Coronavirus: what you need to know this Friday, March 27

Good evening,

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced today that the confinement will be extended until at least April 15 . After the Great East, Île-de-France is preparing to be overwhelmed by an influx of seriously ill. In the face of adversity, the French nonetheless show unfailing solidarity , especially towards the nursing staff. In the UK, Boris Johnson announced that he had contracted the disease.

Good reading,

Roland Gauron, journalist at Le Figaro

1. Where is the epidemic?

Health authorities recorded an additional 299 hospital deaths between Thursday and Friday, bringing the number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus to 1995. According to the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, the country now has 32,964 cases of contamination and 3,787 people are in intensive care. He also reported a total of 5700 healings observed in health facilities.

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

According to INSEE figures, the excess mortality, i.e. excess deaths compared to the usual trends, amounted to 6% during the week of March 16 to 22. In five regions, the excess mortality is significant: 37.8% in the Grand Est, 17.3% in the Hauts-de-France, 21% in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 35.7% in Île-de-France and 39.2% for Corsica in the same week, said Jérôme Salomon.

Read also: Follow the evolution of the epidemic, department by department

2. What happened today

Prolonged confinement. It was expected. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced at the end of the Council of Ministers an extension of the confinement at least until April 15. He cropped his ministers in passing, urging them not to speak on health matters, while the brunt of the storm awaits them. "Even more than now, the government must be solid in its action and clear in its expression," said Guillaume Tabard in his column. In the meantime, the calculator is panicking as new, highly budget-consuming measures are taken. Interviewed by Le Figaro , Marine Le Pen did not spare the executive: "The French are measuring the collapse of the state" .

Read also: Apocalypse, divine punishment: when the coronavirus credits fundamentalist and sectarian prophecies

Faced with adversity, mutual aid. Every evening, at 8 p.m., the applause of the French at their windows testifies to an incredible surge of solidarity that runs through the country, especially towards caregivers. "This responds to a double function of social cohesion and social bond" , explains the psychosociologist Sylvain Delouvée. Our journalist Anne de Guigné also takes over the initiative of an association which proposes to centralize letters and drawings for residents of Ehpad. In big cities, where anonymity is king, confinement has broken the ice between neighbors, notes Bénédicte Lutaud. Even if, according to data collected by Orange, many city dwellers have taken the route of the exodus.

We're not overwhelmed yet but we're really on a ridge line

After Grand Est, Île-de-France. The situation is becoming critical in Île-de-France. A race against the clock has started to cope with the ever-increasing influx of serious patients. According to the Ile-de-France ARS, the number of beds in intensive care must be increased to 2000 this weekend. "We are not yet overwhelmed but we are really on a crest line , " alarms Professor Xavier Lescure, infectious disease doctor at Bichat hospital. In the Paris region, like everywhere in France, medical students lend a hand to the Samu. Supervised by doctors and regulatory assistants, they explain the symptoms of the virus and the procedure to follow over the phone.

The figures linked to the coronavirus epidemic in the Paris region are now "dizzying", assured the director of the Ile-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS). Philippe Lopez / AFP

Boris Johnson contaminated. In London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. For its part, China locks its borders to prevent a second wave of contamination. According to Jean-Louis Tremblay, the Middle Kingdom took advantage of the situation to move on to the world counter-offensive, notably targeting Washington. In the Gulf, a juicy market has formed around evacuations in private jets, says Georges Malbrunot. Vincent Jolly of Figaro Magazine observes for his part a change in organized crime in the face of the pandemic.

3. See, read, play…

To escape. The Center Pompidou intended to celebrate in its own way the 150th anniversary of the birth of the painter Henri Matisse. "Originally scheduled from May 13 to August 31, Matisse, like a novel, is directly affected by the epidemic and confinement, which suspends all transportation of works, all exhibition mounting and makes opening to the public random" , says Valérie Duponchelle . The journalist offers meanwhile a series of readings to better escape in the company of the artist of light.

Also read: Blanche Gardin, Florence Foresti, Gaspard Proust ... with whom to laugh during confinement?

See. Bertrand Guyard from the Culture du Figaro department invites you to take the plunge on the Italian roads of the early 1960s with Le Fanfaron , a masterpiece by Dino Risi. "In what must be called a satire, Dino Risi, without touching it, will have succeeded in denouncing or rather pointing out, the grandeur and pettiness of the Italian soul: bashfulness and courage, inexpressible charm and low vulgarity , modernity and obsolescence ” , underlines the journalist. The film is available on Orange or Canal VOD platforms.

Board games are a way to escape the feeling of isolation.

To play. Nothing like a board game to lighten the atmosphere. "In this period of crisis, this kind of entertainment allows us to divert our attention from screens and anxiety-provoking information" , explains to Le Figaro psychologist Laetitia Devalois. "Board games are a way of escaping the feeling of isolation." No need for Monopoly, Scrabble or Cluedo on hand: journalist Claire Conruyt offers you a series of fun activities that only require paper and a pen.

Read also: How (better) to eat during confinement?

To cook. Is your favorite Asian restaurant closed? Whatever. Adeline Grattard, at the head of three tables in the Halles district, including the star Yam'Tcha, presents her recipe for sticky rice with white asparagus and shrimps. "Enough to spend a festive Sunday in family, since the" sticky rice "also appeals to children! Often people do not dare to start preparing it, but it is actually very simple… ” says the 41-year-old chef.

4. Picture of the day

It is a first: alone on the gigantic deserted square of Saint Peter's basilica, Pope Francis presided over a world prayer on Friday against the pandemic, concluded with an unusual blessing "Urbi et orbi". Vincenzo Pinto / AFP

Read also: Only Saint Peter's Square, the Pope blesses Rome and the world

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.
• Do your shopping in "authorized local shops".
• Go to the doctor or pharmacy.
• Travel to babysit or care for "vulnerable" people.
• Make brief trips, one hour maximum and within a radius of one kilometer, related to individual physical exercise.
• Go to judicial or administrative summons.
• Participate in missions of general interest at the request of the administrative authority.

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 be handwritten. The document must be completed at each outing to justify the reason. Violators are liable to a fixed fine of 135 euros, or even 1500 euros in the event of a repeat offense.

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: highly contagious patients in the first days of infection

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 at home, if you don't show up
• Yes

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