Brazil reels with 30k Covid-19 deaths; Italy reopens for tourists
RIODEJANEIRO/ROME: Brazil surpassed 30,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak as the disease continued to rip through Latin America, while Italy - at one point the hardesthit country - prepared to reopen its borders in time for the European summer.
After chalking up devastating human losses in Europe, the virus has now taken a firm grip in Latin America, where
Brazil surpassed a chilling landmark late on Tuesday. Its latest death toll of 31,199 is the fourth-highest in the world, after the US, Britain and Italy.
The figures come as some Brazilian states began to emerge from weeks of economically-stifling quarantines despite warnings from the WHO and epidemiologists it is too much, too soon.
Yet, surfers and swimmers streamed back to the beach in Rio de Janeiro as the city started easing lockdown measures, allowing the reopening of places of worship and water sports.
In Europe, most countries have flattened their initial infection curves and are gradually easing out of confinement as they try to curb the economic fallout of the shutdowns. Italy reopened its borders to travellers from Europe on Wednesday, three months after going into lockdown, with hopes for economic revival pinned on reigniting its tourism industry.
But there were fears many foreign tourists will be put off visiting a country where 33,000 people died of the disease.
In a symbolic victory in the French capital, Parisians reclaimed beloved cafe terraces that were allowed to sprawl across pavements to accommodate social distancing measures.
Schools, swimming pools, pubs and tourist sites are steadily reopening across the continent to ease the economic pain.