As families in Canada and several other countries around the world marked Mother’s Day in this strange surreal atmosphere of social distancing and isolation, some world leaders projected optimism that they could loosen lockdowns while controlling a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections and companies moved along or held off with their individual plans.
In Canada WestJet says it is extending many flight cancellations into early July as it continues to deal with record-low passenger numbers due to COVID-19. In late April the carrier said it was cancelling some 18,000 flights between May 5 and June 4.
An announcement from WestJet on Sunday says domestic route suspensions will continue through July 4, and that several domestic seasonal routes also won’t begin until July. It further says it is extending its temporary transborder and international route suspensions through to June 25.
WestJet says the move is to “address significantly reduced guest demand for air travel while continuing to keep critical economic lifelines open for essential travel and cargo.”
The airline says customers with travel booked after June 5 through July 4 will be notified of their options.
Meanwhile Air Canada Vacations says it will begin a reduced operating schedule in June offering service to certain key destinations including, Cancún, Barbados, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Montego Bay, Paris, Athens and Barcelona, among many others.
In the US, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted the American economy would rebound in the second half of this year from unemployment rates that rival the Great Depression, despite another 3.2 million US workers applying for jobless benefits last week, bringing the total over the last seven weeks to 33.5 million.
“I think you’re going to see a bounce-back from a low standpoint,” said Mnuchin, speaking on “Fox News Sunday.”
Not everyone agrees. The director of the University of Washington institute that created a White House-endorsed coronavirus model said that the states’ moves to reopen businesses “will translate into more cases and deaths in 10 days from now.” Dr. Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said states where cases and deaths are going up more than expected include Illinois, Arizona, Florida and California.
One of Latin America’s largest airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday in New York, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated its business. Avianca Holdings said that the move is aimed at continuing operations and preserving jobs when it is able to resume normal operations following a global health emergency that has grounded 90% of global air traffic. It said its own consolidated revenues had been slashed by 80 percent.
The airline said it is in conversations about assistance with governments in countries where it operates, particularly Colombia, its home base. Avianca says it carries 30 million passengers a year and is directly or indirectly responsible for 21,000 jobs in Latin America, including 14,000 in Colombia.
Visitors in face masks streamed into Shanghai Disneyland as the theme park reopened Monday in a high-profile step toward reviving tourism that was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. The first of Disney’s parks to reopen, foreshadows hurdles global leisure industries might face. Disney is limiting visitor numbers, requiring masks and checking for the virus’s telltale fever.
China has allowed shops and offices to reopen but is keeping cinemas, bars, karaoke parlours and other businesses closed.
Disney, said some outlets in Disney Springs, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex attached to the Disney World theme park in Florida will reopen this month. The company has yet to set a date for reopening Disney World or its other parks worldwide.
Across Europe, many nations were easing lockdowns even as they prepared to clamp down on any new infections.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a “road map” for the country (see following story).
Germany, managed to push new infections below 1,000 daily before deciding to loosen restrictions, has seen regional spikes in cases linked to slaughterhouses and nursing homes. German officials expressed concerns about the growing number of large demonstrations, including one in Stuttgart that drew thousands. Police in Berlin stepped in Saturday after hundreds of people failed to respect social distancing measures at anti-lockdown rallies.
France is letting some younger students go back to school Monday after almost two months out. Attendance won’t be compulsory right away, allowing parents to decide whether it’s safe or not.
With tourism a major industry in Italy, hotel owners, tour guides, beach resorts and others who depend heavily on the summer season are pressing to know when citizens can travel across the country. Premier Giuseppe Conte promised that the restriction on inter-regional movement would be lifted, but only after authorities better determine how the virus outbreak evolves.
Residents in some Spanish regions will be able to enjoy limited seating at bars, restaurants and other public places Monday, but Madrid and Barcelona, the country’s largest cities, will remain shut down. Spain reported 143 new deaths from the virus, the lowest daily increase since March 19.
Russia, in contrast, is still reporting rising infections. Figures on Sunday recorded 11,012 new cases, the highest one-day tally yet, for a total of nearly 210,000 cases and 1,915 reported deaths. Russian officials attribute the sharp rise in part to increased testing, but health experts say Russia’s coronavirus data has been significantly under-reported.
China reported 14 new cases Sunday, its first double-digit rise in 10 days. Eleven of 12 domestic infections were in the northeastern province of Jilin, prompting authorities to raise the threat level in one of its counties, Shulan, to high risk, just days after downgrading all regions to low risk.
Authorities said the Shulan outbreak originated with a 45-year-old woman who had no recent travel or exposure history but spread it to her husband, three sisters and other relatives. Train services in the county were suspended.
Jilin also shares a border with North Korea, which insists it has no virus cases, much to the disbelief of international health authorities. Of course, this is also the country where Trump’s pal, dictator Kim Jong Un, playing in his first round of golf apparently scored a 38 under par 34 and had 5 holes in one – and in case you think he’s just a sports whiz, the North Korean bully-boy, according to his official biography, also wrote six full operas in two years, “all of which are better than any in the history of music.”
But moving on …
South Korea reported 34 more cases as new infections linked to nightclubs threaten its hard-won gains against the virus. It was the first time that South Korea’s daily infections were above 30 in about a month.
Matilda Cuomo, the mother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called into her son’s daily briefing so he and his three daughters could wish her a happy Mother’s Day. Cuomo, whose state is the deadliest hot spot for the virus in the US, said he looked forward to getting back to normal. “We’re going to have fun, and then you can spend more time with me. I know I am your favourite,” he said in a playful dig at his siblings.
Cuomo has been criticized by some for not doing enough to counter the surge of deaths in nursing homes, where about 5,300 residents have died. He announced Sunday that all nursing home staff in New York will have to undergo COVID-19 tests twice a week.
Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after coming in contact with someone who tested positive.