Coronavirus Global Updates, April 14: France extends lockdown for four more weeks as positive cases worldwide near 2 million

Coronavirus latest updates: French President Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of France’s strict lockdown until May 11. The country has been under lockdown since March 17. Meanwhile, New York’s coronavirus death toll topped 10,000 and the worldwide number of confirmed cases hovered around 2 million even as the lack of fresh hot spots globally yielded a ray of optimism and fueled discussions about how some places might begin to reopen. According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the US, at least 1,911,407 people worldwide have been infected and 118,854 people have died.

The brunt of the disease has been felt most heavily in New York, Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Here are key updates from across the world: 

New York’s daily toll dips below 700, for the first time

 Patients and medical workers wear personal protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns outside the emergency room at NYU Langone Medical Center, Monday, April 13, 2020, in New York.

New York saw a few positive signs even as it reached another bleak milestone. It marked the first time in a week that the daily toll dipped below 700. Nearly 2,000 more people have been hospitalized with the virus Sunday. Taking into account the ones discharged and dead, the number of people hospitalized has flattened to just under 19,000.

“This virus is very good at what it does. It is a killer,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday. In the US, about half of the more than 22,000 deaths reported are in the New York metropolitan area. The total number of cases reported in nation stands at 582,000.

Trump plans to reopen country’s economy

President Donald Trump will today announce a second task force consisting of eminent people. The task force would recommend him on reopening the country’s economy. “I’ve been having many discussions with my team and top experts and we’re very close to completing a plan to open our country hopefully even ahead of schedule, and that’s so important,” Trump told reporters at his White House news conference on coronavirus.

He asserted he had the ultimate authority to re-open the largely shuttered economy despite an earlier deference to US state governors and constitutional questions about whether that decision-making fell within his purview.”The president of the United States calls the shots. If we weren’t here for the states, you’d have had a problem in this country like you’ve never seen before,” Trump said. ”

WHO urges lockdown caution

In some European countries, officials pointed to positive signs as they began prepping for the reopening of largely shuttered economies and industries. However, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged caution over moves to lift some lockdown conditions.

He said much was still unknown about the behaviour of the virus and emphasised that case finding, testing and isolating were still crucial to controlling the outbreak.

Italy death toll passes 20,000

Italian authorities announced on Monday that there were 3,153 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, approximately a 1.9 percent increase. That brings the country’s overall toll of known cases to nearly 160,000. The day-to-day death toll, 566, however, was up, from the 431 new deaths registered on Sunday, bringing the total death toll to over 20,000. Italy’s day-to-day increase in infections was one of the lowest in weeks, bolstering a generally downward trend. Slightly eased restrictions were about to take effect in some sectors of the country, such as allowing stores selling necessities for newborns to reopen.

Government in Spain looks to restart manufacturing

 The 48-hour lockdown of 31 cities was announced just two hours before it took effect on Friday night. (Istanbul Mayor’s Office via AP)

In hard-hit Spain, workers were permitted to return to some factory and construction jobs as the government looked to restart manufacturing. Spain’s overnight death toll fell by 102 to 517 in 24 hours, bringing the total to 17,489, the country’s health ministry said, adding that it was the smallest proportional daily increase since tracking began.

South Korea reports below 100 cases for 13th day in a row

South Korea has reported 27 fresh cases of the new coronavirus, the 13th day in a row of below 100, as infections continued to wane in the worst-hit city of Daegu and nearby towns. Figures released by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday brought national totals to 10,564 infections and 222 virus-related deaths.

The KCDC says at least 940 of the cases were linked to passengers arriving from overseas, with most of the cases detected in the past three weeks. South Korean Prime Minster Chung Sye-kyun during an anti-virus meeting on Tuesday called officials to provide stronger support for scientists’ efforts to develop vaccines and treatments for the virus, which he said would be a boon for the country’s biomedical industry.

France announces extension of lockdown until May 11

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of France’s strict lockdown until May 11 during his third televised address to the nation on the virus crisis from the Elysee palace. France has been under lockdown since March 17. Macron said he sees “hopeful signs” as the spreading of the virus in the country appears to be stabilizing. But he urged the French to keep respecting strict confinement rules for the moment.

 Two construction workers examine a drainage system with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in the skyline behind them in Dubai (AP)

Starting from May 11, schools will reopen “progressively”, he said. Restaurants, cafes, hotels, cinemas, museums and concert halls will remain closed and no big gatherings will be allowed until mid-July, he added. Macron acknowledged “failures and deficiencies” in a reference to the lack of masks and other equipment.

As a response to the criticism that the country has not conducted enough coronavirus tests, he promised that by May 11, all those who have symptoms will be able to get tested. French health authorities have reported Monday a drop in numbers of people in intensive care for the fifth straight day. The country registered 574 deaths over the past 24 hours in hospitals and nursing homes, bringing the total number of deaths from the COVID-19 to 14,967 since the outbreak began in France.

Iran’s death toll rises to 4,585, up by 111

The country’s death toll rose to 4,585, with 111 deaths overnight, a health ministry official said, adding that the total number of infected cases had reached 73,303 in the most affected Middle Eastern country.

by VoV Web Desk

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