Paris- Italy, where the COVID-19 epidemic killed 427 more people in 24 hours, overtook China on Thursday evening in the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus and is now the country of the world where the toll of dead is the most important.
Faced with this virus that the World Health Organization (WHO) has described as "enemy of humanity", which has already infected nearly 210,000 people and killed more than 9,000, threatening to plunge the world into the recession, thousands of billions of public aid have been announced, particularly in Europe and the United States.
"The political future" of Europe, the continent most affected with 4,752 deaths and which passed the 100,000 mark on Thursday, "is at stake", warned the French Minister of Economy Bruno calling its leaders to act "in a united manner".
One week after the start of the general confinement of its population and while the "peak" of the pandemic does not seem to have yet been reached, Italy now counts 3,405 deaths.
In the past 48 hours, the peninsula has registered a number of daily deaths exceeding that recorded at the height of the disease in the city of Wuhan, the cradle of the epidemic in China.
China, where 3,245 people died from the virus, did not report any new local contamination on Thursday, a first since the beginning of the epidemic in December in this country. However, 34 “imported” cases were counted.
An official Chinese investigation also disavowed the Wuhan police who reprimanded one of the first doctors to give the alert on the virus, to which he has since succumbed.
President Donald Trump has also questioned Beijing's initial slowness in transmitting information on the new coronavirus, believing on Thursday that the world was paying "the high price" today.
Distressing silence
In Spain 4th worst affected country in the world in terms of deaths behind Iran, the death toll has jumped 30% in 24 hours to reach 767.
The new coronavirus has made its first death in sub-Saharan Africa, in Burkina Faso and the head of the WHO called on Africa to "prepare for the worst".
A first death has also been announced in Russia and a first case in Fiji.
Due to the epidemic, Tehran will pardon Friday “about 10,000 detainees” on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, in order to “reduce the number of prisoners”.
For its part, the United Kingdom, where the threshold of 100 dead has been crossed, ordered the schools closed on Friday, but excluded from restricting transport to London. Premier Boris Johnson said the country could "reverse the trend in 12 weeks" in the fight against the epidemic.
According to UNESCO, the establishments of almost half of the pupils and students in the world are closed.
In an attempt to limit the spread of the virus, restrictions on freedom of movement are increasing and more than half a billion people around the world are called by their authorities to remain confined to their homes, according to media count.
Brazil closed Thursday for 15 days all its land borders, except that with Uruguay.
But concern is a must in the poorest countries, where containment will be impossible, as in the huge Asian slums. In addition, three billion people do not even have the most basic weapons against the virus, running water and soap, alarm UN experts.
"Millions" of lives are at stake if the world is not united, especially vis-a-vis the poorest countries, warned Thursday the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres.
Multinational pharmaceutical companies pledged on Thursday to provide a vaccine against COVID-19 disease, accessible "anywhere in the world", within 12 to 18 months.
Fear of contagion, anxiety linked to isolation: the epidemic and confinement also risk leaving psychic marks in the most fragile, worry professionals.
"The only thing that worries me is the silence! “, Confides to Rome Roberto Fichera, dashing octogenarian. "We don't hear a noise, not a car, the streets are empty ... When you go out walking and you hear footsteps behind you, you're almost afraid".
Managing stress with cannabis
The containment measures in Italy will however be "extended to their expiration" of April 3, according to the authorities, who also plan to ban outdoor activities.
In France too, an extension of confinement beyond the 15 days planned will be "probably necessary", according to the authorities.
In anticipation of a "marathon" fight against the coronavirus and the exhaustion of the military, Germany will mobilize its reservists.
To manage their stress and stock up for fear of a shortage, Canadians are rushing to stores and cannabis sales sites, legal since the end of 2018 in the country.
"There are those who panic, others who do not do enough, I decided to manage my stress by smoking cannabis," explained Michel Benoit.
The world economy also continues to stop. General Motors and Ford have announced that they will stop producing cars in North America.
Future of aviation threatened
Up to 25 million jobs are threatened worldwide, in the absence of an internationally coordinated response, warned the International Labor Organization
Tens of thousands of people have been laid off due to the epidemic in the United States, where the number of job seekers is at its highest since September 2017.
Airlines, hit hard, need emergency aid of up to $ 200 billion (185 billion euros), the International Air Transport Association (Iata) estimated on Thursday. And tourism in Italy risks a decline of half a century, according to operators.
New economic measures have been announced to help states, workers, and businesses.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has released 750 billion euros for public and private debt buyouts.
US President Donald Trump has enacted a $ 100 billion aid package for affected workers, and negotiations are continuing for a stimulus package that could reach $ 1.3 trillion.
After reacting well on Thursday morning, the day after a day of heavy losses, the European stock exchanges and Wall Street experienced a fluctuating day.
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