The News Roundup — International (The 1A) 2020-04-03

Officials in Saudi Arabia asked Muslims to delay the Hajj to Mecca amid concerns about a potential summer resurgence of COVID-19. Although closure of the Islamic pilgrimage has happened throughout history, it would be the first time since 1798. Meanwhile, authorities in the country are working to contain an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000 people and killed 10.

And European countries are trying to address the economic fallout from the pandemic. The French government called for the use of a shared emergency fund that could offer billions in financial relief to several European Union countries. The request comes after the E.U. asked finance ministers for alternate recovery solutions following German hesitation to a jointly issued debt.

Meanwhile, the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, continues to deny the severity of coronavirus. While confirmed infections continue to grow, the president asked Brazilians under 70 to get back to work. Further defying calls from the health ministry, Bolsonaro also recommended the use of an anti-malaria drug to treat coronavirus, in a video posted to Facebook and Twitter.

Both social media platforms promptly deleted the video, citing coronavirus misinformation as a violation of their policies against harmful content.

We talk about COVID-19 around the world on the global edition of the News Roundup.
Interview:
https://the1a.org/segments/the-news-roundup-international-2020-03-04/