The essential
»Follow all the events of the day live
2:40 p.m. LThe British are asked not to take refuge in the countryside. The Cornwall tourist office in the southwest of the country asked visitors to “postpone their trip”. The local council stressed that visitors took “the risk of not being able to return home as planned” and should be aware of the pressure they were adding to local public services. The progression of the Covid-19 has accelerated in recent days in the United Kingdom, where it has killed 177 people.
2:35 p.m. Alsatian solidarity. Faced with the acceleration of the epidemic in the Grand-Est, medical reinforcements flocked from all over France to intervene in hospitals in the region. More and more Alsatians offer to house caregivers.
2:32 p.m. Poivre-d’Arvor, Werber, Pancol… writers tell of their confinement. They were used to loneliness but not under these conditions. We asked their feelings to five literary figures who, without the Covid-19 pandemic, should have been this weekend at the Paris Book Fair. Here’s what they say.
2:30 p.m. It’s time for the now daily global report. More than 277,106 cases of infection have been detected in 164 countries and territories since the start of the epidemic, which left at least 11,737 people dead, according to a report drawn up from official sources this Saturday afternoon. Italy has 4,032 deaths for 47,021 cases. China has 81,008 cases, including 3,255 deaths. The countries most affected after Italy and China are Iran (1,556 dead), Spain (1,326 dead) and France (450 dead).
2:25 p.m. Why do our mail carriers continue to work? It is a question from a reader of the Parisian. La Poste, as well as several delivery services, are continuing their activities despite the coronavirus crisis. So that the “life of the country” continues. We explain everything to you here.
Newsletter – The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien–
2:20 p.m. 40 prototypes of masks tested. The Prime Minister assured that everything was done to help manufacturers supply the protective masks in large numbers, including the purchase of hundreds of millions abroad.
VIDEO. Coronavirus: Edouard Philippe announces the purchase of “hundreds of millions of masks”
2:15 p.m. The Georgia declares a state of emergency. “The situation is serious and is expected to deteriorate,” said Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, in a televised address to the nation, announcing the immediate establishment of the state of emergency for a month. The government is not considering imposing a curfew, however, she said.
2:10 p.m. Almost 40,000 tickets. On Twitter, the Minister of the Interior reports that since the beginning of the containment, the police have checked 876,695 people and have drawn up 38,994 verbalization reports.
# COVID19 | Throughout the weekend, police and gendarmes will be mobilized everywhere in France to carry out fixed and mobile checks.
Their mission: to enforce movement restrictions and punish offenders.
Thank you for their commitment to serving everyone. pic.twitter.com/er88ybyovY– Christophe Castaner (@CCastaner) March 21, 2020
—
“All weekend, police and gendarmes will be mobilized everywhere in France to carry out fixed and mobile checks,” he insists on Twitter. Their mission: to enforce movement restrictions and punish offenders. Thank you for their commitment to serving everyone. “ 2:05 p.m. Masks authorized during public security police operations. The central director of public security Jean Marie Salanova has softened his position on the wearing of masks during police interventions, especially for checks on compliance with confinement, reveals Le Parisien.
14 hours. French swimming requests the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. The French swimming federation sent a letter this Saturday morning to the leaders of the tricolor Olympism. She blames them for their immobility.
1:55 p.m. French Olympic Committee meeting. Faced with the discontent that rises in favor of a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Denis Masséglia, the president of the CNOSF (the president of the French Olympic committee) convened a meeting this Saturday at 2 p.m., learns Le Parisien. All representatives of the federations are invited.
1:47 p.m. The European Union validates the 300 billion plan. France had announced its desire to guarantee loans granted to companies up to 300 billion euros, it has just obtained the approval of Brussels to implement the device.
1:40 p.m. The Eiffel Tower will shine even more at 8 p.m. While the French open their windows to applaud the nursing staff, the Eiffel Tower will shine even more than usual. The operating company of the monument said that the monument, for ten minutes to 20 hours, will sparkle “in solidarity with the nursing staff and all those who work for collective well-being”.
1:36 p.m. Germany ready to receive French patients. Reception capacities are limited, but Germany plays the solidarity card. The Baden-Würtemberg region, bordering France, says it is ready to welcome French patients with Covid-19 needing respiratory assistance, announces a spokesperson for the local Ministry of Health. This is good news as hospitals in Alsace have now “reached the limit of their capacities with regard to the treatment” of severely infected people.
