Warning that viral pandemic is threatening international peace
● UN told crisis could lead ‘to an increase in social unrest and violence’
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has warned that the coronavirus pandemic is threatening international peace and security as world leaders warn against relaxing social distancing rules during Easter.
Mr Guterres told the UN Security Council the pandemic could potentially lead “to an increase in social unrest and violence that would greatly undermine our ability to fight the disease”.
The council is the UN’S most powerful body and it has been silent on Covid-19 since it started circling the globe in January.
But after Thursday’s meeting the council issued its first brief press statement, saying it expressed “support for all efforts of the secretary-general concerning the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to conflict-affected countries”.
It came after world leaders and health officials warned that hard-won gains in the fight against coronavirus must not be jeopardised by relaxing social distancing over the Easter holidays.
A spike in deaths in the UK and New York and surges of reported new infections in Japan and in India’s congested cities make it clear that the battle is far from over.
“We are flattening the curve because we are rigorous about social distancing,” New York governor Andrew Cuomo said. “But it’s not a time to be complacent.”
The US has by far the most confirmed cases, with more than 430,000 people infected – three times the number of the next three countries combined.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasised that people should not travel as usual this weekend, saying: “Even short trips inside Germany, to the seaside or the mountains or relatives, can’t happen over Easter this year.”
In New Zealand, police warned people not to drive to their holiday homes over Easter or they would be risking arrest.
“It’s simple - travelling to and from different towns and cities risks spreading Covid-19, and puts lives at risk,” police said.
Lithuania is restricting public movement and imposing a lockdown on major cities during Easter to prevent the further spread of infection in the predominantly Catholic nation.
Greece also tightened restrictions ahead of next week’s Orthodox Easter celebrations, increasing police roadblocks along major routes and secondary roads, doubling fines for lockdown violations and banning travel between islands.
Swiss police are seeking to dissuade drivers from heading to the Italian-speaking Ticino region, the only part of Switzerland south of the Alps and one of the worst-hit by the pandemic. Roadblocks were being set up near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel to separate out would-be visitors.
Japan reported more than 500 new cases for the first time on Thursday, a worrying rise since it has the world’s oldest population and Covid-19 can be especially serious in the elderly.
India, whose 1.3 billion people are under lockdown until next week, has sealed off dozens of hot spots in and around New Delhi, the capital. It will supply residents with food and medicine but not allow them to leave. The number of confirmed cases exceeds 5,000, with 166 deaths.
New infections and hospital admissions have been levelling off in hard-hit Italy and Spain, which together have more than 32,000 deaths.
Italian premier Giuseppe Conte is expected to announce soon how long the country’s lockdown will continue.
Worldwide, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has climbed to nearly 1.5 million, with almost 90,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are almost certainly much higher.