WASHINGTON: The US coronavirus death toll passed 100,000, as some countries reimposed social distancing rules following a resurgence of cases that raised the spectre of a dreaded second wave of infections.

The economic fallout from the pandemic was again laid bare on Thursday as airlines reported fresh financial hits and staff cuts and car giant Nissan announced mammoth losses.

Deaths and infections continued to climb. Fatalities in Europe topped 175,000, and fresh reports suggested the toll in the continent’s hardest-hit country, Britain, might be worse than thought.

But European nations continued, cautiously, on a path toward easing lockdown measures as populations embraced a new, post-pandemic reality.

The picture remained grim in Latin America, now fully in the throes of the pandemic that first emerged in China last year and has claimed more than 355,000 lives and infected at least 5.7 million on its deadly march across the globe.

Brazil now has the second-highest number of infections globally after the United States and deaths topped 25,000 Wednesday, while Peru logged a record 6,154 new cases in 24 hours.

The US marked a dire milestone on Wednesday, passing 100,000 deaths, sparking fresh warnings from health experts that the country should not rush to reopen its badly bruised economy, with millions of American jobs wiped out in a matter of months.

Though the US has the highest number of deaths, it is not the most affected in terms of fatalities per million inhabitants.

Belgium leads with 808 deaths per million inhabitants, followed by Spain with 580 and Britain’s 552, according to official government figures, according to AFP data compiled by official figures. The US has 303 deaths per million inhabitants.

President Donald Trump, eyeing re-election later this year, has repeatedly said he is eager to get back to business and has urged states to lift lockdowns.

But top health adviser Anthony Fauci — whose guidance has often clashed with Trump’s, once again called for caution.

“Don’t start leapfrogging over the recommendations of some of the guidelines because that’s really tempting fate and asking for trouble,” Fauci told CNN.

Asia

Elsewhere, some countries in Asia grappled with the risks of a second wave.

South Korea reimposed some social distancing rules after a series of new clusters emerged, many in the capital Seoul.

Museums, parks and art galleries will all be closed again from Friday for two weeks, while companies were urged to reintroduce flexible working, among other measures.

The next two weeks are crucial to prevent the spread of the infection in the metropolitan area,” health minister Park Neung-hoo said.

And in Sri Lanka, some lockdown measures will be rolled out again after more than 250 returnees from Kuwait were found to be infected with coronavirus.

Europe

But in Europe, governments were experimenting with how to move beyond lockdown to revive hammered economies and allow citizens to resume public life.

But in red zones, including Paris, bistros and cafes may not be allowed to open their doors until July, though parks and gardens may be permitted to open sooner.

Britain is eyeing its own exit from lockdown and on Thursday launched a test-and-trace programme to halt the spread of the disease.

The country has been one of the hardest hit in the world and the government has come under fire for not responding to the crisis early enough.

Governments around the globe are faced with the precarious task of keeping populations safe while trying to kickstart their economies, with the world facing a global slump not seen in decades.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2020