The European Commission has approved a €600 million Finnish aid scheme to support the maritime companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the state aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April and 8 May 2020.
Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of state guarantees on working capital loans. The measure will be directly operated by the Finnish State Treasury. The scheme will be accessible to those maritime operators that are essential for maintaining the security of supply to Finland during the coronavirus outbreak. The aim of the measure is to help these companies cover their immediate working capital needs, maintain employment and have sufficient liquidity to continue their activities, which are vital to safeguard maritime cargo traffic and ensure essential supplies to Finland. The Commission found that the Finnish measure is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework.
The Commission concluded that the Finnish measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a member state, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU state aid rules.
Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “This €600m Finnish guarantee scheme will help those maritime companies that transport essential supplies to Finland and are affected by the current coronavirus crisis to cover their immediate working capital needs and continue their activities. This is the first scheme we have approved specifically designed to support the maritime sector in these difficult times. We continue to work closely with all member states to ensure that national support measures can be put in place in a timely, coordinated and effective way, in line with EU rules.â€
In Hong Kong, many students are heading back to the classroom for the first time in four months. Strict school rules introduce students to a new normal. CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout reports.
The EU has mobilized €3 million in emergency assistance to countries in East Africa that have been hit by heavy rainfall over the past weeks, triggering devastating landslides and floods. “In a region that is already battling the effects of a serious locust infestation and the coronavirus pandemic, these floods are adding to the hardships experienced by many vulnerable communities. EU aid will get essentials to those most in need,†said Crisis Management Commissioner Janez LenarÄiÄ.
Funding will be supporting aid organizations in Ethiopia (€850,000), Kenya (€500,000), Somalia (€1.4m) and Uganda(€250,000) and provide shelter material, clean water, food, hygiene kits and access to basic health assistance. More than 900,000 people have had to seek shelter elsewhere because of the floods in these four countries alone. The EU is already supporting humanitarian projects helping the most vulnerable people in the region affected by conflict, food insecurity, epidemics and natural disasters.
Actor Akshay Kumar is seeking legal action against fake reports stating that he booked a charter flight for his sister Alka Bhatia. The actor, on Sunday, took to Twitter to rubbish the reports.
In his tweet, he wrote, “This news about me booking a charter flight for my sister and her two kids is FAKE from start to end. She has not travelled anywhere since the lockdown and she has only one child!..â€
“Contemplating legal action, enough of putting up with false, concocted reports!†he further wrote.
The report stated that Akshay converted a whole passenger flight into a chartered one in order for his sister to fly from Mumbai to Delhi. Reportedly, the flight had only four crew members taking care of them.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar has been in self-isolation with his family amid nationwide lockdown.
Traffic jams and crowds of commuters returned to the Philippine capital on Monday, as Manilla relaxed antivirus measures in a high-stakes gamble to slowly reopen the economy while fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Public transport was still limited and many commuters waited for hours to get a ride despite the government deploying special buses. School classes remain suspended for the next two weeks. Barber shops and beauty salons can open next week at a third of their capacity. The Philippines remains a south-east Asian hotspot for Covid-19, with more than 18,000 infections and 957 deaths.
Japan may open doors to travellers from selected countries
Japan is considering reopening its borders to travellers from selected countries that have low levels of coronavirus infections, as it begins to ease restrictions put in place earlier this year to control the outbreak. As schools, cinemas, sports clubs and department stores reopened in Tokyo on Monday, media have reported that the government is also planning to allow travellers in from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand in the coming months. There was no immediate comment from the foreign ministry.
Hong Kong reports first locally transmitted case in two weeks
Hong Kong has confirmed its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, fuelling concerns over its spread as restrictions on movement are relaxed, Reuters reports. The Centre for Health Protection said on Sunday it was investigating two confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the number of cases so far to 1,085. Four people have died of the disease in Hong Kong.
