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| People wearing protective masks queue up to go in a garden store in Munich, Germany, Monday, April 20, 2020. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) — The coronavirus is touching all levels of society and increasing
tensions as governments start to ease restrictions that health experts
warn should be done gradually to avoid a resurgence of the illness that
has killed more than 165,000 people.
The
mounting pressure was evident in the United States. The Trump
administration says parts of the nation are ready to begin a gradual
return to normalcy. Yet some state leaders say woefully inadequate
federal action, like a lack of testing supplies, is hindering their
response to the illness.
After
insisting the country’s virus testing system was without fault,
President Donald Trump said Sunday evening he would be using the Defense
Production Act to compel increased manufacturing of testing swabs. He
also remained defensive, however, vowing that there were enough swabs to
go around. “Swabs are easy,” the president said, bringing one to his
news briefing and waving it in front of reporters.
Trump
also defended protests by his supporters, who have been gathered to
demand state governors lift controls on public activity that were meant
to stop the spread of the virus. The president has invoked their
rallying cry and said Sunday night, “these people love our country. They
want to go back to work.”
Shutdowns
have disrupted economic, social, cultural and religious life and
plunged the world into an economic slump unseen since the Great
Depression in the 1930s.
The
International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to contract 3%
this year. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs and millions
more fear they’ll be next.
A
few countries are acting to ease restrictions and resume economic
activity, but most of the world agrees the steps must be gradual.
China,
where the pandemic began, has lifted travel and other restrictions, but
customer traffic has been slow to return. And masks and temperature
checks are routine.
India
eased the world’s largest lockdown to allow some manufacturing and
agricultural activity to resume — if employers can meet social
distancing and hygiene standards. Companies are required to transport
and shelter their workers, which few of them are able to do. India also
recorded its biggest single-day spike in cases, adding more than 1,500
as it works to increase testing, stock up equipment and prepare hospital
beds for more patients.
Germany
intends to begin allowing some small stores, like those selling
furniture and baby goods, to reopen. Albania plans to let its mining and
oil industries reopen, along with hundreds of businesses. New Zealand
extended its lockdown another week, but workers at some businesses such
as construction and manufacturing will be able to resume their jobs
soon.
The
number of confirmed infections with the new coronavirus has surpassed
2.4 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The true
figures are likely significantly higher since mild infections can be
missed, testing is limited and some countries tried to underplay their
outbreaks or were too overwhelmed to effectively count them.
The death toll in the U.S., the worst-hit country by far, was more than 40,000 with over 750,000 confirmed infections.
The
virus has reached all levels of society. At least 20 employees at
Afghanistan’s presidential palace have tested positive, said a senior
government official who asked to remain anonymous because he was not
authorized to comment on the subject.
It
wasn’t clear whether President Ashraf Ghani had been in contact with
any of the employees or whether he had been tested himself. Ghani has
reportedly been self-quarantining. At 70 and a cancer survivor, Ghani is
at a high risk for serious illness.
The
virus claimed an unlikely victim, as well: tens of thousands of tulips
in full bloom in Japan. They were a centerpiece of an annual festival
near Tokyo that was canceled this year. But people were still gathering
to admire the flowers, so the decision was made to raze them. All that
remains are red and yellow petals lying smashed on the ground.
“This
situation is now about human life,” said Takahiro Kogo, a city official
overseeing the park. “It was a heart-wrenching decision, but we had to
do it.”
___
Perry
reported from Wellington, New Zealand. AP journalist Rahim Faiez in
Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report as did AP writers
worldwide.
___
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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