DIRECT. Covid-19: Germany eases restrictions on people vaccinated

The essential

• In France, 176 deaths from Covid-19 have been recorded in the past 24 hours.

  A total of 106,306 people have died since the start of the epidemic.

  Hospital pressure continues to decline, with 5,005 patients in critical care.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a new contract to purchase up to 1.8 billion doses of vaccine from BioNTech-Pfizer.

• Emmanuel Macron called on the United States to lift all export restrictions on vaccines and vaccine components which he said limit production in Europe.

• The pandemic has killed at least 3,272,332 people around the world.

  The situation is worrying in India, which is recording death records.

Today's events

10:14.

Belgium: a nocturnal rally dispersed by the police.

A rally in Brussels of several hundred people celebrating the lifting of the curfew was dispersed by the police overnight from Saturday to Sunday, causing a few incidents, according to the police.

A crowd of young people had gathered on Place Flagey, a usual place of gatherings, on the first day of the reopening of terraces in the country.

Three people were arrested during the dispersion, around 130, said a police spokesperson on Sunday.

9:58 am.

Germany eases restrictions on people vaccinated.

Going to the hairdresser without providing a negative test, meeting together: the more than 7 million people vaccinated in Germany will benefit from this Sunday from the relaxation of strict health rules.

These new measures, which come into force after express adoption by parliament, also affect people considered cured after being infected with the virus.

In total, more than seven million people who have already received the two doses of the anti-Covid vaccine are benefiting from these relaxations.

They also allow them to enter any store without having to present a negative test, as is currently the case for the rest of the population, with the exception of so-called "essential" businesses such as supermarkets or pharmacies.

9:31.

Four cases of Indian variant reported in South Africa.

Four cases of the so-called Indian variant of the coronavirus have been identified in South Africa, announces the Ministry of Health.

They were "detected in (the provinces of) Gauteng (two cases) and KwaZulu-Natal (two cases) and all have recently arrived from India," said Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize.

South Africa is at least the fourth country on the African continent to have recorded cases of this Indian variant, B.1.617.2, the others being Kenya, Uganda and Morocco.

It is the African country hardest hit by Covid-19 with more than one and a half million people infected - of which nearly 55,000 have died - more than 34% of the total number of cases reported in Africa.

9:20 a.m.

The situation in India worries African leaders.

The record coronavirus outbreak in India worries African countries which, in addition to the arrival of the Indian variant on the continent, fear that it will permanently limit its supply of vaccines, so far largely provided by the Asian giant.

With more than 4.5 million cases and more than 123,000 officially recorded deaths on the continent, Africa has so far been relatively spared from the pandemic.

"But what is happening in other parts of the world can happen in Africa if we let our guard down," warns WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the "emergency meeting" of ministers of the Health of African Union member countries.

He continues: "In many countries, the emergence of variants, combined with a premature relaxation of social and public health measures, as well as the inequitable distribution of vaccines, has tragic consequences".

9:06 am.

Vaccination against Covid-19: deadlines, stock ... 5 questions on the second dose.

The automatic booking of the second appointment ensures the continuation of the vaccination process, but lacks a little flexibility.

Overview of possible adjustments - or not - as a crucial summer period for the campaign approaches.

To read here.

8:58 am.

Guatemala: demonstration to demand the resignation of the president for the shortage of vaccines.

Dozens of people demonstrated in Guatemala on Saturday to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei, accused of being responsible for the shortage of vaccines.

8:48 am.

New Zealand: resumption of the air "bubble" with Sydney.

The New Zealand health authorities announced this Sunday the resumption of flights without quarantine from Sydney, considering the epidemic situation now under control in New South Wales.

Flights were suspended on Thursday after the appearance of two cases of Covid-19 in Sydney.

The hiatus was the third since the April 18 launch of the air "bubble" between New Zealand and Australia, nearly 400 days after their international borders were closed due to the pandemic.

8:36 am.

Doctolib boss optimistic about vaccination goals.

The government's objective of reaching 20 million people who have received at least one injection of the Covid-19 vaccine in mid-May should be reached "on May 17", predicts the boss of Doctolib, Stanislas Niox-Chateau.

