Paris (AFP)

New measures, new reports and highlights: an update on the latest developments in the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

- Restrictions lifted in Manila -

In force for a month to contain a record number of Covid cases linked to the highly contagious Delta variant, the confinement of Manila will be lifted this week and replaced by localized measures, the Philippine authorities announced on Monday.

An easing of the confinement of the capital, a real economic lung of the country, should allow companies in particular to reopen their doors.

- New Zealand: next deconfinement -

New Zealand will end the national containment of the archipelago this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday, specifying that it will remain in force in Auckland, the large city of the North Island where the Delta variant is first appeared in mid-August.

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, around three million New Zealanders will be able to go out again and schools will reopen on Thursday, for the first time in three weeks, detailed Ms. Ardern.

- France: reduced health pass in shopping centers -

In France, the health pass will no longer be compulsory from Wednesday at the entrance to shopping centers located in the departments where the incidence rate of the coronavirus has remained below the threshold of 200 per 100,000 inhabitants over one week.

Exceptions remain, in 64 shopping centers of more than 20,000 square meters, located in nine departments.

- New Caledonia is reconfiguring itself -

Strict confinement for a period of 15 days will begin on Tuesday in New Caledonia, where three indigenous cases of Covid-19 were detected on Monday while the French archipelago had so far been preserved from the disease.

Wearing a mask outside the home becomes compulsory.

Schools, colleges, high schools and the university will no longer welcome students.

External and inter-island air links are suspended until further notice, except for medical personnel.

- Italy: life expectancy is declining -

In Italy, Covid-19 has reduced life expectancy by 1.2 years in 2020, and by more than four years in some of the hardest hit provinces, the National Statistical Institute (Istat) announced on Monday.

In 2020, life expectancy at birth was 82 years: 79.7 years for men and 84.4 years for women, against 81 years and 85.3 years in 2019.

The differences are significant depending on the region.

In the north, in the provinces of Bergamo and Cremona, the most bereaved in Italy, men lost respectively 4.3 and 4.5 years of life expectancy, women 3.2 and 2.9 years.

- More than 4.56 million dead -

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed at least 4,565,622 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to a report established Monday at 10:00 a.m. GMT by AFP from official sources.

The United States is the country with the most deaths (648,472), ahead of Brazil (583,628) and India (440,752), Mexico (263,140) and Peru (198,488).

The WHO estimates, taking into account the excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, that the toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than that calculated from official figures.

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© 2021 AFP