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While the number of confirmed cases has risen to 1,126 and the number of deaths to 19 in France, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, announced a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people on Sunday evening. A decision taken at the end of a Defense Council which lasted more than two hours, but did not however lead to the transition from France to "stage 3" of the state of alert. In Italy, the death toll also increased with 133 more dead in just 24 hours, bringing the total to 366 victims of the epidemic. Follow the situation live.
The main information to remember:
- In France, the coronavirus balance is now 1,126 cases and 19 deaths
- Meetings of more than 1,000 people are prohibited in France
- 366 victims in Italy, the most affected country after China
New assessment in France and new measures
1,126 confirmed cases and 19 deaths: a new assessment was published by Santé Public France on Sunday evening. Shortly after, Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, announced that gatherings of more than 1,000 people were now prohibited, while specifying that demonstrations, competitions and the use of public transport would not be affected. This threshold was previously set at 5,000 people in confined spaces.
Despite this new provision, France has not yet gone to "stage 3" of the state of alert, which implies "increasingly restrictive measures", according to the president of the French Hospital Federation, Frédéric Valletoux . "Stage 3 is the moment when the epidemic is circulating everywhere in the territory: we are no longer in a moment when we are trying to delay the spread of the virus, to confine affected people, to carry out systematic screening, but in the 'support for those most affected ", he explained to the microphone of Europe 1. For the moment, the whole country therefore remains at" stage 2 ".
In addition to the ban on assembly, provisions have also been made for schools in certain areas, notably the Oise and Haut-Rhin. In these two departments, schools do not open their doors on Monday for two weeks. This is also the case in Corsica, in Ajaccio.
Italy, second most affected country after China
In Italy, the country now most affected after China, the toll continues to climb inexorably with 366 dead, including 133 in just 24 hours. The number of positive cases has increased to 7,375, 1,492 more compared to Saturday. Lombardy remained the most affected region with 4,189 cases and 267 deaths.
Trying to stem the spread of the virus, Italy announced the purchase of 22 million masks on Sunday evening. Since that same day, the entries and exits of a vast area in the north of the country, going from Milan, economic capital of the country, to Venice, high place of world tourism, are tightly limited, according to a decree published by the government.
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he country is also affected by restrictions, even more drastic than those in France, since all cultural, sporting or religious events are prohibited, and discos, pubs, dance schools and other similar places will also have to close for one month , in the Lombardy region and in fourteen Italian provinces. Throughout the country, museums, theaters, cinemas and other performance halls will remain closed until April 3.
And in the rest of the world ...
The number of worldwide cases is now 1090.32, including 80.695 in China. In this country, however, things are also improving: contaminations are less numerous and some, in the province of Hubei, epicenter of the epidemic, even register no new contamination. This also pushes the inhabitants to demand the lifting of the quarantine applied in this region.
In Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Sunday that he was quarantining himself, as a precaution, for two weeks. An unprecedented decision, motivated by the fact that he was in contact last week with students from a school in northern Portugal, then closed after the discovery of a case of coronavirus.
In the United States, the landing of the Grand Princess, a cruise ship maintained off the coast of California due to cases of coronavirus observed on board, is scheduled for Monday. Passengers must be placed in quarantine immediately after disembarking.
The first coronavirus-related death in Africa was announced on Sunday. He is a German national, 60 years old, who was traveling to Luxor, Egypt. Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Moldova and Paraguay have announced the diagnosis of the first cases.