This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
South Korea Tightens Virus Curbs Amid Global Pandemic ¶
As the global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 800,000, South Korea has tightened virus curbs to contain a growing outbreak. The move comes as many countries around the world battle worrying surges in infections.
According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic has killed over 800,000 people globally, with the number of infections soaring past 23 million. Some countries, such as India, are still facing their first waves of the virus, with India crossing three million cases on Sunday.
South Korea, which had largely brought its outbreak under control, has tightened curbs to try to contain a new, growing cluster of cases. Nightclubs, karaoke bars, and beaches have been closed, with tight restrictions on large gatherings and religious services.
Face masks will be mandatory in the capital Seoul's public areas from midnight. Lockdowns, social distancing, and face masks are among the few options available to governments with no effective treatment or vaccine available yet.
India, which imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns, has relaxed it over recent weeks to help ease the pressure on its reeling economy. However, this has led to a sharp rise in cases, taking its total past three million.
The World Health Organization has said that the world should be able to rein in the disease in less than two years. However, the pandemic continues to unleash destruction, with areas such as Western Europe detecting spikes in infections not seen for many months.
Italy, once the European epicentre of the virus, has registered over 1,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, the highest level since the end of a punishing lockdown in May. The story is similar across Spain, Germany, and France, with the Rome region also recording a record number of cases in the past 24 hours.
Most of those infected are young people who are not showing symptoms, according to Italian capital's health official Alessio D'Amato. He warned them to stay at home, saying 'Don't feel invincible.'
The virus lockdowns and social distancing measures have unleashed vast economic destruction and impacted all types of social activities, including sports games and concerts. In Germany, a university has launched a series of pop concerts under coronavirus conditions, hoping the mass experiment with 2,000 people can determine whether large events can safely resume.
However, with no vaccine yet, economies in hard-hit regions like Latin America are struggling to contain the staggering costs of the pandemic — with a rise not only in poverty but political turmoil and crime too.
The United States remains the worst-hit country in the world, with nearly 5.7 million infections and deaths approaching 180,000. The pandemic is set to impact the US presidential election, with a potential political crisis brewing over mail-in ballots.
President Donald Trump has faced intense criticism for his handling of the crisis, with the pandemic dominating the run-up to the presidential election. Americans are expected to vote by mail in massive numbers instead of visiting polling centres, but this has caused another political standoff, with the postal service warning most states it could not guarantee on-time delivery of mail-in ballots.
Trump has opposed more funding for the cash-strapped US Postal Service, acknowledging it would be used to help process ballots. He has repeatedly and baselessly linked mail-in voting to election fraud.
