San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
EU urges Trump: Keep funding WHO
The European Union on Saturday urged President Trump to rethink his decision to terminate the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization as the pandemic is far from being contained.
Trump charges Friday that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the pandemic and accused the U.N. agency of being under China’s “total control.”
The head of the EU’s executive arm urged Trump to reconsider. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the WHO needs to continue being able to lead the international response to pandemics, current and future. For this, the participation and support of all is required and very much needed.”
The U.S. is the largest source of financial support for the WHO, and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization. Trump said the U.S. would be “redirecting” the money to “other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” without providing specifics.
SOUTH KOREA
Dozens of new infections in Seoul
South Korea on Saturday reported 39 new cases of the coronavirus, most of them in the densely populated Seoul area where officials have linked scores of infections to warehouse workers. South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 11,441 cases and 269 deaths. At least 102 infections had been linked to workers at a massive warehouse operated by Coupang, a local ecommerce giant that has seen orders spike during the epidemic.
INDIA
Record singleday spike of deaths
India registered another record singleday jump of 7,964 coronavirus cases and 265 deaths, a day before the 2monthold lockdown is set to end. The Health Ministry put the total number of confirmed cases at 173,763 with 4,971 deaths. The infections include 82,369 people who have recovered. India has surpassed China both in terms of confirmed cases and deaths from the disease.
UNITED NATIONS
Peacekeepers die from COVID19
SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres announced the deaths of the first two U.N. peacekeepers from COVID19. He made the announcement at a ceremony marking the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers, saying both peacekeepers, who died Thursday and Friday, were serving in Mali. The United Nations said one was from Cambodia and the other from El Salvador. According to the U.N. peacekeeping department, there have been 137 confirmed cases of COVID19 in U.N. peacekeeping operations, with the greatest number by far — 90 cases — in Mali.
GAZA STRIP
Students returning to high schools
Students are returning to high schools in the Palestinian territories for the first time in two months for final exams. The Education Ministry said Saturday that 78,400 12thgraders are taking the exams in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Schools have been closed since March as part of
largely invisible during the pandemic.
ALASKA
All travelers must undergo virus tests
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy says travelers to Alaska will have to be tested for COVID19 before boarding a plane to the state, or submit to a 14day quarantine upon arrival.
Outofstate travelers will need to show proof of testing within 72 hours of boarding and fill out paperwork.
Palestinian efforts to contain the coronavirus. In Gaza, police and paramedics took students’ temperatures as they entered, and the students sat spaced apart in classrooms. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israelioccupied West Bank, has reported more than 380 confirmed cases of the virus, including two deaths. Authorities have reported 61 cases and one death in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. All the cases in Gaza have been detected inside quarantine facilities housing returnees from abroad.
RUSSIA
Nation reports 9,000 more cases
Russia has recorded nearly 9,000 new cases of the coronavirus, roughly consistent with the increases reported over the past two weeks. The national coronavirus task force said Saturday that 4,555 Russians have died of COVID19 and 396,575 infections have been confirmed overall. The relatively low mortality rate compared with other countries has prompted skepticism domestically and abroad. Russia has the world’s thirdlargest cases, following the U.S. and Brazil.
State judge blocks concertgoers
A Utah judge blocked a concert protesting virus restrictions this week, siding with health officials who said the event expected to attract thousands of people could worsen the pandemic. Judge Dianna Gibson decided there was a real risk of spreading the virus. The decision came after Utah marked its largest singleday increase in cases.