Web Report
The United States may need to endure social distancing measures adopted during the coronavirus outbreak until 2022, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The study comes as more than 2,200 people died in the United States from the outbreak on Tuesday, a record even as the country debated how to reopen its economy. The overall death toll in the US from the virus stands at more than 28,300 as of Tuesday.
“Intermittent distancing may be required into 2022 unless critical care capacity is increased substantially or a treatment or vaccine becomes available”, the Harvard researchers said in findings published Tuesday in the Journal Science.
Giving examples of South Korea and Singapore, the researchers wrote that effective distancing could reduce the strain on healthcare systems and enable contact tracing and quarantine to be feasible.
The study acknowledged that prolonged distancing would most likely have profoundly negative economic, social, and educational consequences.
The study added that even in the case of “apparent elimination”, Covid-19 surveillance should still be maintained, as a resurgence in contagion may be possible as late as 2024.
The World Health Organisation has warned that infections had “certainly” not yet peaked.
Nearly 2 million people globally have been infected and more than 124,000 have died in the most serious pandemic in a century.
The epicentre has shifted from China, where the virus emerged in December, to the United States, which has now recorded the most deaths.
Countries across the globe weighed the timing for when it would be safe to ease restrictions, as regions from New York to Spain showed an easing in the rate of infections.
States on both U.S. coasts formed coalitions to plan for coordinated reopenings of their economies. President Donald Trump insisted that he alone has the authority to restart the country.
France extended the nation’s lockdown to May 11 as the health ministry said the country is currently in a ‘high plateau’ phase.
The World Health Organization said it has a “very good” relationship with Trump, who has threatened to cut off funding to the group.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said 80 million taxpayers should receive coronavirus relief payments by Wednesday and that the government is accelerating assistance to businesses as well.
The Treasury secretary announced the payments at a White House news conference, along with progress the Small Business Administration has made in processing loans from the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program. Both relief programs were created in the $2.2 trillion stimulus President Donald Trump signed last month.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration will issue guidance within days for governors who want to begin relaxing social-distancing practices to curb the coronavirus outbreak, and said he hopes to reopen the country “ahead of schedule.”
Australia is looking to parts of the industry that can be restarted without creating greater health risks as the National Cabinet prepares to meet Thursday to discuss restrictions.