Wuhan reports zero new asymptomatic cases
Wuhan, the Chinese city of around 11 million people where the Covid-19 pandemic began, reported no new asymptomatic cases on Sunday, according to Chinese health officials. State media, Xinhua, said on Monday more than 60,000 nucleic acid tests were conducted on Sunday, finding no asymptomatic cases. Mainland China reported 16 new cases overall on Sunday, the highest daily number in three weeks. All were reported as imported cases – 11 in Sichuan province, three in Inner Mongolia, and two in Guangdong.Â
Brazil passes 500,000 Covid-19 cases
Brazil has reported 16,409 new cases, taking the total of infected cases to 514,849. It keeps the country in second place in terms of infections, behind the US on 1.78 million cases. Brazil has moved into fourth in terms of deaths, with 29,314 fatalities, according to the health ministry. President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly dismissed the severity of the virus and continued to flout social distancing measures. On Sunday he road a horse to a rally calling for the supreme court to be shut down for investigating him.Â
Moscow eases lockdown despite high virus caseload
Shopping malls and parks are set to reopen in Moscow on Monday as the Russian capital eases coronavirus restrictions despite having the world’s third-largest caseload, with 405,843 infections. The relaxation of the confinement orders in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak with a population of more than 12 million, comes after President Vladimir Putin announced the epidemic had passed its peak in the country.Â
North Korea to reopen schools
North Korea will reopen schools this month after shuttering them over the coronavirus pandemic, reports said Monday. Pyongyang has not confirmed a single infection but has imposed strict rules, including closing its borders and putting thousands of its people into isolation. The new school term – initially scheduled to start in early April – has been repeatedly postponed, although some universities and high schools were allowed to resume classes in mid-April.Â
The Queen makes first public appearance
In the UK, the Queen has been pictured riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle – her first public appearance since the lockdown began. Windsor is said to be the Queen’s favourite royal residence and she has been photographed over the weekend riding one of her ponies, a 14-year-old Fell pony called Balmoral Fern. The 94-year-old regularly rides in the grounds of Windsor and has been a passionate horse lover and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses throughout her reign.
Spain to extend lockdown
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said the country needs 15 more days of lockdown until 21 June “to finish with the pandemic once and for allâ€, and that he would ask parliament to approve a final two-week extension to the stay home rule. “We have almost achieved what we set out to do,†Sanchez told a press conference, as he expressed his intense relief that the number of new cases in Spain, one of the nations hardest-hit by the virus, had fallen dramatically.
Bangladesh lifts lockdown
Bangladesh lifted its coronavirus lockdown on Sunday, with millions heading back to work in densely populated cities and towns even as the country logged a record spike in deaths and new infections. “The lockdown has been lifted and we are heading almost towards our regular life,†health department spokeswoman Nasima Sultana said, calling on those returning to work to wear masks and observe social distancing. It comes as Bangladesh – which on Friday took an emergency pandemic loan from the International Monetary Fund – reported its biggest daily jump in infections Sunday, with 2,545 new cases and a record 40 deaths.
Netflix has emerged as one of the big winners of the coronavirus pandemic. Now fledgling French shoe brand Nodaleto is ready to launch its own version of the streaming service with a tongue-in-cheek web series inspired by the classic teen comedy “Mean Girls.â€
Call it a sign of the times: the idea for the parody site, Nodflix, hatched before France and other European countries went into lockdown as COVID-19 swept the planet.
Nodaleto founder Julia Toledano and Olivier Leone, the creative director, tapped influencers Camille Charrière, Leaf Greener and Louise Follain to join its team of “Nodalegirls,†who are shown on a group phone call discussing what appears to be a steamy encounter — though the final shot reveals the object of their affection is not a man, but the brand’s Bulla Jones shoe.
“My inspiration has always been my entourage,†said Toledano, revealing that the short film was shot in her Paris apartment days before France went into lockdown on March 17. A fourth participant, Spanish influencer Gala González, dropped out at the last minute after being laid low with flu-like symptoms, although it turned out it wasn’t COVID-19.
