New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count is over 2.08 crore cases and more than 7.47 lakh deaths.
After months, Chile is finally lifting the lockdown in its capital city. The pandemic has led to a record-economic recession in the UK. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s TV shows and films might seem different for the foreseeable future.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
Brazil struggles with sudden departure of officials
Already struggling in the Covid pandemic, the Brazilian government is now faced with another crisis as several officials in the country’s finance ministry have decided to resign, reports the Financial Times.
“The sudden departure of two top economic officials in Brazil has dealt a damaging blow to finance minister Paulo Guedes, raising fresh questions about his future as well as the commitment of the Jair Bolsonaro administration to economic reform plans,” notes the report.
Economic reforms have been the most significant feature of Bolsonaro’s presidency. Moreover, the departure of these officials is likely to complicate the economic response during the pandemic.
Chile finally lifts lockdown in the capital
The southern Latin American country has been one of the worst-hit by the Covid-19. But as infection rates have continued to decline over the past two months, the government is finally lifting the lockdown in the city of Santiago in a step-by-step fashion, reports Al Jazeera.
“Chile has faced one of Latin America’s fiercest coronavirus outbreaks, at one stage, ranking only behind Qatar globally in cases per head of population, but case and fatality rates have declined steadily during the last two months,” says the report. “Santiago Mayor Felipe Alessandri said the reopening did not give ‘carte blanche’ to citizens, who should remain indoors whenever possible, wear masks in public and wash their hands.”
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Europe’s second wave
As Germany records its largest single-day surge in Covid-19 infections, similar outbreaks are also being witnessed in Spain and France. The second wave of coronavirus infections is taking hold across Europe, reports the BBC.
“More than 1,200 cases were reported in Germany in the past 24 hours. Officials said the rise was due, in part, to people returning from holidays,” says the report. “(And) France had 2,524 new cases in 24 hours, the highest daily rise since its lockdown was lifted in May.”
Meanwhile, Spain has the worst infection rate in all of Western Europe. “It recorded 1,418 new infections in its latest daily count on Tuesday and said there were 675 ‘active outbreaks’ in the country,” adds the report.
Britain’s record-shattering recession
As official economic numbers came out on Wednesday, it was revealed that Britain is in a deep recession, reports The Washington Post.
“The official data released Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that gross domestic product (GDP) fell 20.4 percent in the second quarter — April, May and June — compared with the first quarter,” says the report. This is the steepest decline among all the G7 countries.
“The recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record,” said Jonathan Athow of the ONS.
Italy replacing students desks to be able to reopen schools
As Italy prepares to reopen schools next month, its government has placed a massive order of 3 million new single-seat desks — in order to replace the earlier two-person desks, reports The Washington Post.
“The government wanted a rush order, everything built and shipped within the next month. The tender, announced July 20, asked for as many desks as all the Italian school-furniture companies put together would normally build in five years,” explains the report.
Italy now has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, and possibly the best chance to reopen schools on time. “But the run-up to its Sept. 14 school start date has provided a reminder that in the coronavirus era, even such mundane considerations as furniture can complicate educators’ plans,” notes the report.
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New Zealand has new infections, just before its elections
New Zealand was seen as the poster-child of how to fight the pandemic and reopen the economy, but now the country is also facing a rise in infections just as it prepares to conduct a general election, reports the Straits Times.
“New Zealand officials are scrambling to trace the source of an outbreak of the coronavirus, reporting 13 new cases on Thursday (Aug 13), after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had sought to eradicate the virus with a hard lockdown,” notes the report. “The resurgence of Covid-19 comes just weeks before a scheduled general election, increasing pressure on Ms Ardern to get the outbreak under control amid growing criticism.”
New Zealand currently has 36 active cases.
Pandemic set to change films and TV shows for foreseeable future
As the pandemic affects all facets of life, Hollywood’s films and TV shows are not left behind either, reports The Washington Post.
“Across the entertainment industry, casts and crew are starting to return to work after a five-month hiatus. Instead of crew members mingling as they once did, they’ve been divided into ‘pods’ that limit which production departments can associate; lighting may not consort with sound, for example. Covid-19 officers monitor the health of the cast and crew to determine who is allowed on set. ‘Zones’ have been set up, with the cast and crew given access only if it is deemed absolutely necessary,” notes the report.
Going ahead, it’s not about these technical changes. “Crowd scenes are a no-go. Real-world locations will be limited. On-screen romance will be less common, sometimes restricted to actors who have off-screen relationships. And independent films — that tantalizing side dish in the U.S. entertainment meal — could be heavily scaled back,” adds the report.
What else we are reading:
How suffering farmers may determine Trump’s fate: The New Yorker
As German students return to crowded classrooms, fears meet cautious optimism: The Washington Post
How the pandemic revealed Britain’s national illness: The Atlantic
Also read: Xi Jinping made 3 big errors, best thing for China now is if he resigns, says Fareed Zakaria