WHO sees hope despite looming 750,000 death toll

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation insisted on Monday there was still hope of conquering the coronavirus pandemic despite the pain and suffering behind the looming 750,000 death toll and 20 million cases.

With both landmarks expected to be reached within days, the WHO said it was never too late to take action to suppress the Covid-19 crisis that has gripped the planet.

"This week we’ll reach 20 million registered cases of Covid-19 and 750,000 deaths," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference.

"Behind these statistics is a great deal of pain and suffering. Every life lost matters. I know many of you are grieving and that this is a difficult moment for the world. "But I want to be clear: there are green shoots of hope and... it’s never too late to turn the outbreak around."

Tedros gave examples of countries that had successfully clamped down on the spread of the virus, citing New Zealand and Rwanda.

Meanwhile, face masks became compulsory in tourist hotspots in Paris on Monday, amid warnings of a resurgence of coronavirus cases, as infections in the world’s worst-hit country the United States topped five million.

The requirement came as France along with much of Western Europe sweltered in a heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 35 degrees Celsius (95 F).

The blistering heat sent crowds flocking to beaches at the weekend despite health warnings about the risk of infection.

In Berlin, thousands of children returned to school on Monday after the summer break, sporting masks which are compulsory in common areas like school courtyards. Schools in some other German regions also reopened, though with differing rules on masks.

"No child forgot their masks this morning, so we see everything is back to normal," said Domenica Acri, headmistress of the Carl Orff primary school in Berlin.

People in Paris aged 11 and over are now required to wear the masks in crowded areas and tourists hotspots.

These include the banks of the Seine River and more than a 100 streets in the French capital, including tourist destinations like Montmartre, where the Sacre Coeur basilica is located.

Several French towns and cities have already introduced similar measures, as well as parts of Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain.

"All the indicators show that since mid-July the virus is again circulating more actively in the (Paris) region," said a police statement at the weekend.

Paris residents interviewed by AFP generally supported the decision on masks. "I think it’s a very good idea, we should maybe have done it sooner," Bertrand, 28, said in the popular Rue des Martyrs in central Paris.

"Since we don’t understand enough about this illness, the best thing is that we protect ourselves."

The masks are "restrictive" but necessary "if we want to avoid a second wave in Paris," said Marion, 24, wearing a bright green mask. "Anything except a second lockdown."

Globally, nearly 20 million cases have been officially registered.

The death toll is at least 731,500 worldwide since the novel coronavirus emerged in China last December, according to a running tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

The United States is by far the worst-hit country with nearly 163,000 deaths. On Sunday, it reached the extraordinary milestone of five million coronavirus cases, according to according to John Hopkins University.