Leone said the campaign was in tune with Nodaleto’s fashion-forward aesthetic steeped in pop culture. “No matter what your social background, everyone watches Netflix,†he said.
The storyline was a nod to the luxury world’s “love-hate relationship†with influencers, Leone added. “They are the new pop stars, in a sense, and we wanted it to be an ironic spin on the idea of The Plastics by referencing the cult movie ‘Mean Girls.’†The girls, he noted, are all friends of Toledano’s and were paid in shoes.
The film begins with a redesigned version of the Netflix logo, and its signature intro sound. Leone said he ran the idea by the streaming giant’s French marketing director, who gave it his unofficial blessing — while cautioning that he could not guarantee that U.S. headquarters would approve.
“The worst thing that can happen is that they ask us to remove it,†Leone reasoned. “We’re taking a bit of a gamble, but it’s not bad publicity — on the contrary,†Toledano added.
New episodes, featuring a different set of influencers, will appear on the Nodflix Instagram site each season — though the one-year-old brand plans to go seasonless as it adapts its strategy to the post-coronavirus landscape.
“We think we will recover, but it’s been a blow nonetheless,†said Toledano, adding that the label’s e-commerce site helped it weather the lockdown. “April was one of our best months so far, so that was rather positive. Thankfully, this compensated a little for the loss of business elsewhere,†she said.
Leone was speaking from the South of France, where he was shooting the brand’s next campaign— while respecting social distancing guidelines. “Creativity under duress is even stronger,†he said, explaining that Nodaleto will double down on its approach of creating carryover styles in limited quantities. “We’re trying to make a product that’s timeless.â€
A chemist holds a pack of hydroxychloroquine tablets in Mumbai. (AP)
The study highlights the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of HCQ with respect to its low cost of therapy and excellent oral bioavailability high tissue concentrations in the lungs relative to the plasma levels and acceptable safety profile.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a new study has underlined the importance of the use of Hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis, a treatment given or action taken to prevent disease, among health care workers saying that the consumption of four or more maintenance doses of the malaria drug was associated with a significant decline in infections among the frontline workers. The study also says a dose-response relationship existed between the frequency of exposure to HCQ.
The findings published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research says that the study was carried out to identify the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among the healthcare workers in the country, given the elevated risk for them.
The ICMR study further acknowledges a Lancet analysis, which highlighted that HCQ did not offer therapeutic benefits to severe COVID-19 cases and was associated with increased mortality. The Lancet study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients had shown no benefit in treating them with anti-viral drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine and even increased the likelihood of them dying in hospital.
“This apparent disparity with the findings of the current investigation could be explained by the two different application contexts. While the observational study involving registry-analysis focussed on the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, our emphasis was on the prevention of infections among healthcare workers. In treatment settings, severe COVID-19 patients are likely to have a very high viral load and cytokine levels, which may not be improved by HCQ therapy,” the study said.
“Biologically, it appears plausible that HCQ prophylaxis may inhibit the virus from gaining a foothold,” the study said. In the absence of clinical trial results on safety and efficacy of HCQ chemoprophylaxis in healthcare workers, this study offers evidence of public health importance.
Interestingly, the IndianJMedRes says that while this phenomenon “cannot be fully explained by the data collected through the present study, lessons from other areas of public health could be of some helpâ€. The parallels include seat-belt legislations vis-à -vis speeding and road traffic casualties, and promotion of use of condom with unintended effects linked to greater sexual activities, it says.
In the context of the study, the ICMR says that HCQ prophylaxis is with regards to getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 as the perceived hazard, and not adhering to conventional respiratory infection prevention measures, such as PPE use, personal hygiene and social distancing as risk-taking behaviours.
The study highlights the potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of HCQ with respect to its low cost of therapy and excellent oral bioavailability high tissue concentrations in the lungs relative to the plasma levels and acceptable safety profile.
The advantage of PPE usage was also independently indicated by the multivariate model, the study says. Respondents who reported never using PPEs were also at a higher risk.
