News

French Prime Minister extends coronavirus lockdown by two weeks until April 15

27, March 2020

French Prime Minister extends coronavirus lockdown by two weeks until April 15 0

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced on Friday a two-week extension of a nationwide lockdown in an effort to stem a surge in coronavirus cases across France.

The French PM said in a speech that the government had decided to extend the country’s coronavirus lockdown, until April 15.

“After these first 10 days of confinement, it is clear that we are just at the beginning of this epidemic wave. It has submerged eastern France and now it is arriving in the Paris region and northern France,” said Philippe.

For this reason, he said, the confinement period would be extended by two weeks from Tuesday next week, and added that the same rules would apply.

Philippe said that this period would only be extended again if the health situation required it.

The prime minister has warned that the number of cases is expected to rise in the Paris region and northern France, after heavily hitting eastern France.

France has reported nearly 1,700 deaths of people with the virus in hospitals, the fifth-highest number of any country worldwide. The nation’s numbers have continued to mount since the confinement began on March 17.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)

British PM Johnson tests positive for COVID-19

27, March 2020

British PM Johnson tests positive for COVID-19 0

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” he said on Twitter, posting a video message.

“I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus,” he wrote.

“Be in no doubt that I can continue thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus,” he added in the video message.

A Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement that Johnson, whose partner Carrie Symonds is pregnant, experienced mild symptoms on Thursday and was tested for COVID-19 on the personal advice of England’s chief medical officer.

The test was carried out in No 10 by NHS staff, the spokesperson added.

In his video message, Johnson thanked workers in Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) for their efforts in battling the spread of the virus.

A total of 11,658 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Britain, and 578 deaths.

Earlier this week Prince Charles, the eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II, also tested positive for the virus.

The government confirmed this week that if Johnson was incapacitated, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would temporarily assume the role of prime minister.

 AFP

France reports new spike of 365 daily coronavirus deaths

26, March 2020

France reports new spike of 365 daily coronavirus deaths 0

French health authorities reported 365 new deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, taking the total to 1,696.

The rise in the number of deaths represents a daily rise of 27 percent, a marked increase from the previous day with France now in its second week of lockdown.

This daily government tally only accounts for those dying in hospital, but authorities said they would soon be able to compile data on deaths in retirement homes, which is likely to result in a big increase in registered fatalities.

During a press conference, health agency director Jérôme Salomon added that the number of cases had risen to 29,155, a rise of 16 percent in 24 hours.

Salomon said 3,375 people were in a serious condition needing life support, up 19 percent compared to Wednesday and meaning that close to half of France’s 8,000 beds equipped with ventilation gear are occupied.

French economy operating at 65 percent

The rise in coronavirus tolls came as the official INSEE statistical agency said French economic activity and household spending are running at about 65 percent of normal levels due to the coronavirus outbreak.

INSEE gave the first picture of the impact of the nationwide lockdown as it published its monthly business confidence index, which saw its biggest single drop since records began in 1980.

The index fell to 95 points from 105 points in February with even steeper declines seen in the services and retail sectors, INSEE said.

The French government has prepared a €45 billion package – 2 percent of GDP – of crisis measures made up mainly of deferred taxes and payroll charges for companies, and payments to companies who put workers on reduced schedules.

Additionally, the government is guaranteeing up to €300 billion euros – 15 percent of GDP – of corporate borrowing from commercial banks to keep credit flowing to the economy.

INSEE said it was too early to try to forecast how deep the downturn would be, but it estimated that each month of confinement would reduce economic activity by 12 percentage points on a quarterly basis and 3 percentage points on an annual basis.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

Coronavirus Outbreak: Russia to ground all international flights from midnight

26, March 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: Russia to ground all international flights from midnight 0

Russia will halt all international flights from midnight on Friday under a government decree listing new measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

The decree published on Thursday orders aviation authorities to halt all regular and charter flights, with the exception of special flights evacuating Russian citizens from abroad.

