france24--2020-04-17--Italy declares victory over Covid-19 in poorer south

A deserted construction site is pictured as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues , in Naples , Italy , April 17 , 2020 .
Italian health officials declared victory Friday over the coronavirus in the poorer southern regions , where hospitals had been stretched to breaking point under the strain of the pandemic .
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had warned six weeks ago that Italy 's ability to conquer COVID-19 depended on whether cases can stay largely contained to the richer north .
The disease has now officially claimed 22,745 lives in the Mediterranean country of 60 million people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
But Italy has still counted itself relatively lucky because the outbreak erupted in provinces with the best equipped medical staff around the financial capital Milan .
Conte decided to gamble early by imposing the Western world 's first peacetime national lockdown , in the first half of March .
His team argued that the short-term economic pain would pay off by saving the health care system and allowing the country to gradually reopen in the weeks to come .
Italy 's top health officials said Friday that Conte 's big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have prevented the spread of contagions in southern regions , '' public health council chief Franco Locatelli told reporters .
`` This is now a fact supported by figures . ''
The latest data from Italy 's civil protection service offered new reasons for Conte not to extend some of the strictest restrictions when they expire on May 4 .
They showed the number of people currently being treated for COVID-19 rising by only a few hundred for the first time since the outbreak began .
> > Read more : How long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cases had been going up by at least 1,000 a day for over a month .
But they edged up by just 11 outside Milan 's Lombardy region on Friday .
`` In absolute terms , we have had had the highest number of recoveries since the start of the crisis , '' civil protection service chief Angelo Berrelli told reporters .
The generally improving picture prompted the civil protection service to announce that it was suspending daily briefings and moving to a twice-a-week format .
New tolls will still be issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ northern industrial heartland are pushing Conte to take another gamble and open as many businesses and industries as possible in early May .
The shutdown has devastated once-booming factory towns and left millions furloughed or temporarily unemployed .
Italy 's central bank said industrial production had declined by 15 percent in March and total economic output was set to contract by five percent in annual terms between January and March .
But a standoff is emerging between the northern leaders and those south of Rome .
Naples 's Campania governor Vincenzo De Luca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` close our borders '' to people from the north should those regions ' stay-at-home orders be lifted .
The scale of business reopening will be determined by the number of deaths and recoveries reported over the coming days .
Italy is still digging though data from individual regions to determine the true impact of its worst disaster since World War II .
Previously undisclosed figures from its public health institute revealed that nearly 17,000 medics have been infected with the virus since Italy 's first COVID-19 death was recorded on February 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that infected health care workers may have been unwittingly spreading the disease to their patients in the early weeks of the outbreak .
A study released Thursday by the FNOMCeO medical association said COVID-19 has killed 125 doctors in Italy .

Italian health officials declared victory Friday over the coronavirus in the poorer southern regions, where hospitals had been stretched to breaking point under the strain of the pandemic.
A deserted construction site is pictured as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in Naples, Italy, April 17, 2020.
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Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had warned six weeks ago that Italy's ability to conquer COVID-19 depended on whether cases can stay largely contained to the richer north.
The disease has now officially claimed 22,745 lives in the Mediterranean country of 60 million people -- a toll second only to the United States.
But Italy has still counted itself relatively lucky because the outbreak erupted in provinces with the best equipped medical staff around the financial capital Milan.
>> Read more: 'Grave concerns' about coronavirus immunity passports
Conte decided to gamble early by imposing the Western world's first peacetime national lockdown, in the first half of March.
His team argued that the short-term economic pain would pay off by saving the health care system and allowing the country to gradually reopen in the weeks to come.
Italy's top health officials said Friday that Conte's big bet had paid off.
"We have prevented the spread of contagions in southern regions," public health council chief Franco Locatelli told reporters.
"This is now a fact supported by figures."
Levelling off
The latest data from Italy's civil protection service offered new reasons for Conte not to extend some of the strictest restrictions when they expire on May 4.
They showed the number of people currently being treated for COVID-19 rising by only a few hundred for the first time since the outbreak began.
>> Read more: How long will lockdowns last?
The current number of cases had been going up by at least 1,000 a day for over a month.
But they edged up by just 11 outside Milan's Lombardy region on Friday.
"In absolute terms, we have had had the highest number of recoveries since the start of the crisis," civil protection service chief Angelo Berrelli told reporters.
The generally improving picture prompted the civil protection service to announce that it was suspending daily briefings and moving to a twice-a-week format.
New tolls will still be issued daily.
Standoff
The leaders of Italy's northern industrial heartland are pushing Conte to take another gamble and open as many businesses and industries as possible in early May.
The shutdown has devastated once-booming factory towns and left millions furloughed or temporarily unemployed.
Italy's central bank said industrial production had declined by 15 percent in March and total economic output was set to contract by five percent in annual terms between January and March.
But a standoff is emerging between the northern leaders and those south of Rome.
Naples's Campania governor Vincenzo De Luca warned Friday that he may have to "close our borders" to people from the north should those regions' stay-at-home orders be lifted.
The scale of business reopening will be determined by the number of deaths and recoveries reported over the coming days.
Italy is still digging though data from individual regions to determine the true impact of its worst disaster since World War II.
Previously undisclosed figures from its public health institute revealed that nearly 17,000 medics have been infected with the virus since Italy's first COVID-19 death was recorded on February 21.
Several Italian doctors have expressed fears that infected health care workers may have been unwittingly spreading the disease to their patients in the early weeks of the outbreak.
A study released Thursday by the FNOMCeO medical association said COVID-19 has killed 125 doctors in Italy.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-04-17--France finds more than 1,000 Covid-19 cases on flagship aircraft carrier

