Fear, rumours lead to hundreds of attacks on COVID-19 responders
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Healthcare workers fighting coronavirus in dozens of countries are facing violence from fearful communities who have attacked doctors and burned down clinics, aid agencies said on Tuesday. In Colombia, ambulances were blocked from entering a town to screen for COVID-19 cases, said the International Committee of the Red Cross, which […]
Pandemic now driven by 20s, 30s, 40s group, many asymptomatic – WHO
Manila, PhilippinesReuters The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was concerned that the novel coronavirus spread was being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, many of which were unaware they were infected, posing a danger to vulnerable groups. WHO officials said this month the proportion of younger people among those infected […]
Coronavirus banishes female inmates to far-flung jails in Malawi
Blantyre, MalawiThomson Reuters Foundation Malawi is transferring female prisoners to remote jails in a bid to slow the pandemic, but human rights groups say the move could instead spread the coronavirus and damage the women’s welfare. They say the relocation ends all family visits, leaving the women isolated and short of basics, from food to […]
California church holds indoor services despite judge’s ban
Ventura, CaliforniaAP A California church held indoor worship services Sunday morning despite a judge’s temporary restraining order barring the church from doing so. Pastor Rob McCoy led morning services in defiance of coronavirus health orders at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Ventura County’s Newbury Park. McCoy had vowed Friday to continue in-person services even though the judge’s order […]
Global recovery could be faster if COVID vaccine made available to all – WHO chief
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Economic recovery around the world could come faster if any COVID-19 vaccine is made available to all as a public good, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday. He was speaking in an online panel discussion with members of the Aspen Security Forum in the United States moderated by […]
South Korea arrests leader of church with big cluster
Seoul, South KoreaAP South Korean prosecutors arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect Saturday as part of an investigation into allegations that the church hampered the government’s anti-virus response after thousands of worshippers were infected in February and March. Prosecutors in the central city of Suwaon have been questioning 88-year-old Lee Man-hee, chairman […]
‘Lockdown generation’ looms as pandemic risks robbing young of future
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation Economic fallout from COVID-19 is hitting young workers so hard they risk becoming a “lockdown generation” scarred for life, with women the worst hit, the United Nations said this week. A study by the UN’s International Labour Organization pointed to the “multiple shocks” young people now faced worldwide – […]
Serbia protests priests’ detention in Montenegro
Podgorica, MontenegroAP Serbia on Wednesday strongly protested the detention of eight Serbian Orthodox Church priests in Montenegro after thousands of people attended a religious procession despite a ban on gatherings because of the coronavirus. Montenegrin prosecutors said that the priests are facing charges of violating health regulations during the virus outbreak by organising the procession […]
Kenya floods uproot families, complicating coronavirus fight
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation John Otieno was caught unawares in late April when flood waters hit his home and farm in Kogelo village, western Kenya, swamping his buildings and poultry, and destroying six acres of maize. “We woke up to massive floods in the morning from the Nyando River, and my entire farm and houses […]
Last orders? How Britain’s community pubs are fighting to survive the coronavirus crisis
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A pub in rural England was filling up with its usual after work crowd when Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all pubs and restaurants to close to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, prompting locals to flock in and place their last orders. Within a few days, The Abingdon Arms […]