Posted on Apr 6, 2020, 7:16 a.m.Updated on Apr 6, 2020 at 12:23 p.m.
Hope in Europe, expectation of the worst in the United States. While the Covid-19 epidemic has infected nearly 1.3 million people worldwide, according to a count by John Hopkins University, situations diverge on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Europe, where more than 70% of the approximately 70,000 deaths caused by the disease have been counted, the containment measures decreed in several countries seem to have produced their first effects. In Italy, for example, “the curve has started to descend,” said boss of the Higher Institute of Health, Silvio Brusaferro, on Sunday. In Spain, “the pressure is decreasing” thanks to “a certain decrease” of hospitalizations and admissions in intensive care, welcomed the Center of health alerts.
In France, finally, the death toll now exceeds 8,000 dead. Yes the rate of deaths and hospitalizations in intensive care seems to slow , vigilance remains essential with respect to confinement, the fourth week of which begins on Tuesday.
These slowdowns in Europe contrast with the United States: despite strict containment measures, more than 1,200 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours, one of the largest daily increases. Americans are about to experience one of the “saddest weeks of their lives,” authorities warned.
The main information to remember
> More than 1,200 dead in the United States in the past 24 hours, nearly 10,000 since the start of the pandemic
> The digital travel certificate has been published on the website of the Ministry of the Interior
> New contaminations at their lowest in South Korea
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Follow the events of Monday April 6 live:
> Falling death toll in Spain
As in Italy, the epidemic curve seems to begin its descent in Spain. In 24 hours, the virus has 637 dead in the country, a declining balance for the fourth day in a row and the lowest figure for 13 days, according to figures given by the Ministry of Health.
The number of cases increased by 3.3% over the same period, against 4.8% the previous day, which also indicates that the contagion is slowing in the country which has paid the highest price for the disease after Italy. The total of the dead amounts to 13,055, that of the infected to 135,032.
> Towards a historic recession in France
France will undoubtedly know in 2020 its worst year of economic recession since the end of the Second World War, estimated Monday the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire during a hearing by the Senate Economic Affairs Committee.
“The worst growth figure that has been made by France since 1945 is in 2009 after the great financial crisis of 2008: -2.2%. We are likely to be well above -2.2% ”this year, he said.
> Austria sets course for post-containment
The country gradually wants to loosen the restrictions in force to fight the new coronavirus from April 14, starting with the reopening of small businesses and according to a timetable for the resumption of various activities which will span several months, announced Monday on government.
“Our goal is to restart it in stages,” said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at a press conference, calling on people to keep “the greatest discipline.”
> Japan declares state of emergency
The Japanese government plans to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday in several regions of the country where the cases of Covid-19 are on the rise, including Tokyo and Osaka, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Monday.
The Prime Minister announced at the same time a massive plan to support the economy of the country of 108,000 billion yen (or 915 billion euros) to counter the consequences of the pandemic on the activity of the third world economic power .
> Coronavirus and media: a member responsible for studying the place given to women
The LREM deputy from Hauts-de-Seine Céline Calvez was charged this weekend with a mission on “the place of women in the media in times of crisis”, announced Marlène Schiappa, shortly after the outcry caused by the front page of the Parisian who put forward four male experts.
Its mission will be “to analyze the place of women experts in the media at large in this period of confinement and crisis, the place of women journalists, and to formulate proposals to ensure their representativeness,” said in a statement the secretary of state for equality between women and men.
> Non-compliance with confinement: the number of tickets increases
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that “nearly 480,000 tickets” had been drawn up for non-compliance with the confinement rules, ie 6% of total checks.
This weekend, politicians and voices in the media said they feared less respect for confinement as the good days returned.
> Coronavirus: Boeing suspends production in Washington State
The situation is not about to improve on the health front in the United States and Boeing has understood this. As the death toll continues to increase in the country, with more than 280,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths, the American flagship announced Sunday that it was extending the closure of its factories in Washington State because of the measures containment measures adopted to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. And this, for an indefinite period.