The French navy is investigating how the coronavirus infected more than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle , amid growing pressure on government leaders to explain how it could have happened .
The ship , France 's biggest carrier and the flagship of its navy , is undergoing a lengthy disinfection process since returning to its home base in Toulon five days ago .
One person remains in intensive care and some 20 others hospitalized , navy spokesman Cmdr .
Eric Lavault told The Associated Press .
Two of four U.S. sailors serving aboard the Charles de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also tested positive for coronavirus , according to a U.S. Navy statement .
A British sailor was aboard another vessel , Lavault said , refusing to reveal the sailor ’ s health status .
Lavault insisted that the aircraft carrier 's commander sought to increase the physical distance among the crew on the vessel , where there was no testing equipment and , for most of its three months on operations , no masks .
> > Read more : For some survivors , coronavirus complications could last a lifetime It is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … on a combat vessel , ” Lavault said .
But “ security of the crew is the first concern .
A combat ship , especially an aircraft carrier , is nothing without its crew.
” A similar outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and a dispute about how the at-sea health crisis was handled led to the firing of its captain and the resignation this month of the acting U.S. Navy secretary .
The French navy has been spared major controversy so far , but the defense minister and the head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were questioned Friday about the infections at parliamentary hearings .
Defense Minister Florence Parly told lawmakers that 1,081 of the 2,300 people aboard the Charles de Gaulle and its escort vessels have tested positive so far — nearly half the overall personnel .
While the virus has immobilized the immense and important ship , Parly insisted that otherwise “ our forces continue to assure the defense of our country at sea , under the sea , on land and in the air.
” An investigation to retrace the paths of the personnel is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aircraft carrier made a call in the French port of Brest , on the Atlantic Ocean , had been in the North Sea as part of a “ naval diplomacy ” mission with NATO partners , and had stopped in Cyprus during an operation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to join in the fight against the Islamic State group .
Journalists had boarded the vessel at one point .
“ All hypotheses are on the table , ” Lavault said .
So far , 350 crew members have been grilled about their movements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Lavault .
The defense minister defended the decision to allow the ship to stop in Brest in mid-March , even though France had already ordered all schools closed to fight the virus and the government was preparing confinement measures .
Hours after the ship left , President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide lockdown , among the strictest in Europe .
With nearly 2,000 sailors on the aircraft carrier alone , there is a constant flow of people frequenting the infirmary .
In the North Sea , temperatures sometimes dropped to -5 degrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The number of infections “ rose exponentially ” from about April 4-5 , and lung scans were taken on suspected cases , Lavault said .
“ It ’ s from this date that the commander decided to alert Navy headquarters to propose ending the operation , a decision taken immediately by the ( defense ) minister , ” he said .
The aircraft carrier was back in its home base at the Mediterranean port of Toulon on April 12 .
“ We are and will be transparent ” about the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Genero told the parliamentary commission .
Lavault said the carrier was being cleaned top to bottom , first with high-pressure water at 60 C ( 140 F ) , then with an anti-viral product , a process that could take weeks .
He said the goal is to get the carrier back to sea sometime in May .
France has been among the countries hardest hit by the virus , with more than 18,000 deaths confirmed as of Friday and more than 100,000 reported cases .
As France heads into a second month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national health agency said Friday that the country is seeing `` a slow but regular decline '' in the virus , with the number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care continuing to drop .

