Agencies

Brazil’s death toll from the new coronavirus surpassed Italy’s to become the third-highest in the world, as Europe emerged from punishing lockdowns and the EU pressed for a reopening of borders.

The bleak figures from Brazil underlined the toll the virus is taking in Latin America, the latest epicentre in the pandemic, even as Europe was emerging from its darkest days -- with the latest help coming from a new 600-billion-euro ($674 billion) economic stimulus measure announced by the European Central Bank.

In a bid to further boost growth, the EU Commission called for member states to lift all border restrictions by the end of June.

“We are coming very close to a situation where we should lift all the internal border restrictions and border checks,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said late on Thursday.

France had positive news, with a top immunologist saying yesterday the outbreak had abated as daily deaths and new cases had fallen far below their March peaks.

“We can reasonably say the virus is currently under control,” said Jean-Francois Delfraissy, the head of the government’s scientific advisory council.

But across the Atlantic, the pandemic continued to gather pace.

Brazil’s death toll topped 34,000, overtaking Italy’s to become the third highest in the world, while cases in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Chile continued to mount.

Impoverished Haiti, with its fragile health system, is also seeing worrying trends as infections and deaths rise in the face of swirling rumours and disinformation about the severity of the disease.