A woman wearing a mask walks on a street in Tehran, Iran, May 25, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)
- The COVID-19 situation still looks grim in the Middle East, with many governments strengthening measures to curb the disease's spread.
- In Latin America, Brazil remains the worst-hit in the region and has registered 1,496,858 cases and 61,884 deaths.
- As European countries have been reopening their borders and easing restrictions, stimulating the impacted economy has become a priority.
BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The raging coronavirus pandemic has continued to take a heavy toll on the world, especially on Middle East and Latin American countries, while European nations suffering economic losses due to the pandemic have been pushing for recovery.
GRIM SITUATION
The COVID-19 situation still looks grim in the Middle East, with many governments strengthening measures to curb the disease's spread.
Iran, the hardest-hit country in the region, saw total fatalities from COVID-19 surge to 11,106 on Thursday. With 2,652 new cases of infection, the country's total confirmed cases have reached 232,863.
Turkey on Thursday reported 1,186 new COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 202,284. The death toll has risen to 5,167, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
Egypt confirmed on Thursday 1,485 new COVID-19 infections, taking the total to 71,299. Daily infections in the country have been exceeding 1,000 cases since May 28.
In Israel, the number of active coronavirus cases has reached 9,176, the highest since April 21, the health ministry said Thursday. The ministry also reported 790 new cases, bringing the caseload to 27,047.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli government decided to limit gatherings in event halls, bars, nightclubs and places of worship to a maximum of 50 people, while the number of participants for other indoor gatherings was limited to 20.
"The infection data is clear, leaving us no choice. We must return to restrictions in order to flatten the curve," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Omani Minister of Health Ahmed Al-Saidi on Thursday urged stricter implementation of anti-pandemic measures, saying it is time "to increase the severity of punishment" and tighten control.
During the first four months of the virus presence in the country, the number of cases was only 7,700, while in the last month alone, 27,000 cases were reported, Al-Saidi said.
An indigenous girl arrives for a medical consultation in Roraima state, Brazil, on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua)
In Latin America, Brazil remains the worst-hit in the region and a country with the second worst outbreak in the world after the United States.
According to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has registered 1,496,858 cases and 61,884 deaths.
The country has reported the largest number of daily deaths globally over the past week, and both the numbers of daily cases and deaths have shown no signs of abating.
Chile on Thursday reported a total of 284,541 COVID-19 cases, with 5,920 deaths. Its lockdown measures remain in place, including a nighttime curfew enforced by military troops and police officers, closed borders, suspended schools and closed non-essential businesses.
EUROPE'S RECOVERY
As European countries have been reopening their borders and easing restrictions, stimulating the impacted economy has become a priority.
Due to the lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the unemployment rate in the 19-member Euro area hit 7.4 percent -- a new high -- in May, according to Eurostat on Thursday.
A woman waits to visit the Eiffel Tower on its reopening day in Paris, France, June 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
The European Union (EU) unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in May, higher than one month before, said Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.
The tourism industry is a vital economic driver for many countries on the European continent, such as Italy and Spain. Many countries are trying to attract foreign visitors after reopening, as the number of tourists plummeted due to lockdown measures over the past months.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday pushed for an agreement on the multi-billion-euro recovery fund to cope with the economic difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
A large part of the fund, deemed vital for Europe's economic stability, would be in grants for EU member states.
The 750-billion-euro (over 840 billion U.S. dollars) rescue package proposed by the European Commission has prompted divisions among EU governments as the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark insist the recovery fund be only based on loans that need to be paid back later.
Tourists take an amusement ride at the Dusselland amusement park in Dusseldorf, Germany, June 26, 2020. (Photo by Tang Ying/Xinhua)
In a joint press conference after talking via video link with von der Leyen, Merkel reiterated the urgency for a scheme, warning that Europe is facing a difficult time and the impact of the pandemic on the economy has not yet faded.
Merkel's talk with von der Leyen was interpreted as the second vital step to rally support for the money to cushion the economic pains caused by COVID-19.
On Monday, Merkel met with French President Emmanuel Macron and announced together their backing for a "strong and efficient" recovery fund.
According to the German Press Agency, an EU summit on July 17 is set to decide on the recovery fund. ■
