New Zealand eases a strict lockdown amid signs the coronavirus has been all but vanquished. But Brazil emerges as a potential new hot spot and Japan is facing fresh doubts over whether it would be able to host the already postponed Olympic Games next year.
Surfers prepare to enter the water at Sumner Beach as level four COVID-19 restrictions are eased in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. New Zealand eased its strict lockdown restrictions to level three at midnight to open up certain sections of the economy but social distancing rules will still apply.
But in a reminder of the virus’s increasing toll, President Donald Trump said the numbers of deaths could reach 70,000 in the U.S., after putting the number at 60,000 several times earlier this month. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said people had done an incredible job to break the chain of transmission, but cautioned they needed to remain vigilant. Quoting a microbiologist, Ardern said “there may still be some smoldering ashes out there, and they have the potential to become a wildfire again, if we give them the chance.”
Japan and the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games until July next year due to the pandemic. Japan is under a monthlong state of emergency amid a rapid increase of infections throughout the country, where hospitals are overburdened. There are also signs that a growing number of victims are now dying at home. Brazil is Latin America’s biggest country, with 211 million people.
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