Coronavirus live news: global death toll passes 15,000 as WHO warns spread of virus is accelerating
- UK coronavirus live updates
- US coronavirus latest updates
- Spanish minister says older people found ‘dead and abandoned’
- ‘This is not a film’: Italian mayors rage at lockdown dodgers
- See all of our coronavirus coverage
Members of the Military Emergency Unit leave a home for elderly people after carrying out disinfection procedures in Madrid. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters
The UN special rapporteur on racism and xenophobia has criticised Donald Trump and other politicians for encouraging racism by continuing to refer to Covid-19 as “the Chinese virus”.
Tendayi Achiume, assistant professor of law at UCLA, said US president’s “calculated use of a geographic-based name” for the virus was leading to the stigmatising of people perceived to be of Chinese or east Asian descent.
The World Health Organization, in its guidance for naming new infectious diseases, has previously warned that certain names can provoke a backlash against members of religious and ethnic communities. In a statement published to mark the international day for the elimination of racism, which was on Friday, Achiume said:
Tendayi Achiume, assistant professor of law at UCLA, said US president’s “calculated use of a geographic-based name” for the virus was leading to the stigmatising of people perceived to be of Chinese or east Asian descent.
The World Health Organization, in its guidance for naming new infectious diseases, has previously warned that certain names can provoke a backlash against members of religious and ethnic communities. In a statement published to mark the international day for the elimination of racism, which was on Friday, Achiume said:
These consequences have already become a reality. Over the past two months, people who are perceived or known to be of Chinese or other East Asian descent have been subject to racist and xenophobic attacks related to the virus. These attacks have ranged from hateful slurs to denial of services to brutal acts of violence.
Covid-19-related expressions of racism and xenophobia online have included harassment, hate speech, proliferation of discriminatory stereotypes, and conspiracy theories. Not surprisingly, leaders who are attempting to attribute COVID-19 to certain national or ethnic groups are the very same nationalist populist leaders who have made racist and xenophobic rhetoric central to their political platforms.
Olympics reportedly 'to be postponed'
The International Olympic Committee is facing almost irresistible pressure to postpone the Tokyo Olympics this week rather than wait until its mid-April deadline – with a growing number of athletes, governments and national federations saying it is unfair to keep them in limbo during the coronavirus pandemic.
Veteran IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that the Games would be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound said he believed that the IOC would announce its next steps soon. “It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
Veteran IOC member Dick Pound told USA Today that the Games would be postponed, likely to 2021, with the details to be worked out in the next four weeks. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound said he believed that the IOC would announce its next steps soon. “It will come in stages,” he said. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”
In the Czech Republic, where as of the middle of last week there is ban on being in public spaces without wearing a face mask or some kind of facial covering, volunteers have set to work sewing masks at home.
Zdenek Hrib, the mayor of Prague, wrote on Twitter last week: “On Prague public transport, it is mandatory to have a covered mouth and nose! Whether you have medical masks, self-made masks, or use a scarf, anything is better than nothing.”
Earlier today, Dagmar Havlova, the widow of playwright-turned-president Vaclav Havel, posted videos on Instagram of her making masks at home. “We are sewing masks and giving them to paramedics free of charge. Wear masks, wash your hands, and keep a sound mind,” she wrote.
There is now a fine of up to 20,000 Czech crowns (£670) for not wearing a face covering when in enclosed public spaces.
Zdenek Hrib, the mayor of Prague, wrote on Twitter last week: “On Prague public transport, it is mandatory to have a covered mouth and nose! Whether you have medical masks, self-made masks, or use a scarf, anything is better than nothing.”
Earlier today, Dagmar Havlova, the widow of playwright-turned-president Vaclav Havel, posted videos on Instagram of her making masks at home. “We are sewing masks and giving them to paramedics free of charge. Wear masks, wash your hands, and keep a sound mind,” she wrote.
There is now a fine of up to 20,000 Czech crowns (£670) for not wearing a face covering when in enclosed public spaces.