1:20 p.m. The Grand-Est region in search of masks. She decided to order 5 million masks in China after having collected 350,000 from local businesses. The latter are also mobilizing to produce one million per week. “They will be distributed to all those who work on the front line, from the police to the firefighters, nurses’ aides and household helpers at home”, indicates the president (LR) Jean Rottner.
1:05 p.m. Companies sell their stock of alcohol. The Armand Guy de Pontarlier distillery (Doubs), an absinthe specialist, is going to sell 3000 liters “at cost price”, the activity being completely stopped, in order to produce hydroalcoholic gel. Another company, located in Fougerolles-Saint-Valbert (Haute-Saône), will sell 500 liters of 96-degree alcohol to pharmacies authorized to process this raw product.
12:55 p.m. What efficiency for containment? Several studies as well as examples in Italy show that travel restrictions can limit the daily increase in the number of Covid-19 patients.
12:50 p.m. Almost a billion people confined. From Rome to New York via Paris, 900 million people around the world are confined to their homes this weekend, in the hope of stopping the coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed more than 11,400 people and is shaking l ‘Mondial economy.
12:45 p.m. The Ehpad fear the death of 100,000 retirees. In an open letter to the Minister of Health, structures welcoming senior citizens demand masks to protect this vulnerable population.
12:40 p.m. Meanwhile, thehe Zimbabwean President travels. Despite the travel ban imposed on his government, Emmerson Mnangagwa attended this Saturday in Windhoek the inauguration ceremony of his Namibian counterpart. The president had however specified this week that the travel ban also applied to himself. A first case of Covid-19 was confirmed the day before in Zimbabwe, where the health services are in agony.
12:35 p.m. Tusk denounces the “nationalist” behavior of the EU states. The leader of the European People’s Party (PPL) and ex-president of the European Council Donald Tusk denounces the “nationalist” behavior of the member states in the fight against the coronavirus. In an interview published in Poland, he advocates more cooperation.
12:30 p.m. In Nantes, an escape is cut short thanks to confinement. A 19-year-old boy in pretrial detention tried to escape the courtroom on Wednesday, jumping over the box during a request for release. Lack of pot for him, the doors of the court were closed due to the epidemic of coronavirus. He therefore quickly returned to square one.
12:25 p.m. In Lyon, administration in commando mode. The Lyon Metropolis, which has been operating with half the number of agents since the start of the week, is trying by all means to ensure continuity of services for the 1.4 million inhabitants. A real headache! Our article to read here.
12:20 p.m. Switzerland is repatriating hundreds of stranded people to Latin America. Two charter flights are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday, with “about 630 people stranded in Peru and Colombia”, said the Swiss Foreign Ministry in a statement. Bern also plans to help a hundred Swiss tourists stranded in Costa Rica.
12:15 p.m. The second round of municipal may be held on another date in Overseas. The Prime Minister indicates that in the overseas collectivities of the Pacific, in particular New Caledonia and Polynesia, the second round of municipal elections could be held “at a different time” from that of the mainland, because of the coronavirus.
“I am also thinking of the communities in the Pacific, New Caledonia and French Polynesia, for which we are proposing a specific electoral system: the second round may be held at a different time from that in the other territories to take account the health situation in these territories, “said the head of government during the statement opening the examination of the emergency bill in the Assembly.
12:10 p.m. Aubry puts a stone in the building. In order to support the Lille traders forced to lower the flag due to the confinement, the city of Lille cancels the rents for March and April. Please note: only those who rent premises belonging to the city are concerned. Martine Aubry, the mayor, called on the other owners to accompany the businesses “as much as possible, by canceling their rents, reducing them or spreading out the payment”.
The city of #Lille cancels rents for March & April for businesses whose premises belong to it. I call on the landlord-landlords, too, to support our merchants, as much as possible, by canceling their rents, reducing them or spreading the payment. pic.twitter.com/Sxfe0GteFs
– Martine Aubry (@MartineAubry) March 20, 2020
—
12:05 p.m. Can I postpone my vacation during confinement? Once fixed, paid holidays cannot theoretically be postponed by the employee, warns the Labor Code. Our explanations to read here. 12 hours. A curfew in Béziers. “From this Saturday, March 21, 2020, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the movement of any person outside their home is FORMALLY PROHIBITED on the entire municipal territory”, announced on Twitter the mayor of the city Robert Ménard.
