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| WHO Representative Showing a Graff on the Coronavirus |
The Coronavirus disease has been spreading rapidly across
the world, affecting 172 countries, nearly a third of the world’s population,
and claiming more than 20.000 lives.
Southern Europe is now in the epicentre of the crisis and the USA is
also facing a deluge of cases.
With deep sorrow and anxiety I am giving you below a list of the countries hardest hit by this devastating disease:
Besides China, Italy has 74.386 cases and 7.503 deaths, the
USA has 68.795 cases and 1.037 deaths, Spain has 49.515 cases and 647 deaths, Germany has 37.323 cases and 206 deaths, Iran has 27.017 and 2077 deaths, France has 25.203 cases and 1.331 deaths, Switzerland has 10.897 cases and 153 deaths, the UK (herd immunity!) has 9.529 cases and 465 deaths and South Korea has 9.137 cases and 126 deaths. Heartbreaking records....
In Greece, we have 821 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. As I have mentioned before, our government promptly imposed extremely strict measures against this terrible pandemic. So, we have to stay strictly at home and anybody coming from abroad, including my precious grandson Alex, must be put into a 14-day quarantine to avert the spread of the virus.
Researcher/scientists all over the world are working incessantly to discover a vaccine and an antidote against this deadly disease, so let us hope and pray that these gifts to humanity will be ready in the very near future.
Regretfully this frightful disease has also serious economic repercussions. The world economy has come to a standstill in efforts to lessen the spread of the virus.
One issue is to what extent the EU's bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism with the firepower of 410 bn Euros, should be used to help countries withstand the economic shock.
European leaders have clashed over how to pull their economies through the coronavirus crisis, as Italy accused other member states of timid responses to an unprecedented economic shock.
The Netherlands and a "leading a handful of countries" as an EU diplomat called it, (Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden - the 4 Frugals) think it is too early to use all that money stored in the block's financial backup. Diplomats argue that it is difficult to see how long the outbreak will last, what will its economic impact be, and worried to "burn all the cash already now".
"You cannot judge, when you are in a crisis. We do not agree we should make use of all our instruments but we should not use them this week because we don't know how long the crisis will last" said one of the EU diplomats.
The Netherlands and their Nordic backers are, also, not willing to loosen the conditionality on loans and guarantees that the European Stability Mechanism can provide for countries. At the meeting of the European finance ministers, on Tuesday, there was no breakthrough and because they are not expected to solve the enigma, they will allow the finance ministers to work on details next week.
In the meantime, nine of the governments sent a letter to Eurocouncil president Charles Michel to push for the creation of a "corona bond" to help the European economy.
Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal. Luxemburg, Spain and Slovenia support the idea of jointly issuing corona bonds, which is backed by the European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde. These bonds bare similarity to Eurobonds. Mrs Merkel and her Nordic friends are against the corona bond.
The EU leaders will hold their third discussion by videoconference on the 26th of March on how to tackle the spread of the coronavirus and its devastating economic side effects. They are expected to back efforts by the European Commission to redirect money from the EU budget, loosen "state aid a fiscal rut" to help more medical equipment for the countries of the block.
The leaders might also back the idea of creating a European Crisis Management Centre, but details are vague.
The EU is heading into a depression as its economy has come into a standstill amid efforts to lessen the spread of the virus. Also, the USA and the whole world are in a deep economic recession.
Prince Charles of England has been tested positive for the coronavirus and is staying in Scotland in strict isolation.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is forced into a 14-day quarantine after coming into contact with a coronavirus patient, of whose condition she was ignorant.
Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson has been tested positive for the coronavirus so he is placed in strict isolation at 10 Downing Street. Nevertheless, he will be performing his government obligations through videos.In Greece, we have 821 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. As I have mentioned before, our government promptly imposed extremely strict measures against this terrible pandemic. So, we have to stay strictly at home and anybody coming from abroad, including my precious grandson Alex, must be put into a 14-day quarantine to avert the spread of the virus.
Researcher/scientists all over the world are working incessantly to discover a vaccine and an antidote against this deadly disease, so let us hope and pray that these gifts to humanity will be ready in the very near future.
Regretfully this frightful disease has also serious economic repercussions. The world economy has come to a standstill in efforts to lessen the spread of the virus.
One issue is to what extent the EU's bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism with the firepower of 410 bn Euros, should be used to help countries withstand the economic shock.
European leaders have clashed over how to pull their economies through the coronavirus crisis, as Italy accused other member states of timid responses to an unprecedented economic shock.
The Netherlands and a "leading a handful of countries" as an EU diplomat called it, (Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden - the 4 Frugals) think it is too early to use all that money stored in the block's financial backup. Diplomats argue that it is difficult to see how long the outbreak will last, what will its economic impact be, and worried to "burn all the cash already now".
"You cannot judge, when you are in a crisis. We do not agree we should make use of all our instruments but we should not use them this week because we don't know how long the crisis will last" said one of the EU diplomats.
The Netherlands and their Nordic backers are, also, not willing to loosen the conditionality on loans and guarantees that the European Stability Mechanism can provide for countries. At the meeting of the European finance ministers, on Tuesday, there was no breakthrough and because they are not expected to solve the enigma, they will allow the finance ministers to work on details next week.
In the meantime, nine of the governments sent a letter to Eurocouncil president Charles Michel to push for the creation of a "corona bond" to help the European economy.
Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal. Luxemburg, Spain and Slovenia support the idea of jointly issuing corona bonds, which is backed by the European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde. These bonds bare similarity to Eurobonds. Mrs Merkel and her Nordic friends are against the corona bond.
The EU leaders will hold their third discussion by videoconference on the 26th of March on how to tackle the spread of the coronavirus and its devastating economic side effects. They are expected to back efforts by the European Commission to redirect money from the EU budget, loosen "state aid a fiscal rut" to help more medical equipment for the countries of the block.
The leaders might also back the idea of creating a European Crisis Management Centre, but details are vague.
The EU is heading into a depression as its economy has come into a standstill amid efforts to lessen the spread of the virus. Also, the USA and the whole world are in a deep economic recession.
Prince Charles of England has been tested positive for the coronavirus and is staying in Scotland in strict isolation.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is forced into a 14-day quarantine after coming into contact with a coronavirus patient, of whose condition she was ignorant.
(I wish to thank ERT, SKAI TV Gr., BBC, FRANCE 24, CNN, Kathimerini, Estia, The Times and Le Figaro for their valuable information for this post.)
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| We All Hope and Pray that this Virus Will be Soon Extinguished |
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