The French navy is investigating how the coronavirus infected more than 1,000 sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, amid growing pressure on government leaders to explain how it could have happened.
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The ship, France's biggest carrier and the flagship of its navy, is undergoing a lengthy disinfection process since returning to its home base in Toulon five days ago.
One person remains in intensive care and some 20 others hospitalized, navy spokesman Cmdr. Eric Lavault told The Associated Press.
Two of four U.S. sailors serving aboard the Charles de Gaulle as part of an exchange program also tested positive for coronavirus, according to a U.S. Navy statement. A British sailor was aboard another vessel, Lavault said, refusing to reveal the sailor’s health status.
Lavault insisted that the aircraft carrier's commander sought to increase the physical distance among the crew on the vessel, where there was no testing equipment and, for most of its three months on operations, no masks.
>> Read more: For some survivors, coronavirus complications could last a lifetime
It is “very difficult to apply social distancing measures … on a combat vessel,” Lavault said. But “security of the crew is the first concern. A combat ship, especially an aircraft carrier, is nothing without its crew.”
A similar outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and a dispute about how the at-sea health crisis was handled led to the firing of its captain and the resignation this month of the acting U.S. Navy secretary.
The French navy has been spared major controversy so far, but the defense minister and the head of the French military's health service arm were questioned Friday about the infections at parliamentary hearings.
Defense Minister Florence Parly told lawmakers that 1,081 of the 2,300 people aboard the Charles de Gaulle and its escort vessels have tested positive so far — nearly half the overall personnel.
While the virus has immobilized the immense and important ship, Parly insisted that otherwise “our forces continue to assure the defense of our country at sea, under the sea, on land and in the air.”
An investigation to retrace the paths of the personnel is in progress. Lavault noted that the aircraft carrier made a call in the French port of Brest, on the Atlantic Ocean, had been in the North Sea as part of a “naval diplomacy” mission with NATO partners, and had stopped in Cyprus during an operation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to join in the fight against the Islamic State group.
Journalists had boarded the vessel at one point.
“All hypotheses are on the table,” Lavault said.
So far, 350 crew members have been grilled about their movements on and off the vessel, according to Lavault.
The defense minister defended the decision to allow the ship to stop in Brest in mid-March, even though France had already ordered all schools closed to fight the virus and the government was preparing confinement measures. Hours after the ship left, President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide lockdown, among the strictest in Europe.
With nearly 2,000 sailors on the aircraft carrier alone, there is a constant flow of people frequenting the infirmary. In the North Sea, temperatures sometimes dropped to -5 degrees Celsius (23 F), he said.
The number of infections “rose exponentially” from about April 4-5, and lung scans were taken on suspected cases, Lavault said.
“It’s from this date that the commander decided to alert Navy headquarters to propose ending the operation, a decision taken immediately by the (defense) minister,” he said.
The aircraft carrier was back in its home base at the Mediterranean port of Toulon on April 12.
“We are and will be transparent” about the health situation, the health director Maryline Gygax Genero told the parliamentary commission.
Lavault said the carrier was being cleaned top to bottom, first with high-pressure water at 60 C (140 F), then with an anti-viral product, a process that could take weeks. He said the goal is to get the carrier back to sea sometime in May.
France has been among the countries hardest hit by the virus, with more than 18,000 deaths confirmed as of Friday and more than 100,000 reported cases. As France heads into a second month of confinement, the head of the national health agency said Friday that the country is seeing "a slow but regular decline" in the virus, with the number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care continuing to drop.
(AP)
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france24--2020-04-17--Amazon workers call for strike over Covid-19, climate fears

Amazon tech workers are calling for a virtual one-day strike to pressure the online retail giant over warehouse safety conditions during the coronavirus pandemic .
Amazon tech workers are calling for a virtual one-day strike to pressure the online retail giant over warehouse safety conditions during the coronavirus pandemic .
The e-commerce colossus has reportedly had COVID-19 cases in a number of its warehouses and has seen employee protests and walkouts in several of them to press for safety improvements .
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice , a group representing workers , urged colleagues to call in sick on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers protesting a lack of coronavirus precautions and environmental action .
`` We 're asking tech workers to virtually walk out on Friday ( April 24 ) , '' said Maren Costa , who US media reported was fired with fellow employee Emily Cunningham for criticizing Amazon over climate and coronavirus issues .
`` We want to tell Amazon that we are sick of all this -- sick of the firings , sick of the silencing , sick of pollution , sick of racism , and sick of the climate crisis , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out '' , according to the group 's statement , would see workers take a personal day off at the same time .
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment but US media reported the company said the firings resulted from violations of `` internal policies . ''
The group also called for those fired for what they called `` selective enforcement of policies and behavior guidelines '' to be reinstated .
The Seattle-based internet giant set a goal of investing $ 350 million to support employees and partners during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spotlight as demand surges for online services during extensive lockdowns .
Earlier this month , the company said it was creating its own lab to test employees for coronavirus .
In a stockholders letter Thursday , owner Jeff Bezos said Amazon had distributed face masks and was implementing temperature checks .
The call to strike came as Amazon France closed its French distribution centers -- key to preparing orders -- in response to a court order to limit deliveries to essential goods pending a review of COVID-19 safety measures .
It initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , during which period employees would be paid their full salaries .
But Amazon France director general Frederic Duval said he was unsure when they would reopen .
Workers said they were glad to be sent home , with one telling AFP that Amazon had taken weeks to provide them with sanitising hand gel and masks .
`` For a week we worked without gloves , '' one 23-year-old part-time worker , who wished to remain anonymous , said .

