Following Tough Lockdowns, Much Of Europe Moves Ahead With Confidence, New Tracing Plans; Mexico Now Trails Only U.S., Brazil In Total Deaths

The Wall Street Journal: Once The Center Of The Coronavirus Crisis, Europe Now Looks Ahead With Hope 
When the coronavirus first hit Europe, the continent was ill-equipped to detect or contain it. Now, many governments and health experts believe so much has changed that a crisis on the scale of this spring’s probably won’t be repeated. More than a month since Europe began lifting its lockdowns, new coronavirus infections are continuing to decline in most countries, despite concern about some new clusters, including among meat-processing workers in Germany. (Stancati and Douglas, 6/25)

AP: Portugal Scrambles To Regroup Amid 100s Of New Virus Cases
At the Bairro do Zambujal housing project on the outskirts of Lisbon, the behavior of residents offers clues to why this part of Portugal has become a hot spot for new COVID-19 cases and how government efforts to stamp out the new coronavirus are being frustrated. A lot of people in the project that houses about 6,000 people disregard the recommendation from authorities to wear masks, says Maria Felicidade Nunes, president of the local residents’ association. (Hatton, 6/26)

AP: Mexico Passes 25,000 Dead; Treasury Secretary Gets Virus
Mexico pushed past 25,000 reported coronavirus deaths and 200,000 confirmed cases Thursday, as the treasury secretary said he tested positive and would self-isolate while working from home. The Health Department reported 6,104 newly confirmed infections, one of the highest 24-hour counts so far. That brought the country’s confirmed cases to 202,951. (6/26)

Reuters: Russia Reports Lowest Daily Rise In Coronavirus Cases Since Late April 
Russia on Friday reported 6,800 new coronavirus cases, the first daily rise below 7,000 since late April, taking its nationwide tally to 620,794.The country’s coronavirus response centre said 176 people had died of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 8,781. (6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: In Covid-Era Japan, Flirting From Afar Is Hard In Host Clubs: ‘Closeness Is What We Sell’ 
Japan’s host clubs, an offshoot of Japan’s century-old industry of hostess bars catering mostly to older men, have become a hot spot for new coronavirus infections, and, despite their relatively small number, have been singled out by Tokyo’s governor as a problem area. On Wednesday, Tokyo reported 55 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily count since early May, with 12 cases attributed to infections at host clubs. Japan has been one of the world’s success stories in suppressing Covid-19 by discouraging close contact in confined spaces and aggressively tracing those who have spent time with infected people. The clubs have proven problematic on both counts, because it is hard to be flirtatious at a distance and visitors tend not to want to be tracked down later. (Gale and Inada, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Africa Coronavirus Health-Care Workers: Covid-19 Jeopardizes A 'Very, Very Finite' Workforce, Africa's Doctors And Nurses 
Doctors in Nigeria have gone on strike, demanding face masks and pay that reflects the rising risk. Hospital staffers in Guinea-Bissau had to shutter a treatment ward after nearly everyone on the floor got sick. The coronavirus pandemic has tightened its grip on much of Africa, where reported cases have more than tripled over the last month, jeopardizing overstretched medical teams as the need for care soars. (Paquette, 6/25)

The New York Times: In Norway, Gymgoers Avoid Infections As Virus Recedes 
Like many countries, Norway ordered all gyms to close in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But unlike any other nation, Norway also funded a rigorous study to determine whether the closings were really necessary. It is apparently the first and only randomized trial to test whether people who work out at gyms with modest restrictions are at greater risk of infection from the coronavirus than those who do not. The tentative answer after two weeks: no. (Kolata, 6/25)

AP: India's Social Inequalities Reflected In Coronavirus Care
When Pradeep Kumar’s wife was admitted to a government-run hospital in India’s capital for treatment of COVID-19, it took two days before she was able to see a doctor. “There are six other women in her room and everyone is frustrated,” he said outside New Delhi’s LNJP Hospital. “They’re behaving like they’re leprosy patients.” (Schmall, 6/26)

AP: Virus Taking Stronger Hold In US, Other Populated Countries
While China moved closer to containing a fresh outbreak in Beijing, the coronavirus took a stronger hold elsewhere, including the United States, where surging infections across southern states have highlighted the risks of reopening economies without effective treatment or vaccines. Another record daily increase in India on Friday pushed the country’s caseload toward half a million, and other countries with large populations like Indonesia, Pakistan and Mexico grappled with large caseloads and strained health care systems. (Tong-Hyung, 6/26)

In other global news —

ABC News: World's 2nd-Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Is Over 
The second-largest, second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history was declared over Thursday, almost two years after the first case was confirmed. An outbreak of the Ebola virus, which causes an often-fatal type of hemorrhagic fever, emerged in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 2018 and rapidly spread across three provinces, infecting 3,470 people -- 28% of them children -- and killing 2,277 of them, according to health officials. (Winsor, 6/25)