Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic on Saturday, April 25

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As the symbolic mark of 200,000 deaths is crossed, the world has 2,849 million cases of contamination with the new coronavirus. WHO recalls that there is no evidence that former patients are immune.

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• 369 additional deaths in France

The epidemic claimed 22,614 lives in France with 369 new deaths recorded in 24 hours, but the number of patients hospitalized in intensive care continues to decline. The government is working on its plan to exit containment from May 11. The Minister of Health Olivier Véran defends the action of the State in the crisis during a visit to a test laboratory in the Paris suburbs. "  Testing all French people to find out if they are carriers of the coronavirus would be impossible and does not make sense from a medical level,  " said the minister, who reaffirms the "  priority  " given to screening patients. More than 10,800 additional hotel places are now mobilized for the homeless, announces his ministry.

A guide from Haute-Savoie and a doctor from the Paris region claim "  responsible access to nature  " during the confinement period in an online petition which collects more than 75,000 signatures this Saturday. The ban on the practice of outdoor activities, "  authorized in Germany  ", is based "  on no health safety criteria  ", according to them.

• UK exceeds 20,000 hospital deaths

In the UK , 20,319 people died in British hospitals, 813 more than in the previous report yesterday. This daily count still does not take into account retirement homes where several thousand elderly people have died. As some European countries begin to begin easing containment measures, pressure is mounting for the Conservative government to reveal its strategy on this matter.

Belgium plans to gradually ease restrictions from May 4 to allow the country to gradually reopen. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said that the country could "  add restrictions or postpone their relaxation depending on the evolution of the health situation  ".

The Italy recorded 415 new deaths, the lowest daily balance sheet since 17 March. A total of 26,384 people died from the disease in the country. The number of new cases of contamination is the lowest for five days (2,357 against 3,021 on Friday), which brings the total number to 195,351.

The Spain is after Italy the most affected country in Europe. It now has 22,902 victims according to a report published by the national press. It records 378 additional deaths in 24 hours, a figure slightly higher than the previous day (367). The number of cases stands at 223,759 against 219,764 yesterday.

• No freedom to take to the streets to celebrate the Portuguese revolution

Portugal celebrates the 46th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. To circumvent the ban on gathering for traditional popular parades, the Portuguese sing at their windows Grandola Vila Morena , symbol of the military coup, then the national anthem. Elisabete Figueiredo, university professor, is one of the first to suggest this celebration. She regrets confinement. "  What defines April 25 is the freedom to take to the streets to celebrate the end of a sad time in our history,  " she said. In Parliament, the main political leaders participated in the morning in a ceremony reduced to a minimum , in order to respect the health rules of social distancing. Portugal, which has not been hit as hard as neighboring Spain, has nonetheless recorded 880 deaths and more than 23,000 cases declared, according to an official report.

• Passing cross-border workers

In Poland , the Minister of Health considers that postponing the presidential election scheduled for May until 2022 would be "  the only safe option  " in the current context of the pandemic. Opposition candidate Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska called  the continuation of the vote on May 10 "a  coup ".

A German official calls for the relaxation of travel restrictions imposed by Poland in the aftermath of a demonstration by hundreds of cross-border workers, who are prevented from joining their jobs daily.

After the Netherlands yesterday, Poland today announces the resumption of its football championship. The date of Friday, May 29 has been chosen and the meetings will take place in the absence of an audience, announces Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The players, for the moment confined, will be able to resume training soon, in a very strict sanitary framework. Morawiecki made the same decision regarding speedway, a motorcycle sport which is very popular in Poland and whose annual competition attracts athletes from all over the world. The first race should take place on June 12, again in the absence of the public. The English Premier League plans to resume the season on June 8. Again, the meetings will take place behind closed doors

In Russia , a pavilion at a Saint Petersburg exhibition center usually used for the main Russian economic forum has been transformed into a hospital, local authorities say. The facility, which will accommodate 1,000 of the least severely ill patients, was built "  in a record seven days,  " said city governor Alexander Beglov. A hundred doctors will work there and it must be put into service "  next week  ". 