Russia’s civil aviation agency Rosaviatsiya will halt “regular and charter air travel from Russian airports to airports of foreign states and back,” according to the decree published on the government’s website. The grounding starts at midnight Friday, or 2100 GMT Thursday.

The decree said that flights authorised by the Russian government would be exempt from the rule. The new measures do not apply to domestic flights within Russia.

The government said Russians who were unable to return due to restrictions imposed by countries they are in should take measures to stay safe.

The decree also called on the finance ministry to allocate funds to repatriate Russians, adding that returnees would be subject to health checks and a two-week quarantine.

Russia, which has reported 658 cases of the coronavirus and announced two COVID-19 related deaths Wednesday, already closed its borders to foreigners last week.

Earlier in March, Russia limited flights to and from the European Union.

Source:  AFP

Coronavirus Epidemic: French military to join fight in France as toll grows

26, March 2020

Coronavirus Epidemic: French military to join fight in France as toll grows 0

The French military will support public services strained by the coronavirus epidemic, President Emmanuel Macron has said, as the country’s death toll topped 1,300.

France like other nations has already imposed a nationwide ban on non-essential movement and closed schools and restaurants in a bid to stop the spread of the pandemic.

The military operation, named “Resilience”, will focus on “aiding and supporting the population, as well as helping public services face the epidemic in mainland France and overseas”, Macron said on Wednesday.

“Unity and courage will allow us to overcome this, we are only at the beginning, but we will hold out,” Macron added, declaring that France was “at war”.

The comments came after the president visited a military field hospital set up by the army in the eastern Mulhouse region which has been badly hit by the coronavirus.

“The whole nation has been mobilised” in the fight against the disease, said a masked Macron, who also promised more investment for hospitals.

Officials said on Wednesday Paris will also cut metro and train services to a minimum in the capital and its suburbs and close two of its airports as the country expands the lockdown measures.

Operators said the goal was to keep just enough trains running for health workers and others who need to get to work during the coronavirus crisis.

Police are carrying out checks at stations to prevent unnecessary travel, not least by people hoping to escape confinement in large cities.

Also Wednesday, Paris airports operator ADP said it would temporarily shut Orly airport, the main domestic hub, to commercial flights because of the “significant and sudden” drop-off in passenger traffic because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

“Yesterday passenger traffic at Orly was down 92 percent and down 89 percent at Charles de Gaulle,” the main Paris international hub, ADP’s managing director Edward Arkwright told journalists.

The group had already shut several terminals at both airports as airlines slashed flights.

France has reported 1,331 official coronavirus deaths since the first case was reported in January. More than 11,500 people have tested positive for the virus.

The government will announce over the coming days for how long the country’s lockdown measures would continue, spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said.

Source:  AFP

France records 231 coronavirus deaths in a day

25, March 2020

France records 231 coronavirus deaths in a day 0

French health authorities reported 231 new deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total to 1,331.

The rise in the number of deaths from coronavirus represents a daily increase in France of 21%, a slight slowing from the previous two days with the country now in its second week of lockdown.

This daily government tally only accounts for those dying in hospital but authorities said they would soon be able to compile data on deaths in retirement homes, which is likely to result in a big increase in registered fatalities.

During a press conference, health agency director Jerome Salomon added that the number of cases had risen to 25,233, a rise of about 13% in 24 hours.

Salomon said 2,827 people were in a serious condition, needing life support, up 12% compared to Tuesday and meaning that more than one third of France’s 8,000 beds equipped with ventilation gear are occupied.

(REUTERS)

UN launches virus aid plan, says all of humanity at risk

25, March 2020

UN launches virus aid plan, says all of humanity at risk 0

The coronavirus pandemic is threatening the entire human race, the United Nations warned Wednesday as it launched a humanitarian response plan featuring an appeal for $2 billion to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

“COVID-19 is threatening the whole of humanity -– and the whole of humanity must fight back,” Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in announcing the initiative.

“Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.”

