Global quarantine

Across the world, elderly people have been separated from their grandchildren as part of social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. The emotional impact of this has been hard on many families - it was the topic of the first question from a member of the public at the UK government briefing on Monday. In Switzerland - which is beginning to ease its lockdown measures - authorities say they consider that it is now safe for children under the age of 10 to hug their grandparents. The health ministry's infectious diseases chief Daniel Koch said scientists had concluded that young children did not transmit the virus. Switzerland has recorded 1,699 deaths linked to coronavirus. info from:  https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-52466471

Belgians are well known for loving chips (frites), often with a big dollop of mayonnaise, but hard-up farmers now want them to eat chips twice a week. Romain Cools of the potato growers' union Belgapom presented it as a matter of survival, as a major export sector fears ruin in the coronavirus crisis. About 750,000 tonnes of potatoes are piled up in Belgian warehouses, as the lockdown has sent orders plummeting.  "Let's all eat chips twice a week, instead of just once," Mr Cools urged. Since mid-March, restaurants in Belgium and many other markets for potato growers have closed. The cancellation of Belgium's many spring and summer festivals has added to their woes. Moreover, international trade in potatoes has been hit. Belgium is one of the world's top exporters of potato products, including frozen chips. It sends more than 1.5m tonnes annually to more than 100 countries. One small bright spot in this story is that Belgapom will now deliver 25 t...

Татьяна Гринуова пробежала 21 марафон по всему миру. Они были на одинаковом расстоянии, 42,2 километра, но самый последний был более сложным, чем другие.  Это потому, что Гринуова управляла им вокруг своего дома, сделав 540 кругов вокруг здания. Она сделала это по уважительной причине: собирая деньги на покупку защитного снаряжения для медицинских работников, которые лечат пациентов с COVID-19.