While the coronavirus has been raging since December worldwide, more than three billion people are now confined and 31,000 have died. At the end of this last weekend in March - the second confinement for the French - we will summarize the news related to the Covid-19 for the past two days.
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• In France
Important announcements
Saturday late afternoon, Edouard Philippe and Olivier Véran announced that a billion protective masks and five million rapid tests had been ordered, and that they wished to reach a target of 14,000 to 14,500 resuscitation beds . " The fight is just beginning, " said the Prime Minister. " The first fortnight of April will be difficult, even more difficult than the fortnight which has just passed ".
Read also: Coronavirus: what to remember from Philippe and Véran's announcements
Other announcements were made through the press. In Le Parisien , Secretary of State for Gender Equality Marlène Schiappa said that "ephemeral support points" would be created in shopping centers to accommodate women victims of violence. In Le JDD, the president of the Île-de-France region Valérie Pécresse assured that the Navigo pass for April would be reimbursed.
Repeated violation of confinement more severely punished
If the fine for non-compliance with confinement still amounts to 135 euros, that for recidivism within fifteen days has been increased to 200 euros. If more than three violations within thirty days are found, the person concerned is liable to six months in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros.
Read also: In case of recurrence within 15 days, the fine for non-compliance with confinement will be 200 euros
Patient transfers are accelerating
After several transfers in recent days, patient evacuations have accelerated this weekend. A German military aircraft and a French army helicopter, deployed as part of Operation Resilience, thus evacuated several patients from eastern France to Germany, whose resuscitation services are saturated. Two medical TGVs have made it possible to transfer patients from the Great East to New Aquitaine.
Read also: Coronavirus: patients from the Grand Est arrived in Bordeaux and Poitiers
2,314 hospital dead
According to the latest report announced by the authorities on Saturday evening, 35,575 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in France, and 2,314 people have died in hospitals across the country since March 1. This assessment, which should further increase this Sunday evening, does not take into account people who died elsewhere than in the hospital, especially in nursing homes.
The disappearance of Patrick Devedjian
Patrick Devedjian, the president of the Hauts-de-Seine department, died on the night of Saturday to Sunday from the consequences of the coronavirus. Thursday, the septuagenarian had written on Twitter: "I am affected by the epidemic, therefore able to testify directly to the exceptional work of doctors and all caregivers. Tired but stabilized thanks to them, I go back up the hill and send them a very big thank you for their constant help to all the patients ” . But his state of health then deteriorated very quickly.
Read also: Patrick Devedjian, the departure of a free spirit
• Abroad
Italy passes the 10,000 death mark
On Saturday, Italy, the most affected country in the world in number of deaths, crossed the 10,000 death mark. The Italian authorities now deplore 10,023 deaths for 92,472 cases, but expect a slowdown in the contagion and put forward the 12,384 people considered to be cured.
Read also: Italy hopes for good news next week
Spain shutdown for two weeks
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday that all "non-essential" activities in the country would be halted for two weeks, from March 30 to April 9. On Sunday, a new assessment established that Spain now had 78,797 confirmed cases and 6,528 deaths.
Read also: Coronavirus: Spain stops its "non-essential" economy
The virus spreads relentlessly in the United States
In the United States, the country most affected by the number of infections, 124,686 cases were reported. The number of deaths has doubled since Wednesday and now stands at 2191. A baby less than a year old has notably died in Illinois, while the serious forms of Covid-19 seemed so far rather to spare young children .
Read also: Coronavirus: a baby dies in the United States
New York State is particularly affected, with 52,318 cases and 728 deaths, including 672 in New York City alone. Governor Andrew Cuomo has decided to postpone the presidential primary, originally scheduled for April 28, to June 23. After raising the possibility of quarantining the state, President Donald Trump finally gave up.
Our two weekend lives can be found here:
[SUNDAY] LIVE - Coronavirus: 200 euros in the event of repeated breaches of confinement, 2.2 million employees are partially unemployed in France
[SATURDAY] LIVE - Coronavirus: "the first 15 days of April will be even more difficult than the 15 days" passed, says Philippe
And here are some articles published this weekend on our site:
Coronavirus and containment: the good news guide (anyway)
Coronavirus and containment: France of emptiness and silence
Containment: animals reclaim cities
First coronavirus convictions drop
Coronavirus: the ten things that have changed this week in France