Coronavirus latest: France imposes widespread closures
- US President Donald Trump has tested negative for coronavirus, his doctor says
- The wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Begona Gomez, has tested positive for the virus
- Spain has declared a state of emergency and a partial lockdown in an attempt to halt the spread
- Most shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities across France have been shut, and people urged to stay home
- Local elections in France and Bavaria are still planned to go ahead
Updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)
02:12 The British government has advised its citizens against all but essential travel to Spain amid the coronavirus outbreak. Spain on Saturday put its 47 million population under partial lockdown to combat the virus’ spread. The UK also advised against travel to several other European countries including Poland and Estonia, as well as many countries in the Americas including Colombia and Panama. The US on Saturday extended its coronavirus travel ban to the UK and Ireland.
02:09 More than half of the 300 coronavirus patients in intensive care units in France are aged under 60, according to the head of the country’s public health agency has said. “It is urgent. Now is the time to change our behavior,” Jerome Salomon said. As of Sunday, France began implementing widespread restrictions on public life.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Food donations drop
Panic-buying has left empty shelves in supermarkets — and food banks. With Germans snapping up canned goods and toilet paper to weather the outbreak, stores have fewer supplies left over to donate to the needy, said Jochen Brühl, head of Tafel Deutschland, which supports more than 1.5 million people with surplus groceries and other donations. Brühl encouraged those who had overreacted to donate.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Bundesliga behind closed doors
Health Minister Jens Spahn has urged that all events with more than 1,000 participants be called off. The German Football League (DFL) has suspended the Bundesliga until April 2, saying health was a “top priority” and reversing a previous decision to play in empty stadiums. The derby between FC Cologne and Borussia Mönchengladbach on March 11 was the first Bundesliga “ghost match,” without fans.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Cultural cancellations
Cultural life has also taken a hit, with major fairs and trade shows canceled or postponed. Among the casualties were the Leipzig Book Fair and the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Europe’s biggest music trade fair. Numerous clubs, galleries and museums have closed across the country, and the gala award show for the annual German film and television award, the Goldene Kamera, has been moved to November.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Schools set to close
Unlike in Italy, schools across Germany have remained open. As of mid-March that is set to change as many states close schools for several weeks, some until after the Easter holidays in mid-April.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Not the ‘Wuhan flu’
The Chinese origin of the virus has led to an increase in xenophobic sentiment in the places worst hit by the outbreak. Asian restaurants and stores — not just Chinese — have reported empty tables in countries hard hit by the pandemic, and people with Asian features have experienced discrimination. At a recent Bundesliga game in Leipzig, a group of Japanese fans was ejected from the stadium.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Flights grounded
German airline Lufthansa has massively reduced its flight capacity as business and personal travel is cut back. The flagship carrier is now seeking state aid, according to a report from Germany business newspaper Handelsblatt. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr will be attending a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to government sources.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Car production crippled
Car plants in China have been shut down since January, and major German automakers like Volkswagen and Daimler have said both sales and production have been hit by the epidemic. And with many automakers sourcing electric car parts from China, work at plants in Germany has also hit a stumbling block. Berlin has said it plans to financially support companies suffering coronavirus losses.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Fewer tourists
“The consequences for the German tourism sector are serious,” warned Guido Zöllick, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. Already by the second week of March, 76.1% of members had reported a sharp decrease in bookings and a drop in revenue. The German parliament has banned tourists from visiting the glass dome of the Reichstag building until further notice.
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How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
Border checks
After Italy and France, Germany has the largest number of coronavirus cases in Europe. In an effort to prevent further spread, authorities in Poland and the Czech Republic have begun spot checks, measuring the temperature of travelers crossing main road borders out of Germany. Poland plans to extend the controls to other railway and port crossings.
01:32 China, where the outbreak started, is now reporting more cases coming from outside the country than inside. The National Health Commission reported that 16 of the 20 new cases detected on Sunday involved people arriving from overseas.
01:25 The latest figures for France, which as of midnight closed all restaurants, cafes, theaters and nonessential shops, are 4,480 confirmed cases and 91 deaths.
01:18 Spain, where emergency measures to halt the spread of the virus were announced Saturday, currently has 6,391 cases confirmed. That’s an increase of more than 600 cases since Saturday. Spain has recorded 195 deaths.
00:40 DW’s Washington correspondent Alexandra von Nahmen shares a White House statement saying that the US president has tested negative for Covid-19. Donald Trump was tested after several members of a Brazilian delegation he met with a week ago came down with the virus.
00:30 Here’s a recap of the global figures:
- 156,102 confirmed cases globally
- 5,819 global deaths
- 72,624 recovered
00:02 Follow yesterday’s developments here: Coronavirus latest: Spain to go into partial lockdown over coronavirus
00:01 Sweeping restrictions across France, which will see restaurants, theaters and nonessential shops closed, came into force.
se/sri (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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