Coronavirus: what you need to know this Monday, March 23

Good evening,

Confinement, day 7. Since the beginning of the epidemic due to the coronavirus, the editorial staff of Le Figaro is mobilized and tells you about the battle against the Covid-19 which is engaged in the world. We invite you to find in this letter sent each evening a selection of interviews, surveys and reports carried out by our journalists, in France and abroad, as well as practical information.

Good reading,

Roland Gauron, journalist at Le Figaro

1. Where is the epidemic?

The Covid-19 has killed 860 people since the start of the epidemic, announced the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. In the past 24 hours, 186 more people have died from the disease. Among the last deceased patients were a general practitioner and a gynecologist, bringing the number of deceased practitioners to five.

History of the epidemic in the 50 most affected countries. Marie Coussin and Nicolas Mondon for Fig Data

France now has 8,675 people hospitalized for Covid-19, an increase of 1,435 patients since Sunday evening. Among them, 2,082 patients were treated in an intensive care unit, 335 more than yesterday. A total of 19,856 cases were recorded in the territory, i.e. 3,176 cases more in 24 hours.

2. What happened today

Hardened containment rules. Even before the government's announcements, the French had resigned themselves to an extension of the measures. Guest of the TF1 8 p.m., Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced the restriction of sports outings, limited to a radius of 1 km and a maximum of one hour. The open markets will be closed from Tuesday, unless the authorities waive them. "The time of confinement may last a few more weeks," added the head of government. Jean-Michel Blanquer seemed to favor the scenario of a return to school after the last spring break, next May 4. "We are obviously dependent on the development of the epidemic," said the Minister of National Education.

Read also: Pascal Bruckner: "We are forced to make our seclusion an art of living"

The executive is betting on partial unemployment. In an interview with Le Figaro , the Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, takes stock of the new methods of implementing partial unemployment in companies and other social provisions, such as taking holidays, of the emergency health law voted on Sunday. "The objective is clearly not to dismiss", justifies the minister. The liberal professions will also be able to benefit from the partial unemployment scheme, explains our journalist Anne-Hélène Pommier. On one condition, however: their usual taxable profit must not exceed 40,000 euros per year.

The ideal is to keep the same wake-up time every day, to set a sufficient but not excessive sleep duration.

Watch over his health. In this period of confinement, sleep appears more than ever a key marker of our general state. Professor Pierre Philip, head of the Bordeaux CHU sleep clinic, advises Le Figaro : "The ideal is to keep the same wake-up time every day, to set a sufficient but not excessive sleep duration, that is to say between seven and eight hours maximum. " Damien Mascret of the Health service warns about excessive sports, especially in case of fever. For some, alcohol has become a temptation to break away from boredom. "The question of loneliness, in periods of confinement, can be anxiety-provoking," recognizes psychologist Julie Quiquempois.

Read also: Reality of containment: take part in our survey

Countries resisting containment. In Scandinavia, Sweden is an exception. "The Swedes are only invited to follow common sense instructions: stay at home if you are sick, limit your trips to the country, wash your hands ... especially if you are over 70 years old," notes Frédéric on the spot. False. Turkey has also not yet taken the plunge. "If Turkey is still far from the measures imposed in China, France and Italy, it could quickly get closer," nuances our correspondent Delphine Minoui. In Brazil, the erratic management of the crisis by President Jair Bolsonaro irritates the population. According to a survey, they are even 64% to disapprove of it. When, where it all started, China is gradually lifting traffic restrictions in Wuhan.

Employees remove barriers in Wuhan, while containment measures are gradually being relaxed. CHINA DAILY / REUTERS

3. Read, discover, cook…

During confinement, the "Et vous" notebook in Le Figaro turns into "Chez vous". Cinema, art, music, literature ... an infinite field is offered to us through new technologies or in a more traditional form.

To escape. With 67 million French people confined, the internet is likely to saturate. We give you a few tips to keep a quality connection from home: connect your computer to the box by an ethernet cable, turn off the TV box ... Some may surprise you. "After all, it may be time to take out the relegated DVD player in the wardrobe and connect it to the TV to have a good time full of family memories," suggests our journalist Didier Sanz.

Read also: André Chastel, the imperious happiness of learning

Read. Since Monday morning, Fabrice Luchini has started reading Jean de La Fontaine's fables. On an Instagram account created for the occasion, the incomparable storyteller will offer his subscribers a different fable every two or three days. To start this series, the actor chose a text of circumstance: the fable The bear and the Garden lover. "I heard the word confinement tirelessly," he explains in the preamble. And it reminded me of a fable from La Fontaine, which talks about the confinement of a garden lover and a bear, and who can no longer be alone. ”

A revolutionary show whose stars are horses, and nothing but horses

See. The twelve extraordinary minutes were presented at the Venice Film Festival in August 2019. They will be available from Thursday on arte.tv in virtual reality. The images are taken from Ex Anima, Bartabas' last show for his equestrian theater Zingaro. "A revolutionary spectacle whose stars are horses, and nothing but horses," confides our journalist Ariane Bavelier. The squire explained to him his approach: "I was interested in giving people who are watching the impression of being in the center of the track, among the horses."

Read also: The Serbian national orchestra performs Bella Ciao in tribute to Italy and the rest of the world

To cook. For dessert, or at any other time of the day, star chef Hélène Darroze delivers her French toast recipe to Le Figaro . “French toast is my Proust madeleine. My childhood dessert in the Landes. My grandmother often made it with leftover bread. Coming home from school, when I could smell the taste of this snack down the stairs from his home, it was truly happiness! ” , remembers the famous jury of the show "Top Chef" on M6. Before telling us his secret: "I no longer remember my grandmother's exact recipe, but in my version I mix milk and cream to make it smoother."

4. Picture of the day

In Alsace, the army is installing a field hospital in Mulhouse, which should be operational at the start of the week. Patrick Herzog / AFP

Read also: Find out what the military field hospital in Mulhouse looks like

5. Containment, instructions for use

Despite the containment measures, it is possible to leave your home in several cases:

• Go to your place of work, if teleworking is impossible.
• Go shopping in "authorized local shops".
• Go to the doctor or pharmacy.
• Travel to babysit or care for "vulnerable" people. Separated parents have the right to go to each other.
• Brief trips related to individual physical exercise. Walking your dog is allowed.

Read also: Coronavirus: what is allowed and what is prohibited during confinement

In the event of an inspection, you must present a certificate to the police. It can be downloaded here or can be written by hand. The document must be completed at each outing to justify the reason. Violators are liable to a fixed fine of 135 euros which can be increased to 375 euros.

6. 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 when you are sick.
• 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 a few hours on different surfaces.

Read also - Coronavirus is contagious, even without symptoms

The disease manifests itself in 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 .

7. What to do in case of symptoms?

The most important thing is not to go immediately to a general practitioner or to the emergency room to avoid infecting more people. Wearing a mask is highly recommended. For the rest, the recommendations of the Ministry of Health differ from case to case:

Stay home if you have few or no symptoms , taking care not to infect your loved ones. If you have a fever, take paracetamol. Possibly plan a follow-up teleconsultation with your doctor.

If you feel difficulty breathing , with a feeling of suffocation, after having felt proud and coughing for several days, call 15. Centers 15 being overwhelmed, rhinitis and fever or cough well tolerated should not make the subject of an appeal.

For any other question - there are probably many - do not hesitate to make a detour by this article.

See you tomorrow.