Here we follow the developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, a disease caused by the new coronavirus, on an international scale.
8:24 am – Germany. Mortal victims have surpassed the 5,000 barrier
In the last 24 hours, there was an increase from 215 to 5,094 deaths. At this point, the country has exceeded 100 thousand cases cured (103,300 people considered cured, plus 3,800 in the last 24 hours).
There are still a total of 148,046 cases of infection, a figure that rose 2,352 in 24 hours.
8:21 am – Manual for the use of beaches in 2020
This summer there will be controls on access to the beaches and a maximum number of bathers. The rules for the beaches this year will be in a manual of procedures that should be ready in the first week of May. This was revealed by the coordinator of the Blue Flag program, Catarina Gonçalves.
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8h14 – Road accidents dropped more than 70 percent
Road accidents dropped more than 70% in the first 30 days of the state of emergency, with 7,719 fewer accidents. The trend was repeated in the number of wounded and fatal victims on Portuguese roads.
In a statement, the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) highlights the sharp drop in the number of road accidents between March 19 and April 17, compared with the same periods in the last four years, from 10,918 to 3,199 registered accidents .
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7:48 am – United States with 1738 dead in 24 hours
The United States recorded 1738 deaths in the last 24 hours due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 1013 fewer deaths than the day before, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.
The latest balance brings the total number of deaths to 46,583 since the outbreak began in the United States, the country that officially records the most deaths in the world.
The world’s largest powerhouse now has more than 839,675 people infected with the new coronavirus. Almost 4.5 million people have been tested in the country.
New York State remains the main focus of the epidemic.
The Americans will be able to start testing at home for Covid-19.
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The kits have already been approved by the Medicines Authority and should start selling at a price equivalent to 110 euros.
7h05 – Numbers of road accidents in the state of emergency
The period between March 19 and April 17, 2020, that is, the first 30 days of the state of emergency, “records a sharp decrease in the number of road accidents compared to the same periods from 2016 to 2019”.
“Compared to 2019, there was a 71 percent decrease in the number of accidents (from 10,918 accidents to 3199).
This trend is also confirmed in the data relating to fatalities, serious injuries and minor injuries (within 24 hours) “, reads a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“In the first case, the nine deaths recorded in the period under analysis represent a decrease of 72 percent compared to the equivalent period last year, in which 32 fatalities were recorded”, the note continues.
“With regard to serious injuries, the 51 recorded in the period considered this year represents a decrease of 62 percent compared to the same period in 2019, in which 134 were recorded”.
“Finally, the 799 slight injuries recorded this year in the period in question translate a decrease of 76 percent compared to the same period in 2019, in which 3362 were counted”.
“This trend”, stresses the Ministry of Eduardo Cabrita, “is likewise reflected in the comparative data between the extended Easter weekend this year (period between April 9 and April 13) and the same weekend in 2019 (period from 18 to 22 April 2019), with a clear decrease in all indicators under analysis: 73 percent in the number of road accidents (-1 107 accidents), 78 percent in fatalities ( -7 dead), 86 percent in the number of serious injuries (-32 serious injuries) and 81 percent in the number of minor injuries (-408 minor injuries).
“Although these numbers are obviously associated with the State of Emergency decreed by the President of the Republic on March 18, due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 disease and the considerable decrease in the flow of road traffic resulting from this reality, it nevertheless matters to highlight them, as they also reflect the exemplary way in which citizens have contributed to contain this outbreak in Portugal “, concludes the Ministry.
6h55 – State of play
This Thursday the European Council meets. The leaders of the 27 member states will try to agree on the response to the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
There will already be concrete proposals agreed by the finance ministers, in the Eurogroup, regarding the emergency response A package of 500 billion euros is defined. But the broader reconstruction plan remains open.
Differences persist between some countries in the north and countries in the south. The Portuguese Government argues that the European economic recovery plan should be part of the European budget, financed by a loan to be contracted by the European Union and distributed to the Member States in the form of grants.
The picture in Portugal
The return to normality in the country will be made from May on a fortnightly basis. The new measures will be applied every two weeks.The price of fuel will go down in the next
week. The liter of gasoline can drop five cents. Diesel can
down three cents – is the consequence of the oil breakdown over
From this week.
Prime Minister António Costa will reveal the details at the end of next week.
It is already known that, this year, the bathing season only begins on June 1 and with rules. Right away, not all beaches will be open.
There will be different rules according to the characteristics of each bathing space. Thus, each beach will have a maximum number of people and minimum mandatory distances between shadows.
The use of masks in cafes and restaurants may be mandatory.
The Portuguese Environment Agency also advances that this plan for the beaches will accompany the evolution of the pandemic and the emergency situation in the country.
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Portugal recorded 785 deaths from Covid-19 yesterday, 23 more than on Tuesday, and 21,982 infected in an increase of 603 compared to the previous day, according to the epidemiological bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health.
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As for the number of confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus, DGS data showed 603 more than on Tuesday – an increase of 2.8 percent.
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The Northern Region is still the one with the highest number of deaths (454), followed by the Central Region (175), Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (138), the Algarve (11), the Azores (6) and Atentejo, which records a dead person.
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The international framework
On a global scale, the Covid-19 pandemic has already caused more than 182,000 deaths and infected more than 2.6 million people in 193 countries and territories. More than 593,500 patients were considered cured.
The director-general of the World Health Organization came yesterday to defend that the pandemic was declared at the right time. US President Donald Trump has been accusing the organization of delayed action in responding to the spread of the new coronavirus.
In a context in which several European countries are beginning to ease containment measures, the World Health Organization again warns that there is still “a long way to go”.
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“Most of the epidemic in western Europe appears to be stable or decreasing. Although the numbers are low, we see worrying upward trends in Africa, South and Central America and eastern Europe,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
“Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics and some who were affected earlier by the pandemic are now seeing a resurgence of cases. Make no mistake, we still have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time to come. time “, insisted the responsible.
In Germany, for example, a country under a severe recession, Angela Merkel’s government is slowly risking a return to work. The European Union engine allows the opening of commercial establishments of up to 800 square meters and makes the use of a mask mandatory in shopping and public transport.
Schools will reopen in two weeks, but everything will be carried out on an experimental basis.
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