Covid in the world. Phase 2 jump in the dark for everyone. US disorder, Merkel doubts, Iran case

If nothing else, the dilemma that has beset the Italian government for days is the same for everyone: how to combine the need to reactivate the economy and the principle of maximum precaution called by the scientific community, to make it a political decision. This is how Phase 2 proceeds – or approaches – groping, in scattered order, a little in all corners of the globe, while the number of deaths continues to rise: according to data from the World Health Organization, there are 120 thousand victims in Europe alone, with the world number now attested at 200 thousand. And while the behavior of the virus remains in many ways still a mystery, the economic data are clear and push the various governments to try a way for the reopening, between missteps, controversies and relapse risk.

Belgium like Italy: Phase 2 from May 4, but there is a plan for schools

In Belgium, hard hit with almost 7,000 deaths, Phase 2 will start on May 4, as in Italy and Greece. The plan will be gradual and may be subject to change, setbacks or backwards depending on the trend of the pandemic, warned Premier Sophie Wilmes, underlining that “no date is engraved in the stone”. From the 4 mask requirement on public transport from 12 years upwards. The Government will endeavor to distribute washable and certified cloth masks to each citizen. Industries and services for professionals will reopen, but teleworking will have to remain the norm. It is possible to do physical activity outdoors, respecting distances, even with two people who do not live in the same house. May 11 is the date indicated for all stores.

Unlike Italy, however, the Belgian government has also planned a plan for the gradual reopening of schools. It will start on May 18 from the classes at the end of each cycle, with a maximum number of ten students per class; each student must have four square meters of space away from each other. The unions question the feasibility of the announced measures.

Controversy that echo those going on in France and in other countries, from Denmark to Germany. Here some shops have reopened its doors as early as Monday, as well as some high schools to allow the completion of the final exams. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who warned against the risks of being “too much in a hurry” in Phase 2, curbed the initiative of some Länder, also in light of a slight increase in the number of infections. In France, where the plan will be presented on Tuesday, going towards the obligation of masks and safety distances in public transport, while for schools a reopening (for those who want, without obligation) is expected from 11 May.

In the USA, reopenings in random order

“Phase 2 has started in the US, but no one knows what will happen next,” headlines the New York Times today, mapping reopening in the various states of America, where the death toll is now more than 52 thousand. After weeks of lockdown – and while President Donald Trump continues to amaze in his “approach” the pandemic – in some states, governors have authorized the first reopenings, starting with beaches and state parks to get to individual businesses. In South Carolina, for example, retail stores have reopened, while Georgia has given the go-ahead – under certain conditions – to beauty salons and tattoos. In Alaska, restaurants have also reopened, but they can only accept customers by reservation and occupy a maximum of 25% of the available space. Georgia is among the most daring states: Governor Kemp’s plan provides for the reopening of nail and hair salons, as well as bowling, cinema and other entertainment venues. Among the requirements required to work, temperature screening. In Oklahoma, from May 1, places of worship, gyms and sports centers will be able to reopen – with some restrictions – as well as grooming salons for animals. In South Carolina – one of the last states to impose restrictions – retail stores have reopened this week, with a limit of 20% of their capacity. Other states are preparing to end the lockdown later this month, a penalty line for New York, California, Illinois.

First reopenings in India, where hunger worries the virus more

In Indiaafter more than a month of lockdown, the government has allowed the reopening of retail stores, without prejudice to the indications on social distancing and the use of masks. The closures remain in place for shopping centers and companies located in epidemic outbreaks. On paper, there are 780 deaths from Covid-19, but the actual toll is likely to be much heavier. The point is that even more than the pandemic, worries about the economic meltdown of millions of workers, many of whom have already been forced out of the big cities because they are deprived of any means of livelihood. According to several analysts, India is one of those countries where hunger risks killing more than the Sars-Cov-2 virus.

The Iran case: contagions on the rise after reopening

Iranian officials today admitted that they are concerned about an outbreak of the epidemic in Iran, the most affected country in the Middle East. On the first day of Ramadan, the Ministry of Health announced another 76 deaths which bring the official toll on the epidemic to 6,650 deaths. The state has authorized many companies since April 11 to reopen gradually, but health officials have warned of new waves of infections after the slowdown in early April. Aliréza Zali, head of Tehran’s anti-Covid task force, criticized the “hasty reopening”, saying that “it could encourage new waves of disease in the capital and complicate the control of the epidemic.”

Brazil, the virus in the favelas

From the Middle East to Africa, up to Latin America, the pandemic causes massacres especially where poverty and backwardness do not even bring into play the choice between health security and hunger. In many cases, a reckless emergency management is complicit. This is the case in Brazil. Middle and upper class members brought the virus back to the South American country after returning from their February holidays to Europe or the United States. In Rio and Sao Paulo, many of the first infections were concentrated in the wealthier neighborhoods, such as Copacabana and Gávea. Then, as the weeks passed, the epidemic spread to the metropolises, reaching the poorest neighborhoods and favelas, which are paying a very high price for the delays and inaction of the government led by President Jair Bolsonaro. The confirmed victims of Covid-19 are already more than 3,700, but the real numbers – as suggested by the devastating images of the mass graves excavated in Manaus – they risk being far superior.