Closed borders, stopped country, stock market crash… The coronavirus continues to paralyze the world, as the epicenter of the pandemic shifts. China now registers a daily number of cases lower than those recorded on the Old Continent.
In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Saturday evening the closure of all crèches, schools and universities as well as that of “Non-essential businesses” (bars, restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs …). However, the municipal elections are maintained. What risks to cause massive abstention.
The main information to remember
> China only reported 20 new cases of contamination. Among them, 16 are imported cases.
> Transport will reduce their offers in France.
> Coronavirus will “probably” affect half of French people according to Jean-Michel Blanquer
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Follow the events of this Sunday March 15 live
> National Education mobilized to ensure the continuation of the courses
National Education must ensure “educational continuity” for 12 million students, according to the words of the Minister of National Education, Sunday, on France Info. Because it “does not mean that the students are on vacation”.
Concretely, “it is an ant work that is done by the house National Education”, he welcomed, Sunday, on France Info. Regarding distance education, “things are falling into place”. National Education has made available to the 850,000 teachers the resources of the National Center for Distance Education (Cned): online exercises and “virtual classes” where the teacher can teach his students by videoconference.
> Coronavirus: “The French must be collectively responsible”
Alexandre Mignon, professor of medicine, specialist in resuscitation at the Cochin hospital in Paris, was the guest of the Grand Rendez-vous Europe1-CNews- “Les Echos”. He called on the French to respect containment measures to contain the epidemic. He assured that hospitals do not have to “choose between patients” as in Italy.
While the latest figures show in France 4,500 people infected with Covid-19 and 91 deaths, the specialist recalled that “80% of people will develop the disease with unknown or asymptomatic forms, 15% a little more significant and 5% with severe forms ”which lead to resuscitation.
> Spain: 2,000 cases of coronavirus and a hundred more deaths in 24 hours
Some 2,000 new cases of coronavirus have been registered in Spain and a hundred people died in 24 hours in Spain, the most affected country in Europe behind Italy, authorities said.
According to the latest report, a total of 7,753 cases were detected while 288 people died from Covid-19 in the country which has put itself in almost total isolation in an attempt to curb the spread of the pandemic.
> Municipal and coronavirus: the French sulk the ballot boxes
At noon, the participation rate reached 18.38%, almost 5 points lower than in the first round of 2014 (23.1%).
This drop in participation is not surprising: after the speech by Emmanuel Macron Thursday evening announcing several shock measures to fight the epidemic of coronavirus, starting with the closure of schools, the polling institutes had already measured a significant decline in intention to vote.
> No shortages in France on essential goods
There is no shortage of essential goods for the French, said the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, who called not to rush into stores to build stocks but to adopt at contrary to “responsible behavior”.
The minister also indicated that an economic emergency plan for all independent traders hit hard by the latest measures taken by the government would be the subject of a new meeting in the afternoon.
> Macron justifies maintaining the first round of the elections
“I am responsible for the security and the health of our fellow citizens but also for the democratic life of our country,” he said after having voted in Le Touquet.
“I think it is important to vote in these moments by taking this discipline, by respecting these rules because I think it is important to continue to remain worthy, free citizens”, continued the head of the ‘State.
> Austria: drastically limited gatherings and trips
The Austrian government has tightened restrictions on public life by banning gatherings of more than five people, limiting movement to the bare minimum and planning to have the bans checked by the police to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
> Apple closes its blinds until March 27
Apple will close all its stores outside of China (around 460 in total, including 270 in the United States) until March 27 to try to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, announced its president Tim Cook.
The computer and smartphone maker has learned from containment measures in China, where it has just reopened its 42 stores.
> Engie mobilized to ensure the security of gas networks
The continuity of the public gas service requires adjustments to deal with the epidemic, most of which focus on safety. At GRTgaz, the subsidiary of Engie which provides transport by pipeline across most of French territory, the network’s national and regional control rooms must operate every day of the year, 24 hours a day.
The operator is preparing to set up two teams working twelve hours straight, instead of the three teams of eight hours each today. This will keep a third team in reserve if one of the other two has to stop work due to illness.
> Iran announces 113 new deaths
The Iranian Ministry of Health has announced 113 additional deaths from the new coronavirus, bringing the official toll of the epidemic in Iran, one of the most affected countries in the world, to 724 dead.
This is the largest daily increase in the number of deaths announced by the authorities since the start of the epidemic. Residents “should cancel all of their trips and stay at home so that we can see the situation improve,” ministry spokesman Kianouche Jahanpour said during a televised press conference.
> Kazakhstan declares state of emergency
The president decreed a month-long state of emergency to limit the spread of the coronavirus in this Central Asian country, where eight cases have been confirmed.
The measure will take effect from 08:00 local time Monday (02:00 GMT) until April 15, said a decree of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
> Transport soon stopped?
SNCF traffic will gradually be brought to one TGV out of two, according to announcements by Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Secretary of State for Transport. Same situation for Intercités trains. As for TER, it will be necessary to count two out of three from Tuesday.
“Today, long distance transport must be limited to what is strictly necessary […] It’s worth it now, it’s worth for the (spring) holidays, ”explained Elisabeth Borne, Minister of Transition in charge of transport, during a press briefing.
