Spike in South Korea virus cases shows perils of reopening

Seoul, May 27

As Mediterranean seashores and Las Vegas casinos lay out plans to welcome vacationers once more, South Korea on Wednesday introduced a spike in new infections and regarded re-imposing social distancing restrictions, revealing the setbacks forward for others on the street to reopening.

The European Union was unveiling an enormous stimulus bundle for the bloc’s ailing economies later Wednesday, as European nations scrambled to emulate South Korea’s broadly praised technique of tracing, testing and treating that tamed its outbreak and made it a mannequin for the world.

The EU’s economics commissioner, Paulo Gentiloni, referred to as the 750 billion-euro ($825 billion) restoration fund “a European turning point to face an unprecedented crisis”.

Across the Atlantic, the pandemic was claiming new victims because the confirmed US demise toll approached 100,000 — the very best by far on the earth — and nations from Mexico to Chile to Brazil struggled with surging instances and overwhelmed hospitals.

In South Korea, 40 newly confirmed instances — the most important day by day soar in practically 50 days — raised alarms as thousands and thousands of kids returned to high school Wednesday.

All however 4 of the brand new instances have been within the densely populated Seoul area, the place officers are scrambling to cease transmissions linked to nightclubs, karaoke rooms and an enormous e-commerce warehouse.

All have been reopened final month when social distancing measures have been relaxed.

The nation’s prime infectious illness professional mentioned South Korea might have to re-impose social distancing restrictions as a result of it’s changing into more and more tough for well being employees to trace the unfold of COVID-19 amid hotter climate and eased attitudes on distancing.

“We will do our best to trace contacts and implement preventive measures, but there’s a limit to such efforts,” mentioned Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Young people have a very broad range of activity, so at the point of diagnosis, there’s already a lot of exposure … the number of people or locations we have to trace are increasing geometrically,” he added.            

Seoul and close by cities had restored some management in current weeks by reclosing hundreds of bars, karaoke rooms and different leisure venues to sluggish the unfold of the virus.

Britain, which has recorded extra deaths than every other European nation — over 37,000 — was asserting particulars of its personal “test and trace” plans, which can ship 25,000 employees to search out the contacts of anybody who checks positive for the virus.

Germany mentioned it could prolong pandemic-related restrictions on interpersonal contact till June 29 because it cautiously lifts lockdown measures.

As many nations in Asia and Europe make progress in containing the pandemic, reversing its devastating financial fallout turns into a prime precedence.

The 27-nation EU was unveiling an enormous coronavirus restoration plan price tons of of billions of euros to assist nations rebuild.

But the bloc stays deeply divided over what strings ought to be hooked up to the funds, with frugal members reminiscent of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden pushing for loans moderately than grants to kind the spine of the bundle.

Cyprus introduced Wednesday that vacationers could be welcomed again on June 9. To make them really feel secure, Cyprus mentioned would cowl all prices — lodging, meals, drink and medicine — for anybody testing positive for the coronavirus and their relations whereas on trip within the east Mediterranean island nation.

But welcoming vacationers was removed from the issues of different nations. AP