Amazon tech workers are calling for a virtual one-day strike to pressure the online retail giant over warehouse safety conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon tech workers are calling for a virtual one-day strike to pressure the online retail giant over warehouse safety conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The e-commerce colossus has reportedly had COVID-19 cases in a number of its warehouses and has seen employee protests and walkouts in several of them to press for safety improvements.
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group representing workers, urged colleagues to call in sick on April 24, accusing the company of firing workers protesting a lack of coronavirus precautions and environmental action.
"We're asking tech workers to virtually walk out on Friday (April 24)," said Maren Costa, who US media reported was fired with fellow employee Emily Cunningham for criticizing Amazon over climate and coronavirus issues.
"We want to tell Amazon that we are sick of all this -- sick of the firings, sick of the silencing, sick of pollution, sick of racism, and sick of the climate crisis," Costa said.
The virtual "walk out", according to the group's statement, would see workers take a personal day off at the same time.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment but US media reported the company said the firings resulted from violations of "internal policies."
The group also called for those fired for what they called "selective enforcement of policies and behavior guidelines" to be reinstated.
The Seattle-based internet giant set a goal of investing $350 million to support employees and partners during the pandemic, which has thrust Amazon into the spotlight as demand surges for online services during extensive lockdowns.
Earlier this month, the company said it was creating its own lab to test employees for coronavirus.
In a stockholders letter Thursday, owner Jeff Bezos said Amazon had distributed face masks and was implementing temperature checks.
The call to strike came as Amazon France closed its French distribution centers -- key to preparing orders -- in response to a court order to limit deliveries to essential goods pending a review of COVID-19 safety measures.
It initially said they would close for five days, during which period employees would be paid their full salaries.
But Amazon France director general Frederic Duval said he was unsure when they would reopen.
Workers said they were glad to be sent home, with one telling AFP that Amazon had taken weeks to provide them with sanitising hand gel and masks.
"For a week we worked without gloves," one 23-year-old part-time worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-04-17--'We're starving to death': City of Maracaibo symbolises Venezuela's collapse

'We 're starving to death ' : City of Maracaibo symbolises Venezuela 's collapse The western city of Maracaibo used @ @ @ @ @ oil capital .
But today , it 's a place of hardship and hunger .
@ @ @ @ @ penniless public services , crime and chronic shortages , the city has become a symbol @ @ @ @ @ economic collapse .
Eating has become a luxury .
Due to a lack of medical @ @ @ @ @ children , the elderly and those with chronic diseases are slowly slipping away .
In @ @ @ @ @ reporter Roméo Langlois bring us a heart-wrenching account of the depths of human suffering .

'We're starving to death': City of Maracaibo symbolises Venezuela's collapse
26:02 REPORTERS © FRANCE 24
By: Romeo LANGLOIS | Jorge BENEZRA
The western city of Maracaibo used to be Venezuela's affluent oil capital. But today, it's a place of hardship and hunger. Facing hyperinflation, corruption, penniless public services, crime and chronic shortages, the city has become a symbol of the country's wider economic collapse. Eating has become a luxury. Due to a lack of medical care, the lives of children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases are slowly slipping away. In this 26-minute documentary, our reporter Roméo Langlois bring us a heart-wrenching account of the depths of human suffering.


france24--2020-04-17--France's Covid-19 tracing app won't be ready for parliamentary debate

