The United States went into high gear on Tuesday, March 17, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, which has already claimed the lives of nearly 8,000 people around the world and led to the unblocking of huge sums of money in an attempt to save the economy.
China has nearly 80,900 cases (more than 3,220 deaths and more than 68,860 cures). Italy follows with more than 2,500 deaths for more than 31,500 cases, Iran with more than 980 deaths (more than 16,160 cases), Spain with more than 490 deaths (more 11,170 cases) and France with at least 175 deaths recorded (at least 7,730 cases).
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Trump launches massive plan to save economy, 100 dead in the United States
The Trump administration and the US Central Bank stepped up their efforts on Tuesday, March 17, to prevent the world’s largest economy from being swept away by the coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed 100 people in the country. Half of these deaths were reported in Washington state in the northwest of the country.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin Works with Senate and House of Representatives on Aid Program “Bold and very important”said Donald Trump at a press conference to provide immediate financial assistance to the most affected businesses and households.
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“Epicenter” of the disease, the EU is compartmentalized
The borders at the entrance to the European Union (EU) and the Schengen area are about to close. European leaders met on Tuesday to decide on the details of closing the external borders. The 27 declared on Tuesday, at an extraordinary summit by videoconference, the 30-day ban on the entry of people not belonging to the bloc.
So far, ten EU and Schengen countries have introduced partial or total closures at their borders. Some like Italy, Spain, France or Belgium have opted for containment of the population, while the Netherlands excludes such a solution. In Germany, the population is called to ” stay at home “ and give up on vacation.
On the financial aid side, the 27 EU finance ministers promised on Monday to “Do whatever is necessary” to respond to the economic difficulties caused by the epidemic but without resorting for the moment to the euro zone rescue fund (MES).
In Greece, where the coronavirus killed five and 387 cases, the migration ministry on Tuesday imposed containment measures in migrant camps to contain the coronavirus, a ” battle “ which could last two months, according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
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The UK is changing its tone
In London, faced with the risk of a nightmarish scenario established by scientists predicting more than 250,000 dead, the government suddenly changed its tone, asking the population to avoid all social contact and any “non-essential” displacement. After refusing to take drastic measures, the Johnson government announced on Tuesday a support plan, which would leave aside, according to the opposition, the most precarious.
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Around the world, border closings, containment or movement restrictions
In North America, starting Wednesday, Canada will close its borders to foreign travelers, with the notable exception of the Americans.
In Russia, no general containment measures have yet been taken. The very low balance – 114 cases identified Tuesday – feeds suspicion of underestimating the spread.
In South America, Brazil recorded its first death on Tuesday when a state of emergency was declared in the state of Rio de Janeiro and in the city of Sao Paulo, the two main sources of contamination in Brazil. Colombia has announced the closure of all its borders until May 30, and Venezuela is placed in “Total quarantine” according to its president, Nicolas Maduro.
In Africa, Tunisia introduced a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Tuesday evening in order to limit the spread of the new coronavirus in the country where 24 patients have been identified, the majority from France and Italy, and no deaths have occurred. been officially listed. The land, sea and air borders are closed from Wednesday until at least April 4, except for commercial transport and special flights to bring the thousands of stranded tourists and travelers back to the country. Senegal and Mali have also announced that they will suspend their air links with the affected countries. Algeria – where the protest was forced to suspend its demonstrations – will do the same, Thursday, with all European countries and several capitals of Africa and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Turkey announced on Tuesday the first coronavirus-related death in the country, where the number of people infected is 98.
In Asia, India will close all of its museums and monuments, including the famous Taj Mahal Palace, to the public from Tuesday. Most schools and recreational facilities, including cinemas, have already closed in this country of 1.3 billion people, the second largest in the world in population, where only 114 cases and two deaths have been recorded .
In Oceania, Australia on Wednesday ordered its nationals not to leave the country in order to counter the coronavirus pandemic. “If we slow the spread, we save lives.” “Do not go abroad. This instruction is very clear ”, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
In the Middle East, Iran, one of the most affected countries after China, announced Tuesday an additional 135 deaths, bringing the official toll of the epidemic to 988. According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Kianouche Jahanpour, more than 1,178 new cases of contamination have been confirmed in the past 24 hours. “This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 16,169 people”, did he declare.
Our selection of articles on the coronavirus
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