UN proposes wealth tax to fight Covid – News

“I urge governments to consider applying a solidarity or wealth tax to those who benefited from it during the pandemic to reduce extreme inequalities.”Guterres said Tuesday at the Economic and Social Council’s Forum on Financing for Development, the agency reported.

He also called for strengthening “the architecture of international debt to end the deadly cycles of debt waves, the global debt crisis and the lost decades.”

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Another priority action he proposed was “to invest in a new social contract, based on solidarity and investments in education, decent and ecological jobs, social protection and health systems that would form” the basis for sustainable and inclusive development “.

“A paradigm shift is needed to align the private sector with global goals to face future challenges, including those caused by the coronavirus”, Guterres added, and insisted that ending the pandemic requires “equitable access to vaccines for everyone, everywhere.”

In parallel, millions of Muslims around the world began the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Tuesday, with community prayers and social distancing after the start of the coronavirus pandemic that forced the closure of all mosques throughout the year. last.

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At IndonesiaFor example, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, the government has allowed mosques to open for prayer, albeit with strict health protocols and 50% capacity, as infections continue to rise despite the vaccination campaign.

Saudi Arabia, one of the countries with the most holy places in Islam, has announced that only people immune to Covid-19 will be able to participate in the “umra”, the small pilgrimage to Mecca, from the start of Ramadan .

At Egypt, the restrictions are much less strict than last year and people were able to celebrate the start of the month of fasting in the streets.

For its part, Pakistan, where the fast begins this Wednesday, the third wave of the coronavirus has so far been revealed as the deadliest, so authorities have asked mosques to only welcome worshipers in open spaces and to strengthen social distance .

With an explosive spread of the virus, in IndiaThe country with the second highest number of cases after beating Brazil this week, Muslim scholars have called on their communities to strictly follow anti-virus protocols and refrain from hosting large gatherings.

The government on Tuesday authorized the use of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, which will speed up the vaccination campaign at a time when the country registers more than 100,000 cases a day – 161,000 the day before – hospital beds are scarce and dozens of cities with nighttime curfews imposed.

At Europe, there have also been tightened restrictions to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

At turkeyPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced a battery of restrictions to control the spread of the virus and warned of the possibility of tightening them if the epidemiological situation “does not improve”, according to the agency. Europa Press.

Turkey will be partially closed during the first two weeks of the month of Ramadan, the curfew will be extended from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be no intercity travel during these hours except for essential reasons; in addition, restaurants will only be served by delivery and distance education will be enabled.

Meanwhile at GermanyChancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday imposed her strict line to fight the coronavirus with the establishment of a mechanism that strengthens the power of the federal government before the regions and automates and harmonizes restrictions across the country.

The new rules establish that from a threshold of 100 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in three days, the federal state can decide to apply night curfews, reduce contact between people in private places or to shut down businesses ordered by the courts. news agency reported AFP.

The other measures confirm the restrictions already in place since the end of 2020 in the country, where restaurants, bars, clubs, sports, cultural or leisure facilities remain closed.

On the other hand, in America, Canadian Premier Doug Ford announced on Tuesday that the city of Ontario will close all of its schools and that after spring break it will offer virtual classes due to a record number of coronavirus infections, as cited by the public network CBC, and the health authorities of United States recommended a “pause” in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “as a precaution” while they investigate whether it is causing blood clots.