A mobile phone showing French President Emmanuel Macron , as he addresses the nation about the coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) outbreak , is displayed for a photo in front of an almost empty motorway in Strasbourg , France , April 13 , 2020 .
France 's state-supported tracing app project `` StopCovid '' will not be ready when parliament debates it on April 28-29 , the minister for digital affairs Cedric O said on Friday .
The smartphone app , aimed at warning users if they came into contact with a coronavirus carrier , has raised questions about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The government has not provided much technical detail on the project , which will be based on a proximity-tracking Bluetooth app that users would install on their mobile phone on a voluntary basis .
A debate is scheduled in France 's National Assembly on April 28-29 but no formal vote is planned .
`` This app wo n't be finalized by April 28-29 , '' O , a staunch defender of the tracing app , said during a video conference hearing with French lawmakers .
He added that the app may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the government plans to gradually lift the country 's nationwide lockdown .

France's state-supported tracing app project "StopCovid" will not be ready when parliament debates it on April 28-29, the minister for digital affairs Cedric O said on Friday.
A mobile phone showing French President Emmanuel Macron, as he addresses the nation about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is displayed for a photo in front of an almost empty motorway in Strasbourg, France, April 13, 2020.
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The smartphone app, aimed at warning users if they came into contact with a coronavirus carrier, has raised questions about the impact of tracing technology on civil liberties.
The government has not provided much technical detail on the project, which will be based on a proximity-tracking Bluetooth app that users would install on their mobile phone on a voluntary basis.
A debate is scheduled in France's National Assembly on April 28-29 but no formal vote is planned.
"This app won't be finalized by April 28-29," O, a staunch defender of the tracing app, said during a video conference hearing with French lawmakers.
He added that the app may not even be ready by May 11, when the government plans to gradually lift the country's nationwide lockdown.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-04-17--The Kenyan government did not recruit Maasai hunters to make sure people respected lockdown

However , this scene was staged by a Kenyan comedian and actor who wanted to raise awareness about the importance of social distancing .
In the top left corner of the video , there is text that read `` Mbuzi Seller '' .
We searched this name on Facebook and found a profile showing a man wearing traditional Maasai clothes .
A quick scroll through his page makes it apparent that the man is a comedian and the video must have been staged .
Mbuzi Seller , whose real name is Nelson Saisi Lemiso , is a 27-year-old Kenyan comedian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nairobi .
He filmed this video in the Embakasi neighborhood in Nairobi on April 2 .
He spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers about the video and his motivation for making it .
I ’ m a comic actor.The outfit that you see in the videos is what I always wear for my skits .
My video has been circulating all around the world and some people actually think that it shows human rights abuses .
It ’ s important to say that the whip that I used to hit people is fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t hurt .
I got the idea for this sketch when I saw the situation getting worse in Italy .
I saw my fellow Kenyans out in the streets as if nothing was happening .
I wondered if they thought that this virus was a joke and so I wanted to make a joke out of it myself , but this time to get people to understand just how serious the situation is .
So I used my character to “ terrify ” the population and encourage them to maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I also made videos about good hygiene practices and explained to people how to respect this advice when taking public transportation , for example .
I wasn ’ t commissioned by the government to do this skit .
It was a personal initiative and , every day , I continue to walk the streets of Nairobi to raise awareness amongst the population .
That said , I ’ d really like for the government to support initiatives like mine because I have the impression that the population isn ’ t well informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a Kenyan comedian and actor who wanted to raise awareness about the importance of social distancing.In the top left corner of the video , there is text that read `` Mbuzi Seller '' .
We searched this name on Facebook and found a profile showing a man wearing traditional Maasai clothes .
A quick scroll through his page makes it apparent that the man is a comedian and the video must have been staged.Mbuzi Seller , whose real name is Nelson Saisi Lemiso , is a 27-year-old Kenyan comedian , actor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video in the Embakasi neighborhood in Nairobi on April 2 .
He spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers about the video and his motivation for making it .
The video shows a man wearing traditional Maasai clothing running down the street armed with a whip .
He hits out at several people who are standing in groups and chatting .
As he whips them , he shouts “ One metre !
” in reference to social distancing measures put in place by many countries to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.One Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arabic : `` This man is a Maasai from Kenya .
His tribe is known for lion hunting .
They were brought to town to enforce social distancing measures because the police aren ’ t able to .
If you cry out , he ’ ll hit you even harder .
`` His post alone was viewed more than 1.5 million times .
Other people shared the footage along with a similar explanation in other languages .
`` Respect social distancing , if not , you ’ ll get a Masai-style whipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French .
`` Since people were not taking the police seriously the Kenyan government started using the Maasai tribe for the curfew , ” reads one Reddit post in English .
“ Coronavirus brings violence to East Africa , ” reads this Facebook post

