April 2 – Global Issues: WORLD
Global Health: Coronavirus, or Covid-19
– Spain’s death toll from Covid-19 reaches 10,000, making it the second country in the world (after Italy) to reach the grim milestone. The country extends lockdown measures to the end of April.
– Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. top 5,000, as confirmed cases nationwide rise to 232,837. In response, many governors place their entire states under stay-at-home orders for non-essential workers. The hardest hit state is New York, where deaths surpass 2,000, with confirmed cases of 92,381.
– A record 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits the previous week, a sign of the pandemic’s mounting toll on the U.S economy.
– Russia extends the country’s work-from-home guidance until the end of April.
(Apr 3): Even though President Trump announces the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation to wear cloth face masks in public to prevent the spread of the virus, he himself disavows it.[1]
– Dubai enters an extended two-week lockdown, as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reports more than 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases.
(Apr 4): Egypt orders its residents to stay at home until April 10, urging people to not leave even for necessities. The country has almost 1,000 confirmed cases and 66 fatalities.
(Apr 6): While many U.S. states are delaying their primaries and allowing voting by mail, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturns the governor’s executive order to suspend all in-person voting, siding with the Republican-controlled legislature that had appealed his order. Later, more than 50 people who took part in this election will test positive for Covid-19.
– China reports its first day with no coronavirus deaths since the outbreak began.
(April 7): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares a month-long state of emergency following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.
(April 8): Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, declares a state of emergency due to the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.
(April 9): There are more than 11,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 570 deaths across Africa. Strict lockdowns in many African countries are impacting their economies, especially those dependent on the export of oil and minerals, such as Nigeria, Angola and South Africa, and those relying on tourism.[2]
– Indonesia reports its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths, bringing the country’s total number of deaths to 280, with 3,293 total confirmed cases.
(Apr 11): The U.S. surpasses Italy in the number of coronavirus deaths (18,860) becoming the worst hit country in the world.
(Apr 12): With restaurants, hotels and schools closed due to the pandemic, U.S. farmers are facing a significant drop in demand for their produce. Only some surplus of food goes to food banks due to their insufficient storage capacities for fresh food. The situation forces farmers to destroy tens of millions of pounds of perishable food.[3]
– In some major cities, traffic levels have dropped more than 90 percent, and at least 50 percent nearly everywhere.[4]
(Apr 13): The U.S. Supreme Court will hear half of the remaining cases of the term by phone conference call — a first in the court’s history — with the justices and the lawyers calling in remotely.
– The U.S. states are struggling with providing testing and basic medical equipment such as masks and ventilators. New Jersey, the state with the second-highest caseload in the country, has conducted about one test for every 75 residents. In New York, the epicenter of the crisis, there is about one for every 40. The tests are a critical tool in measuring the disease’s spread and a requirement for certain forms of treatment (hyperlink to the article below).
– The governors of several northeastern states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and similarly the governors of three West Coast states, Washington, Oregon and California, form regional pacts to plan gradual reopening of their economies.
– With more than 98,000 confirmed cases and 14,967 deaths, France extends the coronavirus lockdown measures until May 11.
(Apr 14): President Trump announces plans to halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing the agency of “severely mismanaging and covering up” the coronavirus crisis.
– Some businesses in Italy are permitted to reopen.
– Austria begins lifting coronavirus restrictions, allowing shops to open for the first time since mid-March. But the citizens are asked to continue working from home, wearing masks to curb new infection.
– The International Monetary Fund (IFM) approves immediate debt service relief for 19 African countries for an initial period of six months to help them deal with the worsening coronavirus pandemic. The concern is that a widespread outbreak of the virus in African countries with weak healthcare systems and extreme poverty will be devastating.[5]
– The European Union donates $55 million to Nigeria to boost its fight against coronavirus and strengthen its healthcare system.[6]
(Apr 15): Demonstrators in the state of Michigan protest Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders. A similar demonstration against coronavirus lockdown measures was previously held in Ohio. President Trump openly encourages anti-lockdown protests in a series of tweets calling to “liberate” Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia.
– In the efforts to contain the virus, Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo requires people to wear face coverings in public settings where they cannot keep six feet away from others.
– Romania becomes the first European Union country to ban the export of agricultural goods — specifically barley, oats, corn, rice, wheat flour, oilseed and sugar — to countries outside the bloc to secure domestic supply during the pandemic.[7]
– As some European countries are ready to reopen, Belgium, with its population of 11.5 million and 4,440 deaths from the virus, becomes the country with the second-highest death rate in the EU, trailing only Spain. The high rate is explained by different calculation that includes those suspected of having died from the virus.[8]
(Apr 16): Officials across the U.S. are racing to provide coronavirus tests to diagnose infections and to identify recovered patients with antibodies that may help others battle the disease.
– Around 5 million more people file unemployment claims, as the job market in every sector of the economy continues to be devastated by the pandemic.
