment, as videos of Africans being harassed by police, sleeping on the streets or being locked into their homes under quarantine circulated online.

On Saturday, the front page of Kenya's biggest newspaper lead with the headline, "Kenyans in China: Rescue us from hell," as a member of the country's parliament called for Chinese nationals to leave Kenya immediately.

TV stations in Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria also ran stories on the alleged mistreatment.The fallout threatens to undermine China's diplomatic efforts in Africa. In recent years, African nations have become key diplomatic and trade partners to Beijing, with China's trade with Africa worth $208 billion in 2019, according to official figures from China's General Administration of Customs. In a statement released Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied China had been singling out foreigners. "We are still facing great risks of imported cases and domestic resurgence. Particularly, as the pandemic spreads all over the world, imported cases are causing mounting pressure," said Zhao. "All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination," he added.

SOUTH KOREA: MORE RECOVERED CORONA VIRUS PATIENTS TEST POSITIVE

At least 116 people cleared of the virus have tested positive again, raising questions for authorities.

At least 116 people cleared of the corona virus have tested positive again in South Korea, raising questions for health authorities trying to prevent a second wave of infections.
The number of such relapse cases more than doubled from 51 reported last week, even as officials suggested they would soon look at easing strict recommendations aimed at preventing new outbreaks. South Korea reported only 25 new cases of the coronavirus overall on Monday, continuing a weeks-long decline. To date, the country has reported a total of 10,537 cases and 217 deaths. Officials are still investigating the cause of the relapses, but Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said the virus may have been reactivated, rather than the patients being re infected.

The developments were "worrying" for officials worldwide trying to understand the virus. "Does that mean that there had been a problem in testing? Does it mean that there are many more questions about this virus that the experts simply don’t know? Could it be mutating in some form?" said McBride. "So there are questions and of course they're questions that are important not only here in South Korea but with epidemiologists the world over, who are in the thick of it as the pandemic advances," he said.

CORONA VIRUS DEATH TOLL IN FRANCE NEARS 14,400

Number of deaths increase in France but slightly fewer people were admitted into intensive care for fourth day in a row
France has reported a drop in corona virus deaths on the previous 24 hours, with the total toll from the corona virus epidemic in the country now 14,393.

There were 315 deaths in hospital over the last day, compared with 345 the day earlier. Italy's Civil Protection Agency has reported the lowest number of corona virus deaths since March 19, with 431 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours, down from 619 the previous day. In Spain, the number of fatalities rose by 619 on Sunday from a nearly three-week low of 510 on Saturday, breaking a three-day streak of daily declines and taking the country's death toll to 16,972.

Globally, more than 109,000 people have died from the new corona virus and confirmed infections topped 1.7 million

Nigeria extends corona virus lock down in key cities for two weeks

President Muhammadu Buhari says the nation's response to the COVID-19 disease is a matter of 'life and death'.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has announced a 14-day extension to a lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In a televised address on Monday, Buhari said "it has become necessary to extend the current restriction of movement" that was set to expire later in the day. Initial 14-day lock downs in the three areas began on March 30. There are currently 323 confirmed cases of the virus in Nigeria, with 71 percent of them registered in Lagos and the capital territory of Abuja. Ten people have died so far.

"It is a matter of life and death," Buhari said of the nation's response. "The repercussions of any premature end to the lock down action are unimaginable. Nigeria, with 200 million people, is Africa's most populous nation. Some 20 million reside in the mega city of Lagos. Health experts have raised alarms over the impact of a major corona virus outbreak, warning that the country's unprepared and underfunded healthcare system could quickly become overwhelmed. The extension of the lock down is expected to add to the hardship of millions of Nigerians living hand-to-mouth, often on less than one dollar a day. Buhari said he was "fully aware of the great difficulties experienced especially by those who earn a daily wage". "But despite these realities, we must not change the restrictions," he added. The government has pledged a series of support measures to ease the financial pain for the most vulnerable, but there have been widespread complaints that not enough is being done for those facing hunger.