> Les Bleus supports caregivers
“We are all behind you”: the French football team, 2018 world champion, supported the nursing staff fighting against the coronavirus pandemic, in a video published on social networks.
“We sing and applaud for you,” says star Kylian Mbappé, alongside several teammates and members of the Les Bleus team, each of whom recorded part of a video message published on Sunday evening.
Containment should not be released “too soon”
“If we see things stabilize, it is because the confinement has been put in place,” declared on France inter AP-HP director general Martin Hirsch, ensuring that the obligation imposed on the French to staying at home had “saved lives”.
“This is why we all insist that there is no relaxation. Release containment too early, crack right now, if I may say so, it would lead […] to create what we have avoided so far, the real overflow, “he continued.
> Japan to declare state of emergency
The Japanese government is preparing to declare a state of emergency to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which has accelerated recently in parts of the country, including Tokyo. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to consult a committee of experts advising his government on Monday to manage the health crisis and many local media were speculating on a declaration of a state of emergency tomorrow.
Although neighboring China, home of the Covid-19, Japan has so far been far less affected by the pandemic than Europe or the United States. The archipelago totaled some 3,650 cases on Sunday for 73 deaths, according to a last official report.
> The Paris Stock Exchange opens sharply higher
The Paris Bourse started the week off right (+ 3.46%), regaining some hope thanks to the drop in the daily number of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe, suggesting that the peak of the pandemic could be reached .
At 9 o’clock, the CAC 40 rose from 143.92 points to 4,298.50 points. On Friday, it finished down 1.57%.
> Hospitalized, Boris Johnson “stays in control” of the British government
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, infected with the new coronavirus, “remains in control” of the government, although he was admitted to hospital on Sunday evening for “tests”, said his Minister for Housing.
“Today he is in the hospital for tests, but he will continue to be kept informed and in control of the government,” Robert Jenrick told the BBC.
> Bruno Le Maire rules out higher taxes
On France Info, Bruno Le Maire has excluded a tax hike to offset the cost of the measures decided to combat the economic consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic. The French Minister for the Economy judged that “wanting to revive the economic machine by raising taxes” was not “a good idea”.
> Balance sheet climbs to 31 dead in a retirement home in Mougins
The number of residents of the Mougins nursing home (Alpes-Maritimes) who died of coronavirus increased this weekend, going from 29 to 31, said a spokesperson for the establishment. The previous assessment communicated Friday by the private group Korian, which manages this establishment where 109 elderly people reside, had recorded 29 deaths since March 20.
The staff screening results show that 14 of the 50 staff at this nursing home are positive for Covid-19, added the spokesperson for the establishment.
> New York zoo tiger tested positive for coronavirus
A tiger from a Bronx zoo in New York has tested positive for Covid-19, the institution said on Sunday, a disease the feline is said to have contracted from a caretaker with no symptoms at the time. This four-year-old Malaysian tiger called Nadia, his sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all suffer from dry cough, but should recover fully, says the zoo.
“We have tested the feline taking all the precautions and we will make sure that any knowledge acquired on the Covid-19 will contribute to the understanding of this new coronavirus in the world”, adds the press release.
> Vallourec reduces its workforce in North America
Vallourec announced a plan to reduce its workforce in North America, in response to the significant and sudden drop in activity forecast by its oil and gas customers.
This reduction will affect more than 900 positions (more than a third of the total workforce in North America) in all factories and support functions. It will take effect in the coming weeks.
> Where to find the digital travel certificate
The dematerialized displacement exemption certificate has been put online on the Interior site. The form allows you to enter your personal data, choose a reason for traveling and indicate the time and date. A PDF file is then generated, containing a QR code to access it on any device equipped with a code reader.
The ministry specifies that the data is only hosted on the user’s devices and is not collected.
> SNCF freight traffic withstands the storm
SNCF runs just under 60% of its planned freight convoys, favoring so-called industrial continuity trains. But the economic equation of this activity remains more fragile than ever.