In some incidents, members of the news media appeared to be targeted, by police and protesters alike.Â
“Targeted attacks on journalists, media crews and news organizations covering the demonstrations show a complete disregard for their critical role in documenting issues of public interest and are an unacceptable attempt to intimidate them,†said Carlos MartÃnez de la Serna, program director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Authorities in cities across the U.S. need to instruct police not to target journalists and ensure they can report safely on the protests without fear of injury or retaliation.â€
The CPJ said it is investigating reports of attacks and arrests in Louisville, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Washington.
President Donald Trump has verbally attacked the media throughout his term. Saturday afternoon, he tweeted a message that “Fake News is the Enemy of the People.” Sunday, he accused the media of “doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy.”
Christin McDonald from the @detnews is apprehended by DPD. We’re not sure why. She’s out here covering the protest. A big group of press just arrived and got her off. pic.twitter.com/TRIsLgHTpO
— Mark Kurlyandchik (@MKurlyandchik) June 1, 2020
USA TODAY Network journalistsÂ
Late Sunday, Des Moines police arrested reporter Andrea Sahouri, of the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, for failure to disperse while she was covering the George Floyd demonstration at a local mall that turned violent.
In a video apparently recorded in a police transport vehicle while still at the Merle Hay Mall and then posted on Twitter, Sahouri said police sprayed her in the face with pepper spray after she identified herself as a member of the media. “I’m press. I’m press. I’m press,” she said she told police.Â
KCCI earlier showed Sahouri sitting on a curb with her hands zip tied behind her back. It appeared she was wailing in pain from the pepper spray.Â
Another reporter who was with her at the event was not arrested but shared the same account with editors before Sahouri posted her video on Twitter.
Sahouri was released hours later and charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts.
On Saturday night, Branden Hunter, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, went to an emergency room in Detroit after police administered tear gas during a protest. A cellphone, which was livestreaming the event, was  knocked from a Free Press photographer’s hand.
Free Press reporter JC Reindl was taken to an emergency room after he was pepper sprayed, though he showed a badge identifying himself as a member of the media.
Last thing I saw before I got sprayed. I was even holding up “media†badge pic.twitter.com/XGNN32dl1v
Molly Beck and Lawrence Andrea, USA TODAY Network reporters for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed  early Sunday morning in Madison, Wisconsin.
Late Saturday night, Paul Woolverton, a reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, also part of the USA TODAY Network, was attacked while shooting video at a looting of a J.C. Penney in the area and was treated for a concussion at a hospital.
Got a knot on my head, scrapes, bruises from head to foot and a concussion.
The looters at Cross Creek Mall didn’t like that I was shooting video (see their activities on the @fayobserver Facebook page).
Tyler J. Davis, a Des Moines Register reporter, was in Minneapolis Thursday, detailing the night of demonstrations when he observed police using chemical irritants to subdue protesters.Â
“I pulled out my camera to record the incident while being sure not to walk toward officers or have any other items in my hand,” Davis wrote in an essay for USA TODAY. “The officer redirected his chemical spray from the fleeing duo toward me.”
Davis said the officer “laid on the trigger for a few seconds” as Davis told him he was a journalist.
CLOSE
Minneapolis Police sprayed demonstrators and USA TODAY Network journalist Tyler Davis with chemical irritant during George Floyd protests.
USA TODAY
“My eyes refused to open, and my face and arm felt as if they were dipped in a deep-fryer,” he wrote.
Vittert said the attack clearly targeted his news organization. “We took a good thumping,” he told The Associated Press.
His live shot was interrupted by protesters at Lafayette Park in Washington, who shouted obscenities directed at Fox. Flanked by two security guards, he and photographer Christian Galdabini walked away, trailed by an angry group before riot police dispersed them.
“The protesters stopped protesting whatever it was they were protesting and turned on us, and that was a very different feeling,” Vittert said.
