{"id":26117,"date":"2020-06-01T15:39:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T13:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culturedarm.com\/staging\/5793\/?p=26117"},"modified":"2020-07-15T14:08:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T12:08:13","slug":"cultureteca-31-05-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culturedarm.com\/staging\/5793\/cultureteca-31-05-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultureteca 31.05.20"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

COVID-19<\/strong> continued to surge this week across Latin America and South Asia, which remained global hotspots. Daily deaths in Brazil began to surpass those in the United States<\/a>, and by the end of the week the country stood fourth for fatalities<\/a>, behind only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, and second for total infections<\/a>, with a tally of 28,834 deaths and cases on the cusp of half a million<\/a>. As deaths across Latin America passed 50,000<\/a> and health officials declared the region the new epicentre of the pandemic<\/a>, cases continued to rise in Chile<\/a>, Peru<\/a>, and Mexico<\/a>. Colombia extended a nationwide quarantine until the beginning of July<\/a>, hoping to ease some restrictions outside the regional centres of Bogot\u00e1, Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla, and Leticia<\/a>. Meanwhile Nicaragua faced criticism for defiance in the midst of a crisis<\/a>, with reports of face mask bans<\/a> and midnight burials<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Infections stormed past 180,000 across India<\/a>, now the seventh hardest-hit country in the world, as after enduring the worst of Cyclone Amphan<\/a>, the coronavirus response was also beset by earthquakes<\/a>, locust swarms<\/a>, and millions of migrant workers making perilous journeys home<\/a>. As the fourth phase of lockdown came to a close, states still scrambled in an attempt to salvage the economy while halting the spread of coronavirus<\/a>. Bangladesh<\/a> and Pakistan<\/a> also reported record cases even as the countries resumed flights<\/a> and returned to work<\/a>, while infections were rising rapidly in war-torn Afghanistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was a similar story across much of the Middle East, with the United Arab Emirates<\/a> and Saudi Arabia<\/a> seeing a steady stream of cases while tentatively easing restrictions<\/a>, although by Sunday Saudi Arabia was able to report a slight slowdown<\/a> as the country reopened mosques<\/a>. Iran remained the most affected nation in the region, but the country also lifted restrictions on shopping malls and mosques<\/a> as fatalities passed 7,500 with a caseload in excess of 150,000<\/a>. ‘Fun’ was the operative word at the start of the week in Israel<\/a>, amid the reopening of swimming pools, hotels, parks, and restaurants, but by the weekend the country was witnessing a spike in infections<\/a> centred upon schools<\/a>. Across Africa infections tipped past 140,000 on Sunday with more than 4,000 total deaths<\/a>, and Egypt<\/a> was vying with South Africa<\/a> at the heart of the crisis, but as cases surged in the Western Cape<\/a>, South Africa still kept to the start of June for further easing restrictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There was reason to celebrate in Barcelona and Madrid, as the largest cities in Spain finally emerged from the strictest form of lockdown on Monday<\/a>, allowing larger gatherings and sidewalk cafes. As more regions progressed to phase two<\/a> of the country’s deescalation plan, there was confusion<\/a> over the death count<\/a> and fresh outbreaks blamed on partygoers<\/a>, but although Pedro S\u00e1nchez requested one more extension to the state of alarm<\/a>, the islands led the way<\/a> as Spain continued to reopen<\/a>. With the situation stabilising in Italy<\/a>, crowds flocked to bars<\/a> and beaches<\/a> while cultural sites like the Tower of Pisa<\/a> hoped to entice tourists domestic and far-flung<\/a>. Dwindling hospitalisations<\/a> allowed France to look forward to parks, bars, and restaurants<\/a>, which were equally on the menu across Turkey<\/a>. And cases were also on the decline in Belgium<\/a> and the Netherlands<\/a>, while Germany<\/a>, Greece<\/a>, Norway<\/a>, and Denmark<\/a> were among the countries eager to open their European borders by the middle of June.<\/p>\n

