The emerging Corona virus, which has infected more than five million people in the world, is spreading with alarming speed in Latin America, especially in Brazil, where the number of deaths has crossed the threshold of 20,000, as well as in Peru, Chile and Argentina.
In the United States, where nearly 100,000 people died due to the virus, according to official figures, flags are battered from yesterday to tomorrow, in honor of the memory of the dead.
As Europe progresses slowly towards normalizing the situation, Latin America faces an accelerating spread of the epidemic, with disastrous consequences for the economy and jobs. The number of deaths in Brazil, the day before yesterday, exceeded 20 thousand, after a record high of 1188 deaths, according to data from the Ministry of Health, which confirms the acceleration of the epidemic. And Brazil, where 57% of deaths are recorded on the continent, is the country most affected by the major difference.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the number of deaths doubled in just 11 days. In the tombs of major cities, such as São Paulo, grave diggers work at a rapid pace.
And President Jair Bolsonaro's insistence on resuming work and relaunching the economy since the start of the health crisis sparked major differences with the rulers of the Brazilian states. But the president and state governors who held a video conference eased their tone and rounded their positions.
Faced with the rapid progress of the epidemic in South America, the presidents of Peru, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay held a video meeting, during which they discussed measures to be taken in the face of the epidemic.
A report of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the International Labor Organization painted a very grim picture of the consequences of the health crisis on the continent. The report, which was published yesterday in Santiago, said that the number of unemployed people will rise 11.5 million due to the epidemic in Latin America. The contraction in the region's economy this year will be 5.3%, the worst since 1930.
One after another, the countries of the region face an increase in the daily number of deaths.
In Peru, most hospitals are on the verge of collapse, the office of the "Defender of the People", which is tasked with ensuring the observance of human rights, was declared the day before yesterday.
"Health facilities suffer from a shortage in many areas, such as the crew's biosafety equipment, resuscitation beds, respirators, oxygen, examination equipment and medical materials," the authority said. And the day before yesterday, in Peru, which has a population of 32 million people, recorded about 110 thousand injuries, and more than 3100 deaths.
The nurse at the Hospital "Ipolito Unanoi" in Lima, Miguel Armas, told "AFP" that the situation "is like a horror movie, inside the hospital is like a cemetery of corpses, patients die in chairs, and in wheelchairs."
In Chile, which has 18 million people, the number of deaths increased by 29% the day before yesterday. The health minister, Jaime Manialesh, likened the health crisis to a "massive battle."
In recent days, some residents have defied the isolation to demonstrate and demand food aid, after the epidemic led to an explosion of unemployment and hunger in the poorest neighborhoods.
Argentina is also experiencing a significant increase in the number of injuries. Ninety percent of these injuries were recorded in Buenos Aires, its densely populated suburb, with a total population of 14 million.
In the United States, the death toll is close to 100,000, while the daily figures published by Johns Hopkins University remain high.
US President Donald Trump has ordered flags of the federal buildings and national monuments to be flown for three days, from Friday to Sunday, to honor the memory of the victims of the epidemic. It is likely that it will be necessary to release new funds to support the economy within weeks, after the administration of President Donald Trump and Congress moved $ 3,000 billion since last March, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said.
In the context of reviving the economy, the US states have abandoned the most stringent isolation measures.
In Europe, work is being done to gradually reduce these measures, as happened in France, Italy and Spain.
The Italians cautiously move out of strict quarantine measures, enjoying a little freedom and returning to a social life. On Monday, it allowed shops, cafes and restaurants to reopen. Serbia announced, yesterday, the reopening of its borders, closed since March 15.
A report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the International Labor Organization painted a very bleak picture of the consequences of the health crisis on the continent.