As coronavirus lockdowns ease, some countries announce new infection peaks

By Amwal Al Ghad English On May 4, 2020

Shanghai May Day coronavirus lockdown — Large crowd of people wearing face masks visit the promenade on the Bund along the Huangpu River during a holiday on May Day, or International Workers' Day, in Shanghai on May 1, 2020. - With optimism and a heavy dose of caution, millions of Chinese hit the road or visited newly re-opened tourist sites on May 1 for an extended national holiday in a post-coronavirus confidence test. (Photo Credit: Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

From the United States to Europe to Asia, the easing of some coronavirus lockdowns has allowed millions to go out of their homes and took advantage to enjoy spring weather, some of the world’s most populous countries reported worrisome new peaks in infections on Sunday.

For instance, India on Sunday reported more than 2,600 infections, its biggest single-day surge, while new coronavirus cases in Russia have surpassed 10,000 for the first time.

The confirmed death toll in Britain was inching up near that of Italy, the epicentre of Europe’s outbreak, even though the UK population is younger than Italy’s and Britain had more time than Italy to prepare before the virus hit.

There was also worrying news from Afghanistan, where almost a third tested positive for coronavirus in a random test of 500 people in the capital city of Kabul.

In the U.S., at least 30 states have started to allow some businesses to reopen or announced plans to do so this month. As warmer spring temperatures have lured residents to parks and beaches over the weekend, even authorities in hard-hit states such as New York and New Jersey opened up some outdoor spaces Yet, the two states made sure that extra police are present to ensure residents didn’t congregate too closely.

The U.S. continues to see tens of thousands of new infections each day, reporting more than 1,400 additional deaths on Saturday.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. topped 1.14 million, with over 66,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on Sunday.

Health experts warn that a second wave of coronavirus infections could hit unless testing is expanded dramatically after the easing of lockdowns, the Associated Press reported.

However, there are huge pressures to reopen economies, since the weeks-long shutdown of businesses around the world has led the global economy into its deepest decline since the 1930s and has wiped out millions of jobs.