“Our forecasts show that we can get there on May 17,” he says in the Journal du dimanche, stressing that “this week has been rich in good news: 25% of French people are now vaccinated in the first dose.

On Friday, we broke two records: 618,000 vaccinated in one day and more than 500,000 French people made an appointment on Doctolib ”.

“We now vaccinate just in time: 2.8 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna arrive each week in France, and 2.7 million French people are vaccinated each week.

The limiting factor remains the number of doses: if we had them, we would have exploded the 20 million ”people who received at least one injection, according to him.

8:22 a.m.

Italy hopes to lift the quarantine for travelers from the EU, Israel and the UK in mid-May.

Italy hopes to be able to lift by mid-May the quarantine it imposes on visitors from other EU countries, the United Kingdom and Israel because of the Covid-19 pandemic, announces the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio.

"The objective is to once again authorize visitors from foreign countries which have reached a high level of vaccination, by relaxing certain measures from mid-May", he declared after an interview with the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza .

"We are working on how to lift the" mini-quarantine "for people from European countries, the UK and Israel, if they have a negative test, proof of vaccination or have recovered from the coronavirus within six last months ".

Current restrictions on arrivals from the rest of the EU expire on May 15.

8:02 a.m.

"Fire and rehire": a method decried in the United Kingdom in times of pandemic.

Faced with the economic damage caused by the pandemic, some British employers are accused of resorting to a very controversial measure to save money: lay off and then rehire their employees on lower terms.

British Arways airline staff battled with management over a series of layoffs and then re-hires last year.

In April, energy supplier British Gas fired 500 engineers who had refused to accept new contracts.

The blow too much for the first British union, Unite, which denounced a practice "spreading in the workplaces like a disease".

According to a survey carried out by the TUC trade union confederation, nearly one in ten workers has already been offered a rehiring on less favorable terms, under penalty of being made redundant.

An even higher figure among young people or workers from ethnic minorities.

7:50 a.m.

Mandatory quarantine for seven additional countries.

Since midnight, in France, entry into force of a mandatory quarantine for travelers from seven additional countries, including Turkey.

This restriction, which already applies to India and Brazil, will also apply to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

7.40 am.

Winds of freedom in Spain with the partial lifting of health restrictions.

Spain lifted on the night of Saturday to Sunday the state of health emergency in force since October, allowing its inhabitants to leave their region to change air or find relatives they did not have seen for months.

“I was too sick of not being able to get out” of the Madrid region, “I felt frustrated, attached, without freedom,” says Blanca Valls, 46-year-old jewelry designer, who will go next weekend to Galicia (northwest) for a birthday and hope to go to the beach soon.

Apart from Christmas when the restrictions were relaxed for a few days to allow family reunions, the Spaniards have not been able to leave their region since the start of the state of emergency at the end of October.

7:35.

Covid-19 vaccine: the puzzle of the second dose before the summer holidays.

As summer vacation approaches, planning your second dose six to twelve weeks after the first, depending on the serum received, is not always easy.

The government is working on this issue to keep up the pace.

Our topic to read here.

7:30 am.

Very slow decline in the epidemic in France.

25,800 people are still hospitalized due to Covid-19.

They were 28,603 seven days ago.

5,005 patients are cared for in critical care services, reserved for the most serious cases.

They were 5,581 seven days ago.

7:25 am.

176 new deaths in France in the last 24 hours.

A total of 106,306 people have died since the start of the epidemic.

7:20 a.m.

11.5% of the population vaccinated with both doses in France.

“Since the start of the vaccination campaign in France, 17,650,812 people have received at least one injection (i.e. 26.3% of the total population and 33.6% of the adult population) and 7,711,885 people have received two injections (ie 11.5% of the total population and 14.7% of the adult population) ”, indicates the General Directorate of Health.

7:15 am.

Hello and welcome to this live.

We will accompany you throughout this day of Sunday, May 9, 2021 to follow the events linked to the Covid-19 pandemic which has been disrupting our lives for more than 15 months.