Coronavirus disaster news update

This 18 June 2020 video says about itself:

General Motors workers in Mexico document lack of social distancing measures

In these videos, workers at GM’s Silao Complex in Mexico are seen at distances closer than the 1,5 meters supposedly enforced by the company, endangering workers to infections when entering, walking inside and leaving the plant.

Chile’s health minister resigns as disastrous policies lead to explosion in coronavirus infections and deaths. By Mauricio Saavedra, 19 June 2020. A media investigation revealed that the government was providing the World Health Organization a coronavirus body count that was almost double that given to the general public.

One month after the reopening: COVID-19 rips through US states and workplaces. 19 June 2020. US meatpacking plants, auto factories and other large workplaces have been a major vector for the spread of the deadly disease: here.

Anatomy of a Massachusetts nursing home catastrophe in the COVID-19 pandemic. By Julian James, 19 June 2020. The high-profile mass fatality events at nursing homes in Massachusetts have shown the state government’s unpreparedness to face the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 infections skyrocket in American prisons. By Sam Dalton, 19 June 2020. With coronavirus cases doubling in one month, US prisoners are at growing risk of infection and death.

Translated from Dutch NOS radio today:

Five top baseball players in the US infected

Five players from the American baseball club Philadelphia Phillies have tested positive for the coronavirus during a training camp. Three staff members were also found to be infected. After the positive cases, the club immediately closed the training facility in Florida.

In Florida, the number of corona infections continues to rise daily. Today, authorities reported a record 3822 new infections in one day. Dutch international player Didi Gregorius has been a player of the Phillies since this season. It is unclear whether he contracted the virus. The Phillies have not released the names of the infected players.

Currently, the Major League is negotiating with the players to resume the professional league, which should have started in April. There is no agreement yet on a new date. In the meantime, some clubs have already started preparing.

France mainly sees new infections around Paris

In Paris and the surrounding area, 88 new outbreaks have been discovered since the relaxation of quarantine measures in France a month ago. Half of them are still active, regional health authorities report, meaning new infections are still being added.

These are so-called clusters. In other words, groups of people who have contact with each other and in which at least three infections have been counted. Most of the new clusters appeared in apartment complexes where young people and especially migrants live close together. Relatively many new infections were also counted within religious communities. …

Nearly 30,000 French people have been confirmed to have died from the virus.

UK nurses from overseas demand permanent residence after battling COVID-19. By our reporter, 19 June 2020.

From the World Socialist Web Site, 19 June 2020:

Protest over deaths at UK hospital

A protest was held Monday outside the UK’s St Georges Hospital Tooting, London. The action, organised by GMB union members, took place on International Justice Day for Cleaners. It commemorated the death from COVID-19 of two cleaners at the hospital.

Risking COVID-19 spread, the state makes Turkish students take mass exams. By Çetin Akın, 19 June 2020. The Turkish government is risking millions of students’ health and life by forcing them to congregate for mass high school and university entrance exams.

Sharp spike of coronavirus deaths in India. By Saman Gunadasa, 19 June 2020. Right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi has categorically ruled out a second lockdown even after India registered more than 2,000 deaths on Tuesday and over 13,000 new infections on both Wednesday and Thursday.