> The traders are mobilizing to obtain a cancellation of their charges
Traders are pressuring the state to cancel the social and tax charges due during confinement. The Minister of Action and Public Accounts, Gérald Darmanin, believes that “this is a debate that we will have when the time for reconstruction comes”.
> Boeing suspends production in Washington State for an indefinite period
The American aeronautical group Boeing announced Sunday that it prolonged for an indefinite period of activity in its factories of Washington State, because of the containment measures adopted in the face of the pandemic.
This concerns, among other things, the Everett factory, which notably assembles the 777, the 747, the 767 and part of the 787, and of which an employee had died as a result of the Covid-19.
> Apple to produce 1 million masks per week
Apple has designed masks for hospital staff, covering the entire face, and will be able to produce one million a week from the weekend, group chief executive Tim Cook announced on Twitter on Sunday.
> Partial unemployment: abuses are increasing
The ease of recourse to the device will allow a rapid economic recovery, bet the government and the experts. In the meantime, the abuses are increasing, plunging the employees into a moral and professional dilemma.
> French Tech: “outings” could be stopped for two years
Exits, that is to say takeovers of start-ups, which allow investors to regain their stake, multiplied if things go well, were already weak in France.
The Coronavirus crisis is not going to fix things and risks putting them completely off, according to Romain Dehaussy, partner at Cambon Parters: “Over the next few months, I expect there will be small operations , inexpensive and which allow large groups to digitize, but that’s it. “
> Despite the virus, companies raise debt records
It is a wave that is gaining momentum. Last week, companies got almost 40 billion euros from the bond market. A volume usually observed … over the entire month of March.
Among the issuers are Orange, Pernod Ricard and LVMH, which each raised 1.5 billion euros or Total (3 billion). The palm goes to the beer giant, AB-InBev with 4.5 billion euros. “A large number of operations that we carried out during the week were triggered in two or three days,” says Blaise Bourdy, at Société Générale.
> Rating agencies downgraded 300 companies last week
The weekly figures compiled by S & P show that since the middle of March, negative actions (rating downgrade, negative outlook or negative monitoring) have affected more than 200 issuers worldwide every week – and even more than 300 in during the week to March 27 – compared to less than a dozen in normal times.
In all, the agency made 780 decisions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, including 182 in the EMEA zone and 18 in France.
> Japan could declare a state of emergency
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to declare a state of emergency in Japan, according to the Japanese press. The declaration could intervene as of Monday, affirms the daily “Yomiuri”, while the cases multiplied during the weekend in Tokyo, which now lists more than 1,000 contaminations.
> UN chief urges world to protect women
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a global appeal on Sunday to protect women and girls “at home” as containment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates domestic and family violence .
“Violence is not confined to the battlefield,” he said in a statement and a video in English with subtitles, recalling his recent call for a cease-fire in all theaters of war for fight disease better.
> New contaminations at their lowest in South Korea
With just 47 new infections in the past 24 hours, the spread of the epidemic is lowest in South Korea. The country, which records its fifth consecutive day with less than 100 new cases, now totals just over 10,000 patients and 186 deaths.
> More than 1,200 dead in the United States in the past 24 hours
Despite strict containment measures, the United States, which hosts more than 337,000 cases of Covid-19, has still deplored more than 1,200 deaths in the past 24 hours, one of the largest daily increases. They are now approaching the 10,000 death mark.
“Next week will be a time like Pearl Harbor, like September 11, except that it will not be localized, it will be nationwide,” warned Jerome Adams, federal administrator of public health services, on the NBC channel. .
> The digital travel certificate launched this Monday in France
The digital movement certificate offers an alternative to the paper version in force since the start of confinement. After having warned the French this week against the temptation to go on vacation with the start of school holidays this weekend, the government has also sent them a satisfaction by the voice of the Minister of the Interior.
“The French have respected the rule, have respected the confinement”, which was Sunday in its twentieth day, noted Christophe Castaner on France 2. But he once again warned against any relaxation, after a sunny day which encouraged some to go out for air. thus notably declared. France passed the 8,000 dead mark on Sunday, including 357 new hospital deaths in the past 24 hours, but resuscitation has slowed down.
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