South Africa records biggest jump in Covid-19 cases since pandemic hit
South Africa has reported a record jump in new
Covid-19 cases – nearly 80% higher than its previous daily record – as the the
country gradually eases its lockdown. The surge came as Brazil overtook Italy
to become the third worst affected nation for deaths, behind the US and the UK.
South Africa recorded 3,267 new Covid-19 cases on
Thursday, the biggest jump since the pandemic began. The country is the worst
hit in sub-Saharan Africa and has nearly a quarter of all cases on the
continent, with 40,792 infections. With 848 deaths, it ranks only second to
Egypt for fatalities (1,126).
Nearly two thirds of the country’s cases are in the
Western Cape province, where Cape Town is the biggest city, and health services
are under pressure. The region is also a major tourist destination, and local
authorities have implemented one of the most rigorous testing regimes in the
country.
South Africa’s strict lockdown began on 27 March,
sharply limiting freedom of movement and slowing an economy already in
recession. Restrictions were eased to level 3 on Monday which opened up large
parts of the economy and abolished curfews. Alcohol went back on sale under
strict rules but tobacco sales remain banned.
In a blow to the government’s roadmap out of
lockdown, a South African court ruled this week that the regulations
“unconstitutional and invalid”, and the government was given two weeks to
overhaul them. Local media has reported the government will appeal the ruling.
Africa’s three biggest economies – Nigeria, Egypt
and South Africa – have similar “doubling rates” - the number of days in which
their infection numbers double - according to Our World In Data.
Total confirmed Covid-19 cases in Nigeria, Egypt and
South Africa: how rapidly are they increasing, according to Our World in Data,
5 J 0320 GMT. Photograph: Our World in Data
Brazil’s cases of Covid-19 have surged past 600,000,
taking just four days to jump 100,000 cases. On Thursday the government
announced 34,021, a daily rise that has only been exceeded during the pandemic
by the United States. With 1,437 fatalities recorded, Brazil has also jumped
over Italy to become the worst affected nation behind the US and UK.
On Thursday Rio de Janiero’s 100,000 street vendors
were allowed to go back to work.
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has continued to
publicly attack efforts to slow the virus’s spread through quarantine measures
and social distancing.
“We can’t go on like this. Nobody can take it
anymore,” Bolsonaro said of the shutdown efforts being implemented by state
governors and mayors across Brazil.
“The
collateral impact will be far greater than those people who unfortunately lost
their lives because of these last three months here,” he said.
During a Facebook Live session, Bolsonaro also
encouraged the federal solicitor general to sue states to force them to reopen their
beaches.
Mexico is Latin America’s second worst-hit country
and reported another record daily number of infections, at 4,442. There were
also 816 more deaths, bringing the totals to 105,680 cases and 12,545
fatalities, which means it is the seventh worst affected country in the world
for deaths.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged people
not to over-react, warning of “psychosis” on Thursday, and noting that deaths
per capita for its nearly 130 million people was still far lower than many
other countries.
In the US, the governor of New York state, which has
recorded 30,174 deaths, has urged protesters demonstrating over the death of
George Floyd to get tested for coronavirus. Andrew Cuomo said up the 30,000
people protesting statewide could compound the coronavirus situation.
“If you were at a protest, go and get a test
please,” he said, adding that anyone who had been at a protest had a “civic
duty” to get tested.
“Many of them wear masks, thank God, but there’s no
social distancing. You look at the encounters with the police; the police are
right in their face, they’re right in the face of the police,” he said.
