US hits 5 million Covid-19 cases mainly because Trump criticised over pain relief package
AMERICA on Sunday reached the extraordinary milestone of five million coronavirus cases as President Donald Trump was accused of flouting the constitution by unilaterally extending a virus relief package.
The US has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic, recording a lot more than 162,000 deaths - by far the best of any country, forward only of Brazil, which on Saturday became the second country to pass 100,000 deaths.
The global death toll is at least 727,288 because the novel coronavirus emerged in China last December, according to a jogging tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
Practically 20 million cases have been registered worldwide - most likely reflecting simply a fraction of using the number of infections.
As around a lot of the globe, the small African region of Malawi on Sunday imposed tight community restrictions to attempt to support the disease, shutting all pubs and churches, while hot weekend temperature drew crowds in European countries to the beach.
In Washington, the brand new virus relief bundle - announced by Trump on Saturday after talks between Republican and Democrat lawmakers hit a wall - was "absurdly unconstitutional," senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi told CNN.
Fellow Democrat and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, appearing in ABC, dismissed Trump's unilateral steps as "unworkable, weak and much too narrow."
But with the country's economy nonetheless struggling to dig itself out of a massive hole, Democrats appeared skittish about any legal task to a relief bundle they see while seriously inadequate.
The four executive orders Trump signed Saturday at his golf club in Bedminster, NJ will, among other things, defer payroll taxes and offer some short-term unemployment benefits.
The president was seen as keen showing himself taking decisive action ahead of a November 3 election that could see him ousted from office, with polls showing a huge majority of voters unhappy along with his handling of the crisis.
Democrats tell you the president's orders infringe on Congress's constitutional authority above the federal budget.
But Pelosi demurred when asked about possible legal action, saying, "Whether (it was) legal or not does take time to determine."
White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow defended the brand new measures.
"Maybe we will go to court about them. We will go ahead with our actions in any case," he said.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin issued a good statement Sunday telling Trump "was fully focused on ensuring hardworking Us citizens and businesses continue steadily to have the solutions they want as our region safely reopens."
Trump's Democratic opponent in the presidential election, Joe Biden, tweeted that five million coronavirus instances was "a number that boggles your brain and breaks the heart.
"It shouldn't possess gotten this bad," he said.
Elsewhere, growing infections around Paris prompted French officials to create face masks compulsory outside in crowded areas and tourist hotspots in the city and surrounding areas from Monday.
The mask will be obligatory for all people aged 11 and over in "extremely crowded zones," said a police statement, like the banks of the Seine River and more than 100 streets in the French capital.
As temperatures soared across western Europe, holidaymakers crowded beaches at the weekend despite warnings about the chance of infection.
Local authorities in Germany warned that some beaches and lakes would be closed if there were too many people.
Belgian police meanwhile arrested several persons Saturday at the resort of Blankenberge after a brawl broke out on a beach between officers and youths that they had told to leave for refusing to respect virus safety precautions.
Around 5,000 people demonstrated in Vienna for increased financial support for nightlife and relaxing coronavirus regulations.
Back in the US, in another burst of defiance more than health warnings, a large number of bikers converged about a town in South Dakota for what's billed as the major cycle gathering in the world.
In earlier years, the 10-day rally in Sturgis has drawn hundreds of thousands of bikers to socialize, drink and party alongside one another - raising fears among some locals that this year's version is actually a superspreader event.--AFP
