Coronavirus: what you need to know this Wednesday, April 1

Good evening,

Today, on this 16th day of confinement, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe spoke of a gradual “deconfinement” , paving the way for a “voluntary” tracing of the French. Thirty-six patients from Île-de-France have been transferred to Brittany , but the fear is now focused on an upcoming shortage of drugs which could paralyze resuscitation services. Finally, the government has introduced five new orders on the economic front .

Roland Gauron, journalist at Le Figaro

1. Where is the epidemic?

France passed the 4,000 dead mark on Wednesday. According to the latest report from the health authorities, 509 people infected with Covid-19 have died in hospital in the past 24 hours. This brings to 4032 the number of patients who have died since the start of the epidemic in France.

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

A total of 24,639 people are hospitalized, which is 1,882 more than on Tuesday. Among them, the influx of heavy cases in intensive care continues with 6017 people in intensive care. This is " more than the initial capacity of France " before hospitals increase the number of beds in intensive care, said the Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon.

2. What happened today

What post-containment? The government is studying several avenues for post-containment. It is likely that the "deconfinement" will not be done at once, announced Édouard Philippe heard before the National Assembly. Among the avenues envisaged, France could set up, on a voluntary basis, an application capable of alerting those who have crossed the path of an infected person. "For the monitoring of the population to be relevant, two conditions must be met: that it be downloaded and used!" , nevertheless specifies the journalist Elsa Bembaron. In the meantime, the executive is struggling to convince the French: 53% of them believe that it is not doing enough.

Today in our hospitals we consume certain drugs ten to twenty times more than usual

The risk of a shortage. Two medical TGVs evacuated 36 patients from Île-de-France to Brittany to relieve hospitals in the region. At the same time, a tremendous surge of solidarity was raised to fill the shortages of resuscitation equipment. "We are on the verge of drowning, we have to change gear" , alarms Frédéric Valletoux, president of the French Hospital Federation. Another looming threat is the shortage of certain essential drugs. "Today, in our hospitals, we consume ten to twenty times more than usual," says Professor Rémi Salomon, the representative of the medical community of the AP-HP. For serious patients, even out of the woods, a long recovery is on the horizon.

Read also: Coronavirus: even without serious complications, the disease can be trying

On the job front. The figure has increased by more than a million since Friday, in just a few days. In all, more than 3.6 million workers are now on short-time work because of the epidemic, announced Muriel Pénicaud. The Minister of Labor presented this Wednesday in the Council of Ministers five new orders. Tax-free premiums, occupational medicine, training ... journalist William Plummer takes stock of their content. Supported by four labor law experts, her colleague Océane Herrero has selected ten questions that you have asked her in the past two days.

With five dead and 1,354 sick, South Africa is the most affected country on the continent by the pandemic. REUTERS / Siphiwe Sibeko

Africa in great danger. On this particularly fragile continent faced with the Covid-19 epidemic, a catastrophic scenario is looming. To protect itself, Côte d'Ivoire has taken drastic measures. In Abidjan, 3000 gendarmes and police are deployed to enforce the curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. South Africa too is afraid of being overwhelmed. With five dead and 1,354 sick, Nelson Mandela's country is the most affected on the continent by the pandemic. Brussels has started to release funds, not without ulterior motives. "Because, explains our correspondent Anne Rovan, the objective is also to avoid" re-importing "the Covid-19 into Europe."

Read also: Is the virus less aggressive when the climate is hot?

3. Put away, see, listen ...

Tidy. Now is the time for spring cleaning more than ever. Confinement is a perfect opportunity to finally put some order in your library. If some like it scattered, others prefer it well classified. Le Figaro asked nine authors how they organize their books. To each his own method. “I made a radical choice: I classify by publishing houses. I like this effect of visual harmony in the shelves, ” says Jean-Luc Coatalem, winner of the Jean-Giono Prize for La Part du fils .

Read also: Louis de Funès, a man-orchestra

Listen. In these scary times, Neil Young decided to offer an invaluable gift to all his fans and put all his discography in free access on the platform Neil Young Archives. "The site is a godsend: there are all the recordings made by Neil Young since 1963, the texts of the songs, images, but also the films he has made under the pseudonym of Bernard Shakey since 1972" , presents the musical critic Olivier Nuc. The folk singer has also posted since last week "fireside sessions".

As for shows, it is a festival of great ballets. Three companies to attend the ultimate

See. "Let a dancer be left at home: he reveals himself like a caged lion," notes Ariane Bavelier. She listed the many initiatives for the ballet to enchant the long days of confinement. Several dancers stand out from home on Instagram. “On the show side, it's a festival of great ballets. Three companies to attend the ultimate , ” continues the journalist. The Bolshoi, the Paris Opera and the Royal Ballet in London offer some of their best shows for free online.

To read also: The interior dress, a question of time

To cook. It is François Perret's turn to bow to the exercise of the chef's comforting recipe with a chocolate soufflé. “I'm a big fan of chocolate. Served hot, in terms of comfort, difficult to do better! The soufflé seems complex but, in reality, it is a rather simple recipe, which can be made at the last moment, ” explains the pastry chef of the Ritz. "My little tip, for adults, is to add a little fleur de sel and a few turns of red Kampot pepper mill.

4. Picture of the day

Two medical TGVs evacuated on Wednesday 36 patients from coronavirus in intensive care, from Paris to Brittany, the first major operation of this kind since Ile-de-France, now the region most affected by the epidemic. Thomas Samson / AFP

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 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.