Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic on Wednesday May 6

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The epidemic has killed at least 257,687 people worldwide since its appearance in December 2019, according to an assessment established by AFP. Over 3.5 million cases have been officially diagnosed in 195 countries and territories. While China refuses an international investigation, US President Donald Trump finally retains his coronavirus task force. As for Russia, which becomes the fifth country in Europe most affected by the Covid-19, it is already considering its deconfinement.

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• Emmanuel Macron wants to reassure the world of entertainment

Unemployment rights for workers in the entertainment industry extended until August 2021, a major public commission program targeting young creators under 30 years of age… This Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to reassure the world of culture , laminated by the coronavirus crisis and who complains of being the great forgotten by the authorities in the health crisis. Emmanuel Macron said he was in favor of a compensation fund for canceled filming, knowing that the sector is not insured against pandemics: "  We will put (insurers, banks) ahead of their responsibilities  ".

For its part, the SNCF plans a gradual resumption of mainline trains from Friday, for a return to normal at the end of June. A whole series of measures are planned to ensure that health regulations are respected, including filtering at the entrance to major stations by the police and railway security to ensure compliance with the obligation to wear a mask in stations and on trains.

• Boris Johnson Taken To Party In Parliament Over His Management Of The Pandemic

If the number of deaths has started to decrease, the United Kingdom, with nearly 30,000 deaths, has overtaken Italy and comes second behind the United States among the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. "  How did we get there?"  "Said Labor Party leader Keir Starmer.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose return to the House of Commons since his hospitalization, said his "  ambition  " to reach 200,000 screenings a day by the end of the month, to prevent further spread of the disease if the containment is relaxed. Pressured by the opposition to unveil his strategy , while 6 million people are on short work and job cuts are piling up, Boris Johnson promised to say more on Sunday, explaining already wanting, if possible, to put put in place certain deconfinement measures next Monday.

• In Spain, the state of alert extended by two weeks

For Pedro Sanchez, a too " precipitated  " deconfinement  would be "  unforgivable  ". Thanks to the voices of the Ciudadanos liberals and the Basque nationalists, the Prime Minister passed into Parliament the two-week extension of the state of alert, which notably makes it possible to limit travel. Spain is one of the countries most bereaved by the pandemic with nearly 26,000 deaths. The right-wing opposition of the People's Party, which had voted for the previous extensions, this time refused to support the government. After having authorized children's walks at the end of April, then adult outings for sports or walks last weekend, the government plans to launch next Monday a new phase of the deconfinement plan, which is to run until 'at the end of June. 

• Germany: new stage of deconfinement planned next week

In view of the figures for the evolution of the pandemic deemed "  very satisfactory  ", Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided, with the regional leaders of the country, to lift next week almost all of the restrictions imposed in mid-March (deconfinement started in Germany on April 20). According to the agreement, all stores, including those over 800 square meters, will be reopened. The same goes for primary schools and kindergartens, with the implementation of protective measures. Also reopening of restaurants and hotels. Borders remain closed, however, and major sporting, festive or cultural events with the public are prohibited. The German football championship will resume, which should allow clubs to collect 300 million euros in TV rights, but the matches will take place behind closed doors

► Read also: Coronavirus: the underside of the “German model”

• Baltic states to reopen borders between them on 15 May

The Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian governments said on Wednesday that the level of contamination has dropped enough to restore free movement between their countries and remove the mandatory 14-day quarantine. The Latvian president stressed that the three countries could quickly invite Poland and Finland to join their zone. Out of the six million inhabitants of the three countries, 4,041 have so far been contaminated and 120 killed.

• A “historic” recession for the EU…

"  Europe is facing an unprecedented economic shock since the Great Depression  " in 1929, said European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni. The eurozone should record a record drop in its GDP in 2020: -7.7%. The countries which according to the European Commission should be the most affected are Greece (-9.7%), Italy (-9.5%) and Spain (-9.4%), very dependent on spending by tourists. France, both tourist and industrial, does little better, with an expected recession of 8.2%. Germany, the leading economy in the euro zone but very dependent on its exports, would see its GDP fall, according to the Commission, by 6.5%. To stimulate the European economic recovery and despite the divisions of the 27 on solutions, Brussels is working on a plan which, according to Paolo Gentiloni, should come out in the coming weeks, and could be adopted next month.

