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 Surge in cases puts Beijing on alert
Several districts of the Chinese capital put up security
checkpoints, closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the
novel coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike of cases
linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia.
After nearly two months with no new infections, Beijing officials
have reported 79 cases over the past four days, the city's biggest
cluster of infections since February.
"The containment efforts have rapidly entered into a war-time mode,"
senior city government official Xu Ying told a news conference.
Xu said 7,200 neighbourhoods and nearly 100,000 epidemic-control
workers had entered the "battlefield".
(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open
https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.)
Reality check for markets?
Fears that a second wave of COVID-19 infections is under way sent
jitters across global markets with stocks and oil under pressure,
while investors bought into safe havens such as German government
debt.
“Markets are pricing a too-optimistic recovery, in my opinion, and
there could be a reality check coming rather sooner than later,”
said Stephane Ekolo, an equity strategist at TFS Derivatives in
London.
The retreats follows a global rally since late March, fuelled by
central bank and fiscal stimulus and optimism about countries
gradually lifting lockdowns.
In Europe, a cross-border dash for cigarettes and scratch cards
European nations eased border controls after three months of
lockdown, but Spain's continued closure, a patchwork of quarantine
rules and remote-working mean pre-crisis travel levels are a way
off.
Greek airports allowed more international flights as the country
sought to salvage its summer, German tourists flocking to
neighbouring Denmark caused an 8-km (5-mile) queue and Italians
popped into France to buy lottery scratch cards.
In the Belgian village of Macquenoise, tabac stores did brisk trade
as French citizens streamed across the border to buy cheaper tobacco
after suffering higher prices at home since mid-March.
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“It’s worth the effort,” said Nadege Caplain, making an early-morning 200-km
round trip to buy cigarettes for her and her family.
(GRAPHIC-Tracking and explaining the new coronavirus https://tmsnrt.rs/2GVwIyw)
From crowded tubes to pedal power in London
The crowded daily commute in London has long been a source of misery for
millions. But getting to work will be even more of a challenge following
lockdown.
London authorities are adding new routes for cyclists and pedestrians, bicycle
sales are soaring and boat operators are considering increasing their services
on the River Thames.
Even before the coronavirus outbreak, London faced increased competition for the
title of Europe’s most important financial centre from cities such as Paris and
Frankfurt because it has quit the European Union.
“Forty years of public policy about transport has gone into reverse,” said Tony
Travers of London School of Economics. “This is a big existential issue for
cities.”
Whipped for breaking quarantine
Peruvian peasant brigades, who battled leftist rebel groups decades ago, are now
doling out rough justice in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in
the Andean country, which has the region's second-highest number of cases after
Brazil.
The elected community militias, who in normal times address cases such as
infidelity and theft of chickens, or go after badly behaved mayors, judges and
other officials, say they now use lashes to punish those breaking quarantine.
"According to the crime, you can punish with lashes," Aladino Fernández, the
president of a group in the northern highland region of Cajamarca, told Reuters
by telephone.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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