Germany surge sounds coronavirus alarm as world takes steps to reopen

[snoop1130]

Germany surge sounds coronavirus alarm as world takes steps to reopen

By Douglas Busvine, Michel Rose

 

Customers wait outside an IKEA shop after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown has been eased around the country and the company opens some of its stores, in Berlin, Germany, May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Germany reported on Monday that new coronavirus infections were accelerating exponentially after early steps to ease its lockdown, news that sounded a global alarm even as businesses opened from Paris hair salons to Shanghai Disneyland.

 

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute reported that the “reproduction rate” - the number of people each person infected with the coronavirus goes on to infect - had risen to 1.1. Any rate above 1 means the virus is spreading exponentially.

 

German authorities had taken early steps to ease lockdown measures just days earlier, a stark illustration that progress can swiftly be reversed even in a country with one of the best records in Europe of containing the virus so far.

 

It follows a new outbreak in night clubs in South Korea, another country that had succeeded in limiting infections.

 

Governments around the world are struggling with the question of how to reopen their economies while still containing the coronavirus. In Europe, the world’s worst-hit continent, Spain and France began major steps to ease lockdowns, while Britain announced more cautious moves.

 

Traffic flowed along the Champs Elysees in Paris, a giant tricolour flag billowing under the Arc de Triomphe, as workers cleaned shop-front windows to reopen.

 

“Everyone’s a little bit nervous. Wow! We don’t know where we’re headed but we’re off,” said Marc Mauny, a hair stylist who opened his salon in western France at the stroke of midnight when new rules took effect.

 

Mickey Mouse welcomed thinned-out crowds in Shanghai, the first Disney theme park to re-open, with a strict limit on the number of tickets. Parades and fireworks were cancelled, and workers and guests were required to wear face masks and have their temperatures screened at the entrance.

 

“I think (these measures) make tourists feel at ease,” said Kay Yu, a 29-year-old pass holder wearing a Minnie Mouse hat, who said he had woken up at 4 a.m. to make the trip to the park.

 

“IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER”

 

A German health ministry spokesman said the authorities were taking the rise in the infection rate seriously and it did not mean the outbreak was out of control.

 

Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democrat lawmaker and professor of epidemiology, had warned that the virus could start spreading again quickly after seeing large crowds outside on Saturday in his home city of Cologne.

 

“It has to be expected that the R rate will go over 1 and we will return to exponential growth,” Lauterbach said in a tweet. “The loosening measures were far too poorly prepared.”

 

In South Korea, which largely avoided a lockdown by implementing a massive testing and contact-tracing programme early on, authorities were rushing to contain a new outbreak traced to night clubs.

 

“It’s not over until it’s over. While keeping enhanced alertness till the end, we must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention,” President Moon Jae-In said on Sunday.

 

New Zealand, which had success in fighting infection with one of the toughest and earliest lockdowns, said it would open malls, cafes and cinemas this week.

 

“The upshot is that in 10 days’ time we will have reopened most businesses in New Zealand, and sooner than many other countries around the world,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference. “But that fits with our plan – go hard, go early – so we can get our economy moving again sooner.”

 

But some of the countries and territories that were taking steps to open up their economies were acting without yet reporting sustained falls in the spread.

 

India, which has locked down its population of 1.3 billion people since March, reported a record daily rise in cases. But it said it would begin to restart passenger railway services, with 15 special trains, from Tuesday.

 

Russia, where the death toll is still comparatively low but the caseload surging, overtook Italy and Britain to report the highest number of cases after the United States and Spain.

 

In the United States, where unemployment figures released last week were the worst since the Great Depression, President Donald Trump has been trying to shift the emphasis towards reopening the economy. Many states have begun loosening restrictions even though cases continue to rise.

 

While economies around the world are facing the worst contraction in living memory, stock markets have surged since the start of April, fuelled by unprecedented injections of cash from central banks. That has created unease that financial markets are out of whack with the economies they reflect.

 

There were signs of a shift in sentiment on Monday, with stock markets giving up their early gains.

 

“Since late March there has been an extraordinary divergence between the real economy and financial risk, with the latter helped by unprecedented policy accommodation,” said Alan Ruskin, head of G10 foreign exchange trading at Deutsche Bank.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-11

 

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[tifino]

there won't be enough digits on all hands, 

to replace that one thumb pulled from the Dyke...

[ukrules]

14 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Any rate above 1 means the virus is spreading exponentially.

????

[car720]

10 hours ago, tifino said:

there won't be enough digits on all hands, 

to replace that one thumb pulled from the Dyke...

yea but what was I supposed to do?  She refused to give me my thumb back.