No such luck for Sweden, which was barred from the mutual reopening of borders across Scandinavia<\/a> as the country recorded the world’s highest per capita death rate<\/a>, though numbers had slowed by the weekend<\/a>. As the death toll in England rose beyond 38,000, reports suggested that the country had the highest death rate in the world<\/a>, but the prime minister’s rulebreaking chief advisor Dominic Cummings continued to dominate the discussion<\/a>. Infections across Russia appeared to be declining as the week progressed, but as the country planned Victory Day parades<\/a> and Moscow took steps to open up<\/a>,\u00a0record deaths<\/a> and revised estimates<\/a> made for a grimmer picture as the case tally swept past 400,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Deaths fell steadily in New York<\/a> and New Jersey<\/a>, the two most impacted American states. Mid-Hudson<\/a> and Long Island<\/a> began reopening, while five other regions across New York made a muddled move to phase two<\/a>, and cities including Baltimore<\/a>, Chicago<\/a>, and San Francisco<\/a> pressed their outdoor dining plans. Washington, D.C. scrapped its stay-at-home order and joined parts of Virginia and Maryland to welcome outdoor dining, curbside shopping, hairdressers, and youth camps<\/a>. Nevada placed a bet on the reopening of casinos<\/a>. However around a third of the states in disparate parts of the country were witnessing rising COVID-19 cases<\/a>. Wisconsin<\/a> and Texas<\/a> reported record daily infections, even as Texas resumed overnight camping<\/a> and outdoor spectator sports<\/a>.\u00a0In Washington half of the state’s newly diagnosed cases were in people under the age of 40<\/a>. And across California, much of the state\u00a0including Los Angeles County<\/a> moved onto the next phase of reopening<\/a>, even while total cases swept past 100,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still the outbreak was overshadowed across the United States and beyond by a legacy of discrimination and police brutality, whose latest manifestation was the murder in Minneapolis on Monday of George Floyd<\/a>. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed when in the process of responding to an alleged forgery, a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes long while the victim repeatedly stressed ‘I can’t breathe’<\/a>. After video footage of the incident went public<\/a>, protests across the states of America<\/a> and increasingly across the globe<\/a> grew to climax over the course of the weekend<\/a>, as officials blamed different groups for spates of violence<\/a>, states implemented curfews<\/a>, and health experts expressed concerns over a potential surge of coronavirus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New Zealand was down to just one active case as social gatherings increased to 100<\/a>, while minimal infections across Australia saw New South Wales stretch ahead with reopening<\/a>. The lifting of the state of emergency across Japan’s remaining prefectures<\/a> allowed Tokyo and Osaka to latch on<\/a> to a wave of reopenings<\/a>, although as cases crept up\u00a0the southwest city of Kitakyushu feared a second crest<\/a>. Overall cases remained low as South Korea struggled to contain cluster infections, whose locus switched from the Seoul nightlife district of Itaewon<\/a> to a Coupang distribution centre in the satellite city of Bucheon<\/a>. Meanwhile China pressed ahead with its controversial Hong Kong security law<\/a>, despite international condemnation<\/a> and retaliatory action<\/a>. Singapore saw fluctuating cases but record recoveries<\/a> as it looked towards life after circuit-breaker mode, and infections hit record lows in Malaysia<\/a>, as both countries faced a backlash<\/a> for their treatment of migrant workers<\/a>. Cases surged across Indonesia<\/a> as the country reopened offices and malls<\/a>, and while Thailand extended its emergency decree<\/a>, the country planned for a complete end to lockdown<\/a> as cases dwindled<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Flitting between the fault lines of protest movements and environmental disasters, the global response to coronavirus was also complicated by lingering Eid al-Fitr<\/a> and Memorial Day<\/a> celebrations, while Africa Day<\/a> on Monday was held at some remove via livestreamed benefits<\/a>. Denmark gave love a chance, allowing cross-border couples to meet again with written confirmation of their relationships<\/a>. Tracing efforts in\u00a0Japan<\/a>, France<\/a>, England<\/a>, and Qatar<\/a> faced problems of privacy and reach, and while Wuhan, the original epicentre of the virus, reported a staggering 6.5 million tests in just nine days<\/a> and Belgium offered antibody tests to all residents<\/a>, testing was falling or lagging behind in Singapore<\/a>, South Africa<\/a>, and Sweden<\/a>. Herd immunity remained a distant prospect even in places where COVID-19 had seemed prevalent<\/a>, focusing minds on potential vaccines<\/a> and treatments. The World Health Organization halted trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine citing safety concerns<\/a>, but from the United Kingdom<\/a> to Taiwan<\/a>, countries were slowly beginning to approve remdesivir as a means of hastening convalescence. Meanwhile in parts of Asia temperature patches<\/a> and ultraviolet light<\/a> were being touted as ways to monitor and mitigate the virus.<\/p>\n

Unemployment figures hit record levels in France<\/a>, continuing claims in the United States remained just above 21 million<\/a>, and Germany appeared set to enter recession<\/a>. In the midst of this economic fallout, Japan<\/a>, China<\/a>, and Singapore<\/a> supplemented record stimulus funds while the European Union unveiled a \u20ac750 billion recovery package<\/a>. Donald Trump was urged to reconsider<\/a> his decision to sever ties with the World Health Organization<\/a>, while closer to home the president engaged in a tug of war with North Carolina over his unrestricted plans for the Republican National Convention<\/a>. A study in Louisiana showed higher hospitalisation and mortality rates among black patients<\/a>, in Texas testing sites were disproportionately located in white neighbourhoods<\/a>, and New York brought celebrity appeal to the push for face masks and increased testing<\/a>. Global diplomacy faced further disruption as Trump postponed the G7 summit<\/a>, extending invitations to friends, while\u00a0the annual United Nations climate conference was pushed back by one year<\/a>, with its destination in Glasgow turned into a temporary hospital. By Sunday evening cases of COVID-19 across the globe had surpassed six million<\/a>.<\/p>\n