UN seeks 'quantum leap' in funding for virus fight

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 11 ------ The UN on Thursday called for an immediate "quantum leap" in funding to fight the new coronavirus as the death toll crossed 900,000 six months after the pandemic broke out. Alarming figures cropped up, with France registering a record of almost 10,000 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours ahead of a key meeting to decide a toughening of coronavirus measures.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries to find $15 billion over the next three months to fund the ACT-Accelerator programme, a global collaboration to hunt for a vaccine and treatments led by the UN's World Health Organization (WHO). "Either we stand together or we will be doomed," Guterres said, calling the virus the "number one global security threat". "We need a quantum leap in funding to increase the chances of a global solution to get the world moving, working and prospering again," he said. He said the near $3 billion contributed so far had been critical but $35 billion more was needed to shift from start-up to scale-up -- beginning with $15 billion in the next three months.

Tightened restrictions

He said typical aid budgets would not cover the costs, urging donors to "go deep" into money set aside for combating coronavirus. As the infections burgeoned, countries began to scale up restrictions. Portugal tightened curbs ahead of the start of the school year, limiting gatherings to 10 people rather than 20 previously -- a cap already in force in the capital Lisbon since late June.

Sales of alcohol will be barred from 8 pm as will drinking in public spaces. Britain said it was reinstating mainland Portugal and adding Hungary to its coronavirus quarantine list, while Spain's Balearic Islands region said it will impose restrictions on over 20,000 people in tourism hotspot Palma de Mallorca due to a surge in infections. People living in four working class neighborhoods of Palma will not be allowed out from 10 pm Friday except to go to work or school or seek medical care.

Gyms and parks in the areas must close, while the capacity at bars, cafes and restaurants will be capped at 50 percent. Gatherings will be limited to a maximum of five people. A new study by US health authorities meanwhile provided more data showing that Covid-19 spread far more easily at bars and restaurants than going shopping, working from an office or using public transport. The new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the participants who tested positive and those who tested negative reported similar mask-wearing behavior and similar levels of exposure in all the settings, except bars and restaurants.

Source: philstar.com