[4MyEgo]

Without measures in place to keep people at a safe distance, it's game over for those that drop their guard with the numbers destined to rise all around the globe, economics has to change to blend in the new world we are seeing now, and how that is going to happen, I have no idea.

[Isaan sailor]

The world needs to come down hard on China for creating, releasing., and delayed reporting of this Wuhan virus.  Sure, direct reparations from China would help—but CCP still in denial stage.  More realistically, governments and even consumers can and should take economic revenge on China.

[Coremouse]

15 hours ago, ukrules said:

????

I think we usually call 1.3 per year as "loanshark" or "mobster"

And 1.1 per day = loanshark times 1 million billion, or 1 with 15 zeros, think 10% intrest/day for a whole year.

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Coremouse

[mrmicbkktxl]

Because of the measures the infection rate isn't high,because of the low infection rate the people think all isn't that bad,so they want the measures to end.I think this is understandable.

[RedPill]

I don't know, that is the second Reuters with a dramatic title in 2 days ... looks like they don't want to wait a few days, but everyone to stay home forever. That title, talk about fear spreading, faster than the virus itself.

 

My sister living in Germany tells me just a few days ago, other than she has to wear a mask while shopping now, and her teenage daughter not seeing her boyfriend for 7 weeks, live is pretty much not that dramatically different. Her husband also still runs his telco business, although limited, on building sites. 

 

This is so much fear mongering ... it smells like a rat.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by RedPill

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Without measures in place to keep people at a safe distance, it's game over for those that drop their guard with the numbers destined to rise all around the globe, economics has to change to blend in the new world we are seeing now, and how that is going to happen, I have no idea.

 

Aye, we're doomed, doomed I say!

 

Bring in the new world order.

[Thingamabob]

This 'pandemic' is a media creation aimed at idiots. I wonder if people have ever been so gullible and stupid as they are today.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, RedPill said:

I don't know, that is the second Reuters with a dramatic title in 2 days ... looks like they don't want to wait a few days, but everyone to stay home forever. That title, talk about fear spreading, faster than the virus itself.

 

My sister living in Germany tells me just a few days ago, other than she has to wear a mask while shopping now, and her teenage daughter not seeing her boyfriend for 7 weeks, live is pretty much not that dramatically different. Her husband also still runs his telco business, although limited, on building sites. 

 

This is so much fear mongering ... it smells like a rat.

 

 

 

 

 

Indeed. I think you've realized what Reuters has been for the last decade or so. A shadow of the erstwhile news agency it once was. Now a politically biased sloppy purveyor of drivel.

[buick]

i'm most interested in the number of new patients admitted to hospital.  we need more reporting on that number.

[sawadee1947]

4 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

The world needs to come down hard on China for creating, releasing., and delayed reporting of this Wuhan virus.

Perfect idea ????????????

And how you would recommend to do? ????

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

This 'pandemic' is a media creation aimed at idiots. I wonder if people have ever been so gullible and stupid as they are today.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/10/coronavirus-attacks-body-symptoms/?arc404=true

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

The world needs to come down hard on China for creating, releasing., and delayed reporting of this Wuhan virus.  Sure, direct reparations from China would help—but CCP still in denial stage.  More realistically, governments and even consumers can and should take economic revenge on China.

China not reporting it sooner than later was a grave mistake, did it eventuate in China, well they say it did, others say it was Europe, you've heard of the Spanish flu of 1918, well some say it started in Kansas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

 

The fact of the matter is mother nature will always unleash something at us mere humans, whether we survive her fury is yet to be seen, this virus is one of concern, but I don't believe mother natures full fury has been unleashed yet, and it won't be the first or last time we will see a virus of this kind, there are many already around and many more to be released, but when the one that takes us all out is unleashed, we won't stand a chance, and it will happen.

 

I am not into the blame game, ok it started in China so they say, they reported it late, were they trying to get a grip on it before concerning everyone, like Donald Trump did, people make mistakes, and we will pay the price for it, we have no control over it, hitting back at China isn't the solution, countries all around the world have to unit and get a better system into place IMO, so that there is a clear timeframe when the alarm bells should be ringing regardless if proves to be a false flag later on.

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by 4MyEgo

[xylophone]

5 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

The world needs to come down hard on China for creating, releasing., and delayed reporting of this Wuhan virus.  Sure, direct reparations from China would help—but CCP still in denial stage.  More realistically, governments and even consumers can and should take economic revenge on China.

Fortunately, the opinion amongst world leading virologists and similar is that this virus was not man-made, so it wasn't "created" in China.

