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by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — People should dry their hands with paper towels to avoid spreading the new coronavirus, according to the authors of a study published on Friday that finds disposable tissues are better than jet dryers at removing pathogens missed by ineffective washing. Global health authorities have highlighted the crucial importance of washing hands with soap and water to protect against COVID-19, which has killed tens of thousands […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is recommending a gradual reopening of the US economy from the catastrophic shutdown ordered to stop the spread of the coronavirus. “Based on the latest data, our team of experts now agrees that we can begin the next front in our war,” he told a news conference. “We’re opening up our country.” However, the recommendations are a far cry from Trump’s previous hopes for […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The coronavirus outbreak has claimed another 753 lives in the last 24 hours in France, bringing the country’s total fatalities to 17,920, top French health official Jerome Salomon said Thursday. But the number of virus patients hospitalized dropped by 474 and the number in critical care fell by 209, the health ministry’s number two official said. “The spread of the virus is stabilizing at a high level,” he added. Among the […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that his country’s border with the United States would not fully reopen for at least several weeks, rejecting US President Donald’s Trump overtures to do so sooner. The border — the world’s longest international frontier at 8,900 kilometers (5,500 miles) — was shut to all non-essential travelers on both sides on March 21 in response to the coronavirus crisis. Cross-border trade has continued. “We […]
by Jeff Kowalsky with Chris Lefkow in Washington Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As US President Donald Trump unveils plans on Thursday for a partial reopening of the country, some Americans are chafing at the stay-at-home orders imposed because of the coronavirus epidemic. There have been scattered protests in several US states this week against lockdown measures aimed at halting the spread of the highly contagious virus. A handful of stay-at-home opponents […]
by Shaun Tandon with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Thursday came under mounting pressure over the coronavirus pandemic from Western powers led by the United States, which said it was probing whether the virus that has infected more than 2.1 million people actually originated in a Wuhan laboratory. The new focus on China’s role came as the world wrestles with a crisis that has killed more than 140,000 people […]
by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government on Thursday was expected to extend a nationwide lockdown for another three weeks, while the country’s coronavirus death toll spiked by 861 — a greater increase than in recent days. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recuperates after spending a week in hospital with COVID-19, met with ministers and officials to finalize the […]
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s coronavirus death toll soared past 19,000 on Thursday with another 551 deaths, but questions over the counting method have raised some regional concerns the real figure is much higher. After nearly five weeks of confinement, the rise in deaths and infections has slowed over the past fortnight, with the overnight fatalities taking the toll to 19,130. But regional authorities in Madrid and Catalonia said they each had thousands more […]
ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigerian security forces have killed 18 people in their enforcement of measures to curb coronavirus, a figure higher than the documented toll inflicted by the disease, the country’s human rights body said. Africa’s most populous nation has imposed a total lockdown in megacity Lagos and the capital Abuja and set restrictions in other regions in a bid to contain the virus. According to official figures, coronavirus has so far infected 407 […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Switzerland announced on Thursday a three-stage easing of restrictions imposed to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic, with some stores and services allowed to reopen from April 27. “In light of epidemiological developments and the recommendations of scientists, the Federal Council has decided to relax measures to protect the population against the new coronavirus from April 27,” the government said in a statement. © Agence France-Presse
by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — What looks like a rolling picnic cooler stops at the crosswalk, waits for a car to pass and then navigates its way at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk in suburban Washington. Three blocks away, Jake Williams and his three-year-old daughter Emilia wait for the delivery robot and take out bags with pizza, fresh fruit and a loaf of French bread from the nearby […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Thursday announced 92 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the third straight day that official fatalities remained in double digits in the Middle East’s worst-hit country. Health ministry spokesman Kinaoush Jahanpour told a news conference the latest deaths brought the official total to 4,869. He added that 1,606 new infections had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 77,995 from 310,340 tests. Of those confirmed […]
