Los Angeles (AFP)

The contagion of the new coronavirus is reaching record levels around the world, particularly on the American continent, where the number of cases and that of deaths continues to explode, the United States and Brazil in the lead.

The past seven days have been the worst week in terms of infections since the Covid-19 pandemic left China in late 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

"For the past week, the number of new cases has exceeded 160,000 per day," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. The previous seven days, more than 150,000 daily contaminations had been counted, according to a report established by AFP.

The current epicenter of the epidemic, the American continent lists around 2.7 million infected people out of around 10.7 million worldwide.

First world power and the most mourning country on the planet (more than 128,000 deaths), the United States reached a record level on Wednesday with more than 50,000 new infections in 24 hours.

The country is approaching a sensitive weekend, with Saturday the national holiday of July 4 - traditional occasion for family reunions and gatherings - which will take place under renewed restrictions or pause in the deconfinement, in several states, especially in California (West).

The counties at risk were invited to give up the traditional fireworks.

This return to restrictions comes at a time when the US economy created 4.8 million jobs in June - a record month-on-month - thanks to the reopening of shops, bars and restaurants, allowing unemployment to fall more than expected, a the Labor Department announced on Thursday.

The unemployment rate in the United States stands at 11.1%, better than in May (13.3%) but far from its historic pre-pandemic floor (+ 3.5% in February).

- "Global approach"

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the situation also remains worrying, especially in Brazil, where more than 1,000 deaths were again recorded in 24 hours, raising the death toll above 60,000 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Despite this, the restaurants, cafes and bars of Rio de Janeiro reopened on Thursday after three months of inactivity, a gradual "return to normal" deemed premature by the experts.

In Peru, an indigenous leader, Santiago Manuin, who defended the land rights of Amazon communities, died on Wednesday of Covid-19, according to his family.

Indigenous peoples in Latin America are particularly vulnerable, due to the weakness of their immune systems and centuries of state neglect.

Latin America could register more than 400,000 deaths in three months for lack of more stringent health measures, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The Covid-19 has already killed at least 516,300 people on the planet, according to an AFP count Thursday.

As the summer season begins, many countries are trying to limit an already considerable shortfall in tourism and the sectors that depend on it, already estimated at potentially between $ 1.2 trillion and $ 3.3 trillion, by the UN.

The EU, where the epidemic is marking time despite the persistence of foci of contamination, thus reopened its borders on Wednesday. It authorized flights from 14 countries from all continents, as well as from China subject to reciprocity, which is currently not the case.

But Hungary, a member country, said Thursday that it does not intend, for health reasons, to reopen its borders for the moment to countries outside the EU.

- SMEs in danger -

Outside the EU, Serbian authorities tightened restrictive measures on Thursday, faced with a renewed case of Covid-19, and reopened hospitals in Belgrade entirely dedicated to the sick.

In the rest of the world, other countries heavily dependent on tourism, are also trying to save the season. Despite more than 1,000 infections daily since the end of May, Egypt reopened the famous pyramids of the Giza plateau on Wednesday.

Many other economic sectors have been affected. The IMF forecasts a slower than expected recovery and a global recession of 4.9% in 2020.

Backbone of economies, small and medium businesses are among the hardest hit and, despite the billions of dollars raised by governments to help them hold on, are struggling to survive.

In Africa, in Chad in particular, traders, employees, but also the poorest plunged into destitution, cannot count on any system of national solidarity.

Although less drastic than elsewhere, the restrictions were enough to destabilize the economy of this country, among the poorest in the region, which has been producing oil since the 2000s.

The cultural sector is also threatened. From Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton to Paul McCartney, Depeche Mode or Iron Maiden, 1,500 artists or personalities from the British music world on Thursday called on the government to urgently save the concert industry, deprived of the public.

In the sports arenas, the return of the public is not without a hitch: the final of the Danish Cup was interrupted for nearly a quarter of an hour Wednesday evening, supporters refusing to respect the rules of distancing imposed in the stadium.

burs-ayv / cr / lb

© 2020 AFP