Clip: @LelandVittert tells @TeamCavuto ‘This was really different. We were targeted…He had a screenshot of me and started passing his phone around to other people and said “he works for Fox Newsâ€â€¦and the crowd gathered, massed, and attacked us.†pic.twitter.com/HWXSbUr3mm
Jimenez and his crew were arrested on air by members of the Minnesota State Patrol after identifying themselves and showing their press credentials.Â
“We are live on the air at the moment. … Just put us back where you want us, just let us know. Wherever you want us, just let us know,” Jimenez told police officers before one came behind him with handcuffs. “Do you mind telling me why I’m under arrest, sir?”
After getting identification information from himself and his crew, he said, “they eventually came back with our belongings … unclipped our handcuffs” and led the crew out.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz apologized at a news conference and said he takes “full responsibility” for the incident.
“There is absolutely no reason something like this should happen,” he told journalists.  “This is a very public apology to that team.”
CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta was damaged Friday by a group of protesters who fought with police and set cars afire. While police tried to keep them away from the CNN Center, demonstrators broke windows and scrawled obscene graffiti on the network’s logo.
Saturday night, MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi wrote on Twitter that he was “hit in the leg by a rubber bullet” in Minneapolis but was fine. “State Police supported by National guard fired unprovoked into an entirely peaceful rally,” he said.
‘Fired tear gas … at point blank range’
Los Angeles Times journalist Molly Hennessy-Fiske said Saturday evening that she was at the 5th Precinct in Minneapolis with “at least a dozen” journalists when members of the Minnesota State Patrol advanced toward the group. She said the journalists identified themselves, but officers “fired tear gas canisters on us at point-blank range.”
Hennessy-Fiske said they asked officers where they should go to avoid dispersal tactics. “They did not tell us where to go,” she said. “They did not direct us. They just fired on us.”
She said she “got hit with a rubber bullet … maybe two.”
Another Reuters photographer, Lucas Jackson, said that late Saturday night in Minneapolis, a man disguised as a medic attacked him with a crowbar, breaking the camera he was using to document the protests. He was “a white man with a Red Cross on his chest who came out of nowhere,” Jackson said.
Vice News correspondent and producer Michael Anthony Adams shared video of Minneapolis troopers approaching him and several other journalists Sunday morning at a gas station where they had taken shelter. Though he shouted “press” multiple times, one officer ordered him on the ground before another came and pepper sprayed him.
Police just raided the gas station we were sheltering at. After shouting press multiple times and raising my press card in the air, I was thrown to the ground. Then another cop came up and peppered sprayed me in the face while I was being held down. pic.twitter.com/23EkZIMAFC
— Michael Anthony Adams (@MichaelAdams317) May 31, 2020
Photographer permanently blinded
Freelance photographer Linda Tirado wrote on Twitter early Saturday morning that she was struck by a rubber bullet  on her left eye in Minneapolis and went to a hospital to have emergency surgery. In an update a few hours later, she reported that she became “permanently blind” in her left eye but that she would continue to work.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Saturday, photographer Ellen Schmidt and freelance photographer and former Review-Journal employee Bridget Bennett were arrested while covering protests on the Strip.
In Louisville early Saturday morning, protesters vandalized a car with the logo of news station WLKY on the driver side door. According to one of the station’s reporters, Deni Kamper, chief photographer Paul Ahmann was attacked by a mob of protesters and thrown to the ground. Kamper posted on Twitter that Ahmann was “being treated but is also ok.”
The previous day in Louisville, WAVE 3 News reporter Kaitlin Rust and photojournalist James Dobson were struck by pepper balls fired at them by a Louisville Metro Police Department officer. WAVE 3 news issued a statement to “strongly condemn the actions of the LMPD officer.”
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said Sunday that three journalists were injured by protesters. KDKA photojournalist Ian Smith tweeted Saturday evening that he “was attacked by protestors downtown†and that he was “bruised and bloody but alive.†He said his camera was destroyed, but “another group of protesters†pulled him to safety.
