South American countries at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic are choosing to reopen even as case numbers rise, ignoring the example set by Europe in which nations waited for the worst to pass.
Meanwhile in the U.S., there are concerns that widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man pinned at the neck by a white police officer, could cause new outbreaks in a nation where the virus has disproportionately affected racial minorities.
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South American countries at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic are choosing to reopen even as case numbers rise, ignoring the example set by Europe in which nations waited for the worst to pass.
Experts are concerned about what's happening in South America.
Elsewhere in the region, Bolivia’s government has authorized reopening most of the country, while Venezuela has unwound restrictions. Ecuador’s airports are resuming flights and shoppers are returning to some of Colombia’s malls.
In South Korea, new cases ticked up on Tuesday. Areas around Seoul moved to curb large gatherings and officials urged churchgoers and some health care workers to avoid crowds.
The CBO called this a “significant markdown” in GDP output as a result of the pandemic.
The report, prepared for U.S. governors, said nearly 26,000 nursing home residents have died from the virus — a number that is only partial and likely to go higher.
“This data, and anecdotal reports across the country, clearly show that nursing homes have been devastated by the virus,” wrote CDC Director Robert Redfield and CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed concern that the protests in New York City could imperil the long, hard fight to contain the pandemic in a worldwide hot spot.
And a new estimate by the Congressional Budget Office cautioned the damage to the world's largest economy could amount to nearly $16 trillion over the next decade if Congress doesn't work to mitigate the fallout.
People being chased by police run past pedestrians near Union Square, Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. (AP PhotoFrank Franklin II)
Experts are concerned about what's happening in South America.
“Clearly the situation in many South American countries is far from stable. There is a rapid increase in cases, and those systems are coming under increasing pressure,” said Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program.
His warning came as some of Brazil’s hardest-hit cities, including the jungle metropolis Manaus and coastal Rio de Janeiro, were starting to allow more activity. Brazil has reported more than 526,000 cases of the virus, second only to the 1.8 million reported by the U.S.
A man wearing mask crosses a stream at Cheonggye stream in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. (AP PhotoLee Jin-man)
Elsewhere in the region, Bolivia’s government has authorized reopening most of the country, while Venezuela has unwound restrictions. Ecuador’s airports are resuming flights and shoppers are returning to some of Colombia’s malls.
Further north in Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador kicked off the nation's return to a “new normal” Monday with his first road trip in two months as the nation began to gradually ease some of its virus restrictions.
López Obrador said he’s taking all necessary precautions — he drove the 1,000 miles from Mexico City over the weekend rather than flying — on a trip to promote construction of the Mayan Train, one of his signature infrastructure projects.
People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus visit The Great Buddha statue at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, near Tokyo Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the lift of a coronavirus state of emergency from Tokyo and four other remaining areas last week, ending the restrictions nationwide as businesses begin to reopen. (AP PhotoKoji Sasahara)
In South Korea, new cases ticked up on Tuesday. Areas around Seoul moved to curb large gatherings and officials urged churchgoers and some health care workers to avoid crowds.
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office issued a new estimate that said that over the decade ending in 2030, total GDP output could be $15.7 trillion lower than it had been projecting as recently as January. That would equal 5.3% of lost GDP over the coming decade.
After adjusting for inflation, the CBO said the lost output would total $7.9 trillion, a loss of 3% of inflation-adjusted GDP.
Cemetery workers carry the coffin of Jorge Luis Collahua, during his burial in the section of Nueva Esperanza cemetery reserved for COVID-19 cases, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2020. Collahua's family did not want to talk about whether he died of the coronavirus. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
The CBO called this a “significant markdown” in GDP output as a result of the pandemic.
“Business closures and social distancing measures are expected to curtail consumer spending, while the recent drop in energy prices is projected to severely reduce U.S. investment in the energy sector,” CBO Director Philip Swagel said in a letter.
In the U.S., at least a quarter of COVID-19 deaths were among nursing home residents, a new report said.
A relative cries over the coffin of Jorge Luis Collahua, during his burial in the section of Nueva Esperanza cemetery reserved for COVID-19 cases, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2020. Collahua's family did not want to talk about whether he died of the coronavirus. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
The report, prepared for U.S. governors, said nearly 26,000 nursing home residents have died from the virus — a number that is only partial and likely to go higher.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 60,000 cases of coronavirus illness among nursing home residents, according to a copy of a letter addressed to the governors and an accompanying chart provided to The Associated Press.
The data was based on reports received from about 80% of the nation’s 15,400 nursing homes as of May 24. But some states with high rates of nursing home deaths appeared to have low levels of response to the survey, intended as a first step toward developing policy changes.
Cemetery workers throw earth to the tomb of Jorge Luis Collahua, during his burial in the section of Nueva Esperanza cemetery reserved for COVID-19 cases, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2020. Collahua's family did not want to talk about whether he died of the coronavirus. (AP PhotoRodrigo Abd)
“This data, and anecdotal reports across the country, clearly show that nursing homes have been devastated by the virus,” wrote CDC Director Robert Redfield and CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
More than 6.2 million infections have been reported worldwide, with over 375,000 people dying, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The true death toll is believed to be significantly higher, since many died without ever being tested.
In the U.S., the protests over the May 25 death of Floyd in Minneapolis have shaken cities from New York to Los Angeles, with many of the demonstrators not wearing masks.
Neighbors help to return a giant figure of the "Santa Muerte," or Death Saint, to a home, after it was displayed in the street to celebrate the saint's monthly festival day, which drew thousands of devotees despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in Mexico City's Tepito neighborhood, Monday, June 1, 2020. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, thousands of devotees, few wearing face masks amidst the dense crowd, made the monthly pilgrimage Monday to pray or give thanks to Santa Muerte, one of several unofficial folk saints worshipped in Mexico. (AP PhotoRebecca Blackwell)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed concern that the protests in New York City could imperil the long, hard fight to contain the pandemic in a worldwide hot spot.
“You turn on the TV and you see these mass gatherings that could potentially be infecting hundreds and hundreds of people after everything that we have done,” Cuomo said. “We have to take a minute and ask ourselves: ’What are we doing here?'”
Reporters from around the world contributed to this report. Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
A man wearing a face mask uses a thermal scanner to check on the temperature of an individual before he can enter a building in Singapore Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Singapore reopened 75 percent of its economy Tuesday, as part of a three-phase controlled approach to end a virus lockdown since early April. (AP PhotoYK Chan)