Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic on Sunday, April 19

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The French will "not find immediately and probably not for a long time" their "life before", warned Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. The new coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 164,016 people worldwide since its onset in December in China. More than 2,363,210 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 193 countries and territories

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• The French government wants to be careful

France accounts for 19,718 deaths this Sunday since the start of the new coronavirus epidemic, or 395 more in 24 hours. But the number of patients hospitalized and in intensive care continues its slow decline, indicated the general director of health Jérôme Salomon. If the situation improves "  slowly but surely  " in the words of Edouard Philippe, who warns  : "  We are not out of the health crisis  ".

During a joint press conference with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, the head of government also recalled that the economic crisis would be "  brutal  " and "  has only just started  ". The Prime Minister also unveiled a first draft of the deconfinement strategy, a detailed plan of which is to be unveiled at the end of April.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is also preparing for the end of confinement . Some 500,000 masks must be available by the end of April for Parisians. It wants to transform several streets into cycle paths on the routes of certain metro lines.

• Encouraging signs in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom

The Spain recorded 410 deaths in the past 24 hours against 565 the previous day, the daily report the lowest in almost a month, announced the Ministry of Health. Health authorities believe they have passed the peak of the pandemic, but they are not ready to recommend the lifting of containment, one of the strictest in Europe. Official death toll rises to 20,453

The Italy , the first country in Europe hit laments over 23 000 deaths. But she is emerging from the acute phase of the pandemic after several weeks of confinement. "  We must give citizens greater freedom of movement,  " said Deputy Minister of Health Pierpaolo Sileri. This relaxation will not benefit 180 migrants rescued at sea. They were placed in quarantine on a ferry moored opposite the port of Palermo in Sicily. The players of AS Rome and their coach have decided to make a gesture to help their club faced like others with economic difficulties and give up receiving their next four months of salary.

In the UK , the government announces an additional 596 deaths in hospital. A figure at its lowest for nearly two weeks, which gives hope that the spread has peaked. This brings the total number of deaths to over 16,000. This figure is underestimated since it does not take into account deaths in retirement homes or at home. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government is criticized for having delayed taking the measure of the pandemic, "  recovers  " from the disease in the country residence from where he transmits his instructions to his ministers. 

• Discreet Orthodox Easter Sunday celebration

The Russia reported a new record growth in cases of coronavirus on Sunday, with 6,060 new infections recorded in the last 24 hours. This brings the total to 42,853 and now places the country tenth among the most contaminated countries. 361 people died from the disease.

On this Orthodox Easter Sunday, President Putin set an example by contenting himself with a ceremony in a small chapel of his official residence. Like him, more than 260 million Orthodox Christians celebrated the event in exceptional conditions. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Turkey has closed offices to the public which have been broadcast on the internet. An identical situation in Cyprus and Greece, in North Macedonia, or even in Egypt for the more than 10 million Orthodox Copts. Serbia has implemented full containment and a curfew until Monday. Ukraine observes a lack of discipline among priests and the faithful, many of whom come to embrace icons and crosses. In Kiev, the monastery of the Russian Church is one of the main clusters in the country: 90 monks were infected with the virus and two died from it.

In Belarus , President Lukashenko went to a church and criticized the containment measures. "  I don't approve of those who have closed the way to the church for people,  " he said. The places of worship remained open, but the head of the country's main Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Pavel, recommended that the faithful stay at home.

In Poland , the usual commemorations of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising have been replaced by intimate tributes, on the spot, from places of containment or online. In the Polish capital, as every year, the sirens sounded at noon, in tribute to the insurgents.

• US crosses 40,000 dead mark

Three days after surpassing 30,000 deaths, the United States now deplores 40,585 deaths linked to Covid-19. This assessment has been weighed down in recent days by the inclusion by certain localities of deaths "  probably linked  " to the coronavirus, but which had not been initially counted as such. New York State is still the epicenter of the epidemic. It begins for the first time a “downward” curve, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. "  If the trend continues, New York has passed the peak of the epidemic,  " he hopes.

Donald Trump and certain state governors clash over the prospect of lifting restrictions in a tense climate, reinforced by the president's support for demonstrations calling for the resumption of normal activity. A recovery difficult to imagine when the United States remains the most affected country in terms of number of deaths and cases (more than 740,000).

While he must soon be invested by his camp to face Donald Trump in the presidential election, Joe Biden is singled out by several media concerning his absence from the debate on the crisis. Some worry and demand that the Democratic candidate now find a presidential posture. Others emphasize that the pandemic should not be politicized and that it is this discretion that earns him points. The political class plays union in this crisis period. The White House and Democrat parliamentarians say they are close to an agreement on the release of additional funds for SMEs in difficulty.

In Panama , some 1,700 migrants en route to the United States were confined to the jungle after the discovery of contamination among them. They were placed in facilities designed to accommodate 200 people.

• China charged

Donald Trump has threatened China with possible "  consequences  " if it was "  knowingly responsible  " for the epidemic. The director of the Chinese laboratory accused by American media of being a possible source of the coronavirus categorically denies any responsibility. Australia adds its voice to the request for clarification on the origin and management of the virus in China. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said her country would "  demand  " including an investigation into how the country handled the epidemic in Wuhan.

• New cases in Japan and Singapore

To date, Japan has recorded more than 10,000 cases of contamination, a figure which has been increasing for the past few weeks and which is weakening its hospital system. Due to the shortage of beds and protective equipment, hospitals in Tokyo have to refuse patients.

Singapore  reports 596 new cases of contamination, bringing the total to 6,588 in the city-state. Migrant workers are the most affected by the epidemic. To stop the spread, the authorities have taken drastic measures to monitor and trace contacts between citizens. 

One of the last states in the world not to have declared a case of coronavirus, Turkmenistan , restarted its professional football season this Sunday after a short break.

• Extended permissions for 100,000 detainees in Iran

In Iran , President Rohani announces the extension for one month of the exit permit granted to 100,000 detainees in order to limit the spread of the virus in prisons. Iran has more than 5,000 deaths caused by the disease out of 80,000 officially reported cases.

In Israel , the number of new cases is decreasing as well as that of patients in intensive care. New directives were announced and measures came into effect this Sunday morning. Some stores have reopened with a maximum of four customers at a time. Prayers in the open air can now be done in the presence of 19 people, respecting barrier gestures. Another sign of recovery, several demonstrations took place in the country's cities in defense of democracy but also for increased government assistance to the self-employed.

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Explanation:  The origins of the Covid-19

• Analyzes:
→ What strategies to face the epidemic ?
→ What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→ What we know about the mode of contagion
→ How do we treat the sick ?
→ What results for the ongoing clinical trials?
→ How the Institut Pasteur hopes to find a vaccine
→ How to make a mask and use it well

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also the files of RFI Savoirs  on the Covid-19:
• Birth of a pandemic
• Everyday life to the test
•  The history of epidemics

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