> Austrians urged to containment
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called on people to forgo travel when it is not a business necessity, to refuel or to help others, in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
During a special session of parliament early in the morning, the leader of the country of 8.8 million people listed these three reasons as the only ones to justify leaving his home.
> Jordan announces six infections, including 4 French tourists
Jordanian Minister of Health Saad Jaber announced that the Hashemite kingdom had identified six contaminations with the new coronavirus, including four French tourists.
The other two infected are Jordanians, one returning from a trip to Britain and the other contaminated by an American tourist returning from Egypt, Jaber said at a press conference.
> The city of Beijing will quarantine people from abroad
Authorities in Beijing have announced that people arriving from abroad in the Chinese capital will be placed in quarantine centers as of tomorrow, official media reported, to protect the country from imported cases of the new coronavirus.
Until now, travelers from abroad had to be placed in auto-quarantine for two weeks, but now only people reporting “special circumstances” will not be sent to these structures where they will have to pay the price. of their stay.
> The coronavirus puts the non-food trade in great difficulty
Beyond the health aspect that traders accept, the blow is terrible for a sector already injured by the rise of e-commerce and the consumption that encourage ecological convictions.
The clothing market has lost 15% in ten years. He has suffered for the past 18 months what a professional calls “the three plagues of Egypt”: the demonstrations and blockades of “yellow vests”, strikes against the pension reform which ransacked the Christmas meeting and, now the coronavirus.
> The coronavirus will “probably” affect half of the French
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer estimated on Sunday on Franceinfo that the coronavirus epidemic would probably affect “more than half of the French population.
“As you know, from the start, the strategy has not been to prevent the virus from passing – we know that it will probably pass through more than half of us – but it is to make sure that it passes as spread out as possible over time, “said Blanquer.
> Manufacturers of artificial respirators bend over backwards
Thanks to the level of equipment of the public hospital in intensive care and resuscitation, France can cope with acute cases of respiratory distress. Provided that the increase is progressive. And that suppliers, who are foreign, meet demand.
The system also has considerable adaptability thanks to a possible conversion of beds. The public hospital – because it is he who provides 90% of this type of care – could thus increase its capacity from some 5,000 resuscitation beds currently, to 15,000 beds.> Easter week celebrations without worshipers
All the liturgical celebrations of Easter week will be held without worshipers in St. Peter’s Square, because of coronavirus, announced the Vatican on Sunday.
“Because of the current international health emergency, all the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week will be held without the physical presence of the faithful”, wrote in a press release the Prefecture of the Pontifical House.
> Georgia, the second American state to postpone its primary
The state postponed the Democratic primary initially scheduled for March 24 to May 19, due to fears over the new coronavirus, becoming the second US state to make such a decision after Louisiana.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had declared a public health emergency earlier today with 66 cases of coronavirus and one death in the southeastern state of the United States.
> A third NBA player tested positive
Detroit Pistons announced that one of their players has tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the number of cases in the NBA league to three, after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell .
The Pistons did not specify the identity of the player in question, simply ensuring that he had been confined since Wednesday evening.
> The megalopolis of Manila isolates itself against the coronavirus
The city has started to isolate itself from the coronavirus epidemic, in application of measures decided by the government of populist Rodrigo Duterte. A total of 111 cases of Covid-19, including 8 deaths, have been identified.
Armed police blocked road access to the capital of 12 million people, domestic flights to and from Manila were canceled, and public gatherings were banned for a month.
> Donald Trump is not contaminated
According to the White House doctor, Donald Trump is not a carrier of the coronavirus. “I received confirmation this evening that the test is negative,” said Dr. Sean Conley. “A week after having dinner in Mar-a-Lago (in Florida, editor’s note) with the Brazilian delegation, the president has no symptoms,” he added.
The concern grew before the refusal of the president of the first world power to be tested, while he was in contact last weekend with two people tested positive for coronavirus.
> The wife of the Spanish Prime Minister infected
The wife of Pedro Sanchez was infected with the new coronavirus, announced on Saturday evening the services of the Prime Minister who has just announced the almost total isolation of the country to curb the epidemic.
“Begoña Gomez (the wife of the socialist) and the president (of the government) are fine, they are both at Moncloa”, residence of the head of government, “and continuously follow the preventive measures established by the health authorities” , the government said in a statement.
> Municipal: voters called to vote in a paralyzed France
More than 47.7 million voters, some 35,000 municipalities and uncertainty: how many French people will vote this Sunday to elect their mayor in a France paralyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic?
Maintained in extremis, the poll takes place in a new context which could severely disrupt its holding. Conversely, the British executive has chosen to postpone the London municipal elections by one year, which were to take place next May.
> The Paris Opera very worried about its financial situation
The strike in protest at the pension reform had already cost him 15 million euros in net losses. The cancellation of 34 performances between March 9 and April 24, to curb the coronavirus, will generate 7 million euros in additional losses.
A total of 22 million, to be compared to a budget of 40 million allocated to the artistic. And after that ?
> American Airlines to reduce international routes by 75%
As another illustration of the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the air transport sector, the airline announced on Saturday evening that it was preparing to reduce its international connections by 75% until May 6.
The shock announcement of the first American company comes as the White House has decided to extend to the United Kingdom and Ireland the temporary ban on the arrival of Europeans from 26 European states.
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