Spain is stepping up measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, setting up emergency shelters in cities such as Barcelona [Quique Garcia/EPA-EFE]
UN appeals for $2bn to help poorer nations cope with health crisis, as Europe’s coronavirus death toll mounts.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has launched an appeal for $2bn in international humanitarian aid to help poorer countries tackle the coronavirus pandemic, as the death toll in Italy and Spain continued to climb.
Guterres said COVID-19 was a threat to the “whole of humanity and the whole of humanity must fight back.”
As the UN launched the initiative, more deaths were reported in Europe – now the epicentre of the pandemic – with Spain recording more than 700 fatalities in 24 hours. It is now the second-worst affected country in the world after Italy.
In the United States, meanwhile, a sweeping $2 trillion measure to aid workers, businesses, and the healthcare system finally passed the Senate after a series of hiccups stalled progress late on Wednesday. Iy has now gone back to the lower house for approval.
Agencies