"The vast majority of Nigerians depend on daily wages, they have to go out to get money and buy food to put it on the table for their families," . "For the next two weeks, they are going to stay at home with no work and no chance of getting money." Meanwhile, police said on Monday that they were bolstering forces in Lagos and Ogun after almost 200 suspects were arrested amid fears of a spike in crime during the lock down. Buhari said compliance with the stay-at-home order and other restrictions introduced by state governors across the country had been "generally good". But he cautioned that "a large proportion of new infections are now occurring in our communities".

corona virus deaths in its deadliest day yet

New York's Cuomo says there's 'a lot of pain', but officials are hopeful as hospitalizations drop compared to last week.

New York state recorded 731 new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, marking the biggest one-day jump in the outbreak. The state’s death toll since the beginning of the outbreak is now 5,489, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“That’s 731 people who we lost. Behind every one of those numbers is an individual. There’s a family, there’s a mother, there’s a father, there’s a sister, there’s a brother. So a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers,” Cuomo said at a briefing at the state Capitol. The coronavirus has again made New York City ground zero in a national tragedy and the centre of a crisis that is reshaping Americans’ lives, liberties and fears.
At least 3,202 people have died as a result of the virus in New York City alone, according to a new count released by city health officials on Tuesday. The September 11, 2001, attacks "transformed society ... You had a sense of vulnerability that you never had before, which I feel to this day,” Cuomo said during a coronavirus briefing last month. “There was a trauma to 9/11. But as a society, as a country, we have been blessed in that we have not gone through something as disruptive as this” The coronavirus death toll has mounted in just a few weeks. New York City recorded its first on March 13, less than two weeks after confirming its first infection.

But in an encouraging sign, Cuomo reported on Tuesday that the average number of people newly hospitalized each day dropped over the past three days. Cuomo said the latest death tally reflects critically ill people hospitalized before this week, calling it a “lagging indicator”. State and city officials are cautiously optimistic the surge is beginning to level off. Across the United States, the death toll reached about 11,000, with around 370,000 confirmed infections.

China reports no new corona virus deaths for first time

Cases in mainland China have been dwindling since March, but it faces a second wave of infections from overseas.

China reported no new deaths from the corona virus on Tuesday, for the first time since authorities began publishing figures in January.

Cases in mainland China have been dwindling since March, but the country faces a second wave of infections brought in from overseas, with health officials reporting nearly 1,000 imported cases in total. The National Health Commission said there were 32 new cases nationwide at the end of Monday, all of which were imported.

There were also 30 new asymptomatic infections, health officials said, bringing the national total to 1,033. About a quarter of the current total of asymptomatic cases were also imported from overseas. With mainland China well past the peak of infections in February, authorities have turned their attention to imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who show no symptoms but can still pass on the virus. China closed its borders to foreigners as the virus spread globally, although most imported cases have involved Chinese nationals returning from overseas. International flights have been reduced to about 3,000 a day in April from the tens of thousands previously. It also started testing all international arrivals for the virus this month.

Wuhan, capital of central Hubei province where the infection first emerged late last year, has reported only two new confirmed cases in the past 14 days. It is due to allow people to leave the city on Wednesday for the first time since it was locked down on January 23 to curb the spread of the virus. The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stood at 81,740 as of Monday, while 3,331 people have died, according to the authority

Pep Guardiola's mother dies after contracting coronavirus

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's mother, Dolors Sala Carrio, has died aged 82 in Barcelona after contracting coronavirus.

"Everyone associated with the club sends their most heartfelt sympathy at this most distressing time to Pep, his family and all their friends," said Manchester City on social media. Monday's increase of 637 coronavirus deaths means 13,055 have died in Spain. Last month, Guardiola donated 1m euros (£920,000) to help fight the outbreak. The money will be used to purchase medical equipment and protective material for staff involved in treating those admitted to hospital.

Barcelona is in Catalonia, which is one of the areas in Spain with the most concentrated number of cases. Manchester United posted on social media to say the club was "saddened to hear this terrible news", adding: "We send our heartfelt condolences to Pep and his family." Spaniard Guardiola, 49 , has been in charge of Manchester City since July 2016 after spells as manager of Barcelona and Bayern Munich
La Liga side Barcelona posted on Twitter: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dolors Sala during this difficult time, and we would like to express our most heartfelt condolences, especially to Pep Guardiola, his family and his friends."