 

Using the word "released" is a bit harsh, because accidents do happen in places like laboratories and even nuclear power stations, as we both know, very often with catastrophic results.

 

In late December China warned of a new type of virus but didn't know exactly what it was and was uncertain of its transmission type. 

 

However in mid-January and some days afterwards, both the WHO and China warned countries that a virus causing an unusual type of pneumonia was on the loose and that countries should be prepared for something which could develop into a pandemic.

 

Perhaps China could have warned the WHO earlier and there was only around a 14 day delay in finally doing so.......dealing with it quickly and efficiently is/was key.

 

So countries had from mid-January to prepare for something like this and the country with the largest number of deaths did nothing, apart from brush it away as a type of pneumonia, or that it would go away come April.

 

The delay (of around 6 weeks) in the USA in taking action on this warning in January is the reason why there are over 80,000 deaths in that country, this and nothing else.

 

If other countries followed your lead with regards to "coming down hard" on countries where viruses, are supposed to have originated then perhaps we should have done so with Egypt from whence the MERS virus was thought to originate, or perhaps HIV which was from the Congo originally, or then again perhaps H1N1 which most likely came from Mexico and the USA, and as for the Spanish Flu, first manifesting itself in Kansas, well nobody is quite sure from whence it came.

 

Of paramount importance is how you deal with it, and how effectively you deal with it once it is out in the open and some countries did it well, others not so.

[xylophone]

14 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

China not reporting it sooner than later was a grave mistake, did it eventuate in China, well they say it did, others say it was Europe, you've heard of the Spanish flu of 1918, well some say it started in Kansas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

 

The fact of the matter is mother nature will always unleash something at us mere humans, whether we survive her fury is yet to be seen, this virus is one of concern, but I don't believe mother natures full fury has been unleashed yet, and it won't be the first or last time we will see a virus of this kind, there are many already around and many more to be released, but when the one that takes us all out is unleashed, we won't stand a chance, and it will happen.

 

I am not into the blame game, ok it started in China so they say, they reported it late, were they trying to get a grip on it before concerning everyone, like Donald Trump did, people make mistakes, and we will pay the price for it, we have no control over it, hitting back at China isn't the solution, countries all around the world have to unit and get a better system into place IMO, so that there is a clear timeframe when the alarm bells should be ringing regardless if proves to be a false flag later on.

 

Seems like we are on the same page old chap!!

[Kinnock]

More illogical, unscientific nonsense about pandemics.

 

Lockdowns were never a cure, they were just a way to avoid overloading hospitals, the virus has not been eradicated like Smallpox - (which took an effective vaccine that gives lifetime immunity and 24 years of hard work), and it's not yet mutated and faded away like SARS, so what do people expect as lockdowns are eased.

 

Unless you've achieve herd immunity levels to prevent spread (as may have occured in Taiwan, Thailand and parts of  China), it will come back in waves.  To expect anything else is just not logical.

[Skeptic7]

Time to "grow a pair" and pull up big boy shorts. People die every day of countless causes. Time to add this one to the list and get on with what some of us remember as LIFE.  

[overherebc]

18 hours ago, sawadee1947 said:

Perfect idea ????????????

And how you would recommend to do? ????

Many people, small actions.

Check where what you want to buy comes from and as far as possible buy something from somewhere else.

Not easy considering the cost etc but maybe other countries should start making components etc and pay attention to quality not quantity. Won't happen overnight, I know.

Edited May 13, 2020 by overherebc

[RedPill]

Back to the Reuters article from yesterday, that drama & fear mongering.

 

I've just finished watching the news from the German TV from yesterday night

 

In summary:

 

- The R reproduction rate is back to 1 (however they measure it ... there is no increase of outbreaks, that's the main take away)

- Borders to certain neighboring countries are discussed to open up

- Some provinces are not requiring a mandated 14 day quarantine after entering from a different province

- Well equipped emergency hospitals in large exhibition halls are empty (but on stand-by)

- Plans how to be more independent from import of medicals (India & China) and to produce them inside the EU

- Hospital workers are demonstrating on the street, in a safe way, keeping distance ... their request: Clapping is not enough, we want more money

...etc.

 

I can't feel any fear mongering, I can see everyone having the same goal, to open up as safe and fast as possible.

No conspiracy theories ... no fighting with the press.

 

Meanwhile in Thailand ... zero infections ... still no lifting of bans and curfews 

Watching the news in the US yesterday ... banners in the press conference "We have the most tests in the world" and a president fight with the press.

 

And Reuters is from now onwards on my blacklist for any news to be taken serious.