Contributing: Katie Akin, Des Moines Register, Kim Willis and Sara M. Moniuszko, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/31/journalists-blinded-injured-arrested-covering-george-floyd-protests/5299374002/
This programme is the first envelope of the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) 2020. It will support alignment to the EU acquis, socio-economic development and employment, and social policies for the most vulnerable people. In particular, €30m will be devoted to the economic recovery with grant support provided to micro enterprises, start-ups and business support organisations in the less developed regions of Serbia; therefore increasing employment, innovation and economic development at local level.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, special focus will also be put on strengthening the capacities for surveillance and response to communicable diseases. The signing ceremony was followed by a press point by the Commissioner and the President (available on EbS).
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says that schools in the province will be ready and open to welcome learners on Monday 1 June in accordance with national government’s original directive.
The notice, issued by the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, Debbie Schäfer, has added further complexities to an already-convoluted back to school plan. Despite Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s late-night turnaround, which effectively postponed the reopening of classrooms to Grade 7 and 12 learners to Monday 8 June, Schäfer argued that gazetted regulations, coupled with the Western Cape’s state of readiness, meant that schools in the province would open on Monday 1 June.
Back to school shambles
The lack of clarity and consecutive delays associated with Motshekga’s back to school plans has left teachers, pupils and parents in a quandary. The minister was initially due to clarify the school strategy in the eleventh hour on Sunday night but cancelled the media briefing at the last-minute and, instead, issued a statement via the department.
Motshekga, who has since rescheduled her media briefing to 11:00 on Monday, said that after consultations with the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) and several key stakeholders in the education sector, it was determined that the national state of readiness was behind track. Due to this delay, the department noted:
“The date on which Grade 7 and 12 learners have to report back to school is 8 June 2020.â€
This swift turnaround comes after civil societies and organisations, including the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), threatened legal action against the department of basic education. Motshekga’s opponents argue that sending children back to school, amid the growing wave of coronavirus infections and the looming winter months, would be a public health disaster.
Western Cape schools open on Monday 1 June
Schäfer, however, argues that Western Cape schools were primed in line with government’s health and safety directives and should, therefore, be allowed to reopen to Grade 7 and 12 Pupils. In a statement issued on Sunday night, the WCED said:
“In accordance with the Gazette promulgated last week by Minister Motshekga, schools are to return on 1 June 2020.
We have been engaged in discussions at a national level over the weekend, and were awaiting the Minister’s announcement that was scheduled for 18h00 this evening. Given that this has now been postponed until tomorrow, we can no longer allow our schools to hover in a state of uncertainty.
Following the national minister’s earlier announcements, we have pulled out all the stops as a province to ensure that we are ready for the arrival of learners tomorrow.
Principals and staff have worked tirelessly to get all the health and safety requirements in place.â€
Schäfer detailed the province’s state of readiness, adding that R280 million had been used to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning materials. This includes the provision of 2.4 million face masks, 7 000 non-contact digital thermometers, and millions of litres of hand sanitiser, liquid soap, disinfectant and bleach.
Health and safety concerns
Schäfer did, however, add that not all schools in the province would reopen on Monday 1 June, saying:
“There will also be some schools that do not receive learners tomorrow, either because they are not at a suitable state of readiness in terms of safety protocols, or they are closed for cleaning if there has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 at the school. These schools will communicate with their staff members and parents of learners in this regard.â€
The WCED said that while it understood the anxieties and concerns associated with going back to school after a prolonged period of absence — and, amid a growing pandemic – the right to education could no longer be scuppered. Schäfer explained:
“Whilst we are aware of the many anxieties surrounding COVID-19, keeping schools closed indefinitely is not going to resolve them.
The South African Paediatric Association has come out in favour of the phased re-opening. We are taking every precaution, but the longer schools remain closed, the poor will suffer the most.Â
The disingenuous arguments by some that all schools should open simultaneously do not hold water. They argue that the poor will be left behind. Well, the reality is that the poor are being left behind now, as wealthier schools or parents have the means to continue online.â€
The Western Cape is regarded as the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Africa, accounting for 65% of all infections in the country. More than 500 Western Cape residents have lost their lives due to the virus.
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