Coronavirus: the state of the world facing the pandemic Sunday, May 10

Near the finance ministry office in Bangkok, people queue for their monthly financial aid during the pandemic on May 7, 2020. REUTERS / Soe Zeya Tun

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As Europe deconfines, the coronavirus reappears in Seoul and Wuhan. The toll of the epidemic now stands at 4,056 million cases and 280,000 deaths.

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The France recorded the death of 70 people over the past 24 hours. This is the lowest daily toll since the start of containment on March 17. The total balance since March 1 now stands at 26,380 deaths, while the pressure on hospital emergency services is still reducing, with 36 patients less, for a total of 2,776 severe cases in intensive care.

France lives this Sunday its 55th and last day of confinement before a partial and controlled release. Government officials and politicians take turns calling for caution. The appearance of two new outbreaks in New Aquitaine, a region classified as "green", heightens fears. The virus is there. It is in ambush, it is circulating,  " warns Professor Anne-Claude Crémieux, infectiologist in Paris. We are not immune to reconfiguration if the rules are not respected,  " says Europe 1 the president of the region, Valérie Pécresse.

For his part, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, plans to use "alternating traffic" if the car traffic is "too intense".

The pandemic forced the commemoration of the National Day of Memories of Slavery to take place in a reduced format. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe chairs a small ceremony at the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.

In Germany, worrying signals in the evolution of the disease

This Sunday is Mother's Day in Belgium , each family is allowed to welcome four guests. The country is also preparing for a partial deconfinement but the "festive places", cafes, restaurants, bars, remain closed. In the center of Brussels, the speed is limited to 20km / h and the priority given to cyclists and pedestrians.

At the time when France, Belgium and Spain are going into deconfinement, Germany is recording worrying signals, a few days after having decreed the beginning of the return to normalcy. The Robert Koch National Institute of Virology, responsible for monitoring the evolution of the pandemic, reports an increase in the rate of infection , ironed around the area considered to be potentially dangerous, from 1 to 1.1. A number less than 1 suggests that the number of infections in the country is trending downward, while a higher level suggests an upward trend. This figure went from 0.7 to more than 1 in just a few days. The new sources of contamination have been reported in particular in retirement homes and industrial meat processing workshops, employing hundreds of foreign workers in questionable hygienic conditions. In addition, concerns remain over plans to restart the football championships on May 16 as planned, following the quarantine of the Dynamo Dresden team. After two months of abstinence, religious services in public resumed this Sunday

Ghost presidential election in Poland . The Poles were to elect their president this Sunday, but the polling stations did not open, no one was able to vote, and the election, neither formally canceled nor adjourned, should go down in history as a rare case of polling ghost. This situation, fraught with uncertainty for the future, is due to the coronavirus pandemic and the inability of the nationalist conservatives in power and of the opposition to agree on a constitutional and mutually acceptable solution.

Boris Johnson warns of overconfidence

In Britain , the number of deaths has increased by 269 in 24 hours, bringing the total toll to 31,855. Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines his strategy for gradual deconfinement. He nuances the instructions in force and asks to stay at home "as much as possible" and to "limit contact". If the peak of the epidemic has passed, the country is negotiating a delicate turning point, explains Boris Johnson: "  Mountaineers always say that descending from the summit is the most dangerous part. That's when you risk being overconfident and making mistakes  . ” The government's comprehensive plan will be presented to MPs on Monday.

The Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who have decided to extend the confinement express their reluctance to face new discourse of the British government considered "vague and imprecise" by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish leader.

In Italy , 700,000 children are in food difficulty due to the health crisis affecting their families but also to the closure of schools and school canteens. The pandemic creates a surge of solidarity in the country where hundreds of charitable associations are active throughout the territory. Almost 2 out of 5 Italians say they take part in solidarity actions. Schools will remain closed until September, factories, yards and offices have reopened since May 4. The rules of distance remain in force, including in the parks, returned to the public, and the wearing of the mask is compulsory in transport.

The Greece announced that it will extend until May 21 the confinement imposed since March migrant camps. It was originally scheduled to be lifted on Monday.

The Russian pass the symbolic threshold of 200,000 cases. The number of new daily infections will make it the most affected country in Europe next week. The World Health Organization estimates that "  Russia is probably experiencing a delayed epidemic  ".

