While it’s easy to find information about COVID-19 in South Korea or Italy, almost a third of the world’s population is now under movement restrictions due to the coronavirus. We’re eager to offer a global picture. Here is the first of our weekly snapshots of how countries around the globe are confronting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nigeria
Africa’s largest city, Lagos ground to a halt this week as it entered a two-week lockdown to stop the spread of the virus, along with the Nigerian capital Abuja. Lagos is known for its nonstop hustle—get the full picture with our Lagos edition of Stranger’s Guide to Lagos.
The United Kingdom
The UK’s Financial Times says the country’s medicines regulator has sounded the alarm over unlicensed and unsafe coronavirus tests, warning that suppliers want to exploit people’s desperation to be screened for the disease. It comes as Amazon announced it will help distribute home testing kits for the NHS.
France
France saw a surge of domestic violence reports after it went into lockdown March 17. According to Time Magazine, the French government announced it would put victims of domestic violence up in hotel rooms and finance pop-up counseling centers in grocery stores to help with the problem.
Liberia
With only a handful of confirmed cases, Liberia has taken drastic steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including sealing borders and shutting its airspace. With only three ventilators in the country, the need to limit cases is especially critical.
Brazil
As his country’s death toll from coronavirus mounts, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro continues to call the virus a “measly cold” and call for Brazilians to go back to work. But governors aren’t listening—only three of Brazil’s 27 states have relaxed social isolation measures.