In addition, Europe will have to learn from the crisis by ensuring its "  strategic autonomy  " in key sectors such as the production of drugs, said Wednesday the head of European diplomacy in an interview with several European daily newspapers, calling of his wishes the constitution of stocks, even the relocation of the production. "  It is not normal that Europe does not produce the least gram of paracetamol and that China concentrates 80% of the world production of antibiotics  ", estimated Josep Borrell. "  Until now, it was thought that it did not matter where the products were made, that a world market would supply everyone, anytime and anywhere,  " said the high representative of the European Union. "  In times of crisis, this turned out to be wrong  ." Josep Borrell argued for a shorter supply chain and nearby production centers, for example in Africa.

• Russia becomes the 5th most affected country in Europe but is considering its deconfinement 

"  We must not rush (...) but we cannot do it either  ," said Vladimir Putin. Moscow was thinking this Wednesday of the first deconfinement measures, even if Russia becomes the fifth country in Europe most affected by the coronavirus with more than 165,000 cases, including 10,000 additional in just 24 hours. Each region will have to make recommendations for measures for a deconfinement implemented as of May 12. The mayor of Moscow, where more than half of the cases are concentrated, warned that most of the restrictions should be extended in the capital, where 500,000 industrial and construction workers can still return to factories and construction sites next week. In addition, the Minister of Culture became this Wednesday the third member of the government to be contaminated, after the Prime Minister and the Minister of Construction.

• China refuses international investigation

China currently refuses an international investigation into the origin of the new coronavirus, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday. Chen Xu said the first priority was "  to focus on fighting the pandemic until the final victory  ." And he felt that the diplomatic context did not allow this kind of investigation. "  We need a good atmosphere,  " said the diplomat, denouncing statements by American leaders that the virus has spread from a laboratory in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the Covid-19 epidemic is left last December. According to him, these statements "  put in difficulty the fight against the pandemic  ". For his part, the head of American diplomacy Mike Pompeo finally affirmed that Washington had "  significant evidence  " that the coronavirus had spread from this laboratory in Wuhan, but still had "  no certainty  " ...

As for Hubei, the Chinese province where the famous city of Wuhan is located, the final year students  returned to class this Wednesday, after two months of confinement. Objective: prepare the "gaokao", the Chinese bac, already postponed for a month. Safety masks and distances were essential, with infrared cameras installed at the entrance of 121 high schools to detect possible fevers.

• In Iran, "upward trend" in the spread of the virus

Since the first cases appeared in mid-February, Iran has been by far the most affected country in the Near and Middle East. It has just exceeded 100,000 cases. And Tehran is worried this Wednesday about an " upward trend "  in the  last three or four days in the spread of the virus. An increase which, according to the Ministry of Health, could be due to an increase in travel between cities in the country. Since April 11, Iran has authorized a gradual reopening of businesses, and since Monday mosques in about 30% of the counties. So far, the country has not imposed containment or quarantine.

• In the United States, Donald Trump retains his task force against the pandemic

After Tuesday thinking of dissolving the team coordinating the fight against the coronavirus in the United States, Donald Trump announces this Wednesday that it has been so effective that it will be maintained "  indefinitely  ", with an emphasis placed on the treatment of the disease. (vaccines and therapies) and the reopening of the country. And its numbers may be increased - or reduced.

Yesterday, the American president had called to reopen the economy. The United States has just passed the milestone of 70,000 coronavirus-related deaths and reached that of 100,000 before the beginning of June. Does Donald Trump think "  lives will be lost in order to reopen the economy  "? "  It is possible that it will happen because we will not be confined to our homes,  " the President said on ABC News.

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• Coronavirus
• Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic
• Confinement