– Retail sales in the U.S. fall 8.7 percent in March from the month before, by far the largest decline in the nearly three decades.[9]
(Apr 17): China reports that its economy shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter, ending a nearly 50-year run of growth.[10]
– Ecuador’s official coronavirus death toll is 403, but densely populated Guayas province with high levels of poverty shows a different picture. Since the beginning of March 14,561 people have died in Guayas province from all causes, much higher than usual 2,000 deaths a month on average. The authorities are unable to keep up with the huge rise in deaths, leaving corpses wrapped in sheets in family homes and even in the streets.[11]
(Apr 19): Europe surpasses 100,000 coronavirus deaths across the continent. European events such as Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Tour de France, the Cannes Film Festival, Oktoberfest, and San Fermin Bull Run are either canceled for 2020 or postponed due to the pandemic.
(Apr 20): The Navajo Nation, which sprawls across three states, reports 1,197 coronavirus cases, a per capita infection rate 10 times higher than Arizona and the third-highest infection rate in the country behind New York and New Jersey.
– The Department of Homeland Security announces travel restrictions with Canada and Mexico for another 30 days.
– South Carolina allows for many non-essential businesses to reopen, with beaches reopening the next day. South Carolina reported 4,439 confirmed cases and 124 deaths due to coronavirus.
– President Trump temporarily suspends immigration to the United States in response to the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the “need to protect jobs.”
– UNICEF appeals for an additional $92.4 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa, and to aid children in these conflict-battered regions.
– Spain allows children aged 12 and under to leave their homes after five weeks under lockdown. However, the country’s strict social-distancing measures will remain in effect until at least May 9.
– Smaller shops in Germany begin to reopen as the country eases some of its coronavirus restrictions.
(Apr 21): Hundreds of protesters gather at state capitols in North Carolina and Missouri to protest stay-at-home orders.
– Officials in Silicon Valley report two virus-related deaths that predate a Washington state fatality previously believed to be the first victim of COVID-19 in the United States.
– Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston determine that the coronavirus was silently spreading in several U.S. cities in early February. The research shows how far behind the United States was in detecting the virus, and how little or no systematic testing for the virus was taking place.[12]
– Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tightens coronavirus restrictions following a spike of over 1,100 new COVID-19 cases.
(Apr 24): President Trump signs a $500-billion coronavirus bill passed earlier by both the House and the Senate. It includes additional money for the small-business loan program, as well as more funding for hospitals and testing.
– Georgia Governor Brian Kemp allows some businesses, such as hair and nail salons, gyms, and restaurants to reopen in the state. The critics of his decision say it is too early and point out to the virus cases still growing in Georgia. There are currently 18,947 confirmed coronavirus cases and 733 deaths in Georgia.
– Hundreds of Amazon tech and fulfillment center employees call out sick, rallying virtually to protest in their words unsafe and unethical working conditions.
– India’s coronavirus cases have surged to almost 23,000. The country extended the nationwide lockdown until May 3.
– Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities in Brazil warn that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse. President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the outbreak and opposes the lockdown measures despite the country’s nearly 53,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,600 deaths.
(Apr 25): India and Pakistan ease lockdown restrictions for some businesses, allowing a limited reopening of small businesses in residential areas and some industrial and commercial activities to begin under safety guidelines.
– The U.K.’s coronavirus death toll surpassed 20,000, making it the country with the fifth-highest virus death numbers in the world, after the U.S., Italy, Spain and France.
– The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 30,000 reported cases of coronavirus on the continent of Africa, with South Africa having the continent’s most cases, 4,361, followed by Egypt, Morocco and Algeria.
(Apr 27): Texas announces that the state’s stay-at-home order will expire on April 30. Retailers are allowed to resume business, including restaurants, shopping malls and movie theaters.
– JetBlue Airways is the first U.S. airline to announce that all passengers will have to wear a face covering on flights.
– The head of the WHO expresses concern about growing coronavirus outbreaks in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and some Asian countries.
– Iran, the worst hit in the Middle East, has more than 91,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and around 5,800 deaths. It announces plans to loosen restrictions in some parts of the country.
– New Zealand announces lifting some of its strictest coronavirus restrictions. Residents are now allowed to reconnect with close family, bring caregivers into the home and some people will be allowed to return to work.
(Apr 28): California Governor Gavin Newsom unveils a four-phase plan to reopen the state’s economy. Manufacturing, retail stores where curbside pick up is possible, and public spaces including some parks will be the first businesses to reopen.
– The Hong Kong government announces plans to resume public activities in phases starting May 4, after no new cases were reported for three consecutive days.
(Apr 29): The number of U.S. coronavirus cases reaches one million, while deaths surpass 60,000. New York and New Jersey are the hardest hit.
– President Trump says there will be a fading out of the federal guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus that were set to expire on April 30.
– Iraq tightens restriction measures to contain the spread of the virus by expanding its curfew and imposing a fine for not wearing masks or ignoring social distancing.
