6 The EconomistOctober 17th 2020
For our latest coverage of the
virus and its consequences
please visit economist.com/
coronavirus or download the
Economist app.The world this week Politics
More European countries
reapplied tight restrictions on
social life to counter a rise in
covid-19 infections. Emmanuel
Macron imposed a 9pm curfew
on Paris and eight other
Frenchcities, saying that this
was not the time for convivial-
ity. A new three-tiered system
for local restrictions was in-
troduced in England, which
caused outrage in the Liverpool
region, the first area to be put
in the highest tier. London was
due to be placed in the second-
highest tier. Pressure in-
creased on the government to
impose a nationwide “circuit-
breaker” strict lockdown of two
weeks or more. Many fear that
would crush the nascent eco-
nomic recovery.Germanyannounced a curfew
on visiting bars and restau-
rants in hotspots. “We are
already in a phase of exponen-
tial growth,” said Angela Mer-
kel, the chancellor. Daily cases
have risen above 6,000 for the
first time since April.A ceasefire went into effect in
Nagorno-Karabakh, a
disputed enclave inside
Azerbaijan that is run by ethnic
Armenians. There were reports
of some violations.A state of emergency was
declared in Thailand, allowing
police to crack down on prot-
esters calling for a new consti-
tution, fresh elections and a
more circumscribed role for
the king. The decree said that
the demonstrators had tried to
obstruct the royal motorcade;
they had made gestures at a car
carrying the queen.Donald Trump said that all
American forces would leave
Afghanistanby Christmas. His
national security adviser hadsaid the number of ustroops
would fall to 2,500 in early- Taliban fighters besieged
Lashkar Gah, the capital of
Helmand province.
Kyrgyzstan’spresident,
Sooronbay Jeyenbekov, re-
signed after ten days of politi-
cal turmoil following a disput-
ed election. Supporters of the
new prime minister, Sadyr
Japarov, a convicted kidnapper,
urged the Speaker of parlia-
ment to resign so that Mr
Japarov could become acting
president. Liberal politicians
are warning of a descent into
mob rule.Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of
the opposition in Malaysia,
reiterated his claim to have
enough support in parliament
to form a government. The
king, who appoints prime
ministers, said Mr Anwar had
still not supplied him with a
list of names.China’sleader, Xi Jinping,
visited Shenzhen, a city bor-
dering Hong Kong, to mark its
40th anniversary as a “special
economic zone”. He said the
world had entered a “period of
turbulent change” and urged
greater reliance on the domes-
tic market.Israel approved a plan to admit
2,000 Ethiopian Jews. Thou-
sands more remain in Ethio-
pia, most of them waiting,
some for years, to emigrate.Thousands protested in
Nigeriaafter the killing of a
young man by a police unit
often accused of such things.
The government said it would
disband the Special Anti-
Robbery Squad.Donald Trump’sdoctor said
that the president had tested
negative for covid-19 and is
“not infectious”, a week after
he left hospital having con-
tracted the disease. Mr Trump
returned to the campaign trail
with a rally in Florida.The second debatebetween
America’s presidential candi-
dates was cancelled. The com-
mission that oversees suchevents wanted a virtual one,
given the risk of covid-19. Mr
Trump refused to take part.Amy Coney Barrett, Mr Trump’s
choice to replace Ruth Bader
Ginsburg on the Supreme
Court, gave an assured perfor-
mance when she was ques-
tioned by the Senate Judiciary
Committee at her confirmation
hearing. It was a world away
from the ruckus of Brett
Kavanaugh’s hearing in 2018.Eight countries, including
America, Britain and Japan,
became the first signatories to
the Artemis accords, an initia-
tive by nasato establish prin-
ciples for the sustainable and
peaceful exploration of the
Moon. Those countries can
participate in the Artemis
programme, which will send
two astronauts, one of them a
woman, to the Moon in 2024.A Colombiancourt freed
Álvaro Uribe, a conservative
former president who is the
political patron of the current
one, Iván Duque, from house
arrest. The country’s Supreme
Court had ordered his arrest
during an investigation into
allegations that he had tam-
pered with witnesses in a case
against a left-wing politician.Some 100,000 Venezuelans
who returned to their country
during the pandemic have
been quarantined in unsafe
and abusive conditions, ac-
cording to an ngoreport.
Quarantine centres lack medi-
cal care, food and water. Be-
cause covid-19 tests are often
delayed, many inmates must
remain quarantined longer
than the standard 14 days.Holocaust denialis to be
banned on Facebook.A jury in Slovakiaendured an
eight-hour speech by a far-
right politician, who was on
trial for promoting neo-
Nazism after handing out
cheques for €1,488. The num-
bers 14 and 88 are code; 88
stands for “Heil Hitler”, as “h”
is the eighth letter of the al-
phabet. A coincidence, he
claimed. He was found guilty.CoronavirusbriefsIranshattereditssingle-day
record for cases and deaths.
The government said masks
must be worn outdoors in
Tehran. It had previously shut
schools, mosques and other
public spaces. But contact-
tracing has been a challenge
and many Iranians are ignor-
ing the state’s restrictions.After the discovery of a dozen
coronavirus cases in the
Chineseport of Qingdao, city
authorities launched an effort
to test all of its 9m people in
five days. There had been no
reports of domestically
transmitted infections since
early August.The Czech Republic an-
nounced that schools, restau-
rants and bars would shut for
three weeks. A national partial
lockdown was introduced in
the Netherlands.The number of daily cases in
Indiastarted to climb again.
They had fallen to 55,000, the
lowest figure since August.Weeklyconfirmedcasesbyarea,’To 6am GMT October 15th 2020Confirmeddeaths*
Per 100k Total This week
Peru 101.4 33,419 505
Belgium 88.7 10,278 170
Bolivia 71.8 8,377 185
Spain 71.5 33,413 851
Brazil 71.4 151,747 3,
Chile 70.2 13,415 325
Ecuador 69.5 12,264 521
Mexico 65.8 84,898 2,
United States 65.3 216,049 5,
Britain 63.6 43,155 640
Sources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE; UN;
The Economist *Definitions differ by country800
600
400
200
0
OSAJJMAMEurope
IndiaUSLatin America
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