A world of protests and quarantines | Gears and …

As Latin America enters the most critical phase of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, in Europe there is already talk of a third, the United States is preparing for a fourth peak and in Asia the contrast between countries suffering from a fourth wave and Asia is surprising, others that are starting to return to normal, such as China. Far from decreasing, the spread of the coronavirus and that of its new variants with the implementation of different vaccination plans across the planet, the upward trend in infections is exacerbated and today there are more than 130 million people. who contracted the disease. Since the first case was known in December 2019, when China warned of the situation, the covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 2.8 million people.

This long year is breaking the patience and the social pact in some countries. This Saturday there was a massive protest in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, in which thousands of people condemned the return of harsh isolation measures. Protesters, most without masks, marched from the town center to a square and “ignored” police instructions to maintain their social estrangement and to wear masks. The police chose not to intervene and there were no incidents.

Opponents of wearing masks and keeping a distance call themselves “querdenken”, non-conformists, and organize marches that bring together leftists, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaccination and right-wing extremists. On March 20, this heterogeneous mixture brought together nearly twenty thousand people in Cassel. That day, violent clashes took place with the police.

Prime Minister Angela Merkel does not seem impressed by these demonstrations and her government has studied a federal mandate that unifies the health measures taken by the German provinces. The argument is that a third wave is clearly coming to the country with the increase in positive cases.

United States

John Hopkins University reported that the United States recorded 70,000 new infections and 967 deaths on Saturday, bringing the total to 30.6 million and 334,106, respectively. The number is worrying, as it comes in the midst of a successful vaccination campaign, which has already reached a third of the country’s population. More than 100 million people have already received one dose of the vaccine, and of these, nearly 60 million have received the second.

President Joe Biden, sensing some complacency and concerned about Republican-ruled states reluctant to take health measures, called “not to let your guard down” and “get the job done.” Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist and official policy spokesperson, reiterated that with or without a vaccine, we must continue to wear a mask.

“If we see a significant increase in cases and continue to increase cases, it is conceivable that we will have to wear masks in 2022,” he said in an interview with Fox News. “But if we continue to vaccinate people and bring together the vast majority of people with whom they have been infected and the level of infection decreases, it is very likely that we will not have to do it,” a- he explained.

turkey

Turkey recorded a record number of cases on Friday, with more than 42,000 new infections, and has taken drastic measures. In medium to low risk provinces and cities, a curfew applies from 9:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Saturday, repeating from 9:00 p.m. Saturday to 5:00 a.m. Monday. But in the provinces most at risk, the absolute curfew began at 9 p.m. Friday and does not wake up until 5 a.m. Monday.

The measure indicates the ban on traveling or leaving home, with the sole exception of going to buy food or medicine. Some stores and pharmacies can serve, although it is best if they ship without receiving physical customers.

Turkey already has 3,400,296 registered infections, with nearly 32,000 deaths, counting 179 on Friday. The health situation is not out of control and hospital capacity is not saturated, but the government clearly believes that a third wave of infections is approaching. Turkey has already applied no less than 16 million doses of the vaccine and administered nearly seven million per second injection.