8 NEWS The world at a glance ...
London
U.K. drags feet: Facing an outcry from doctors,
the British government has backtracked on its
initial proposal to allow the coronavirus to
spread unchecked to promote “herd immunity.”
Authorities initially suggested that most people go
about their lives normally and that only those over
age 70—who are most at risk of dying from the
disease—should self-isolate. In an open letter to
the government, some 200 scientists and doctors said that strat-
egy would result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and utterly
collapse the health system. Prime Minister Boris Johnson then
U-turned, announcing that large events would be canceled in the
coming days and schools ordered to close. By midweek, Britain
had more than 2,500 cases and at least 71 deaths.Mongaguá, Brazil
Mass breakout: Up to
1,500 inmates escaped from four
minimum-security prisons in São
Paulo state this week after authorities canceled Easter leave privi-
leges over fears that the prisoners might bring coronavirus back to
their cells. Cellphone footage showed dozens of prisoners fleeing
down a street near a coastal lockup and sprinting across a beach. In
another video, from Mongaguá on the São Paulo coast, hundreds
of prisoners could be seen running away while a man shouted,
“Come back Monday, OK?” Inmates in the semi-open prisons
are usually allowed to leave the lockups for work and for certain
holidays. Meanwhile, President Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for
the coronavirus after coming into contact with numerous people
infected with the disease. At least 12 members of the entourage
that accompanied Bolsonaro on a trip to meet President Trump in
Florida earlier this month have tested positive for the virus.Berlin
Vaccine poaching? European Union leaders this week drew up a
plan to prevent hostile U.S. takeovers of European firms develop-
ing drugs to fight the coronavirus, after a report that the U.S.
government tried to buy a German company that has a promising
lead on a vaccine. The respected German news-
paper Welt am Sonntag reported that the Trump
administration offered up to $1 billion to biotech
firm CureVac to relocate its research to the U.S.
The paper quoted an unnamed German official
who said President Trump wanted the vaccine
“only for the United States.” CureVac and
Trump administration officials denied the report,
but the European Commission pledged $88 mil-
lion in extra funding to CureVac just in case.
“This is not just about CureVac,” said an EU
official. “Many other companies are concerned.”Mexico City
Life as usual: Despite having at least 53 confirmed
cases of Covid-19, Mexico has enacted none of
the travel bans or quarantines that other countries
have taken to limit the pandemic. President Andrés
Manuel López Obrador, 66, continued holding ral-
lies, posting a video of himself last weekend wading
through a crowd in Guerrero state while shaking
hands and hugging and kissing his supporters. “If I
come here wearing a mask, if that’s how the presi-
dent is, how are the people going to be?” he said. “I have to keep
the people’s spirits up.” Spring break and Easter are prime seasons
for Mexico’s tourism industry, and travel is continuing uninter-
rupted. Guns N’ Roses and other international acts performed to
packed crowds at a music festival in Mexico City last weekend.Paris
War footing: French President Emmanuel Macron announced
a nationwide mobilization against the coronavirus this week,
including $50 billion in aid to small businesses and workers. For
the next two weeks, people will be fined $40 if they leave their
homes except to visit a supermarket, drugstore, or laundromat or
to exercise. “We are at war,” the president said, “and the nation
will support its medical staff on the front line. They have rights
over us.” Macron suspended all rent, taxes, and utility bills for
those in financial difficulty, and said the government would requisi-
tion hotels and taxis for medical workers’ use. France had recorded
nearly 8,000 Covid-19 infections by midweek, and at least 175 peo-
ple had died of the disease. Meanwhile, the EU said it would close
its borders for 30 days except to supplies of food and medicine.Ottawa
Borders closed: Canada has closed its borders
except to citizens and permanent residents, and
all arrivals will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Americans may enter for “essential business”
only. Airlines will test all travelers and bar
anyone showing symptoms of the coronavirus
from boarding a plane, and international flights
will land in only four cities: Toronto, Montreal,
Vancouver, and Calgary. Canada is also bracing
for an influx of “snowbirds,” the retirees who winter in Florida or
Arizona and are beginning to return home for spring. Ontarians
are “coming back in ever-increasing numbers,” said Ontario Chief
Medical Officer David Williams. “Unfortunately, a number of
them, after a few days, have been found to be positive.” Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, has tested positive for the
virus, so the first family is in quarantine.AP(^3
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2 )López Obrador: Shaking handsSophie TrudeauInside CureVac
Johnson: U-turn