Resurgence of cases in Iran and permission to leave Turkey for the elderly

In Iran , authorities warn against a resurgence of the epidemic, nearly a month after having allowed the progressive reopening of shops and the return to work. They reinstate movement restrictions in the province of Khuzestan in the south-west of the country which is with Tehran, the capital, in the "red" zone, that is to say at "highest risk" according to the system of colors used by the government. “  With the reopening of businesses, people have forgotten the instructions. It was probably too early  "for a return to normal life in Tehran, said Aliréza Maher, a member of the National Committee for the Fight against Coronavirus. According to his figures, 1,383 new cases have been registered, bringing the total to 107,603 while 2,675 people remain in critical condition. For some foreign experts but also several Iranian officials, the government figures are largely underestimated.

In Turkey, people aged 65 and over have enjoyed their first hours out for almost two months. Subject to compulsory confinement since March 21, seniors are allowed to go outside once a week, on Sundays, for a period of four hours, between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. “In the  end, it is as if we were on vacation from 11 am today. We are very happy,  ”said Umit Avci, 81, from Istanbul. Subject to compulsory confinement since April 4, young people (up to 14 years old) can go out on Wednesdays and those aged between 15 and 20 years old on Friday. Turkey has 137,115 infections and 3,739 deaths, according to official figures.

In Lebanon , the army reports that thirteen cases have been detected among soldiers working for the Beirut military court. A screening program therefore applies to dozens of judges and lawyers. 845 cases have been officially recorded, with 26 deaths. The country has initiated deconfinement but the number of cases has started to rise again, especially among returnees. Interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy announces a tightening of the night curfew. Lightened in recent weeks, it will now start at 19:00 local time.

In the United States, three officials in quarantine

Three American officials in the fight against the epidemic are in voluntary quarantine after coming into contact with a person tested positive in the White House. Among them, Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert in the United States and the most prominent member of the team.

In New York, the figures are still down this Sunday (207 deaths in 24 hours). The main concern of Governor Cuomo is now to protect the 100,000 elderly people who live in the city's retirement homes. New measures are taken in this direction. Staff must now be tested twice a week and "  the state can take the place of institutions if care for the elderly can no longer be provided, for whatever reason,  " says Cuomo. He also said he was ready to consider "easing restrictions in certain areas". The United States remains the most affected country. The disease has already claimed nearly 79,000 lives in the country.

The Brazilian crossed the threshold of 10 000 dead, and becomes the sixth country where the pandemic has so far killed more. Authorities recorded 10,627 deaths and 155,939 confirmed cases of contamination. These figures, according to the scientific community, could be 15 or even 20 times higher in reality, because Brazil practices very few tests.

In Canada , in the province of Quebec, Women are more affected than men by the virus. They represent 59.7% of infected people and 54.1% of deaths. The Institute does not provide an explanation but notes that women are the majority among nurses and care services for the elderly. Quebechas 326 deaths per million inhabitants, an index much higher than that of Canada in general (124).

In Asia, the specter of a second wave

The specter of a second wave, brandished in particular by the World Health Organization, is omnipresent. In China , the city of Wuhan, where the virus appeared, reminds us: the authorities are announcing a new case there, after more than a month of respite following a draconian confinement. In South Korea, where the spread of the virus has also been stopped, the city of Seoul had to order the closure of bars and nightclubs, after the appearance of new cases.

The Indonesia has recorded 387 additional infections, bringing the total to 14 032. The archipelago, the fourth most populous country in the world with nearly 270 million inhabitants, also deplores 14 more deaths in 24 hours, 973 in total . Again, according to epidemiologists, the number of cases could be largely underestimated, due to the low number of tests performed.

The Thailand announces five new cases but no further deaths. This brings the total toll of the epidemic to 3,009 cases and 56 deaths since January. However, there are four other infected people in Phuket province, one of the most tourist regions of the country, who will be counted in the data on Monday.

Australians unhappy with restrictions

In Australia, ten people are arrested and a police officer is injured during a protest in Melbourne against the restrictions. Some protesters present the coronavirus as a government plot to control the population. About 150 people gather near the Parliament of Victoria. The state has delayed lifting the restrictions due to an outbreak of new cases at a slaughterhouse in Melbourne. Australia has approximately 7,000 cases of infection with the new coronavirus, which has killed less than 100 people. The country is praised for the effectiveness of the measures taken to combat the epidemic.

Back in France where the Cannes Croisette, deprived of the festival, received the visit of an unlikely star , a young boar weighing fifty kilos. The solitary animal was spotted by a police patrol at night, strolling quietly on the famous boulevard, which was completely deserted.

Our selection on the coronavirus

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The practical questions  :
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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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