WHO worried Monday about too many countries facing the virus " taking the wrong direction " and warned that the return to normal was not for tomorrow, as cities continue to reconfigure and that South America is now the second most bereaved region. " Too many countries are going in the wrong direction, " said the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “ If basic principles are not followed, this pandemic can only go in one direction. It will get worse and worse, "he said. " I want to be frank with you: there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future", He launched again, the day after a record day of 230,000 new cases of coronavirus.
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• Reconfinement in Morocco and the Philippines
In Morocco, the city of Tangier (north), populated by about a million inhabitants, was to be reconfigured from Monday noon after the appearance of epidemic foci. Public transport will be suspended, cafes, shopping malls, markets and public spaces closed, and controls strengthened, so that residents leave their homes " only in cases of extreme necessity ," said the Interior Minister. .
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This is also the case in the Philippines where an estimated 250,000 Manila residents will again be confined after an outbreak.
The situation in Catalonia, in the north-east of Spain, is the subject of a showdown between the regional authorities who want to reconfigure nearly 200,000 people in their homes in the city of Lleida and surrounding municipalities, and the justice that opposes it. While the city's court " decided not to ratify " these measures " contrary to the law ", the Catalan separatist regional president, Quim Torra, said Monday that he would adopt a decree-law to impose it.
• Latin America, second most affected region
Latin America and the Caribbean on Monday became the second most affected region in the world by the pandemic, behind Europe, with more than 144,760 deaths officially recorded. It thus exceeds the balance sheets of the United States and Canada (more than 144,000 dead). Brazil is the most bereaved country in the region and alone accounts for 72,100 deaths, followed by Mexico (more than 35,000 deaths).
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In Colombia, containment is reinforced from Monday in Bogota, after the relaxation decided by the government due to the economic collapse. Until August 23, zones are placed in “ strict quarantine ”, in order to leave 2.5 million people in their homes in turn.
In South Africa, the most affected country on the continent, President Cyril Ramaphosa decided to reimpose a curfew on Sunday due to the rise in daily cases of contamination. Family visits will also be prohibited.
• Asked to limit parties in Sydney
Concern remains as strong in Australia: after the reconfiguration for six weeks decided last Thursday for Melbourne, the second city of the country, the inhabitants of Sydney were asked Monday to limit Monday the festive evenings after the appearance of a new home epidemic in a pub.
In the United States, the pandemic continues to flare up, particularly in large southern states, and the mayors of several large cities are considering or demanding a reorganization. In Miami, the number of Covid-19 intensive care patients is seven times higher than it was in March and April, according to mayor Francis Suarez. " It's out of control, " he said. As for a reconfiguration, " we have to consider it, " he said, deferring to the day when the hospitals tell him they can no longer cope. The United States counted Sunday 59,747 new infections in 24 hours, according to the daily report of the Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths was 135,171.
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As for the economic effects of the health crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is still pessimistic for the Middle East. It lowered its growth forecast to its lowest level in half a century, due to the " double shock " of low oil prices and the pandemic. The UN warns the global recession due to the new coronavirus was likely to push to hunger between 83 and 132 million additional people. The pandemic has killed more than 569,135 people worldwide since the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China reported the onset of the disease in late December.