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Pandemic’s punch to US women, Thailand gifts test kits to Singapore & other Covid news

As the Covid-19 pandemic shows no signs of letting up, ThePrint highlights the most important stories on the crisis from across the globe.

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New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over 5.5 crore cases and more than 1.3 lakh deaths.

With multiple job losses and closure of schools, women in US have been hit hard by the pandemic. South Korea has implemented new restrictions following rise in cases and Thailand gifted 10,000 testing kits to Singapore as gesture of goodwill.

ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.

How pandemic adversely affected US women

Women in the US have been dealt a triple blow by the pandemic with two rounds of job losses as well as the closure of schools and daycare centres, reports The New York Times. 

The report highlights the “ruinous one-two-three punch” that women have been dealt with in the US. First, job losses in the restaurant retail businesses and healthcare sector where women workers outnumbered men during the early months of the pandemic, then another spate of unemployment in the second wave that “began taking out local and state government jobs” where again women were more and the last being the closure of child care centres and schools.

“The triple punch is not just pushing women out of jobs they held, but also preventing many from seeking new ones,” the report says.

NYT also highlights data from the Labor Department, which notes that 4.5 million fewer women were employed in October this year, compared to last year.

The US has recorded 11,561,422 Covid-19 cases and 2,52,934 deaths and continues to be the worst-affected country in the world.


Also read: Xi Jinping offers to cooperate with India & other BRICS nations to develop Covid vaccine


South Korea is facing a Covid ‘crisis’, says PM Chung Sye-kyun

The South Korean government has decided to implement stricter social distancing measures following a rise in cases, reports The Guardian. 

The new restrictions include a ban on chanting, singing and eating during political events, concerts and festivals. All public gatherings have also been capped at 100 people.

The report highlights Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun’s remarks during a meeting with health officials where he had said, “Our anti-coronavirus efforts are facing a crisis, and the situation is particularly serious in the Seoul metropolitan area.”

South Korea, which had earlier won praise for containing the initial Covid outbreak, recorded 200 daily infections Tuesday for the fourth day in a row.

The country has reported 28,998 cases and 494 deaths, so far.

Singapore receives 10,000 Covid testing kits from Thailand 

Singapore has received 10,000 coronavirus testing kits from Thailand as a goodwill gesture, reports The Straits Times. 

According to the report, Thai Ambassador Suriya Chindawongse said “the gift was a reflection of the close friendship between Singapore and Thailand”.

“Thailand and Singapore have been at the forefront in advancing regional efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report further quotes him as saying.

This come just days after Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s remarks during the 37th ASEAN Summit on 12 November, where he had emphasised regional cooperation to address the impact of the pandemic.

Singapore has recorded 58,130 cases and 28 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.


Also read: With Covid raging, America is locking down from its Atlantic to Pacific coast


Beirut residents defy lockdown despite Covid surge

People in Beirut have been defying the restrictions imposed by the government to curb the surge of Covid cases, reports Reuters.

The Lebanese government had imposed new restrictions in the country, following the rise in daily cases for two weeks. The restrictions include a curfew from 5 pm to 5 am but not many people are following it.

“After city streets and roads emptied on Sunday, pedestrians were back on Monday and some motorists could be seen flouting a re-imposed odd-even licence plate alternate day driving rule,” the report states.

It also quotes a taxi driver who said, “Besides corona(virus), we have another crisis, the bank crisis. You can’t completely shut down because if you do, there are people who work on a daily basis, what do you do with them.”

Lebanon has recorded 1,06,446 cases and 827 deaths.

4,000 people quarantined in Australia’s Adelaide

Adelaide in South Australia has been dealing with its first locally-transmitted Covid cluster, which has grown to 21 cases Tuesday from four cases initially, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. 

While authorities note that the transmission has slowed down, the state is “not out of the woods” as 4,000 people continue to remain under quarantine.

The report quotes Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt as saying, “We are not out of the woods yet – there is more to be done – but we are in an extremely strong position.”

The administration also added that there has been no advice to close off borders between states yet, and this is left to the discretion of the local administrations.

Australia has recorded 27,760 cases and 907 deaths.

What else we are reading

A lifetime of pain in 24 hours: A French ICU in the pandemic: Associated Press

Just 24% of Spaniards would get Covid vaccine as soon as possible: El País


Also read: England could need tough Covid curbs after lockdown, top medical adviser warns


 

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