Barcelona (AFP)
Almost four million Barcelonians are called to "stay at home" to stem the pandemic, while EU leaders resume their discussions on Saturday to try to reach a compromise on a plan for massive economic recovery, blocked by some states.
The finance ministers and the heads of the central banks of the industrialized countries of the G20 will also discuss for their part on Saturday the means to restart the world economy, weighed down by the health crisis.
The Covid-19, which has killed at least 590,000 people worldwide, continues to spread or resume in very many countries, especially on the Old Continent where several states have taken targeted measures to try to avoid a second wave. Across the Atlantic, for the third consecutive day, the United States recorded a daily record of new cases: more than 77,600.
The authorities have also announced the closure of cinemas, theaters and nightclubs, a ban on meetings of more than ten people and visits to retirement homes, the limitation of seating capacity to 50% in bars and restaurants .
The Spanish authorities have been monitoring for more than 120 active households for several days, in particular in Catalonia (northeast).
- "Save the summit" -
To try to overcome the economic crisis caused by the virus, European leaders resume their difficult negotiations in Brussels on Saturday, started the day before, on a massive recovery plan.
The goal of this summit, with a very uncertain outcome and which could extend until Sunday, is to find an agreement on a post-coronavirus aid project of 750 billion euros, financed by a joint loan. It is made up of 250 billion euros in loans and - above all - 500 billion in grants, which will therefore not have to be repaid by the beneficiary states (mainly Italy and Spain).
The proposal came up against the inflexibility of the states that were followers of budgetary orthodoxy (called "frugal"), the Netherlands and Austria in the lead, who wanted to reduce the envelope of subsidies.
After more than seven hours of discussions in conclave on Friday, the "27" gathered for a dinner where the exchanges became tense because of the position deemed too hard by the Netherlands on the control of the funds which could be distributed.
"We will try to take things differently to save the summit" on Saturday, promised a diplomatic source.
If the 27 European heads of state and government, equipped with masks, found themselves in the flesh for the first time in almost five months, it is in virtual mode that the finance ministers and heads of central banks in G20 countries.
They "will discuss the global economic outlook and coordinate collective action for a strong and lasting global economic recovery," the organizers said in Riyadh.
There have been increased calls for debt relief for the poorest countries, with Amnesty International calling on the G20 to "cancel it for at least the next two years".
- Refrigerated trucks -
Around the world, nearly 14 million people have officially contracted Covid-19 and nearly 600,000 deaths have been recorded, according to a report stopped Friday evening.
The United States, the most bereaved country in the world with 139,128 deaths, recorded a new record of contamination on Friday with 77,638 new cases in 24 hours.
The other countries with the most deaths are Brazil (77,851 dead), the United Kingdom (45,119), Mexico (37,574) and Italy (35,017).
The United States has known for several weeks an outbreak of infections in the south and west. In Texas and Arizona, local authorities have ordered refrigerated trucks to increase the carrying capacity of morgues.
The resurgence of the pandemic represents "the main risk" for the American economy which recorded a historic contraction of 37% in the second quarter, warned the IMF on Friday.
In reverse of this alarming information, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has traced the prospect of an end to containment for his country, the hardest hit in Europe, saying he hoped for a "return to normal as soon as possible from November, maybe in time for Christmas. "
At the same time, in Argentina, the government announced, despite a high rate of contamination, the relaxation of confinement in the capital Buenos Aires, where the tourist district of La Boca, famous for its colorful houses and its stadium, animated in normal time by tango dancers on the sidewalks, is "dead" after four months of confinement.
The virus is also continuing its ravages in Central America, where hospitals are on the verge of collapse and protests from caregivers are multiplying: "I am a doctor, not a martyr" proclaim, in front of the largest hospital in Panama, signs brandished by exhausted doctors.
burx-CHZ / sl / am / ybl
© 2020 AFP