LIVE – Coronavirus: the number of new deaths is increasing again in Spain

The main information to remember

> The French economy contracted by 6% in the first quarter, according to the Banque de France.

> Nearly 2,000 new deaths in the United States

> The Scientific Council advocates confinement “strengthened over time”

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>> Follow the events of this Wednesday April 8 live:

> Second consecutive increase in the number of deaths in Spain

Spain has recorded 757 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, the second consecutive day of increase, bringing the toll to 14,555 deaths, while the pandemic had given signs of calm last week, according to the Ministry of Health. The number of confirmed cases also accelerated slightly to 146,690.

> EU to adopt common approach on mobile apps

The European Union is preparing to adopt a common approach on the use of smartphone applications to track the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, according to a European Commission document released by Reuters.

This approach notably provides for the use of anonymous and aggregated data to find people who have been in contact with contaminated people and to monitor those placed in confinement, according to this document.

> Dermatologists alert to potential skin signs of Covid-19

Pseudo-frostbite, hives, persistent redness: dermatologists alert the public and the medical profession to what they consider to be “cutaneous manifestations” of Covid-19 disease.

In a press release, the National Union of Dermatologists-Venereologists (SNDV) explains that it organized a “WhatsApp group of more than 400 dermatologists (liberal and hospital-university)” who “highlighted skin lesions, associated or not with signs of Covid “.

> How can a country find itself in default of payment?

The coronavirus crisis has rekindled fears of a wave of defaults from emerging countries, prompting a multitude of calls to postpone maturities or even partially cancel the debt. Will country bankruptcies be the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic? What Happens When a State Goes Bankrupt? CQFD takes stock.

> Germany camps on its refusal of mutual debts in Europe

Germany has reiterated its refusal to consider mutual loans in Europe to respond to the economic impact of the coronavirus.

The revival of the European economy is possible “with very conventional instruments” and already existing “such as for example the budget of the European Union” and “it is enough to focus on these instruments”, declared to the press the Minister German Finance Olaf Scholz.

> Ineos will build a second disinfectant gel factory in France

The British group has announced that it will build its second French disinfectant gel site in Etain (Meuse) within 10 days, in order to help remedy the current shortage. The construction of the first site had been announced last month and its establishment is planned in Lavéra (Bouches du Rhône) which will produce around one million bottles per month.

Ineos, the leading European manufacturer of the basic ingredient in hand sanitizer, also has two disinfectant gel plants in the United Kingdom and Germany.

> Germany: GDP should collapse by almost 10% in the 2nd quarter

The German economy is expected to contract by 9.8% in the second quarter, unheard of in recent history, according to joint projections of the main economic institutes. Over the year as a whole, they expect a 4.2% recession, before a sharp rebound in 2021, with projected GDP growth of 5.8%.

> For the Netherlands, “coronabonds” are not the solution

Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said that the creation of “coronabonds”, Eurobonds, would create more problems than solutions to revive the economy in the long term once the new coronavirus crisis has passed. European finance ministers have still not managed to agree on an economic response.

> United Kingdom: Boris Johnson in stable condition

Boris Johnson was in stable condition after a second night in an intensive care unit at a London hospital, where he required oxygen supply due to complications from his coronavirus contamination.

The British Prime Minister, 55, who tested positive for COVID-19 almost two weeks ago, was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital on Sunday evening due to high fever and persistent coughs. He asked the secretary to the Foreign Office, Dominic Raab, 46, to represent him everywhere “where it is necessary”.

> Foxconn to manufacture respirators with Medtronic

Taiwanese electronics maker Foxconn will manufacture respiratory assist devices for patients with coronavirus in collaboration with the American Medtronic, he said.

> Suspected case of Covid-19 on board the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, which is turning around

“On board the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Atlantic, […] around forty sailors are today under enhanced medical observation, “said the Ministry of the Armed Forces in a press release. “They have symptoms consistent with possible Covid-19 infection. These first symptoms have appeared recently. “

“It was decided to anticipate the return to Toulon, initially scheduled for April 23,” he adds. “Seafarers with symptoms are currently being taken care of and are subject to reinforced medical monitoring. They were placed in isolated confinement ”.

> The Paris Stock Exchange opens in decline

The Paris Stock Exchange opened lower (-0.92%), returning from its optimism of the past few days facing the latest health reports related to the coronavirus in Europe and the United States, and before the publication of the minutes of the Fed. At 9 am, the CAC 40 dropped 40.91 points to 4.397.36 points. The day before, it had finished up 2.12%.

> Air France-KLM could need 6 billion euros in loans

Reports that Air France-KLM may need six billion euros in loans to deal with the coronavirus crisis are realistic, said French Secretary of State for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari.

“It’s pretty much these financial horizons. It is under discussion. You are announcing a volume that is not unrealistic, so I can confirm it, ”he said on LCI. “It is obviously under discussion with the services of Bercy, the state investment agency and our Dutch counterparts,” he added.

