The Economist UK - 28.03.2020

6 The EconomistMarch 28th 2020
The world this week Politics

More countries rolled out

wartime-like emergency

measuresto fight covid-19. In

Britainpeople were told to

leave home only in limited

circumstances; gatherings of

more than two people were

banned. All non-essential

businesses, pubs and restau-

rants were ordered to shut. The

government announced an

unprecedented aid package,

including paying up to 80% of

workers’ wages. The American

Congressprepared a $2trn

economic-rescue bill, the

biggest in modern history,

which provides relief to busi-

ness and direct payments to

workers. Germanytore up its

strict fiscal rules and launched

a raft of emergency measures

totalling €750bn ($810bn).

In America more states went

into lockdown, but the mes-

sage to stay indoors was some-

what undermined by Donald

Trump’s insistence that some

restrictions should be relaxed

so that the economy can get

working again by Easter.

India’sprime minister,

Narendra Modi, sparked panic-

buying when he said the entire

country would be placed on

lockdown within hours for a

duration of three weeks to slow

the spread of the new corona-

virus. He later clarified that

food shops and other essential

services would remain open.

Abe Shinzo, Japan’s prime

minister, announced that the

summer Olympicswould be

delayed by a year because of

the pandemic. Athletes have

been complaining that re-

strictions on movement relat-

ed to the outbreak made it

impossible to train. Tokyo’s

governor warned of an “explo-

sive spike” in cases in the city.

The government ofBangla-

deshreleased on bail Khaleda

Zia, the leader of the Bangla-

desh Nationalist Party, the

main opposition, to allow her

to seek medical treatment.

The supreme leader ofIran,

which is fighting one of the

world’s worst outbreaks of

covid-19, rejected an offer of

aid from America. “Possibly

your medicine is a way to

spread the virus more,” said

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, re-

vealing an odd worldview.

China’sambassador to Ameri-

ca said it was “harmful” to

speculate about the origin of

covid-19. His remarks appeared

aimed at a baseless conspiracy

theory, promoted by some

Chinese diplomats, that the

American army may have

brought the virus to China.

Could it be?

Hubei, the province in China

worst-hit by covid-19, allowed

most of its people to move

freely again, as long as they

have no symptoms. Officials

said the lockdown of the prov-

ince’s capital, Wuhan, where

the disease was first discov-

ered, would end on April 8th, 11

weeks after it was imposed.

China continued to report few

if any newly confirmed domes-

tic cases of infection.

The Speaker of Israel’sparlia-

ment, Yuli Edelstein, resigned

instead of complying with a

Supreme Court order to hold a

vote on his replacement. The

opposition bloc, which won a

majority in the last election,

hopes to appoint a new Speak-

er and may seek to bar Binya-

min Netanyahu from leading a

new government. Mr Edel-

stein, an ally of the prime

minister, had been accused of

obstructing those moves.

Prosecutors in Turkey charged

20 Saudi citizens for the mur-

der of Jamal Khashoggi, a

Saudi dissident writer, in

Istanbul in 2018. A former

adviser to the royal family and

a former deputy head of

intelligence were accused of

instigating the killing, the rest

with carrying it out.

Risking legal action, Lebanon

said it would stop paying its

maturing Eurobonds in foreign

currencies, as the heavily

indebted country deals with an

economic and financial crisis.

Boko Haram, a jihadist group

operating mainly in north-

eastern Nigeria, killed 92 sol-

diers in an attack on an army

base in Chad. In a separate

incident the group killed 50

soldiers in Nigeria.

The World Bank and the imf

said that Somaliawill qualify

for debt relief under the Heavi-

ly Indebted Poor Countries

Initiative. Outstanding debt of

more than $5bn will decline to

$557m over three years.

At least 23 prisoners died in a

riot at one of Colombia’slarg-

est jails. Prisoners fearful of

contracting covid-19 attempted

to break out of La Modelo jail in

Bogotá.

Political parties in Chileagreed

to postpone a plebiscite due to

be held on April 26th on

whether to set up an assembly

to write a new constitution.

Boliviadelayed a general

election that had been planned

for May 3rd. Both are in

response to covid-19.

As the covid-19 pandemic

deepened in Europe, both Italy

and Spainovertook China to

become the countries where

the largest and second-largest

numbers of people have died

from the disease.

InRussia, Vladimir Putin put

on hold his plans for a popular

vote on constitutional changes

that could allow him to stay in

office for another 16 years. The

vote had been scheduled for

April 22nd, Lenin’s birthday.

He blamed covid-19. The mayor

of Moscow criticised his slow

response to the crisis.

Alex Salmond, a former leader

of the Scottish Parliament, was

cleared of sexual assault char-

ges by the high court. The

Scottish government has con-

ceded that its own investiga-

tion into the matter breached

its guidelines.

Coronavirus briefs

In America, some senators and

congressmen were accused of

having used intelligence infor-

mation on the covid-19 out-

break to sell stockbefore

markets crashed.

New York’s governor warned

about the “astronomical num-

bers” of infections in the state,

but also said that social dis-

tancing seemed to be working.

Amid a wave of panic-buying,

the British government urged

shoppers to behave responsi-

bly. Hoarders are thought to

have £1bn-worth ($1.2bn) of

extra food in their kitchens

that they have not eaten.

Mississippi followed Texas and

Ohio in classifying abortions

as non-essential medical

procedures during the crisis.

Among those testing positive

for covid-19 were Prince

Charles and Rand Paul, a

Republican senator. Angela

Merkel went into self isolation

after her doctor tested positive.

Active cases* by week, ’

To March 25th 2020

Europe

Rest of world

Deaths, log scale

Source: Johns Hopkins CSSE

*Confirmed cases minus recovered and dead

Days since tenth death

10,

1,

100

10

51 3125201510

200

150

100

50

0

5 Feb 4 Mar 25

Britain

US

Spain

S Korea

Italy

France Iran

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