Just last week, as the novel coronavirus spread to more and more countries, killing thousands and infecting many more, Guterres warned that unless the world came together to curb the spread, millions of people could die.

The plan “aims to enable us to fight the virus in the world’s poorest countries, and address the needs of the most vulnerable people, especially women and children, older people, and those with disabilities or chronic illness,” said Guterres.

If fully funded, “it will save many lives and arm humanitarian agencies and NGOs with laboratory supplies for testing, and with medical equipment to treat the sick while protecting health care workers,” he added.

The amount of money sought by the plan is small compared to the $2 trillion that the US Congress is poised to approve as a rescue effort for devastated American consumers, companies and hospitals as the world’s largest economy grinds to a sudden halt.

– Two scenarios –

The UN plan is designed to last from April to December — suggesting the world body does not see the health crisis abating any time soon.

The exact total of $2.012 billion is supposed to flow in in response to appeals that various UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, have already made.

Guterres said that in parallel, humanitarian aid provided yearly by member states to help 100 million people around the world must continue.

Otherwise, he said, the coronavirus pandemic could lead to rampant outbreaks of other diseases such as cholera and measles, as well as higher levels of malnutrition.

“This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable,” Guterres said.

As spelled out in an 80-page booklet, the UN plan will be carried out by UN agencies that work directly with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

It will be coordinated by the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Mark Lowcock of Britain.

The money will be used for a variety of purposes: to set up hand-washing facilities in refugee camps, launch public awareness campaigns and establish humanitarian air shuttles with Africa, Asia and Latin America, the UN says.

The exact needs of some countries are still being identified.

The plan names 20 or so as deserving top priority for aid, including some enduring war or some degree of conflict, such as Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela and Ukraine.

But countries such as Iran and North Korea are also analyzed in the booklet.

The plan foresees two general scenarios as to how the pandemic might evolve.

Under the first, the pandemic is brought under control relatively quickly as its rate of spread slows over the course of three or four months. This, it says, would allow for a relatively swift recovery in terms of public health and the economy.

But under the second model, the pandemic spreads quickly in countries that are poor or developing, mainly in Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas.

“This leads to longer periods of closed borders and limited freedom of movement, further contributing to a global slowdown that is already under way,” said the UN.

Source: AFP

Coronavirus hits war-ravaged Mali, sparks scare among Nigerian leaders

25, March 2020

Coronavirus hits war-ravaged Mali, sparks scare among Nigerian leaders 0

Four countries led by war-ravaged Mali on Wednesday joined the lengthening list of African countries hit by the novel coronavirus as fears of the disease swept members of Nigeria’s political elite.

Mali, mired in an eight-year-old conflict, said two nationals who had returned from France had tested positive for the virus.

Libya, another conflict-torn country, as well as the volatile West African state of Guinea-Bissau and Uganda in East Africa also reported their first cases of COVID-19.

More than 2,400 cases were recorded in all of Africa as of Wednesday, according to an AFP tally, with 64 deaths.

Although the toll is far lower than those recorded in Europe, the United States and the Middle East, health experts say the world’s poorest continent is especially vulnerable to the virus.

Poor healthcare infrastructure, weak governance and crowded slums present ideal conditions for the respiratory disease to spread.

Conflict, in particular, is a major factor in aggravating the risk.

Mali is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north in 2012 which has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives.

The conflict has since spread to the centre of the country, and large swathes of the vast semi-arid state lie outside of government control.

The government, which earlier banned commercial flights from virus-stricken countries, appealed for the public to “remain calm and to strictly respect the recommended preventive measures”.

The UN on Wednesday placed the spotlight on the Central African Republic (CAR), also gripped by conflict.

CAR “is one of the least prepared countries to face a COVID-19 outbreak, with 2.2 million people already in need of health assistance and about 70 percent of health services provided by humanitarian organisations,” the country’s coronavirus Global Humanitarian Response Plan warned.

