WHO head: "There will be no return to the 'old normal' for the foreseeable future"
13 July 2020
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Monday that "there will be no return to the 'old normal' for the foreseeable future," but that there is a "roadmap" for struggling countries to get the virus under control.
Why it matters: A record 230,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported to the WHO on Sunday, as total infections approach 13 million worldwide.
- About 80% of the new cases were reported from 10 countries, while 50% came from the U.S. and Brazil — the two worst-hit countries in the world.
What they're saying: “Let me be blunt: too many countries are headed in the wrong direction," Tedros said. "The virus remains public enemy number one, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this. ... If the basics aren’t followed, there is only one way this pandemic is going to go. It’s going to get worse and worse and worse."
The big picture: Countries must make the following goals a priority in order to mitigate the disease, Adhanom said:
- Focus on reducing mortality and suppressing transmission.
- Foster an engaged community that takes individual behavior measures in the interest of each other.
- Establish strong government leadership and coordination of comprehensive strategies that are communicated clearly and consistently.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.