Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic Thursday, April 23

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The pandemic has now surpassed 185,000 deaths worldwide, according to a reference by Johns Hopkins University which refers. In France, the contours of deconfinement are beginning to be clarified, while the 27 member states of the European Union are trying to agree on stimulus measures. At the same time, the balance sheet is getting worse in Brazil.

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At the end of a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and the mayors , the Elysée Palace seemed to rule out deconfinement on different dates depending on the regions. The framework will be national, but may be subject to adaptations according to local conditions, in particular with regard to schools. The final plan will be made public at the end of April.

The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, said he was in favor of the reopening of all shops on May 11, except bars and restaurants. He also maintains that France will not grant aid to companies based or having subsidiaries in tax havens.

In parallel, the French government released 39 million euros for food aid for the poorest. This envelope will "  support associations and respond urgently to overdue territories,  " said the Secretary of State responsible for the fight against poverty. It is in addition to the 65 million euros already released for assistance to the homeless. 

Respirators unsuitable for resuscitation services?

The French government defended in a press release the order of 10,000 respirators from a consortium of manufacturers gathered around Air Liquide. An investigation by our colleagues from the Radio France investigation cell suggests that the majority of these devices are unsuitable for use in intensive care units. 8,500 are indeed “emergency and transport respirators” intended for occasional uses (for example during an ambulance transport or the transfer of a patient to go for a scanner) but should only be used as a "last resort" in resuscitation services.

Brussels: a new virtual European summit

It is already the 4th summit since the start of the crisis. The 27 European leaders will seek together solutions to try to get the European Union out of the recession, thanks to massive investments, even a specifically dedicated “fund”. The European Commission is proposing an economic recovery project worth 2,000 billion euros, according to a document consulted by the Reuters agency. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country was ready to contribute "  much more  " to the European budget. But so far, the debate between member states has mostly brought to light old cleavages, already present after the financial crisis of 2009. Sign that an agreement is not for this Thursday, no joint declaration is envisaged at the 'outcome of the meeting.

Greece: extension of containment

The Greek government has extended the general confinement imposed for a month until May 4. Only a partial reopening of the courts is planned for Monday, before deconfinement "  in several successive phases, during the months of May and June  ". Greece, which has so far recorded 121 deaths and 2,400 cases of contamination, imposed restrictions sooner than other European countries. The reason: the aging of its population and a health system weakened by a decade of financial crisis.

Sweden passes 2,000 dead mark

The kingdom is one of the countries that have taken more flexible measures than most European countries. It now lists 16,755 cases of infection and 2,021 deaths, according to local health authorities. Significantly higher mortality than that observed among its northern neighbors.

Malaysia: 1 million Indonesian migrants suffer from food insecurity

They were stationed in the building, restaurants, cleaning services: very many Indonesian migrants residing in Malaysia were placed on leave without pay at the time of confinement. According to the Malaysian branch of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), about 1 million Indonesian workers are currently in dire financial straits and no longer know how to feed themselves and pay their rent, reports the South China Morning Post . According to the newspaper, the NGOs helping them are overwhelmed. Malaysia hosts the largest number of Indonesian workers in the world.

India: prison terms for those who attack doctors

In India, the government has just passed a decree which creates a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison for anyone who attacked a doctor or a health professional during this pandemic period. For two months, Indian doctors have been attacked in hospitals or dismissed from their homes for fear of contagion, explains our correspondent Sébastien Farcis.

Vietnam begins to emerge from containment

Less than 300 officially registered cases and no deaths since the first infections detected in January: on the strength of its apparent success, Vietnam began this Thursday to lift the drastic travel restrictions put in place, for some, for three months. If rallies remain prohibited, the wearing of masks and social distancing encouraged, the communist regime authorized schools to reopen this Thursday in around twenty agglomerations. Those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City remain closed but some businesses have been able to reopen in these two cities.

Australia to strengthen WHO powers

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants countries that are members of the World Health Organization (WHO) to be legally obliged, when affected by a virus, to allow independent experts to enter their soil, in order to '' avoid possible pandemics. Australia on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the global response to the epidemic, and in particular how WHO and China have handled the crisis. Beijing said on Thursday that China would pay an additional 30 million dollars (28 million euros) to the institution, a few days after the announcement of the disengagement from the United States.

Brazil: Manaus hospitals overwhelmed

According to the mayor of Manaus, who describes the situation as a “horror film”, the number of deaths has exploded in this city in the north of Brazil, capital of the state of Amazonas. The corpses are piled up in refrigerated trucks and the hospitals are saturated: the 50 intensive care beds - for 1.7 million inhabitants - are already occupied while Brazil has not yet reached the peak of the pandemic. In less than a month, writes the daily Correio Braziliense , Amazonas has entered the emergency list of the Ministry of Health. Over the weekend, the images of the largest cemetery in Manaus opening mass graves shocked the Brazilians.

United States: 26.4 million Americans unemployed

The latest figures from the Labor Department have just fallen: the United States registers this week 4.4 million new job seekers. In all, 26 million people find themselves unemployed in just 5 weeks, or almost 16% of the population. In New York alone, 1 million people have lost their jobs. The number of homeless people is likely to increase sharply, explains our correspondent Carrie Nooten. After the Senate on Tuesday, the House of Representatives - whose elected officials appeared masked - must vote this Thursday a new aid of 480 billion dollars to support the American economy and hospitals in the face of the pandemic. The United States, the most affected country in the world, recorded 46,848 deaths.

Peru: 3,000 vulnerable detainees amnestied

Some 3000 people are affected by the decree published this Thursday morning, writes La Republica. Among the prisoners who will benefit from an amnesty are pregnant women, prisoners with children under the age of three, prisoners sentenced to terms of less than four years and those over the age of 70, among others. and who have not committed serious crimes. The decree qualifies prisons as potential centers of massive contagion for diseases like Covid-19, notably due to overcrowding. Peru is the second country in Latin America most affected by the pandemic after Brazil.

Haiti: back to normal?

Despite the renewal of the state of health emergency by the government until May 19, the inhabitants of Port-au-Prince have resumed their activities, particularly in the textile industry. "It almost looks like a return to normal life", can we read in a report from the daily Le Nouvellist e. According to its editor-in-chief, Frantz Duval, Haitians are currently struggling to adapt to wearing the mask.

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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