US facing critical virus surge

Infections must be stemmed in two weeks, Fauci warns

Coronavirus infections are surging across large parts of the United States, the top US infectious disease expert has warned, as the death toll in Latin America passed 100,000.

The developments highlighted how far away the world remains from ending the pandemic, six months into a crisis that has claimed nearly 500,000 lives and devastated the global economy.

Even in Europe, which has been loosening travel restrictions following a brutal few months when it was the epicentre of the pandemic, there have been major setbacks.

On Tuesday, Germany reimposed lockdowns on more than 600,000 people following a cluster of infections at a slaughterhouse.

In the United States, White House adviser Anthony Fauci warned that the next two weeks would be “critical to our ability to address ... surgings” in Florida, Texas and other states.

The United States has recorded more deaths than any other nation, with nearly 800 more fatalities on Tuesday taking its toll past 121,000.

But President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been widely criticised as erratic, is determined to fast-track efforts to restore normality.

He continued to stoke controversy on Tuesday, doubling down on weekend comments that he wanted to slow testing because so many confirmed infections made the United States look bad.

“I don’t kid,” Trump said, after a White House official described his initial comments as just a joke.

With parts of the United States unable to contain the pandemic, the European Union was considering blocking US travellers as it reopened its borders to tourism, the New York Times reported.

Reflecting the sentiments of many around the world, New York food shop manager Ian Joskowitz said he was determined not to think about the dangers of the virus as he tried to keep his business running.

“If I think about it too much, I may have a problem doing this. So I put it out of my mind,” he said.

“I have an agreement with my employees. They keep coming in. I’ll continue to do everything humanly possible to keep them safe.”