> French GDP plunges by around 6% in the 1st quarter

French gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by around 6% in the first quarter of 2020, weighed down by the Covid-19 epidemic which shut down a large part of the economy, according to an estimate published by the Bank of France.

This is the worst quarterly performance of the French economy since 1944. With the GDP having already declined by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the latest data from the national statistics institute Insee, France is therefore technically in recession.

> No European agreement on the economic response to the epidemic, new discussions Thursday

European finance ministers have failed to agree after a night of discussions on a common economic response to the coronavirus, announced Eurogroup president Mario Centeno. The latter called a new meeting on Thursday.

“With Olaf Scholz (nldr, German Minister of Finance), we call on all European states to rise to the exceptional challenges to reach an ambitious agreement”, reacted the French Minister for the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, on Twitter.

> Japan tries to cure coronavirus without anaesthetizing its economy

This Wednesday morning, seven Japanese regions, including the mega-cities of Tokyo and Osaka, initiated voluntary and very flexible containment after the declaration of a state of emergency by the Prime Minister. The executive wants to believe that the crisis will be over in a month. But compliance with movement restrictions looks complicated.

> Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to donate $ 1 billion

This donation makes him the one who, officially at least, will contribute the most financially to this fight against the coronavirus. Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon and the richest man in the world, announced on Instagram five days ago that he was donating $ 100 million to American food banks. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and his wife Priscilla Chan are offering 25 million for research into treatments for the coronavirus.

> PhyML, the French software at the heart of research on the Covid-19

French bioinformatics software, which reconstructs the genealogy of viruses and their chains of transmission, is at the heart of world research on the coronavirus. It turns out to be a precious tool to help control the epidemic, find therapeutic targets and develop a future vaccine.

> Taxes imposed, exceptional bonus: local authorities ask for clarification

Local authorities are awaiting clarification on the possibility of imposing days of leave on their agents during the confinement period, like the private sector. They also demand a framework to be able to pay an exceptional gratuity to their front line agents in the field.

> More than 100,000 cases and 1,800 deaths in Germany

The coronavirus pandemic has now infected 103,228 people and caused 1,861 deaths in Germany, show data released Wednesday by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

This represents 4,003 cases of contamination and 254 additional deaths in one day, according to the RKI report.

> Rungis: when the virus reaches the “belly of Paris”

Caught in the turmoil of the pandemic, Rungis and its some 1,209 companies, which employ 12,000 workers, have closed to the public: only professionals can now enter.

The horticultural pavilion has closed, the tidal pavilion is suspended. To survive, the first wholesale market for fresh produce in Europe decided to sell directly to Parisians. A highly contested revolution.

> Faced with the crisis, banks have never been so stressed and weakened

While they have fallen by 40 to 50% on the stock market in Europe since the start of the year, it remains to be seen whether all the banks will be able to play the role of trusted intermediary and stabilizer over time.

With the economy stalled and prospects for revenue dismal, the risks to the financial system may never have been greater. Admittedly, institutions have more equity and liquidity and better risk control than before the financial crisis.

> Sébastien Lecornu: “Public services essential to the population are maintained”

The Minister in charge of Territorial Communities presents this Wednesday in the Council of Ministers a new ordinance to adjust the functioning of communities at the time of the coronavirus. In an interview with “Les Echos”, he welcomed the good collaboration between the State and the communities.

> How France manages to feed itself

Containment, consumer choices, withdrawal of employees, uneasiness of transporters, work in the fields … all forces the food chain to permanent acrobatics. The abundance is real. Fragility too. Every day, all the trades concerned take stock to avoid slippage.

> The White House already wants to extend aid to SMEs

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants Congress to authorize $ 250 billion in additional loans to SMEs. Companies are already rushing to the 350 billion released by the state to maintain jobs and wages. The extension will require the agreement of Congress.

> Trump threatens to suspend US contribution to WHO

“We will suspend [le versement] money for WHO, “said the President of the United States in his daily press briefing from the White House. A few minutes later, however, he backed out and said he only wanted to explore this possibility.

“Everything seems very favorable to China, it is not acceptable,” he said, without giving further details. The American death toll stands at 12,722 deaths and 396,223 cases, more than a quarter of the officially declared contaminations worldwide.

> Progressive deconfinement in Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic

The city of central China, where the very first cases of coronavirus have been recorded, allows residents to leave the city as of Wednesday. A first since the establishment of containment 76 days ago in order to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Fears remain, however, of a new wave of infections. Thousands of passengers stranded for months in the city of 11 million people immediately rushed to the stations – about 50,000, according to Bloomberg.

> What the Scientific Council says about deconfinement in France

Olivier Véran, the French Minister of Health, said it yesterday morning, and the Director General of Health repeated it in the evening: the peak of the epidemic has not yet passed. We must continue to hide at home. And this is likely to last, do we guess by reading the opinion of the Scientific Council published Tuesday evening.

At the Prime Minister’s request, he worked on the theme of containment: does it work, and when will it be necessary to get out of it. None of the three criteria for lifting traffic restrictions has been met by far.

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