Coronavirus: what to know this Thursday, July 2

Good evening,

After having encouraged companies for several weeks to use short-time working to maintain employment, the government is increasing the checks to identify abuses. The epidemic has claimed 14 new victims in France in the past 24 hours. The former Minister of Health, Xavier Bertrand , was heard before the parliamentary commission of inquiry on the management of the health crisis. Finally, the controversial statements of Professor Didier Raoult before the deputies last week provoke the rage of the accused public bodies.

Good reading,

Roland Gauron, journalist at Le Figaro

1. What happened today

Muriel Pénicaud visited, on May 12, a construction site in Montévrain, near Paris. Christophe PETIT TESSON / POOL / AFP

The state tracks partial unemployment fraud. The Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, is deploying great resources against fraud in businesses. By the end of the summer, 50,000 surveys will be conducted to track employers who have abused the short-time working hours implemented by the government since mid-March. Since May 22, some 12,000 controls have already been launched, including 400 triggered following a denunciation by the trade union organizations or the employees themselves. The approximately 3,000 operations already completed have given rise to 850 suspected fraud cases in which further investigations have been initiated. "It is because of our targeting that we arrive at such a high rate of fraud," says the minister's office. So far, the main frauds have come, not surprisingly, from the combination of partial unemployment and telework.

Read also: Partial unemployment: everywhere in Europe, governments are cutting their aid…

Where is the epidemic? France has registered 14 new Covid-19-related deaths in 24 hours in hospitals, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the epidemic to 29,875. The number of resuscitation patients continues to drop with 573 patients concerned, 9 less than on Wednesday. A total of 8,148 people are hospitalized for this infection, a decrease of 188 patients in 24 hours. However, the virus continues to circulate on the territory, as shown by the number of new “clusters” with 307 grouped cases recorded since May 9, including 4 new in the last 24 hours, but 181 closed. Contagion is reaching record levels around the world, particularly on the American continent, where the number of cases and the number of deaths continues to explode, led by the United States and Brazil. The past seven days have been the worst week in terms of infections since the Covid-19 pandemic left China in late 2019, according to the World Health Organization.

A whole system has been eaten by a short-term and budgetary logic.

Bertrand denounces the management of masks. "A whole system has been eaten by a short-term and budgetary logic." Xavier Bertrand did not mince his words before the parliamentary commission of inquiry on the management of the epidemic. Supporting documents, the former Minister of Health between 2005 and 2007, then from 2010 to 2012 - refused to take responsibility for the "change in doctrine" which led to the evaporation of strategic state stocks protective masks. When he took over the portfolio in 2010, succeeding Roselyne Bachelot who had had to manage the influenza A crisis, the dominant feeling was "that we had done too much" , "that it was all too expensive" and that it was "maybe time to save," he said. However, he assures us that this change of "atmosphere" has not changed his priority given to the prevention of health risks. In the current crisis, the problem of masks has been "a problem of money almost from start to finish" .

Read also: Covid-19, Benalla, Outreau: what are all these parliamentary commissions of inquiry for?

Professor Raoult's words are causing a stir. The statements of the controversial professor Didier Raoult before the commission of inquiry are the subject of heavy accusations. After the Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP), which denounced Wednesday evening a "false testimony" , it is the turn of the Scientific Council and the High Health Authority (HAS) to write to the Assembly . "Following the statements of Professor Raoult before the commission of inquiry on June 24, 2020, the members of the Scientific Council Covid-19 consider his remarks and innuendos as infamous and devoid of foundations," protests the president of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy. In a separate letter, the president of the HAS challenges the so-called conflicts of interest pointed out by the professor. "To assert before the national representation, in a vague and unsupported manner, that the HAS is subject to" very serious conflicts of interest ", is a slander," writes Dominique Le Guludec.

2. Cooking, entertaining, (re) reading…

In the current slump, the classics have stood the shock. visochin_o - stock.adobe.com

(Re) Read. During the confinement, the French took the opportunity to read or reread the classics of literature. This enthusiasm for great works of literature has been confirmed since May 11 and the reopening of bookstores. The inexhaustible "old fund", where the classics are located, saw its sales soar by almost 30%, according to the GfK institute, which establishes the list of best sellers every week. Le Figaro established a prize list with him, offering the twenty most read titles during this confinement period and in the following days, from March 16 to June 14. “In this ranking, we find La Peste de Camus and Les Fables de La Fontaine, Antigone by Anouilh and Orgueil et préjugés by Jane Austen, 1984 by Orwell and Les Contemplations d'Hugo… Du Balzac, du Barjavel, du Saint- Exupéry, Emily Brontë… ” , rejoices our journalist Mohammed Aïssaoui. "It's a reflex. When society falters, we turn to great works. ”

Read also: Stopover in the Goudes district, Marseille at the end of the world

Do not wear makeup. Has confinement freed women from the injunction of daily makeup? Wonders Justine Feutry of Madame Figaro . This is what a survey by the Ifop institute points out. Carried out almost a month after the deconfinement, the survey reveals that the percentage of French women wearing make-up every day is twice lower today (21%) than it was three years ago - 42% in 2017. One particularly strong trend among those under 30. Among the motivations of no make-up and more thoughtful cosmetics, there is a real environmental awareness. More than one in three people under 25 consider this factor to be decisive. Without forgetting the importance of so-called clean formulations . Thus 50% of those questioned wish to improve the quality of their skin and 48% testify to their desire to return to a natural face devoid of chemicals.

