Peru has reported the world’s sixth-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases. But with its economy struggling, it went ahead this week and opened many of the country’s largest shopping malls.
Hundreds of people wait in line outside of at Mega Plaza mall in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Thousands of people crowded in hours-long lines after Peru’s government ignored scientific warnings and opened the country’s 90 shopping malls this week in the middle of one of the world’s worst outbreaks of coronavirus.
Thousands of community-run soup kitchens have popped up, providing cheap meals for neighbors who pool resources because they can no longer afford to feed themselves on their own. With 402 stores, including H&M and Zara, the Lima MegaPlaza has a normal capacity of 30,000 people. Management was limiting shoppers to half that number under government orders this week — but the result was thousands of people in closely packed lines outside.
Before entering the mall, each shopper had their temperatures taken and their hands and shoes disinfected. Children are barred from the malls and playgrounds, food courts, and other public areas are closed. Peru was the first country in Latin America to impose widespread quarantine, which began on March 16. But with nearly half the working population of 16 million in informal jobs like construction or street vending that don’t have benefits or the ability to work from home, millions defied the order, laboring to feed themselves and their families.
The government, however, says that the number of new infections appears to be flattening — despite reporting 3,879 new cases on Wednesday.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Peru indigenous leaders push quick Amazon protection vote, defying oil industryPeru's indigenous leaders have been lobbying lawmakers to pass a bill to declare swathes of virgin Amazon rainforest off limits to outsiders, but they fear opposition by the oil industry may scupper a rare opportunity to secure a vote this week.
Read more »
IMF downgrades outlook for global economy in face of virusThe International Monetary Fund sharply lowers its forecast for global growth this year because it envisions far more severe economic damage from the coronavirus than it did just two months ago. The IMF predicts the global economy will shrink 4.9%.
Read more »
Stock futures fall as U.S. states rush to contain virus flare-upsU.S. stock index futures dropped on Wednesday as investors shunned risky bets with many U.S. states scrambling to fight a spike in coronavirus infections.
Read more »
'We can't just give up' — Harvard doctor says U.S. must take precautions as virus cases rise'We have to recognize that just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it isn't good,' said Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency room doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Read more »
The Government’s Response to the Coronavirus May Have Actually Cut the Poverty RateBy some measures, livelihoods actually improved when the economy locked down. It's up to Congress to keep them that way.
Read more »
How New York's Coronavirus Response Made the Pandemic Worse - The Journal. - WSJ PodcastsAs several states face new outbreaks of coronavirus, WSJ's Shalini Ramachandran looks back at what went wrong with the response in one of the virus's first epicenters - New York City.
Read more »