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The circulation of the coronavirus continues to accelerate in France, where more than 6,000 new cases were detected between Wednesday and Thursday. Consequently, the wearing of the mask is generalized: the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, announced its compulsory wearing in the streets of Paris. They will also be imposed on students from college, said the Minister of National Education. In the rest of the world the pandemic remains very active. In the United States, if the number of new cases of Covid-19 has been falling for several weeks, the situation remains critical. In the countryside, Donald Trump has promised the development of a vaccine this year. Follow the evolution of the situation live:
Information to remember
- France recorded more than 6,000 new cases between Wednesday and Thursday
- Wearing a mask becomes compulsory throughout Paris on Friday
- In full campaign for his re-election, Donald Trump promises a "safe vaccine" before the end of the year
More than 6,000 new cases in 24 hours
More than 6,000 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in France in the past 24 hours, a new record since May, but the number of hospitalized patients, including in intensive care, remains stable, according to data released Thursday by the authorities sanitary facilities. In the latest report communicated by the Directorate General of Health, the test positivity rate goes from 3.7% to 3.8%, with more than 6,111 new cases between Wednesday and Thursday.
Wearing a mask is reinforced, a start of the Tour de France behind closed doors
French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday that the wearing of a mask became compulsory throughout Paris. This measure, which comes into force on Friday from 8 am, could gain other major cities in the country. The number of verbalizations for violation of the rules for wearing a mask has reached "a flow of 700 per day", also indicated Jean Castex at a press conference.
For his part, the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, clarified that wearing a mask would be compulsory from college, including during recess. 30,576 people have died in France from the coronavirus since the start of the epidemic.
In addition, the Tour de France 2020 will start on Saturday in Nice in front of only a few dozen people, announced the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes on Thursday, referring to a "quasi-closed session for the start" because of the health crisis. For the first two stages, which are run in the Nice region on Saturday and Sunday, spectators along the route must be masked, and no vehicle can park in the passes, added Bernard Gonzalez during a press briefing.
At least 20 cases of Covid at Baie-Mahault prison in Guadeloupe
At least twenty people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and a large test campaign is underway, at the Baie-Mahault prison (central Guadeloupe), corroborating sources indicate Thursday, while Guadeloupe has been placed since Thursday. in an area of active circulation of the virus, indicates the prefecture. "At this stage today 11 detainees are contaminated [...] and 9 personnel" but "a certain number of PCR test results are still expected in the coming days", indicated, Thursday evening, Sabri Hani, director of office of the Prefect of Guadeloupe.
Wearing a mask is spreading in the European Union
Paris is considered a risk zone by several countries: the city has just been added by Belgium to its list of European destinations which are no longer authorized, and Denmark has advised against "unnecessary" travel to France.
Germany will for its part increase the fines for non-wearing of a mask to 50 euros and strengthen controls to ensure compliance with quarantine periods. Even if the spread of the virus in the country remains lower than in the spring, Berlin points to the fact that "in recent weeks, the number of infections has increased again" and is especially worried about the importation of new cases with vacation returns. "A lot of mobility was possible during the summer, but now we have to be vigilant", warned Chancellor Angela Merkel. The country will also extend the ban on outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people until the end of the year, with a possible exemption for football matches.
In Spain, children will have to wear the mask at all times at school from the age of 6, the government announced on Thursday. Over the past 14 days, the country has recorded 190 new cases per 100,000 population, by far the highest rate in the European Union.
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Trump vows to 'bring down' Covid-19 with vaccine 'this year'
Donald Trump promised Thursday evening a total victory over the new coronavirus pandemic thanks to the design this year, he assured, of a vaccine of which "hundreds of millions of doses will be quickly available". "We are mobilizing the scientific genius of America to design a vaccine in record time," he said. "We are going to have a safe and effective vaccine this year and together we are going to overcome the virus," added the president-candidate.
The toll of the coronavirus pandemic has reached a new level in the United States, exceeding 180,000 dead, according to the count Thursday at 8:30 p.m. local (00:30 GMT) from Johns Hopkins University, which refers. In 24 hours, the Covid-19 killed 931 more people, according to the same source. In all, more than 5.8 million people have been infected, and more than 2.1 million have been declared cured. The number of new cases of Covid-19 in the United States has fallen in recent weeks but the country is far from being out of the rut, and the American average hides huge regional disparities.
Donald Trump also announced Thursday the purchase of 150 million rapid tests for Covid-19 from the pharmaceutical group Abbott in an effort to support the country's economic recovery, his spokesperson said on Twitter.
After the United States, the countries most affected by the pandemic are Brazil (118,649 dead), Mexico (62,076), India (60,472) and the United Kingdom (41,449). The pandemic has killed at least 826,512 people worldwide since the end of December, according to a report established by AFP.
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South America wants to deconfin
The member countries of the Forum for the Progress of South America (Prosur) on Thursday approved the creation of a commission to make proposals to coordinate the reopening of their borders, closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The foreign ministers of the nine member countries of this regional organization - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay - decided on this creation during an online meeting.
The commission, made up of representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior of each of the member countries, will have ten days to present measures intended to facilitate the reopening of borders, said Andrés Allamand, head of diplomacy of Chile, country who occupies the rotating president of the organization.
In addition, the inhabitants of Bogota, the main focus of the coronavirus pandemic in Colombia, were allowed Thursday to resume their activities after more than five months of confinement, a measure which aims above all to revive trade in the capital.
Thousands of people have reopened their stores or returned to the streets to resume their informal sales activities. Despite a still strong circulation of the virus in the capital of eight million inhabitants, which concentrates 35% of the contaminations, the town hall, in collaboration with the government, decided to relax the restrictions in almost all areas, by basing in particular on the widespread use of the mask in public spaces.