11.55 a.m. ATu Burkina, 2 new deaths and 4 infected ministers “Two deaths (have been) recorded today, bringing the number of deaths since the start of the epidemic to three,” said a report on Saturday. “24 (new) cases were confirmed on March 20, including 19 in Ouagadougou, 2 in Bobo-Dioulasso, 2 in Boromo and 1 in Dédougou”, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to “64 (29 women and 35 men)” , including four members of the government, he specifies.
11:50 a.m. “To all these young people who go out, stop! ” Producer Dawala addresses groups of recalcitrant young people who do not respect confinement, and “ask them to become aware” of the seriousness of the epidemic.
11.45 a.m. A trial for the illegal sale of masks. The manager of a travel agency must be judged this Saturday in immediate appearance in Paris, after the discovery of about 20,000 masks and a stock of hydroalcoholic gels which she sold fraudulently, in full shortage. Tried for “deceptive marketing practice” and “refusal to submit to a requisition from the administrative authority in the event of a serious health threat”, she faces six months’ imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 euros.
11.35 a.m. How to shop safely. Each outing to restock your fridge leads to gestures that today pose questions. Take your own bags, remove the packaging or wash the fruit … here are some answers.
11:25 a.m. 2000 additional hotel places for the homeless. “The State services are organizing to shelter the most disadvantaged by mobilizing, on the one hand, 2000 additional hotel spaces throughout France and, on the other hand, by opening the first sites of confinement for homeless people with Covid-19 but who are not hospitalized, ”Julien Denormandie announced in a press release.
11:20 a.m. L Lorry drivers can drive longer and on Sundays. Truckers are allowed to drive longer than usual for a month, and even on Sundays, to supply sensitive areas, according to two orders published this Saturday in the Official Journal. A first order temporarily allows an “increase in the daily driving time, up to a limit of ten hours a day or eleven hours a day, twice a week”. The weekly driving time may also reach 60 hours per week and 102 hours over two consecutive weeks.
11.15 a.m. 6 days of paid paid leave. This emergency health law, which will be voted this weekend, also plans to temporarily revert to certain social benefits (holidays, 35 hours) to participate in the national effort. With risks of drifts.
11.10 a.m. Philippe pleads for the temporary suspension of the waiting day. “I believe it is necessary, for the sole period of the health emergency, to suspend the emergency day arrangements in the private sector as well as in the public service,” declared the Prime Minister during a statement to the National Assembly, opening the examination of the emergency bill responding to the coronavirus pandemic. “It was the case for confinements and we are expanding to sickness / illness # Covid_19,” said the Secretary of State for the Public Service Olivier Dussopt, in a tweet.
11:05 a.m. L he great confusion of the distribution of masks in pharmacies. Some 12.3 million masks were to be delivered this week to 21,000 pharmacies. But many have received nothing at all, sowing misunderstanding and frustration.
11:00. The confirmed rush on consumer products. The French rushed like never before on consumer products, during the week before confinement, confirms the Nielsen cabinet in a study. Between March 9 and 15, sales jumped 38% in value compared to 2019, “a progression never seen before”, according to this benchmark study. Non-perishable food products (such as pasta) and hygiene products have been most successful.
10:55 a.m. The 8 questions we ask ourselves about wearing a mask. Useless or on the contrary effective against the Covid-19 pandemic? Many questions arise around the wearing of the mask. Specialists answer you.
10:50 a.m. The tribute of the Mulhouse firefighters and police. Friday evening, firefighters and police gathered in front of the Mulhouse Rescue Center, to pay tribute to the caregivers by setting off their sirens.
10:40 a.m. First death in Lithuania. An elderly woman treated for other health conditions at a hospital in Ukmerge, north of Vilnius, died on Saturday. “We suspect she was infected in the hospital,” said Deputy Minister of Health Algirdas Seselgis. Lithuania, with a population of 2.8 million, has so far recorded 69 cases of contamination. 160 residents of Ukmerge were isolated to check for possible contamination.
