Sign of a cautious deconfinement, New Yorkers were able to rediscover the beach on Sunday, welcoming a mixed weather that allowed them to avoid the crowds while enjoying a breath of fresh air, “great for mental health “.
For this extended Memorial Day weekend, which marks the opening of the US summer season, the beaches have reopened in the states of New York and New Jersey, which have been the most affected by the epidemic: between them , they counted 40% of the nearly 100,000 deaths in the United States.
“It’s just great to hear the sound of the waves. It’s a great form of meditation to be able to look at the ocean, to go in the water, ”says Brittany Neiss, 25, walking barefoot with her friend on Jones Beach on Long Island.
The authorities have made “the right choice” by reopening this beach and many others, she said. “We need to feel… human, instead of being stuck at home. “
Latin America, new home
While the United States remains the most affected country, with at least 1,641,585 confirmed cases and 97,686 deaths so far, the epicenter of the pandemic is now Latin America, according to the WHO. And especially Brazil: the virus has infected at least 363,211 people there and killed more than 22,666.
Donald Trump on Sunday banned entry into the United States to travelers from that country.
Non-Americans who have traveled to Brazil during the 14 days preceding their request to enter the United States will not be accepted, said a statement from Kayleigh McEnany, spokesperson for the US presidency. Trade is not affected by these measures.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is a political ally of Mr. Trump, and his brash and aggressive manner of speaking has him dubbed the “tropical Trump.”
Like the US president, Bolsonaro downplayed the coronavirus pandemic, likening the disease to a “little flu” and arguing that the containment measures were unnecessarily hurting Latin America’s largest economy.
On the brink of the cold war
China accused US President Donald Trump on Sunday of dragging it into a new “cold war” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Already at loggerheads for two years because of their trade war, the two countries are “on the brink of a new cold war”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Sunday.
“In addition to the devastation caused by the new coronavirus, a political virus is spreading in the United States”, regretted the head of Chinese diplomacy. And “this political virus takes every opportunity to attack and defame China.”
The first patients with COVID-19 were reported in December in China. The coronavirus has since spread across the planet, infecting at least 5.4 million people and killing more than 344,760.
Boris Johnson in the controversy
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