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A video posted on Facebook and Twitter shows a man wearing traditional Maasai clothes breaking up groups of people standing in the street. On social media, many claimed the video showed a Maasai huntsman that the Kenyan government had recruited to help enforce social distancing rules meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. Turns out, however, that the whole thing was staged by a comedian.
The video shows a man wearing traditional Maasai clothing running down the street armed with a whip. He hits out at several people who are standing in groups and chatting. As he whips them, he shouts “One metre!” in reference to social distancing measures put in place by many countries to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
One Facebook user wrote a caption for the video in Arabic: "This man is a Maasai from Kenya. His tribe is known for lion hunting. They were brought to town to enforce social distancing measures because the police aren’t able to. If you cry out, he’ll hit you even harder."
His post alone was viewed more than 1.5 million times. Other people shared the footage along with a similar explanation in other languages. "Respect social distancing, if not, you’ll get a Masai-style whipping!” reads a Facebook post in French. "Since people were not taking the police seriously the Kenyan government started using the Maasai tribe for the curfew,” reads one Reddit post in English. “Coronavirus brings violence to East Africa,” reads this Facebook post.
An artistic performance
However, this scene was staged by a Kenyan comedian and actor who wanted to raise awareness about the importance of social distancing.
In the top left corner of the video, there is text that read "Mbuzi Seller". We searched this name on Facebook and found a profile showing a man wearing traditional Maasai clothes. A quick scroll through his page makes it apparent that the man is a comedian and the video must have been staged.
Mbuzi Seller, whose real name is Nelson Saisi Lemiso, is a 27-year-old Kenyan comedian, actor and commercial director based in Nairobi.
He filmed this video in the Embakasi neighborhood in Nairobi on April 2. He spoke to the FRANCE 24 Observers about the video and his motivation for making it.
I’m a comic actor.The outfit that you see in the videos is what I always wear for my skits. My video has been circulating all around the world and some people actually think that it shows human rights abuses. It’s important to say that the whip that I used to hit people is fake. It makes a loud noise but it doesn’t hurt. I got the idea for this sketch when I saw the situation getting worse in Italy. I saw my fellow Kenyans out in the streets as if nothing was happening. I wondered if they thought that this virus was a joke and so I wanted to make a joke out of it myself, but this time to get people to understand just how serious the situation is. So I used my character to “terrify” the population and encourage them to maintain a distance of one meter from others. I also made videos about good hygiene practices and explained to people how to respect this advice when taking public transportation, for example. I wasn’t commissioned by the government to do this skit. It was a personal initiative and, every day, I continue to walk the streets of Nairobi to raise awareness amongst the population. That said, I’d really like for the government to support initiatives like mine because I have the impression that the population isn’t well informed.


france24--2020-04-17--Wuhan’s wet markets: Blame for Covid-19 casts shadow over future

Wuhan ’ s wet markets , closed for months during the coronavirus lockdown , have now re-opened .
But as the suspected source of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic , the markets have become the subject of international scrutiny , with some calling for them to be banned , and traders say customers are staying away as a result .
The wet markets , some of which sell live exotic animals alongside fresh vegetables , seafood and meat , are common across China .
But since re-opening following months under lockdown , the markets in Wuhan have been unusually quiet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to close it .
It ’ s really bad , ” one market trader told Reuters .
Since the outbreak , China has banned the selling of wildlife at wet markets , while the Huanan Seafood Market , where the virus is thought to have originated , remains closed .
But calls for the complete banning of wet markets persist .
“ I think we should shut down those things right away , ” Dr Anthony Fauci , director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It boggles my mind how when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface , that we don ’ t just shut it down.
” For the markets ’ stall holders it is an unfair stigma and one that threatens their livelihoods .
“ It is a lie .
It can ’ t be true .
This is a person-to-person virus , no matter where you are .
Don ’ t you think so ?
Even in the supermarket it is full of people , ” shop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside of Wuhan it is business as usual for many of China ’ s wet markets , where shoppers appear unperturbed by health fears .
“ When it ( the epidemic ) began , I was worried about my mother going to the market with the seafood and meat .
But I think it is OK now after so long , ” Yi , a teacher in Beijing told AFP .

