Second wave? WHO warns 1st not over
SURGING CASES Although hopes for quick economic rebound look bleak, NYSE resumes floor trading after two months
As South America and South Asia struggle with surging coronavirus cases, a top global health expert is warning that the world is still in the very middle of the outbreak, dampening hopes for a speedy global economic rebound and renewed international travel.
“Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally,” said Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) executive director. “We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up,” Ryan said, pointing to South America and South Asia.in South America and South Asia, the virus has taken hold in some of the poorest, most densely populated areas.
In Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the postponed military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in the World War II will take place on June 24.
Putin also said the country has passed the peak of the outbreak. Russia reported a record one-day spike on Tuesday of 174 deaths.
The Spanish government on Tuesday declared a 10-day mourning period to pay tribute to nearly 27,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus. Starting Wednesday until June
Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally… We’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up. We need to be also cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time.
5, flags will be at half-mast in more than 14,000 public buildings across the nation as well as on the navy’s vessels, the government announced.
The Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia struck a deal to open their borders for 48 hours of travel without quarantines among their citizens starting Wednesday.
Germany plans to ease social distancing steps from June 29, a week earlier than previously planned, and aims to lift a travel warning for 31 European countries from mid-june.
Indonesia said it will deploy 340,000 security forces in 25 cities to enforce health rules as the world’s fourth most populous nation prepares to reopen shopping centers and other businesses in Jakarta on June 4.
South Korea began requiring people to wear masks on public transit and in taxis.
The country is tracing dozens of infections linked to nightclubs and other venues as it prepares for 2.4 million students to return to school on Wednesday.
WALL STREET STOCKS SURGE AS NYSE OPENS Wall Street stocks surged early on Tuesday on optimism about coronavirus vaccines as the New York Stock Exchange resumed physical floor trading for the first time since late March.
About 30 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2.4% at 25,038.94. The broad-based S&P 500 gained 1.7% to 3,007.76, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 1.2% to 9,434.99.
The gains came after New
York Governor Andrew Cuomo, wearing a mask, rang the opening bell to signal the start of the day for traders, also clad in masks and separated by plexiglas. Only about 80 traders, primarily from smaller companies, will be permitted for the first round of the NYSE relaunch. The NYSE, which closed on March 23 as coronavirus cases were soaring in New York, is ramping up slowly with only a fraction of the normal trading staff.
Traders are required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken and must respect social distancing rules.