German FM slams anti-mask protesters; ‘Covid-19 has put ‘enormous strain’ on Britain’s economy’

Riyadh: G20 leaders said Sunday they will "spare no effort" to ensure the fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide, and support poor countries whose economies have been ravaged by the crisis.

As the pandemic rages, the club of the world’s richest nations adopted a unified tone on the challenges ahead during a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia. But after a weekend of "digital diplomacy", their closing communique lacked details on many of the issues dominating the meeting.

"We have mobilised resources to address the immediate financing needs in global health to support the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of safe and effective Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," they said in the statement.

"We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people." While richer nations plan their vaccination programmes, with the US expecting to launch in early December, experts warn that developing countries face hurdles that could deny billions the first proven protection against the virus.

Calls are mounting for the G20 to help plug a $4.5-billion funding gap in the so-called ACT-Accelerator, a mechanism led by the World Health Organization that aims to ensure access to tests, treatments and vaccines for all.

In a comment echoed by other world leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that the coronavirus crisis was "a test for the G20", stressing there "will be no effective response to the pandemic unless it is a global response".

However, the final statement did not spell out how the massive cost of the exercise would be underwritten.Meanwhile, Britain’s finance minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday warned that the British economy was under "enormous strain" because of the coronavirus, ahead of a government spending review next week But he ruled out a return to austerity measures.

Economic forecasts to be released alongside his Wednesday spending review would show "the enormous strain and stress that our economy is experiencing", Sunak told Sky News. The findings of independent forecasters the Office for Budget Responsibility -- as well as the 750,000 job losses from coronavirus -- would have to be taken "in the round as we consider the best way to fight the virus", he said.

Despite the profound impact of the coronavirus on Sunak’s spending review, he rejected a possible return to austerity measures on the economy. Government spending would continue to increase on last year’s day-to-day public spending, he said. "There’s absolutely no way in which anyone can say that’s austerity."

However, he refused to rule out a widely expected public-sector pay freeze. It was fair to "think about what is happening with wages, with jobs, with hours, across the economy when we think about what the right thing to do in the public sector is", he said.

Britain has suffered more than any other country in Europe from the coronavirus, recording more than 54,000 deaths from 1.4 million cases. In November Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government imposed a four-week lockdown to stop the spread of the disease. That is due to be partially lifted on December 2, giving some relief to businesses.

In a related development, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday lashed out at anti-mask protesters comparing themselves to Nazi victims, accusing them of trivialising the Holocaust and "making a mockery" of the courage shown by resistance fighters.

The harsh words came after a young woman took to the stage at a protest against coronavirus restrictions in Hanover on Saturday saying she felt "just like Sophie Scholl", the German student executed by the Nazis in 1943 for her role in the resistance. A video of the speech has already been viewed more than a million times on social media, with many sharply condemning the speaker.

"Anyone today comparing themselves to Sophie Scholl or Anne Frank is making a mockery of the courage it took to stand up to the Nazis," Maas tweeted. "It trivialises the Holocaust and shows an unbearable forgetting of history. Nothing connects the corona protests with the resistance fighters. Nothing!"