– ‘Jittery’ in Nigeria –

In the Nigerian capital Abuja, meanwhile, fears spread of coronavirus infection among senior politicians.

A number of state governors as well as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were in self-isolation after coming into contact with two individuals infected with COVID-19.

According to the president’s office and local media, one of them is President Muhammadu Buhari’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari, one of Nigeria’s most influential figures.

The political elite “is in panic mode following the confirmed case of the chief of staff,”a source close to the presidency said.

“As the engine room of government, (Kyari) has contact with various segments of the society. So everybody who has had contact with him since he returned from Germany is jittery. Most of us are in self-isolation.”

Nigeria’s elite often jet abroad for private medical care, typically favouring Britain or the United States, rather than entrusting themselves to the country’s rundown hospitals.

“STUCK!”, said author Elnathan John on social media. “Nowhere to run.”

Buhari, 77, who was re-elected in February last year, made several trips to London during his first four-year term for a condition that has never been disclosed.

– Lockdowns, curfews –

African states have been adopting increasingly restrictive measures against the invisible peril.

Senegal and Ivory Coast have declared states of emergency and ordered nighttime curfews, similar to South Sudan, which has ordered a nightly lockdown from 8 pm to 6 am.

South Africa, the continent’s largest economy, is set to enter a lockdown from Thursday.

Ethiopia announced Wednesday it would free more than 4,000 prisoners to help prevent an outbreak in overcrowded prisons.

The measures will apply to those jailed for “petty crimes” and drug offences or have less than a year remaining on their sentences.

Conditions in Ethiopia’s prisons are “harsh and in some cases life-threatening,” marred by “gross overcrowding and inadequate food, water, sanitation and medical care,” according to the latest annual human rights report on Ethiopia from the US State Department.

Source:  AFP

South Africa prepares to go into lockdown as coronavirus cases top 700

25, March 2020

South Africa prepares to go into lockdown as coronavirus cases top 700 0

South Africa’s coronavirus cases jumped again to 709, the health minister said Wednesday, as the country with the most cases in Africa prepared to go into lockdown first thing Friday.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on state television pointed out “intense local spread” in Free State province among attendees of a church gathering where five cases were reported. All five in people who had recently traveled abroad. Now almost 30 cases have been recorded.

Cases across Africa are now well above 2,400. With Libya announcing its first case, 44 of the continent’s 54 countries now have the virus.

Those that have not recorded cases are Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Burundi, Malawi, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho and Sao Tome and Principe, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some have the most fragile health systems on the continent.

Congo became the latest country to close its borders while reporting its third death. The sprawling nation has one of Africa’s weakest health systems and has been battling another global health emergency, a deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the east.

While that outbreak now appears to be within days of being declared over, Congo also faces a large measles outbreak.

As more countries across Africa impose restrictions on gatherings and travel, many informal workers are suffering. Ethiopia’s government in a proposal to the Group of 20 major industrialized nations has said Africa needs a $150 billion emergency financing package because “COVID-19 poses an existential threat to the economies of African countries.”

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

Source: AP

Southern Cameroons Leader Laments Manu Dibango’s Death, Sends Message of Condolence

25, March 2020

Southern Cameroons Leader Laments Manu Dibango’s Death, Sends Message of Condolence 0

On behalf of the people of Southern Cameroons, now known as Ambazonians, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of N’djoke Emmanuel Dibango aka  Manu Dibango following his demise in Paris, France, on Tuesday 24th March 2020.

His demise is not only a tragic loss to all people of African descent but to all of humanity. Manu’s life and accomplishments through his music transcended tribe, race, skin color and national boundaries. Manu pushed these boundaries to what was possible with his music and brought African music to be globally acclaimed.

Manu Dibango entertained, educated and provoked the human mind with his artistry. He was a pacesetter for Cameroun, Africa and the world. We miss him.

We wish his family, friends, fans and loved ones the fortitude to bear this monumental loss.

May his soul rest in perfect peace. Adieu.

President Sisiku AyukTabe

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