► The federal government has awarded the gigantic contract to distribute mouth masks to the Belgian companies Sioen and Deltrian. According to our colleagues from De Tijd, 20 million filters for masks will be quickly produced and distributed to the population. These pieces of filter material are called “filter dust”. The goal is to make the masks yourself.
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► The Belgian balance sheet for the past 24 hours: 127 people were hospitalized. We have to go back to March 18 to find such a low number of new hospitalizations. A total of 3,968 beds (+11) are occupied by people with Covid-19, including 903 in intensive care. 7,207 deaths have been deplored since the start of the epidemic, ie 113 more compared to the previous day’s results.
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► Why does the number of hospitalizations remain around 200 in Belgium? “There is what is happening in the general population and in nursing homes.” Health officials believe that what is observed in the figures is a percentage increase in the elderly hospitalized in hospitals.
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► The coronavirus epidemic has 437 dead in France in the last 24 hours, including 295 in hospitals, carrying total deaths at 23,293 since early March. In Italy, more than 150 doctors died from the Covid-19 epidemic. The country recorded 26,977 deaths, 333 more in 24 hours, for a total of 199,414 cases. The United Kingdom has recorded 360 additional deaths from coronavirus in 24 hours in hospitals, the weakest record since March. In total, the Covid-19 killed 21,092 patients in the United Kingdom, according to this assessment which does not include retirement homes.
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► The American logistics giant Amazon announced that it was extending the suspension of the activity of its distribution centers in France until May 5, after a court decision requiring it to assess the risks associated with the Covid-19 epidemic. Distribution centers have been closed since April 16.
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► The Minister of Education in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Caroline Désir (PS), has not ruled out that the start of the new school year in September must also be adjusted according to the development of the health crisis generated by the Covid- 19. Read also | Concretely, how is going to go back to school?
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► In March 2020, the number of working hours worked decreased by 21.11% compared to the previous montht (in data corrected for seasonal variations and calendar effects).
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► European companies weakened by the Covid-19 crisis will be able to request state aid of up to 5% of their 2019 turnover under a new provision proposed by the European Commission.
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► AB InBev cancels the rent for the month of April for its catering operators.
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► The Walloon government will grant an intervention of 40 euros on the water bills of customers who are unemployed because of the health crisis, according to a press release from the Walloon water company (SWDE), the main water distributor in Wallonia (it serves 70% of the Walloon population, note).
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► The third European economy remains slow, but Italian strategic companies gradually resumed on Monday, with drastic security measures to avoid a rebound in the coronavirus epidemic.
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► Prime Minister was proactive on first post-convalescent onset. He had been hospitalized in intensive care earlier this month after being infected with Covid-19.
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