As the coronavirus continues to spread, the US has announced that claims for unemployment benefit have reached a record high for the second week in a row, with over 6.6 million Americans making a claim last week. The worrying news comes as the number of cases in the US has risen to just under ¼ of a million.
Globally the pandemic has now passed more than 1 million confirmed cases and the death toll in Spain has topped 10,000. However, there are positive signs from some countries. According to an article on the foreignpolicy.com website, Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, Georgia and Iceland are succeeding in flattening the infection curve that is required to allow stretched hospital services to treat the influx of patients over a longer period of time.
Thousands of people in Poland and around the world yesterday honoured the legacy of the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005 and died aged 84 on April 2nd 2005.
In previous years, anniversary events commemorating the pontiff’s death have included religious services in churches and prayer vigils attended by crowds. However, this year, due to the spread of the coronavirus, this has not been possible. John Paul II, who visited 129 countries during his long pontificate was the third longest-serving pontiff in history and was declared a saint in 2014.
The EU’s court of justice ruled yesterday that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic breached EU law by refusing to take in refugees from other member states during the 2015 migration crisis.
The Polish government said at the time that Poland had acted to ensure security for its citizens when it refused to accept any refugees as part of an EU programme to relocate migrants fleeing the war-torn Middle East and Africa. The Polish government contend that their stance has encouraged the EU to change its approach to migration policy and move away from the mandatory relocation of refugees.
And finally, a choir in Sopot have found an innovative way to perform and share their love of music during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sopot Chamber Choir „Continuo” which was established over 30 years ago and which promotes the legacy of Sopot in Poland and Polish culture abroad recorded a well known Italian song in tribute and support for the victims of the coronavirus epidemic in Italy. The recording of the song „Signore Delle Cime” was done by each singer in their own home and then stitched together seamlessly before being put online. The Facebook post by the group has already garnered thousands of views in just a few days.
Weather
Today will be a day with sunny intervals with periods of strong and gusty winds. Temperatures will reach 8 degrees centigrade (46 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, dropping to freezing point overnight. Saturday will see the wind moderate a little and it will remain sunny with scattered clouds and a temperature of 7 degrees. Sunday and beyond will see temperatures start to rise into the high teens and it will sunny and pleasant.
