The coronavirus broke several barriers in America on Monday: in the US the dead exceed 80,000 and in Brazil 11,500; Latin America is approaching 372,000 positive cases and on the continent, some governments are taking further tightening measures and others begin partial reopening.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed another record, cases worldwide have exceeded four million, an increase of one million in the last eleven days, and the death toll rose to 278,892, a daily increase of 8,527.

USA and Brazil suffer the rise

The US continues to beat marks. This Monday it registered 80,087 deaths from COVID-19, which already leaves 1,344,512 infected, being by far the country in the world with the most victims of this disease.

Along with the escalating figures, the hypothesis of China’s alleged responsibility to “hide” information about the “severity” of the coronavirus took hold in the US following the request of 18 prosecutors for Congress to investigate the Chinese government for the management of the disease.

That action is in addition to a lawsuit filed on April 21 by the state of Missouri against the Government of China, the Chinese Communist Party and officials and institutions of that country, which it blames “for the devastation and destruction” caused by the pandemic.

Brazil, the second most affected country in America, already totals 11,519 deaths, while the number of infected exceeds 168,300 people.

Locks and openings

The cities of Niteroi and São Gonçalo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, joined another 18 Brazilian cities on Monday in adopting the total blockade to prevent the spread of COVID-19. After Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro is the second state in Brazil most plagued by the coronavirus, has counted more than 17,000 cases and 1,714 deaths.

On the other hand, in the United States there are many areas of the country that urge them to resume their commercial activities. This is the case of three regions in northern New York state that will begin the first phase of the reopening starting next Friday, although the Big Apple, the city that has lost the most lives (26,641 deaths), will initially be expected until June.

In Florida, with 40,982 cases and 1,173 deaths, after a week of reopening in phases, some places had to close again due to lack of social distance.

Colombia began the gradual reopening of various economic sectors, such as the gradual opening of industrial activities and car sales, as well as furniture stores, stationeries, laundries and bookstores that comply with the sanitary protocols established in the country, where there are already 11,613 infections and 479 deaths.

Haiti, the poorest country in America, started the compulsory use of masks this Monday, but many do not have or do not know how to use them, but what is more worrying is that in popular markets where they are sold, it is possible to try this element, which can further spread the coronavirus, which already leaves 182 infections.

El Salvador, where the death toll rose to 18 and the cases to 958, is in “absolute” and “rigid” quarantine with the prohibition of the movement of public transport and the limitation of the purchase of food through the identification number until the end of this month, but the Government has already warned that it can be extended.

While Costa Rica announced a plan to de-escalate restrictions on economic activities, which includes four stages until the month of August, with the possibility of backing down if there is a large increase in infections, which already number 801 and seven deaths.

Political consequences

The Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep), Nicaragua’s main employer, demanded that the government “respond” to the pandemic “without political calculations” defending that “the life of Nicaraguans comes first”.

The Ortega government, which has received criticism from national and international sectors, has not established restrictions in the face of the pandemic, and only recognizes 16 cases of contagion and five deaths “all imported”, while the independent Citizen Observatory COVID-19 registers 781 cases and 88 deaths.

Stranded drama

In Uruguay, as in various parts of the world, the drama of hundreds of stranded citizens continues. This Monday twenty members of a group of about 200 Spaniards and Uruguayans residing in Spain gathered in front of that country’s Consulate in Montevideo to demand a humanitarian flight.

In addition, the Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer, who was stranded 20 kilometres from the Uruguayan coast and with a large part of its passengers affected by the COVID-19, docked in the port of Montevideo waiting for the evacuation of the almost 90 members of the crew, which is expected to be this Tuesday.

In the midst of this grim panorama, a study by the Federal University of Sao Paulo (Unifesp) was released, with the collaboration of English and Italian scientists, according to which the anticoagulant heparin could stop the entry of the virus by up to 70% in the cells.