South America new ‘epicenter’ as economies set to restart vital sectors
Spain said on Saturday it would let in foreign tourists and restart top league soccer in the coming weeks, accelerating Europe’s exit from strict coronavirus lockdowns, even as the disease continued its deadly surge in parts of South America.
Brazil saw its death toll pass 22,000 on Saturday with more than 347,000 infections, making it the second biggest caseload of any country in the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Some 5.26 million people have been infected globally, and 340,000 killed by the virus.
But with infection levels stabilizing across Europe, many governments were trying to move away from economically ruinous lockdowns toward lighter social distancing measures that they hope will revive moribund business and tourism sectors.
In Spain, which has enforced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns since mid-March, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the resumption of tourism – a vital sector for much of Europe – and soccer.
The US, meanwhile, still faces the world’s worst outbreak – the toll is less than 3,000 deaths away from the grim milestone of 100,000 – but US President Donald Trump has aggressively pushed to reopen the economy, defying the advice of health experts.
The US economy has shed almost 40 million jobs in 2020 and many companies, most recently car rental giant Hertz, have gone to the wall. But most states have begun easing their lockdowns and many on Saturday reopened public beaches.
As Europe and the US took clear steps toward reopening, Latin America emerged as a new viral hot spot.
“In a sense, South America has become a new epicenter for the disease,” WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said, singling out Brazil.
Many deaths in Brazil have been among younger people, who are often driven by poverty to work despite the threat of infection.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who like Trump has played down the severity of the pandemic, has faced increasing pressure amid a rising death toll, with two of his health ministers resigning within weeks.
Neighboring Peru was also struggling. The country of 32 million has registered more than 3,100 deaths.
Ecuador, however, has seen nearly that many deaths – 3,096 – in a country of just 17 million.
Tourism Minister Rosi Prado told AFP the pandemic could cost the country’s vital tourism sector $400 million a month.
The outlook was also brightening elsewhere in Europe, particularly in hard-hit tourist hubs.
Italy is due to reopen its borders to foreign tourists from June 3.
People ride bicycles past the Colosseum in central Rome, Italy on Tuesday as the country eases its lockdown after more than two months, aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Photo: AFP
