COVID Infections Rising Faster Than Ever Around The Globe, But Many Nations Still Easing Restrictions

The New York Times: The World Reopens, Despite Skyrocketing Coronavirus Cases
Two months ago, when there were roughly one million confirmed coronavirus cases and the primal politics of survival was sweeping the world, shutting down was the order of the day. This week, the number of cases soared past seven million, with 136,000 new infections detected on Sunday alone, the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. The order of the day? Reopening. Terrified after watching economies built over the course of decades hollow out in a matter of weeks, countries seem to be saying, in effect: Enough. (Santora, 6/9)

The New York Times: Brazil Coup: Threats Rattle Bolsonaro As Coronavirus Deaths Surge
The threats are swirling around the president: Deaths from the virus in Brazil each day are now the highest in the world. Investors are fleeing the country. The president, his sons and his allies are under investigation. His election could even be overturned. The crisis has grown so intense that some of the most powerful military figures in Brazil are warning of instability — sending shudders that they could take over and dismantle Latin America’s largest democracy. But far from denouncing the idea, President Jair Bolsonaro’s inner circle seems to be clamoring for the military to step into the fray. (Romero, Casado and Andreoni, 6/10)

The Washington Post: Coca Leaf Crash: Coronavirus Collapses Price Of Cocaine Ingredient
As a farmer eking out a living in Peru’s central jungle, Rubén Leiva grew one cash crop that seemed immune from global cycles of booms and busts. But the coronavirus pandemic has accomplished what neither other international crises nor a U.S.-backed “war” ever could: a collapse in the price of coca leaf, a natural stimulant that is the building block of cocaine. The great coca crash of 2020 — prices for the leaf in some regions of South America have fallen as much as 73 percent — illustrates the extent to which the pandemic is disrupting every aspect of global trade, including the traffic in illegal drugs. (Faiola and Chauvin, 6/9)

The Associated Press: COVID-19 Just The Latest Epidemic In Areas Struck By Disease
When Tariq Nawaz’s daughter was born a year ago, he borrowed money to pay for his wife’s cesarean delivery. Seven months later, they learned their baby had polio and sold the little bit of jewelry his wife had received for her wedding to pay mounting medical bills. Then the new coronavirus pandemic struck Pakistan, prompting a countrywide lockdown that closed even their village of Suleiman Khel, at the edge of a tribal region plagued by militants. Still in debt, Nawaz lost his job, his monthly paycheck of $95 and the means to provide treatment for the baby’s polio. (Gannon, 6/10)

Reuters: Argentina's New Daily Coronavirus Cases Top 1,000 For First Time
Argentina confirmed more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after it extended lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country’s largest city and epicenter for the virus. Argentina’s Health Ministry logged 1,141 new cases in the past 24 hours, as well 24 deaths, pushing its totals to 24,761 cases and 717 deaths since the outbreak began in early March. (6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Moscow, Center Of Russia’s Coronavirus Crisis, Emerges From Lockdown
Residents of the Russian capital emerged Tuesday from a strict coronavirus lockdown, a day after Moscow authorities announced they would lift key restrictions in a move Kremlin critics say is meant to project safety and normalcy ahead of two key events—even as infections in the city remain high. Muscovites, who had been ordered to remain at home for more than 10 weeks, can now go outside without limitation, visit hair salons and take part in certain other activities—the beginning of what officials say will be a phased reopening of the city. (Simmons, 6/9)

Reuters: WHO Recommends Pakistan Reimpose Intermittent Lockdowns As COVID-19 Cases Rise Sharply
The World Health Organization has recommended Pakistani authorities reimpose “intermittent lockdowns” of targeted areas to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, stating the country did not meet the global body’s conditions for lifting restrictions. (6/9)

Reuters: France Will End Coronavirus Emergency Health Powers On July 10
France will end special government powers brought in to deal with the coronavirus pandemic on July 10 though it will retain the ability to curb gatherings and freedom of movement for four months, the prime minister’s office said. As coronavirus infections spiralled out of control in March, France passed “state of health emergency” legislation which gave the government the power to restrict civil liberties by decree without parliamentary approval. (6/10)

Reuters: Polish Scientists Design Remote-Controlled Ventilator To Fight COVID-19
A team of Polish scientists has designed a remote-controlled ventilator they hope will allow doctors to help critically ill patients breathe, but from a distance, in a bid to make medical personnel safer during the coronavirus pandemic. (6/10)

Los Angeles Times: South Korea On A Spending Spree With Coronavirus Stimulus
Choi Moon-soon fanned out his wad of coronavirus stimulus money for the cameras like a gambler flaunting hundred-dollar bills. He navigated the narrow aisles of a market in Gangwon province, walking between stalls stacked high with socks, hats and kitchen wares that in recent months had gathered dust. Cameras flashed with his every step. An entourage of dozens followed. (Kim, 6/9)

Bloomberg: Delhi Overwhelmed By Covid-19 Cases After City Eases Lockdown
India’s capital of 16 million people is set to be the latest city overwhelmed by Covid-19, and the worst may be yet to come. Authorities have requisitioned more hotels and community centers to be used as Covid-19 wards, while bodies are piling up in hospital morgues and crematoriums. Doctors and public health experts warn the city has yet to hit its peak and numbers are expected to keep rising through over the coming weeks. (Naqvi, 6/9)

Bloomberg: EU Points Finger At China, Russia For Covid-19 Disinformation
China and Russia were blamed for spewing out false and misleading online information about Covid-19 in a European Commission report that seeks to stem the “unprecedented” spread of fake news amid the pandemic. The two nations are among “foreign actors” that sought to “undermine democratic debate” and enhance their own image through “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns around Covid-19 in the EU,” the European Union’s executive authority said in the report, published on Wednesday. (Bodoni, 6/10)

USA Today: Eiffel Tower Reopens June 25 In Paris; Masks Are Mandatory For Guests
Want to visit the Eiffel Tower this summer? Bring a mask and be prepared to climb some stairs. French officials announced the Paris landmark will reopen June 25 at 10 a.m. local time. Among the safety measures being put in place: Guests ages 11 years and up will be required to wear masks, and the elevators are off-limits for now, along with the top floor. (Deerwester, 6/9)

USA Today: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Follows In Donald Trump’s COVID-19 Footsteps
He's shown disdain for facts and science-based recommendations. He's said the public will eventually realize they were "tricked" by governors and large parts of the media over a "measly little cold." He's embraced chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as treatments for the coronavirus despite no evidence of the anti-malaria drugs' effectiveness in fighting the disease. As Brazil's coronavirus infections have surged to a level surpassed only by the United States, President Jair Bolsonaro, the leader of Latin America's largest country, has followed a near-identical coronavirus script to President Donald Trump. (Simoes and Hjelmgaard, 6/10)