Spring brings out crowds in US, Europe
People still wary as Russia and Pakistan report biggest one-day spikes in new infections
Gorgeous spring weather across the United States and Europe has drawn people cooped up inside for weeks outside to soak in the sun, even as additional coronavirus hot spots in Russia and Pakistan emerged.
Though grateful to be outdoors, people were still wary — masks were worn everywhere, even on southern US beaches and by some joggers in Spain. Spaniards filled the streets to exercise outside for the first time in seven weeks and German children rushed to playgrounds as countries in Western Europe gradually relaxed coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
And while people ventured out in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo pushed back against what he called premature demands that he reopen the state, saying he knew people were struggling without jobs but that more understanding of the new coronavirus was needed.
As governors in about half of the US partially reopen their economies over the weekend, Cuomo said he needed much more information on what the pandemic was doing in his state, the hardest hit by the disease, before he loosened restrictions.
A New York City farmer’s market enforced the familiar 2m of space between people waiting to buy spring flowers. Mothers in Central Park reminded their kids to give people space. And small groups of picnickers kept their safe distances, while joggers moved past each other without a glance.
Retired New York attorney Stan Neustadter pulled down his mask to say it was important to his spirit to get out. “Why live like a rabbit? Plus I’m approaching 78, I’ve had a great run,” Neustadter said.
Police and park officials were spread out across New York City, which sent out 1000 officers to enforce social distancing on the warmest day since mid-March. But they were more likely to break up large groups, leaving the nuisances of social distancing and hanging out safely outside to New Yorkers themselves.
“Go for a walk, but respect the social distancing and wear a mask,” Cuomo said.
With gigs drying up at clubs and concert halls, German native Julia Banholzer, a saxophonist, said she has taken to playing al fresco in Central Park for whoever happened by. On Saturday that was a steady stream of folks, most wearing masks, who left tips for her trio as they worked their way through a set of jazz standards. “It’s great to have an audience after all these weeks.” she said. “All my dates have been cancelled through September, and I don’t know if any will come back this year. New York is a tough place, but this is just another tough period we need to get through.”
Meanwhile, fighter jets from the US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds drew people outside as they flew over Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington in honour of healthcare workers. In Atlanta, motorists stopped on a major highway while other people found open places to look to the sky on rooftops or a cemetery.
Elsewhere in the world, the pandemic’s danger was still evident. Russia and Pakistan reported their biggest one-day spikes in new infections.
Overall, Russia has reported around 125,000 cases and more than
1200 deaths. True numbers are believed to be much higher because not everyone is tested. In the far northeast, 3000 of 10,000 workers at a vast natural gas field tested positive, Russian news agencies reported.
Moscow’s mayor said last week that officials were considering establishing temporary hospitals at sports complexes and shopping malls to deal with the influx of patients. Infection cases have reached the highest levels of government, with both the Prime Minister and the Construction Minister contracting the virus.
Pakistan appears to be joining Russia with rapidly increasing case counts. On Saturday, Pakistan announced nearly 1300 new cases, raising the total in the country of 220 million people to about 18,000.
Newspaper photos showed large numbers of the faithful at Pakistani mosques and only some practising social distancing. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Government said it might ease controls, but doctors have pleaded for stricter lockdowns, warning an explosion of infections would overwhelm hospitals with only 3000 intensive-care beds nationwide.
The virus has killed more than 238,000 people worldwide, including more than 65,000 in the US and more than 24,000 each in Italy, Britain, France and Spain, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Health experts warn a second wave of infections could hit unless testing is expanded dramatically.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and those with health problems, it can cause severe illness such as pneumonia, or death.
There are economic factors to consider as well. In some areas of the US, reopening is being urged to ease the shutdown of businesses that plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s and wiped out millions of jobs.
It has created a patchwork of rules across the 50 states. In South Carolina, where about 20 per cent of the state’s revenue comes from tourism, beach hotels were allowed to reopen at the weekend. Webcams showed dozens of people on the beach yesterday, but pools still closed.
Some US states have yet to start the reopening process.
Business owners have also been left wondering if customers will return. On a postcard-perfect spring day, Detroit’s Eastern Market had far fewer customers and vendors than normal at the farmer’s market.
Jill and Mark Thomas said they felt safe selling bottles of homemade wine from their Unwined Winery, but it wasn’t the same in the Covid19 world.
“It’s easier when you can get samples to people,” said Jill Thomas. “We’re not allowed to do that now.”
France, however, is looking to extend the health emergency it put in place to fight the coronavirus crisis until July 24.
Health Minister Olivier Veran said that the extension of the measures that began March 24 was required to prevent a new flare-up of infections.
The proposal, which will be put to the French Parliament this week and is expected to pass, is centred on the notion that a “premature” relaxing of the state of emergency “could see a risk of the outbreak” increasing.
France is among countries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, having recorded some 24,594 deaths and 167,346 confirmed cases so far.
In Spain, where Covid-19 has caused more than 25,100 deaths, people ventured out for the first time since a March 14 lockdown.
“I feel good, but tired. You sure notice that it has been a month and I am not in shape,” 36-year-old Cristina Palomeque said in Barcelona. “Some people think it may be too early, as I do, but it is also important to do exercise for health reasons.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spaniards deserved relief but he asked citizens to remain vigilant.
“Until we have a vaccine, we are going to see more outbreaks,” Sanchez said. “What we need to guarantee is that these outbreaks do not put our national health system in danger.”
In war-torn Yemen, health authorities said there were three new coronavirus cases in the southern city of Aden and the western city of Taiz, bringing the total number of cases to 10 with two deaths. The announcement came as the United Nations health agency warned of the invisible outbreak of the virus, saying that it’s “actively circulating throughout the country”. The agency said testing and resources to detect the virus were “grossly insufficient”.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed that “contingency plans” were made while he was seriously ill in hospital with coronavirus. In an interview with the Sun on Sunday, he said he was given “litres and litres of oxygen” to keep him alive.