The theater never killed anyone. Our desire is to make people smile, laugh together and share.

To entertain. Theater directors compete in imagination to offer programs adapted to young audiences under strict sanitary conditions. “The theater never killed anyone. Our desire is to make people smile, laugh together and share; parents thanked us for having reopened with Alice, on the other side of the mirror , according to Lewis Carroll, " explains Christophe Laluque, director of the Théâtre Dunois in Paris, specializing in shows for young audiences. For several days, the Criée, National Theater of Marseille, has been welcoming young visitors again. "I invited artists to lead workshops in storytelling, dramatic and plastic arts and music for groups of ten," says its director Macha Makeïeff. In Paris, the Théâtre de la Ville is organizing a “summer of solidarity theater” with a “Childhood and youth” program.

Read also: Karine Ferri: "The period of confinement was positive for my family and me"

To cook. Laurent Petit, chef at Clos des Sens in Annecy, has fennel in his skin. Literally. When he rolls up the sleeve of his T-shirt, a tattoo appears on his shoulder representing a fennel flower "planted" in Michelin stars. It is thanks to it, he tells us, that his restaurant got his third badge at the start of the year. He offers us his recipe for fennel juice where it is candied and then seared so that a slight bitterness counterbalances the sweet side. "We have been serving the dish for about seven years now, of which I am offering you a slightly simplified recipe today , " he explains. “I studied fennel from every angle, as if I had to write a thesis on it (laughs), to arrive at the plate whose recipe should not move. We roast it, pinch the juices as with meat, make a brioche bun with the seeds, an opaline… ”

3. Photo of the day

The Brazilian army distributes surgical masks to Indians of the Yanomami ethnic group on the border with Venezuela. The Brazilian Minister of Defense assured Wednesday, during a trip to their lands, that the indigenous people were not threatened by the pandemic, as numerous NGOs affirm. NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP

4. Deconfinement, phase 3

The government has announced a new round of deconfinement easing that will take effect on Monday, June 22. Here is what is allowed again:

• French people can return to the cinema, the casino, the game rooms and go to holiday centers.
• Team sports are again allowed. Combat sports remain prohibited, except at a high level.

What remains prohibited and what will still have to wait:

• The stadiums and racetracks will reopen on July 11, with a maximum number of 5,000 spectators.
• River cruises will wait for the same date. Sea cruises could also resume between European ports.
• International fairs, exhibitions, shows, nightclubs and cruises will remain closed until September.
• Gatherings of more than 10 people in public space are always prohibited.
• The activities gathering more than 1500 people must be declared in prefecture.
• Events of more than 5000 people are prohibited at least until August 31.

5. The reflexes to adopt

A few simple steps can limit the spread of the virus. Here they are :

• Wash your hands every hour.
• Cough or sneeze into the crease of his elbow.
• Use disposable tissues.
• Avoid kissing or shaking hands.
• Wear a mask in public spaces.
• Limit your movements as much as possible.

Covid-19 is spread by saliva through close contact with an infected person, especially when the person coughs or sneezes. The virus also remains viable for several hours on different surfaces.

Read also: Coronavirus: highly contagious patients in the first days of infection

The disease manifests with several symptoms. In 9 out of 10 cases, this results in a fever below 39 ° C. According to the World Health Organization, this fever is most often accompanied by a state of fatigue , signs of shortness of breath and a dry cough .

6. What to do in case of symptoms?

The most important thing now is to get tested. According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, you should, if you have symptoms, stay at home and contact your doctor who will order a test. While waiting for the result, you must isolate yourself, wear a mask and list the people you may have contaminated.

Read also: From the isolation test to the tracing of contact cases, the patient's journey from Covid

If the test is positive, the Primary Health Insurance Fund will contact those likely to be infected. You must then remain isolated for at least 8 days, taking care not to contaminate your loved ones. Watch your health. If you have a fever, take paracetamol. Possibly plan a follow-up teleconsultation with your doctor.

If you feel difficulty breathing , call 15.

If the test is negative, contact your doctor and follow their instructions.

See you tomorrow.