4 years ago
Philippines
The Philippines have reported 5,277 new Covid infections, the highest daily increase in 12 days, and 99 more deaths.
The country’s health ministry said total confirmed cases had risen to 202,361, more than 60% of which were reported in the past month, while deaths had increased to 3,137.
The Philippines has the largest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
Germany
The German government has agreed to pump another €10bn into its Covid-hit economy, prolonging a short-time work scheme and freezing insolvency rules.
Short-time work saves jobs by allowing employers to reduce the employees’ hours but keeps them in work. That programme had been due to expire in March 2021 and will now be extended until the end of next year.
Bridging aid for small and mid-sized companies will now be extended until the end of this year too.
The latest €10bn pledge comes on top of a massive stimulus package, worth more than €130bn, which Angela Merkel’s government hope will help the economy return to growth.
The German economy contracted at its steepest rate on record in the second quarter and the government is desperate to mitigate the effects of the pandemic as much as possible, especially in the run-up to elections in the autumn of 2021.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, told public broadcaster ZDF the measures could cost up to 10 billion euros next year.
“The goal now is to stabilise the economy,” said Scholz. “The fact that we acted fast and big has resulted in Germany weathering the crisis much better than other (countries).”
The parties also agreed to prolong measures aimed at staving off bankruptcies by allowing firms in financial trouble due to the pandemic to delay filing for insolvency until the end of the year.
France
The French arts and culture sectors, which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, will get €2bn euros (£1.8bn) in aid as part of the government’s economic recovery package, French prime minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday.
The government’s 100 billion euro economic recovery programme will be unveiled on 3 September.
In July the UK government pledged £1.57bn to support the arts.
Maldives
The former president of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has tested positive for Covid-19, as the tourist-dependent island nation reports a pick-up in cases since reopening its borders last month.
“I have tested positive for Covid-19. May Almighty Allah bless me and all other sick people with a speedy recovery and good health,” Gayoom said in a tweet on Tuesday night.
The 81-year-old former president was one of Asia’s longest serving leaders, having ruled the Maldives for 30 years.
Reuters said a source from Gayoom’s family told the news agency that the former autocrat was tested for Covid-19 following a medical consultation on Tuesday morning, after he developed a fever on Monday night.
The source said Gayoom is doing well and is expected to be admitted to the newly built Dharumavantha hospital in the capital, Malé.
Heavily reliant on foreign tourism, the Indian Ocean archipelago lifted a lockdown in the capital in June and opened up its borders for tourists in July.
Since the end of the lockdown in June, the number of Covid-19 cases in the Maldives has tripled, while deaths have risen from five to 28.
The Maldives Health Protection Agency has confirmed a total of 7,047 Covid-19 cases in the country, out of which 2,580 cases are active.
Just over 5,000 tourists visited the Maldives in the month to 15 August, according to Maldives Immigration, a fraction of last year’s monthly average of more than 100,000.
Germany
There were 1,576 new Covid infections in Germany over the last 24 hours – up from 1,278 the day before, Der Spiegel reports, citing figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
On Saturday, 2,034 cases were reported in Germany, the first time since the end of April that there have been more than 2,000 infections in one day.
So far, 9,280 people have died in Germany from coronavirus while about 210,600 people have recovered from it.