– Spain announces a four-phase plan to return to normality by the end of June. At first, businesses that operate via appointment will reopen on May 4.
(Apr 30): Around 3.8 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the U.S. jobless total to 30 million, about 18 percent of the workforce. Food banks across the U.S. are struggling to meet demand.
– California Governor Gavin Newsom orders beaches south of Los Angeles closed after pictures emerged of thousands flocking to Orange County’s coast and not social distancing. The city council in Huntington Beach votes to take legal action against the state for the beach closures.
– The WHO says it is urgently investigating a potential link between the coronavirus and Kawasaki syndrome, an illness of unknown cause that primarily affects children under 5.
– Russia reports a record 7,099 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total number of cases to more than 100,000. Russia’s total number of fatalities has risen to 1,073.
– Germany continues to ease lockdown measures, allowing church and religious services to take place and reopening playgrounds, galleries, museums, and zoos. Concerts and major sporting events, however, will remain closed.[13]
– South Korea reports no new domestic virus cases for the first time since February.
– Hundreds of Michigan residents protest outside the state Capitol building in Lansing, demanding ending the state of emergency and opening the economy. Some angry protesters push their way inside the building where the Legislature is in session.[14]
Why Germany’s Coronavirus Death Rate Is Low from NYT
Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus from NYT
The backlog for Covid-19 testing from NYT
Why We Don’t Know the True Death Rate for Covid-19
Hidden Outbreaks Spread Through U.S. Cities Far Earlier Than Americans Knew
Naples feels the cost of Italy’s lockdown (video: 5:09 min)
Two US towns, two very different experiences
What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine
Critical Supply Shortages (article from The New England Journal of Medicine)

April 12 – Global / International Organizations / Europe / North America / Middle East / Latin America:
OPEC / RUSSIA / NORWAY / UNITED STATES / SAUDI ARABIA / BRAZIL
In coordination with the United States, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia, and other allied oil producers in a group known as OPEC Plus agree to reduce their production by 9.7 million barrels a day in May and June, about 10 percent of the world’s output. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic demand for oil worldwide fell by 35 percent. This is the largest production cut ever negotiated in an effort to stabilize the oil prices and help struggling economies in the Middle East and Africa, but also oil companies around the world that employ 10 million workers. Other oil countries outside OPEC, such as Canada, Brazil, Norway, and the United States, have been also cutting production. The oil prices that used to go above $100 a barrel are expected to stay below $40 for some time.[15]
More on how a drop in oil prices caused by the Covid-19 pandemic affects various economies

Sources:
[1] Elijah Walker. “Morning Briefing.” The New York Times.” April 5, 20. Accessed May 19, 20.
[2] “Coronavirus: World Bank predicts sub-Saharan Africa recession.” BBC News. 9 April 2020. Accessed may 5, 20.
[3] Remy Tumin and Sandra Stevenson. “Morning Briefing.” The New York Times. April 12, 2020. Accessed April 12, 20.
[4] Ibid 3.
[5] “IMF grants debt relief for 19 African nations.” BBC News. April 14, 2020. Accessed April 30, 2020.
[6] Igho Akeregha. “EU gives Nigeria €50m grant to fight coronavirus.” The Guardian. 14 April 2020. Accessed May 25, 20.
[7] “Romania says it’s banning grain exports to non-E.U. nations.” The New York Times. April 15, 2020. Accessed May 19, 20 from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/world/coronavirus-cases-world.html
[8] “Belgium’s death rate is now No. 2 in Europe.” The New York Times. April 15, 2020. Accessed May 19, 20 from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/world/coronavirus-cases-world.html
[9] Chris Stanford. “Morning Briefing.” The New York Times. April 16, 2020. Accessed April 16, 20.
[10] Keith Bradsher. “China’s Economy Shrinks, Ending a Nearly Half-Century of Growth. “ The New York Times. April 16, 2020. Updated April 28, 2020. Accessed May 22, 20.
[11] “Coronavirus: Ecuador sees massive surge in deaths in April.” BBC News. April 17, 2020. Accessed May 20, 20.
[12] Benedict Carey and James Glanz. “Hidden Outbreaks Spread Through U.S. Cities Far Earlier Than Americans Knew, Estimates Say.” The New York Times. April 23, 2020. Updated May 14, 2020. Accessed May 26, 20.
[13] “Coronavirus timeline: Tracking the critical moments of COVID-19.” NBC News. 2020. Accessed April 3, 2020 from
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-timeline-tracking-critical-moments-covid-19-n1154341
[14] “Coronavirus timeline: Tracking the critical moments of COVID-19.” NBC News. 2020. Accessed April 3, 2020 from
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-timeline-tracking-critical-moments-covid-19-n1154341
[15] Clifford Krauss. “Oil Nations, Prodded by Trump, Reach Deal to Slash Production.” The New York Times. April 12, 2020. Accessed April 30, 2020.