Record: One million
South Africa counts highest number of coronavirus cases for region
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa has become the first African nation to record one million coronavirus cases, according to new data published by the country’s health ministry yesterday.
Currently suffering a second wave of infections, of which the majority are a new variant of the novel coronavirus, South Africa is the hardest-hit country on the African continent, with 1,004,413 infections and 26,735 deaths, the data showed.
As of 1900 GMT, a total 2,658,646 cases were recorded in Africa and 62,649 fatalities, according to an AFP tally.
Last week, South Africa recorded a daily average of 11,700 new infections, up 39 per cent over the previous week.
For three consecutive days, from Wednesday until Friday, the daily number of new cases topped 14,000, but dropped sharply again on Saturday and yesterday.
Authorities are considering reimposing restrictions to rein in the spread of the virus, and President Cyril Ramaphosa could give a television address later this week.
Morocco is the second hardest-hit African country, with 432,079 cases and 7,240 deaths, followed by Egypt with 131,315 cases and 7,352 fatalities, Tunisia with 130,230 infections and 4,426 deaths, and Ethiopia with 122,413 and 1,901 respectively.
Africa has not been as hard hit by the coronavirus as other regions, such as Europe with more than 25 million infections, the United States with 19.5 million, Latin America and the Caribbean with 15 million, Asia with 13.7 million and the Middle East with close to four million.
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Millions of Americans struggling through the pandemic faced the loss of unemployment benefits yesterday as President Donald Trump kept up his refusal to sign a massive COVID-19 relief Bill passed by Congress.
The delay also threatened to provoke a government shutdown by tomorrow since the relief package is part of a larger spending Bill, though lawmakers could approve another temporary extension to keep the government open.
Two federal unemployment benefit programmes approved in March as part of an initial COVID-19 relief plan expired at midnight on Saturday, cutting off an estimated 12 million Americans, according to The Century Foundation think tank.
The Us$900-billion relief package approved overwhelmingly by Congress on Monday, following months of negotiation, would extend those benefits as well as others set to expire in the days ahead.
But the day after the Bill was approved, Trump dashed whatever hopes lawmakers’ long-delayed efforts produced, calling the Bill a “disgrace” in a video posted to Twitter and signalling he would not sign it.
He pushed for US$600 direct payments to US taxpayers spelled out in the Bill to be more than tripled and argued the legislation included too much excess spending on unrelated programmes.
He did not say why he waited until the Bill was already approved to make his views known.
From his Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-lago resort in Florida, Trump, on Saturday, reiterated his concerns in a Twitter post.
President-elect Joe Biden, due to be sworn in January 20 after beating Trump in November’s election, meanwhile warned of “devastating consequences” on Saturday if the incumbent continued his refusal.
Trump had not commented yesterday, and some Republicans were urging him to change course, noting the Bill was the result of painstaking compromise.
“I understand he wants
Democrats in Congress, on Thursday, sought to approve a measure to increase the direct payments in line with what Trump wants, but Republicans blocked it
to be remembered for advocating for big cheques, but the danger is he’ll be remembered for chaos and misery and erratic behavior if he allows this to expire,” Republican Senator Pat Toomey said on Fox News on Sunday.
Trump has not explicitly said whether he will veto the Bill.
Congress could in theory override his veto, though it is unclear whether Republicans would choose to defy him to that degree.
Another option would be for Trump to simply do nothing, resulting in a “pocket veto” since Congress’s current session is due to end and a new one will begin on January 3.
Democrats in Congress, on Thursday, sought to approve a measure to increase the direct payments in line with what Trump wants, but Republicans blocked it.
It was seen largely as a theatrical move designed to expose the rift between Republicans and the outgoing president with little hope of passage.
Senator Bernie Sanders yesterday said, “What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel.
“Many millions of people are losing their extended unemployment benefits,” he said on ABC.
“They’re going to be evicted from their apartments because the eviction moratorium is ending.”
Sanders urged Trump to sign the Bill and said increased direct payments could be approved in the coming days.