Shomporko Desk: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself under self-quarantine after learning that her doctor who had vaccinated her against pneumonia on Friday has tested positive for COVID-19. Merkel will be tested regularly in the coming days as she plans to carry out her duties from home, and Germany’s government will continue to operate as planned, with Merkel’s cabinet set to meet Monday to discuss a stimulus package of roughly $160 billion to help keep Germany afloat as it suffers from the pandemic. As of Sunday, Germany had nearly 24,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with more than 90 deaths, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University.
Spain plans to extend its state of emergency for another 15 days, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Sunday, as the number of Covid-19 deaths soars in the country. Sanchez addressed citizens in a televised briefing on Sunday, after meeting with health and security officials. He said he expected Parliament to approve his request to lengthen the order, which has been in place for over a week. It comes with the country’s death toll from the virus accelerating. The country’s health ministry said on Sunday that another 394 had died in just the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 1,720.
Canada refuses to go to the Tokyo Olympics unless Games postponed. Canada won’t be at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics unless the Games are postponed by a year. The Canadian Olympic Committee sent out a statement Sunday evening saying it’s refusing to send a team to Tokyo unless the Games, which are scheduled to start on July 24, are pushed back by 12 months. The COC’s statement comes amid a chorus of criticism aimed at the International Olympic Committee’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. IOC president Thomas Bach said earlier Sunday that they’d set a deadline of four weeks to determine the fate of the Games and that the global organization is considering options including postponement.
Sources: NPR, CNN, Globe and Mail
