International COVID-19 Megathread

[Middle-aged Europe]

A bit of dissonance in Germany.

Thuringia plans to discontinue all remaining state-wide anti-Corona restrictions by June 6, replacing them with local measures as needed only. Minister-president Bodo Ramelow (Left) received a lot of flak for that, especially from CDU/SPD/Green politicians from the federal level, but also some colleagues like Bavarian minister-president Markus Söder (CSU), accusing Ramelow of being negligent. However, Michael Kretschmer's (CDU) Saxony was quick in joining Thuringia today, and I wouldn't be surprisef if other eastern states like Saxony-Anhalt will follow. The east had some of the lowest infection numbers, but also increasing anti-lockdown protests recently, therefore they're starting to break formation now.

[urutzizu]

He backpedaled after the criticism, and now says he wants to keep minimum distance and mandatory face masks.

There is a point to his reasoning though - not just in Germany. The widely predicted "second waves" after reopening have, despite certain sensationalist anglophone media headlines claiming the opposite (and promptly disproven), not materialized anywhere to a significant degree really. Not NRW, not Denmark, not Florida. This doesn't mean it cannot happen of course, but it is a pretty obvious development that falls in the face of both the Authoritarians and the followers of Herd Immunity/the Swedish Approach (which rested on the central premise that Lockdowns don't work because the infection returns as soon as soon as you lift them; Turns out Denmark managed to reopen safely and will end up with paying virtually the same economic price as Sweden. But it will also pay much much smaller human one.)

[Middle-aged Europe]

Baden-Württemberg's minister-president Winfried Kretschmann (Greens):
From now, fighting coronavirus is entirely a state issue. Further conferences with the Chancellor are not planned.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Total cases: 31,007 (+219)
Active cases: 11,569 (-67)
Deaths: 1,342 (+12)
Recoveries: 18,096 (+274)
Patients in ICU: 71 (-1)
Patients hospitalized: 513 (-18)

More than 745,000 tests conducted since March 1st.

The Lisbon area continues to see a big growth in new cases, contrary to the rest of the country. Of the 219 new cases, today, 211 were from the Lisbon area. The Health authorities say that many infection hotspots have been identified, one of them in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Lisbon area, the Jamaica neighborhood. Hospitals in the Lisbon are also seeing an increase of new hospitalizations, compared with the huge drop in the rest of the country.

[PSOL]

Left Voice: “We Want to Live!” The Battle Cry of Mexico’s Maquila Workers

[Middle-aged Europe]

The German federal government and the 16 state governments have agreed on a "final" coronavirus restrictions compact. Final because they don't happen to agree on much anymore.

Social distancing is extended until June 29, but also weakened down to "private gatherings of 10 people max in the public or in appartments and we strongly urge anyone to opt for public instead of appartments". States are free to deviate from that guideline and Thuringia (which will discontinue all social distancing rules by June 6), Lower Saxony and Hesse (which will keep stricter rules than that in place) have already announced to do so. Mandatory mask wearing in public transportation and shops is also extended until June 29.

A couple of states are also planning to reopen cinemas, theatres, gyms and so on, but that's not in the compact, but completely the states' prerogative.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-montenegro/montenegro-becomes-europes-first-coronavirus-free-state-pm-says-idUSKBN2311NV

Montenegro’s prime minister on Monday declared the country coronavirus-free - a move vital for its Adriatic tourism industry coming 69 days after it reported its first case and after 20 without a new one.

Montenegro has reported 324 confirmed cases of COVID-19 illness and nine deaths.

“The battle with such a vicious virus has been won and Montenegro now becomes the first coronavirus-free country in Europe,” Dusko Markovic, the Prime Minister told a news conference after meeting a body tasked with combating the disease.

This is really good news, if true.

[Tender Branson]

The Austrian state of Carinthia was COVID-free for a few hours during the night, as the last active person there was declared recovered.

But in the morning, the state announced that a couple with residence in Carinthia infected themselves in another state and was put under quarantine.

So, back to 2 active cases in the state.

[Tender Branson]

New daily cases in D/A/CH have come to a stillstand:

Only +0.1% increases each day.

In Germany, that’s ca. 150-200 per day. In Austria and Switzerland ca. 15-20.

[kaoras]

https://chiletoday.cl/site/health-system-in-santiago-on-brink-of-collapse/

According to the latest numbers from Sochimi, only 3 percent of ICU beds in the entire Metropolitan region are currently available. Out of a total of 1,138 beds, 1,100 are occupied – 833 by Covid-19 patients. On a national level, it’s not much better: 86 percent of the total 2,169 ICU beds are occupied.

Nevertheless, during today’s presser, Mañalich dismissed the idea that the country is facing a possible collapse of the public health system. “We have not reached the debate that we need to decide who gets the last bed or ventilator,” he said. “It might be, however, that in some hospitals two patients need to get connected to the same mechanic ventilator.”

