Europe passes milestone of just one 1 million coronavirus deaths; Britain reopens pubs
13 April, 2021
Europe passed the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus deaths on Monday, as the World Wellness Organization warned that attacks are rising exponentially in spite of widespread efforts aimed at stopping them.
The death toll across Europe's 52 countries, published by AFP from official sources, totaled at least 1,000,288 by 6:30 p.m.
"We will be in a critical stage of the pandemic right now," stated Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical business lead on COVID-19. "The trajectory of this pandemic is growing... exponentially. This is simply not the problem we want to be in 16 months into a pandemic, whenever we have tested control measures."
The coronavirus has already killed a lot more than 2.9 million persons and infected practically 136 million across the world.
But despite the somber news found in Europe -- the world's worst-hit location -- Britain eased curbs for the first time in months about Monday, allowing Britons to enjoy a taste of liberty with a pint and a haircut.
English pubs and restaurants is now able to serve people exterior, a approach welcomed by the hard-hit hospitality sector despite wintry temperatures.
"It'll be superb to see everybody once again and see all the locals," Louise Porter, landlady of The Crown Inn found in Askrigg, northern England, told AFP.
"Our lives have merely been turned ugly, just like everybody else's," she said, adding: "We're still in this article to tell the tale."
England's hairdressers, indoor gyms and pools also got the green light to reopen.
Retail parks and great streets anticipate a looking spree, hoping the partial reprieve just after more than 90 days of stay-at-residence orders will trigger a great economic windfall.
Once the worst affected region in Europe, Britain launched an effective vaccination campaign coupled with lockdown measures that cut deaths by 95 percent and cases by 90 percent from January.
Italy has also been among Europe's hardest-hit countries, and on Monday Rome saw the latest in some anti-lockdown demonstrations, with several hundred people turning out in protest against weeks of cafe closures.
In France, now the European country with infections, an expansion of the vaccine rollout has buoyed optimism among lockdown-weary residents. Everyone over 55 years aged is now eligible for Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca jabs.
In Greece, students were welcomed back again to campus for the first time in five months on Monday.
And in other great news, clinical trial benefits indicated that the Regeneron antibody treatment used to treat COVID-19 patients also aids in preventing infections.
Source: japantoday.com