Wuhan’s wet markets, closed for months during the coronavirus lockdown, have now re-opened. But as the suspected source of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the markets have become the subject of international scrutiny, with some calling for them to be banned, and traders say customers are staying away as a result.
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The wet markets, some of which sell live exotic animals alongside fresh vegetables, seafood and meat, are common across China.
But since re-opening following months under lockdown, the markets in Wuhan have been unusually quiet.
“Business is bad. We are about to close it. It’s really bad,” one market trader told Reuters.
Since the outbreak, China has banned the selling of wildlife at wet markets, while the Huanan Seafood Market, where the virus is thought to have originated, remains closed.
But calls for the complete banning of wet markets persist.
“I think we should shut down those things right away,” Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Fox News Channel earlier this month.
“It boggles my mind how when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface, that we don’t just shut it down.”
For the markets’ stall holders it is an unfair stigma and one that threatens their livelihoods.
“It is a lie. It can’t be true. This is a person-to-person virus, no matter where you are. Don’t you think so? Even in the supermarket it is full of people,” shop owner Jin told Reuters.
Nevertheless, outside of Wuhan it is business as usual for many of China’s wet markets, where shoppers appear unperturbed by health fears.
“When it (the epidemic) began, I was worried about my mother going to the market with the seafood and meat. But I think it is OK now after so long,” Yi, a teacher in Beijing told AFP.
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france24--2020-04-17--Week in Review: A year after the Notre-Dame fire, Covid-19 immunity and a visit to Beaujolais

France marked a year since the Notre-Dame fire this week with restoration halted as a result of Covid-19 .
We also spoke to South Korea 's foreign minister , who cast doubt on the idea of developing immunity after contracting the coronavirus , and visited some of France 's front-line workers – the men and women behind the scenes keeping the country going during lockdown .
Whenever Italy experiences a calamity , Bergamo ’ s volunteers are among the first to rush to the rescue .
Now that disaster has struck at home , the Italian city worst-hit by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trademark comradeship and resilience .
US President Donald Trump last month predicted “ packed churches ” on Easter Sunday despite a raging coronavirus death toll .
His prediction has proved horribly wrong and highlights the inconsistencies populist leaders who have exploited religion now face .
Covid-19 in France ’ s nursing homes : ‘ Saying goodbye makes all the difference ’ The elderly in France ’ s nursing homes , as in many other countries , are strictly isolated to protect them from Covid-19 , and will remain in lockdown well past May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country is expected to begin gradually opening up .
This is very painful for the families , particularly of those who are at the end of life .
'Worse than 9/11 and the 2008 crash combined ' : Global tourism takes a hit from Covid-19 .
With coronavirus travel bans in place around the planet , the tourism industry – worth 10 percent of global GDP – is taking a beating .
FRANCE 24 investigates which sectors are most at risk and when a recovery might be on the cards .
Trapped between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 and avoiding economic calamity , some government officials have mooted “ immunity passports ” as a way through the impasse .
But experts told FRANCE 24 that the necessary antibody testing is not reliable enough – and even if the scheme were feasible , it could create a dangerous incentive for some to acquire the virus in order to qualify for the passport .
French authorities have released inmates from overcrowded prisons as part of efforts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak .
But others have seen their detentions extended as trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ festival in the French city of Avignon has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak , organisers said Monday , minutes after President Emmanuel Macron announced that major festivals could not take place until mid-July at the earliest .
A year after the Notre-Dame fire , restoration is suspended amid Covid-19 lockdown On the first anniversary of the devastating blaze that ripped through Notre-Dame Cathedral , there are no builders on site and the scientists involved are working from home .
FRANCE 24 investigates how the coronavirus is affecting the reconstruction of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are we to a vaccine and who will get it first ?
An interview with Dr. Jerome Kim , director general of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul , on how close we are to a vaccine and who will get it first .
Volunteers in one Indonesian village are helping encourage people to stay at home and curb the spread of coronavirus by dressing up as ghosts and scaring anyone out on the street at night .
No money , no water , no food : Covid-19 lockdown in a Paris Roma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19 .
But the cramped and squalid conditions in the country 's hundreds of slums , where many of France 's Roma population live , make social distancing and good hygiene nearly impossible .
Aid agencies are now warning of a potential health disaster .
'In South Korea , patients cured of Covid-19 have tested positive later' South Korea 's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha discusses her country ’ s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic , which has earned plaudits from around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a little more than 200 deaths to date , South Korea has avoided the high level of fatalities seen in many other countries .
However , Kang warned that some patients who were cured of Covid-19 tested positive a few days later .
In an interview with FRANCE 24 in Rome , Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio discussed the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic , which has hit Italy particularly hard .