Santiago would have already totally collapsed had they not shipped many patients to other regions, but even that is unsustainable in the long term.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://thehill.com/policy/international/499756-new-zealand-officials-say-country-has-discharged-last-hospitalized-covid

Health officials in New Zealand announced this week that there are currently no COVID-19 patients in its hospitals.

Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s director-general of health, said during a press briefing on Wednesday that "there is nobody in hospital with COVID-19" following the recent discharge of a patient that had been treated at a hospital in Auckland.

New Zealand has not admitted someone with COVID-19 into a hospital in five days.

[Tender Branson]

The number of unemployed in Austria has dropped by 50.000 already since the 580.000 peak in mid-April and the hotels are only opening on Friday again ... which means a further drop.

Still far away from the 300.000 or so during a typical end-May report.

[Tender Branson]

23 new deaths in Austria (actually all in Vienna) since yesterday.

But none of those happened yesterday.

Those are deaths that happened in the past few months and have been re-classified as official Covid-deaths.

[Mike88]

Portugal: The government could delay the opening of shopping malls in Lisbon as the number of cases in the capital region have increased dramatically in the last 4 days.

https://twitter.com/observadorpt/status/1266040431562952704

Reopening of shopping malls in Lisbon in risk. Region is a problem and can open more slowly

The country is doing well, but Lisbon is a problem. At the meeting of the political elite with specialists at Infarmed, the Prime Minister even said that he would reflect "seriously" before Friday's Council of Ministers on the possibility of postponing the reopening of shopping centers in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region, party leaders told the Observador. It's thus possible, although this did not happen in the first two phases of reopening, that in this last stage the Lisbon region reopens at a slower pace than the rest of the country, in an "asymmetric" reopening.

(...)

[Tender Branson]

The first Governor of a state, Peter Kaiser (SPÖ-Carinthia), calls for the end of the mandatory mask-wearing in shops or public areas (doctors, public transportation, church etc.)

[CumbrianLefty]

Premier League football provisionally set to restart in England come the middle of next month.

[Tender Branson]

Only 640 actively infected remaining here (-34 since yesterday).

About 90% of them in Vienna and Lower Austria.

Only 25 are left in ICUs and 103 in total in hospitals (down from a peak of 1.200).

6/9 states have no ICU patients left (exceptions are Tyrol, Lower Austria and Vienna).

No additional death reported in the past 24 hours.

[Tender Branson]

Chancellor Kurz press statement:

The mandatory mask-wearing will be phased out, starting June 15.

From June 15 on, you no longer have to wear masks in supermarkets or other stores.

Only in public transportation, docs, hospitals and pharmacies.

[Mike88]

The situation in Lisbon isn't improving as more cases are reported. 350 new cases were reported, as of today, with 323 in the Lisbon area alone.

The new cases of the virus in the Lisbon area seem to be concentrated in the poorest neighborhoods of the metropolitan area, some of them even illegal:

https://twitter.com/Publico/status/1266095974935642117

Housing: In Greater Lisbon there are more than 200 illegal neighborhoods

The media is reporting that the likelihood that they will be two separate re-openings for the country, one for Lisbon and another for the rest of the country, is very high right now. The PM will probably announce it later today.

[Tender Branson]

Salzburg state is down to just 6 active cases with the afternoon update.

That’s the 2nd-lowest number of active cases among the 9 states, behind Carinthia (3).

Tyrol, the initial ground zero, has also made big progress in the last few days, going from 30 active cases to just 19 anymore.

[CumbrianLefty]

Looks likely that many if not most English schools won't be reopening on Monday, contrary to what the government wants. If so, it will add to the impression of growing disarray in their handling of things.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Israel seems to be experiencing the start of the second wave. We went from a daily increase of 5 cases in the beginning of the week to an increase of over 70 yesterday and over 100 today. A lot of it is speculated to be the result of a school where an outbreak happened, so some of the opening up is likely to be rolled back.

[Mike88]

Lisbon will indeed have a different reopening than the rest of the country. After June 1, with the exception of Lisbon, shopping malls will reopen, agglomerations of 20 people will be allowed and restaurants could have full capacity, if there are barriers between tables.

All of the above will not happen in the Lisbon area until June 4, and all measures will be reevaluated on that day for that area of the country.

[Tender Branson]

For the first time since records began, there are less than 100 people in hospital for COVID.

And the number in ICU has dropped to a record-low 23 as well.

The number of active cases also dropped like a rock yesterday, especially in Vienna, from 640 to 497.

There were almost 200 confirmed recoveries yesterday, probably the people who got infected 2-3 weeks ago in and around Vienna (post distribution centers, asylum center).

The Austrian Army has also stopped their deployment at a major postal center now, the regular employees with negative test results are back at work there ...

[Tender Branson]

Here in Salzburg state, nobody is in hospital or ICU anymore.

Just 6 active cases in the state remain (all of them at home in quarantine).