Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic on Tuesday, May 5

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The Covid-19 has killed at least 251,512 people worldwide since its appearance in December in China, according to a report established by AFP. While the pandemic is intensifying in Russia, several European and Asian countries are pursuing cautious deconfinement.

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• Can the French go on vacation this summer?

The French will know at the beginning of June if they will be able to leave the territory and circulate in France during their summer holidays. Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that it was still "  too early  " to make a decision, which will be based on the evolution of the epidemic. “  We are going to limit major international trips, even during the summer holidays. We will stay between Europeans, maybe we will have to reduce it a little more,  ”says the French president, who answered journalists' questions after a school visit to Poissy, in the Paris region. A decision will be made in early June.

In Lyon, the markets resumed their activity on Tuesday, with an exemption from the prefecture, with markings on the ground and agents to regulate the circulation of customers. In Paris, a city still placed in a “red epidemic zone”, deconfinement will be very gradual. The city presents a plan which foresees thirty new pedestrian streets, the number of doubled parking spaces and 50 km of dedicated bicycle lanes. The schools, which must all be disinfected by the start of the new school year, should "  accommodate roughly no more than 15% of the pupils  ", announced Anne Hidalgo in an interview Tuesday with the newspaper Le Parisien . More than 300 French mayors, including the mayor of Paris, wrote Sunday to President Macron to ask to postpone the date of reopening of the schools. They denounce a " forced march " deconfinement   .

According to the Secretary of State for Digital, the StopCovid application, which should make it possible to trace contacts with people diagnosed positive for the coronavirus, will be ready on June 2. He said that the development of this application will not be based on the Apple and Google platforms .

France has recorded 330 additional deaths from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 25,531 since March 1. The pressure on resuscitation services continues to ease, with 266 Covid-19 patients less, but the total number of serious cases hospitalized in these services remains high.

• In England, a "dramatic" situation in retirement homes 

The British National Bureau of Statistics (ONS) has recorded 6,391 coronavirus-related deaths between April 10 and May 1 in retirement homes in England, "  almost four times more deaths  " than normal. The situation, described  by the ONS as "  dramatic ", continues to deteriorate despite the decline in the epidemic in the United Kingdom. It is the first European country to exceed the 30,000 dead mark and the second country most affected by the pandemic in the world after the United States.

• Austria continues deconfinement

The first stage of deconfinement went off without a hitch, according to Vienne, who claims to have observed no increase in contamination after the reopening of certain categories of stores on April 14. Austria just started a second phase of reductions late last week. All of the businesses reopened on Saturday, the day after the official lifting of exit restrictions. Cafes and restaurants will reopen on May 15, most schools will reopen on May 18. The results of this second phase must be analyzed within ten days.

• Russia sees fastest growth in contamination in Europe

The country registers more than 10,000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, for the third consecutive day. In total, Russia now has 155,370 cases and 1,451 deaths. It is the fastest progression of the pandemic in Europe. A first phase of deconfinement is still planned from May 12.

• In the Donbass, the Covid-19 highlights the deficiency of the health system

Donbass, this region of eastern Ukraine, has entered its seventh year of war between Ukrainian forces and the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. In this devastated region, where a large proportion of the elderly resides, the new coronavirus highlights a weak local health system. In addition to the limited material resources, there is a glaring lack of doctors and nurses, explains our reporter Anastasia Becchio . 

► Also read: Coronavirus: pandemic on the Donbass front line

• Alcohol rush in Thailand and India

The Thai Prime Minister has threatened to close establishments that will not uphold social distancing, reports the Bangkok Post . The message is particularly aimed at businesses that sell alcoholic beverages. They have been stormed since the ban on alcohol sales was lifted on Monday. Some managers tell the newspaper "  they can no longer keep up with the demand  ". In India too, impressive lines are stretching in front of shops selling alcohol, which is now authorized for sale after six weeks of interruption. Some regional governments have decided to sharply raise taxes on these drinks, to compensate for the economic losses linked to the downturn. The state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, for example, inflates the bill by 75%.

• Beginning of lifting of restrictions in Hong Kong

The territory announced on Tuesday the relaxation of certain restrictions. As of Friday, schools will gradually open, as will cinemas and sports clubs. The temperature measurement at the entrance of establishments will be compulsory. Bars can also accommodate their customers if they operate at 50% of their capacity and allow only four people per table, says the South China Morning Post . Nightclubs, saunas and karaoke clubs remain closed. Hong Kong was, after mainland China, one of the first territories affected by the pandemic. But the semi-autonomous region has managed, despite its proximity to mainland China, to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

• In the United States, a heavier balance than expected?

Many American states have started their deconfinement. California, the first to take drastic measures, will begin to relax them at the end of the week. However, several epidemiological models indicate that the spread of the virus is not under control and could even accelerate in the United States in the coming weeks. The University of Washington has greatly revised its predictions upwards: by August 4, the United States could register at least 135,000 deaths. The country will probably pass the 100,000 death mark in June.

• State of emergency in Palestine until the end of Ramadan

As deconfinement begins in Israel, the Palestinian government has just extended the state of emergency for a month. It will thus remain in force until the end of Ramadan. The infection rate is low compared to many countries, but Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas points out that the epidemic is not yet fully under control: eight more cases were identified on Monday. Schools and mosques remain closed in the West Bank. Same decision on the part of the Gaza authorities. Only restaurants have been allowed to reopen.

• Influencers to fight disinformation?

"  Information verified in an emergency context is as important as the medical response  ." This is the credo of the International Federation of Red Cross Societies (IFRC), which has just recruited influencers around the world to disseminate "  essential content to the general public  ". Young people are particularly targeted. Each week, these Italian, British or Mexican influencers will receive a message from the Red Cross around which they will have to create their own content. The latter must nevertheless be validated by the NGO before dissemination. 

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our daily chronicle  Coronavirus info

• The practical questions  :
→  What is known about the mode of contagion
→  disparities and inequalities in coronaviruses: what to remember
→  What outcomes for clinical trials?
→  A vaccine, the only solution to stem the pandemic?
→  How to make a mask and use it well

• Our series  : "  The response, country by country  "

• Each evening, find the State of the world and Africa facing the pandemic

• 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
→  Science facing the Covid-19
→  The geopolitical consequences

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