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world news Diasabra 16 Januari 2021

Greece: Lockdown extended indefinitely but stores to reopen

(AP) — Greece's govern- sion notices to leave their activity harbors the danger of
ment has extended na- homes that are usually made an increase in (COVID-19)
tionwide lockdown mea- available by cellphone mes- cases,” Mitsotakis said. “As
sures indefinitely but says sage. long as this increase in cases
retail stores and malls will is moderate and controlled
reopen Monday with strict The lockdown was imposed and as long as it doesn’t put
entrance limits. on Nov. 7 to fight a surge pressure on the health sys-
in cases and deaths that has tem, it is something we can
Civil protection chief Nikos eased in recent weeks. bear. These are the delicate
Hardalias said Friday that balances we must find.”
a nightly curfew, domestic Speaking in parliament ahead
travel restrictions and stay-at- of Friday’s announcement, Primary schools and kinder-
home orders will all remain Prime Minister Kyriakos gartens reopened this week,
in effect after being first im- Mitsotakis said each month but high school lessons are
posed in early November. of lockdown was costing the being held online only.
Greek economy more than 3
Retail stores, closed since Jan. billion euros ($3.6 billion). The seven-day rolling aver-
3, will reopen with limited age of new deaths per 100,000 0.94 in early December. The in the United States, accord-
entrance and for customers “I want to be absolutely clear, population in Greece was at figure is currently at 0.77 in ing to data compiled from
who have filled out permis- every opening of economic 0.34 on Jan. 13, down from the European Union and 1.01 national health agencies.

Lebanon OKs law to import vaccines as virus hits new record

patriates amid a suffocating even more dire. Following bureaucratic de-
economic and financial crisis, lays, the country now is put-
the worst in Lebanon's mod- In southern Lebanon, the ting hopes on vaccines that
ern history. Ragheb Harb Hospital also are expected to start arriving
said that its COVID-19 units next month.
On Friday, the American were now. “We are working
University Medical Cen- beyond our capacity. The sit- Parliament's approval opens
ter, one of Lebanon’s largest uation is very dangerous,” the the way for imports of vac-
and most prestigious hospi- hospital said in a statement. cines from around the world,
tals, said in a statement that including the Pfizer-BioN-
its health care workers were The curfew, which began Tech vaccine.
overwhelmed. The hospital's Thursday, is the strictest
ICUs and regular coronavi- measure Lebanon has taken Health Minister Hamad
rus units have reached full since the start of the pandem- Hassan, who is hospitalized
capacity and so did the emer- ic. But many have expressed with the coronavirus, had
gency room, it said. concern the measures have said that once the draft law is
come too late — many hos- approved, the first deliveries
(AP) — Lebanon’s par- hope will reign in the dra- “We are unable to find beds pitals have already reached of vaccines should start arriv-
liament approved a draft matic surge of the virus. for even the most critical maximum capacity for coro- ing in February.
law allowing imports of patients,” the hospital said, navirus patients, some have
coronavirus vaccines as Lebanon, a tiny Mediterra- urging people in Lebanon run out of beds, oxygen tanks Lebanon has reserved 2.7
the small nation hit a new nean country of about 6 mil- to help by taking extreme and ventilators while others million doses of vaccines
record in case numbers lion people, has witnessed precautionary measures to have halted elective surgeries. from multiple international
Friday and more hospitals a sharp increase of cases in “overcome the catastrophe companies and 2.1 million to
reported they were at full recent weeks, after some we are facing.” Lebanon was able to contain be provided by Pfizer, Diab’s
capacity. 80,000 expatriates flew in the virus in its early stages but office says.
to celebrate Christmas and Mazen El Sayed, an associ- the numbers started climbing
The new daily toll of 6,154 New Year. ated professor in the depart- after measures were eased in Lebanon has registered near-
cases and 44 deaths came ment of emergency medi- early July and following the ly 243,000 coronavirus cases
on the second day of a na- During the holiday season, cine, described the situation massive deadly blast at Bei- and some 1,825 confirmed
tionwide 11-day curfew that restrictions were eased to as “tragic,” anticipating that rut's port in August. deaths.
the government and doctors encourage spending by ex- the next two weeks would be

AP PHOTOS: Shopping and dining out: Wuhan a year later

(AP) — Couples go on lockdown last year, from Jan- briskly down a pedestrian-
dates, families dine out uary to April. Overwhelmed only shopping street that was
at restaurants, shoppers hospitals sent the less seri- a ghost town at the height of
flock to stores. Face masks ously ill home, where they the outbreak.
aside, people are going infected others. More than
about their daily life pret- 3,800 people died, account- Authorities remain on guard
ty much as normal in the ing for nearly 90% of the of- ahead of next month’s Lunar
Chinese city that was first ficial coronavirus deaths in New Year holiday, when Chi-
hit by the COVID-19 pan- mainland China. nese typically return to their
demic. hometowns for family gath-
Today, some residents mar- erings. Even a World Health
It's a remarkable turnaround vel that what was once con- Organization team, which ar-
for the 11 million residents of sidered the most dangerous rived from overseas this week
Wuhan, a city devastated by place because of the pan- to investigate the origins of
the coronavirus. The com- demic may now be one of the the virus, is being made to
mercial hub on the mighty safest. Bundled up against quarantine for 14 days.
Yangtze river spent 76 days in the winter cold, they walk