10:30 a.m. Starbucks closes its cafes. For two weeks, in the United States and Canada, most of these cafes will be closed. “Let’s be honest,” slats “are not essential,” said CEO Rossann Williams in a letter. The take-away sale is maintained.
10:25 a.m. New assessment in Iran. Tehran announces 123 new deaths, bringing the official death toll to 1,556. According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, more than 966 new cases of infection have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, and a total of 20,610 people have contracted the virus in Iran.
10:20 a.m. First death in Kinshasa. The Democratic Republic of Congo announces the first coronavirus death in Kinshasa, the third in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso and Gabon), as well as five new confirmed cases, a total of 23 since the announcement of a first case on March 10 . Several media claim that he is the brother of a minister.
10:10 a.m. In Marseille, extensive nurseries for caregivers. From Monday, the municipal crèches will welcome from 6.30 am to 9 pm all the children of the staff mobilized, whether they are registered or not.
MunicipalesThe municipal crèches will receive all the children of personnel mobilized in the fight against the coronavirus, from 6.30 am to 9 pm. Whether your child is registered or not in a municipal establishment in normal times, the crèches in the area mobilized will be able to accommodate him (2/4)
– City of Marseille (@marseille) March 21, 2020
—
10 hours. Alsatian patients soon evacuated. A military medical aircraft must take off at 10 am from Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône), destination Mulhouse, where it will embark patients with the new coronavirus bound for Aquitaine, announced the Ministry of the Armed Forces in a press release. On Wednesday, the air force already evacuated six patients from Mulhouse to Marseille and Toulon. In the entire Grand-Est region, 1,551 people are hospitalized. 9:58 a.m. However, they feel vulnerable … If the Prime Minister thanks them (read below), it is because the police, garbage collectors, even bankers, all these trades who act to facilitate confinement, worry about their working conditions. To read : 9:52 a.m. The Prime Minister’s words. “To our caregivers who are fighting on the front line. To all those who, truckers, cashiers, saleswomen, artisans, workers, peasants, police, continue to work in contact. We are indebted to you. It is through your efforts that the country continues to live and feed itself ”, greets Édouard Philippe on Twitter.
To read : Coronavirus: “essential” employees called to the front
To our caregivers who are fighting on the front line. To all those, truckers, cashiers, saleswomen, artisans, workers, peasants, police, continue to work on contact. We are indebted to you. It is through your efforts that the country continues to live & nourish itself.
– Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) March 21, 2020
—
9:40 a.m. A resuscitator special health advisor. Doctor Antoine Tesniere is appointed “advisor in charge of Covid-19” in the cabinet of the Minister of Solidarity and Health, according to a decree published in the Official Journal. Antoine Tesniere, professor of medicine and anesthesiologist at the European Georges Pompidou Hospital (AP-HP), co-founded a “health simulation” department at the University of Paris. 9:30 a.m. Volkswagen to shut down factories in Mexico. The factories of Puebla and Guanajuato will close on March 30, until April 12, to protect employees from the coronavirus. The manufacturer also justifies its decision by the slowdown in demand and the risk of shortage of parts. 9.20am. Thailand lockout. The malls will be closed for 22 days from March 22 to April 12, said Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang in a statement and then on Facebook. Pharmacies and food shops will be open, restaurants for take-out orders.
9:18 a.m. A boxing match in the sights of the Thais. The 89 new cases announced this Saturday are for the most part linked to previous infections of a boxing match, an entertainment complex and a religious meeting, according to the spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
9:10 a.m. The mayor of Milan wants to close the tobacconists. “We mayors said to close them. Sorry but for extreme ailments, extreme remedies, “said Giuseppe Sala who, like other local politicians, is asking the Prime Minister to be firmer.
9 hours. Daytime curfew in Jordan. Sirens have launched the national curfew, armored police vehicles roam the streets of major cities. “Anyone who leaves will face sanctions,” Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni told Jordanian news channel Al Mamlaka, whose disrespect can be punished for up to a year in prison.
8:50 a.m. Reader’s word. Aurélien writes to us to suggest that people who do not respect confinement be, rather than placed in police custody, sent to reinforce the medical teams. “This would allow the person to realize the state of the services and the consequences of their actions,” he said.