• New York " on the downhill slope of the mountain "

The United States is by far the country most affected by the epidemic. There are 907,000 cases and 52,000 deaths. New York hospitals are seeing fewer deaths and fewer hospitalizations. Governor Andrew Cuomo believes that the state is "  on the slope of the mountain  ." Several other states are already on the road to deconfinement. Georgia, for example, where bowling alleys, tattoo workshops or hairdressing and beauty salons have reopened. "  There is nothing essential in going to bowling or having a manicure in the middle of a pandemic  ", deplores the Democratic mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, while the balance sheet of deaths in the state is increasing. In Florida, Governor Ron de Santis claims to "  organize deconfinement in a methodical and safe manner  ". For MP Donna Shalala, "  the state of Florida is absolutely not ready  ". 

• Pakistani doctors hunger strike

The China tried to block a report of the European Union which states that Beijing feeds misinformation about the epidemic. The report was eventually released, but some criticism of the Chinese government was softened or suppressed .

A quarter of the 623 crew members of a cruise ship docked in western Japan tested positive. This Italian flag liner has no cruise lines on board. He arrived in Nagasaki port in January for repairs.

In Pakistan , doctors and healthcare workers say that around 30 have been on hunger strike for ten days in Lahore to protest the lack of protective equipment. They are installed in the premises of the health directorate of the Punjab province. Up to 200 demonstrators take turns every day to support the strikers.

• Resurgence of cases in Iran

The Muslim world begins the month of Ramadan fasting without collective prayers or shared meals: the doors of mosques remain closed and family gatherings are prohibited.

Iranian officials are expressing concern over an "upsurge" of contamination in the country. The Ministry of Health has announced an additional 76 deaths, bringing the official toll of the epidemic to 6,650. Aliréza Zali, coordinator of the fight against the disease in the capital, criticized "  the reopening made in a hurry  ", estimating that "  it could create new waves of disease in Tehran and complicate the control of the epidemic  ". The country has a total of 89,328 cases of contamination, of which 1,134 were recorded in the past 24 hours. The upsurge particularly concerns the provinces traditionally most visited by Iranian tourists or pilgrims during this period of Ramadan. "  Iran must consider the most pessimistic scenario. The economic consequences of the epidemic will be felt for months or even a year,  ” warns President Hassan Rohani .

In the Palestinian Territories , it is also time for Ramadan, while the number of cases of coronavirus is still increasing. 484 cases have been recorded so far, including 12 in the Gaza Strip. Authorities have requested minimum outings while the West Bank is still under curfew between 5 and 7 p.m. Ramadan races, however, bring people to the streets of Ramallah who know the excitement of the big days. 

• No evidence of immunity of recovered patients

WHO is disappointing the hopes of those who bet on a possible immunity of people who have been confronted with the coronavirus. There is no evidence that people tested positive protected against reinfection, warns WHO , which believes that the issuance of "immune passports" may promote the spread of the pandemic.

Many countries, including France and Germany, and private economic players have pledged to mobilize alongside the World Health Organization to accelerate the production of vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests accessible to all .

• Air France relieved, Boeing in difficulty

The director general of Air France-KLM Benjamin Smith does not plan to return to normal activity for two years, but believes that the loan from the French State will allow "  to get through the most difficult period  ". The French and Dutch states have promised massive aid to save Air France-KLM, with ten billion euros in direct or bank loans.

The American manufacturer Boeing finally gives up buying the civil activities of its Brazilian competitor Embraer. This is a new setback for the group weakened by the crisis. Embraer considers this decision "illegal". The Trump administration says it has already disbursed a total of 12.4 billion in aid to 93 airlines to help them keep jobs.

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 ?
→  A vaccine, the only solution to stem the pandemic?
→  What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→  What is known about the mode of contagion
→  What results for ongoing clinical trials?
→  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 put to the test
•  The history of epidemics
•  The science facing the Covid-19
•  The geopolitical consequences

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