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South Africa reimposed a national curfew on Sunday after an increase in coronavirus cases, and in Spain the Catalan authorities have reconfigured more than 200,000 people, a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over in Europe. In the United States, the most heavily affected country, the pandemic continues to flare up, and a debate is raging on the reopening of schools, defended by President Donald Trump but deemed dangerous by his opponents of the Democratic Party. Follow the situation live.
The main information to remember
- Almost 200,000 people are forced to reconfigure themselves in Catalonia
- South Africa has re-imposed a national curfew
- In France, the debate on the compulsory wearing of a mask is revived
Reconfinement in Catalonia
In Spain, for the first time since the end of the confinement declared on June 21, more than 200,000 people are being reconfigured at their homes in order to fight against a strong rebound in the cases of Covid-19. The region concerned is located around the town of Lleida, in Catalonia, about a hundred kilometers from the very touristy beaches of the Catalan coast.
"The population will have to stay at home" from midnight local time, announced Sunday the regional head of health, Alba Verges. Spain is not the only country in Europe where restrictive measures are taken: Hungary will ban Tuesday nationals of African and South American countries, most Asian countries and some European countries.
In France, the wearing of the compulsory mask in debate
If the situation remains under control in France, where the 30,000 dead mark was still crossed on Friday, several factors raise fears of a resumption of the epidemic, and in particular the relaxation of many French people. More and more voices are rising to demand that the mask be worn at least in enclosed spaces. 14 doctors have signed a forum in this direction, including Jimmy Mohamed, doctor who writes a column on Europe 1
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Prime Minister Jean Castex said Sunday that "the question of developing the wearing of a mask is under study", especially for enclosed spaces, in order to fight the epidemic of coronavirus. Asked by the press in Guyana where he is making an express visit, the head of government declared that "wearing a mask is one of the ways to prevent the spread of the epidemic". "The question of developing the use and wearing of the mask is well under study, in particular that above all would primarily concern all places, whatever they may be, closed," he added. Because "the circulation of the virus is all the more evident when the premises are closed".
In addition, virological tests to detect Covid-19 will be "systematized" in the coming days at French airports for travelers from countries classified as "red". After a crowded concert, the mayor of Nice announced the obligation to wear a mask for major events in his city, asking the state to follow his example.
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Curfew in South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa decided Sunday to reimpose a curfew in South Africa due to the escalation of daily cases of contamination. He noted that an average of 12,000 new cases had been registered every day in recent weeks. From Monday, the curfew will again be in effect in South Africa from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. local time, and family visits will be prohibited.
Cyril Ramaphosa also decided to suspend the sale of alcohol again. "As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not overload our clinics and hospitals with preventable alcohol-related injuries," the president said on television.
The restrictions imposed in March to try to stem the epidemic in this country, the most affected in Africa, were partially lifted in May. South Africa has so far registered 264,184 cases of coronavirus, of which 3,971 have been fatal.
Debate on the reopening of schools in the United States
In the United States, contaminations continue to increase rapidly, particularly in large southern states, and an official of the Ministry of Health in Washington said Sunday that a reconfiguration in these areas was not excluded.
The United States, which is by far the country most heavily affected by the pandemic, on Sunday recorded 59,747 new infections in 24 hours, according to the daily report of the Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed cases stands at 3,301,820 and the number of deaths at 135,171.
The issue of reopening schools, which depends on local authorities, has become a subject of political controversy more, four months before the presidential election which will pit Donald Trump against the Democratic candidate, former vice-president Joe Biden.
Mexico becomes fourth most bereaved country
Latin America also has very large daily reports. Mexico became the fourth country on Sunday in terms of death ahead of Italy. "There are 299,750 confirmed cases of contamination and 35,006 deaths in Mexico," Mexican health officials said on Twitter. Argentina, it, crossed the threshold of 100,000 contaminations on Sunday and has a total of 1,845 deaths. Bolivia, which has only 11 million inhabitants, is also seeing rapid progression of the disease, with 47,200 infections and 1,754 deaths. Interim Bolivian President Jeanine Añez and four ministers are infected.
The Middle East and the Middle East are relatively spared from the pandemic for the moment. Iran is the most affected country in the region with more than 12,829 deaths recorded for 257,303 cases, according to the official report on Sunday.
The pandemic has killed more than 566,000 people worldwide since the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China reported the onset of the disease in late December.