8:40 a.m. Ah, the pistachio. The Arab World Institute organizes discoveries to make at home, accessible from its social networks. The first is a culinary journey around the pistachio. With two recipes, test if you have this nut in your cupboards.
8:30 am. Containment decreed in Colombia. Bogotá asks its 49 million inhabitants to confine themselves from Tuesday evening and for three weeks. The coronavirus has so far infected 158 people, with no deaths. The capital and several departments are already testing a form of preventive isolation.
8:20 a.m. Early morning addict. A queue has formed in front of a tobacco of Nice, testifies a surfer on Twitter. In the city, the curfew has been lifted for 5 hours.
8:10 a.m. Reinforcement in Mulhouse. Six trucks transporting the first elements of the military convoy transporting the field hospital which must help to unclog the hospital of Mulhouse arrived near the civilian hospital Émile Muller, escorted by vehicles and bikers of the police. The field hospital should be installed on the parking lot usually reserved for the staff of the civilian hospital, where a tent and troop transport trucks were already positioned Friday, as well as a generator.
8 hours. First two dead in Singapore. The city-state announces that a 75 year old woman and a 64 year old man, of Indonesian origin, died from the coronavirus. Thanks to a strong reactivity and despite 385 cases of infection, Singapore had managed to avoid any death since the beginning of the epidemic.
7:50 a.m. A reader’s advice. Philippe wrote to the Parisian to propose alternate circulation in order to respect confinement. “Depending on the last digit of our date of birth, we could only leave our home on even or odd days,” he suggests.
7:38 a.m. Curfew in the South. Like Nice, the cities of Menton, Roquebrune and Vallauris have also introduced a curfew from Friday evening until 5 am.
7:30 a.m. China fears a second wave. The 41 new cases of coronavirus in China have been imported by expatriates, according to the Chinese authorities, who fear a second epidemic wave. For the most part, these are Chinese students whose campuses in the United States and Europe have been closed, who have returned to Shanghai and Beijing.
7.20am. Bondi Beach closed. Australian authorities, who have not announced containment, close the famous Sydney beach, crowded despite the ban on gatherings of more than 500 people. The weekend crowd had gathered; photos on social media have sparked widespread debate across the country. “What we have seen this morning here is the most irresponsible behavior on the part of individuals we have witnessed so far,” the Home Secretary for New Wales told reporters from the South, David Elliott.
7.15 a.m. The postal workers are resting. Since the start of confinement, the Post has continued to operate, both for mail and banking activities. But with fewer employees. To allow everyone to breathe, in agencies, sorting and distribution centers, the Post Office will be closed this Saturday.
7:10 a.m. No more quays of the Seine in Paris. There were still too many walkers or joggers this week to take advantage of the Seine quays, the grassy areas of the Esplanade des Invalides or the Champ de Mars. To enforce these measures, the prefecture has twenty drones and very powerful loudspeakers that will support officials on patrol.
VIDEO. Containment: the quays of the Seine prohibited to the public
7:07 a.m. Do not go on weekends! Avoid traveling, reminded the authorities, who warn: reinforced controls will be ensured at stations and airports. “I would like to insist once again and I will do it again and again, the best way to fight the Covid-19 is to stay at home,” insisted Christophe Castaner.
7:05 a.m. The financial aspect of emergency measures adopted in Parliament. The senators adopted definitively Friday evening the financial aspect of the emergency measures against the coronavirus, but the debates dragged on on the other text allowing the establishment of a state of health emergency, postponing its adoption until the weekend. By a final vote of the Senate, after a green light from the Assembly unanimously the day before, the amending finance bill was adopted by 327 votes for, zero against and 16 abstentions.
7:02 a.m. The Sentinel system will “ramp up”, according to Christophe Castaner. The Sentinel operation to fight terrorism will “ramp up” as part of the fight against the coronavirus, said the Interior Minister on Friday evening, who answered questions from Internet users via Facebook. “The army, in certain missions, is at the side of our internal security forces”, he underlined, by specifying that the personnel of the Sentinel device “do not check paper but they do security, they are a real support ”.
7 hours. Hello everyone and thank you for following us the evolution of the situation related to Covid-19 this Saturday March 21.
–