He also explained Italy 's deconfinement strategy and called for an `` international alliance '' to create a vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maio expressed hope that the European Union would be `` on par with the challenge it has to live up to '' .
'Much more is needed ' , World Bank chief says of Covid-19 debt relief for poor countries In an interview with FRANCE 24 , David Malpass , the President of the World Bank , discussed the global economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic , as well as the debt moratorium for the world 's poorest nations agreed to by G20 finance ministers and central bankers on April 15 .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are keeping France running during the unprecedented lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Doctors and nurses are , of course , working around the clock to save lives .
But there are many others who are doing essential , but less celebrated , jobs : cleaners , cashiers , rubbish collectors and truckers .
They are France 's invisible front-line workers : men and women working behind the scenes to keep the country going during these extraordinary times .
We bring you another edition of Encore !
from home this week as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world of arts and culture – all of which can be enjoyed from the safety of your sofa .
Jonathan Wilson returns to bluegrass roots with his new album , 'Dixie Blur' Two years after his highly acclaimed album `` Rare Birds '' , talented singer-songwriter and producer Jonathan Wilson is back with `` Dixie Blur '' .
The generous 14-track LP is perhaps his most personal record yet , as Wilson draws inspiration from the bluegrass sound of his native North Carolina .
Wilson was scheduled to come to the FRANCE 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his album .
But given the coronavirus pandemic , he joined us virtually to talk about his new record and what he 's going to do when he gets out of lockdown .
'The Soul of France ' : New book revisits the embers of Notre-Dame On April 15 , 2019 , the world watched in horror as France 's most cherished cathedral went up in flames .
Writer and journalist Agnès Poirier witnessed the scene from her window on Paris 's Left Bank , transfixed as 850 years of architectural , cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Poirier has revisited that moment in her book `` Notre-Dame : The Soul of France '' and sheds some light on some pivotal moments in the building ’ s history .
YOU ARE HERE France 's Beaujolais region : More than just wine It 's known around the world for the 22 million bottles it exports every year , but France 's eastern Beaujolais region has a lot more to offer than just wine .
In the south is an area nicknamed the `` Golden Rocks '' where the walls seem to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iron oxides .
In the village of Oingt , musical instruments of yesteryear are the pride of the local museum .
We also check out one of the dozens of castles dotted across the region .
Hacking the Covid-19 crisis : The role of technology In this edition , we tell you how makers and doers are getting together to help print essential medical parts but also how car manufacturers are offering their expertise to fight the coronavirus outbreak .
This week we 're bringing you a special edition of Inside the Americas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak .
We go to Baltimore to see why African Americans are disproportionately affected by Covid-19 .
We then head to the epicentre of the US outbreak , New York City .
Finally , in Los Angeles , we ’ ll show you what money can buy during a pandemic .
The coronavirus pandemic risks disrupting food supplies to hundreds of millions of people across Africa .
Efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 may exacerbate food insecurity that was already gripping parts of the continent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the FAO 's Director of Emergencies , Dominique Burgeon .
We also take a closer look at the situation in Kenya .
Fashion : Is there any point in dressing up under lockdown ?
The global Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life , including fashion .
Designers , events organisers and journalists around the world are now confined to their homes .
Catwalk shows and fittings are distant memories .
So how is the world of fashion coping in these strange times ?
And crucially , is there any point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 put that last question to a selection of designers , from Berlin to Casablanca to Pointe-Noire .
On a more serious note , some also told us how they are making their own face masks to fight the spread of the virus .

WEEK IN REVIEW
France marked a year since the Notre-Dame fire this week with restoration halted as a result of Covid-19. We also spoke to South Korea's foreign minister, who cast doubt on the idea of developing immunity after contracting the coronavirus, and visited some of France's front-line workers – the men and women behind the scenes keeping the country going during lockdown.
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ARTICLES
‘Never give up’: volunteers raise hospital, and spirits, in Italy's virus-wracked Bergamo
Whenever Italy experiences a calamity, Bergamo’s volunteers are among the first to rush to the rescue. Now that disaster has struck at home, the Italian city worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic is finding strength in its trademark comradeship and resilience.
Empty churches belie Trump’s Easter promise, highlight science’s role in keeping faithful safe
US President Donald Trump last month predicted “packed churches” on Easter Sunday despite a raging coronavirus death toll. His prediction has proved horribly wrong and highlights the inconsistencies populist leaders who have exploited religion now face.
Covid-19 in France’s nursing homes: ‘Saying goodbye makes all the difference’
The elderly in France’s nursing homes, as in many other countries, are strictly isolated to protect them from Covid-19, and will remain in lockdown well past May 11, when the rest of the country is expected to begin gradually opening up. This is very painful for the families, particularly of those who are at the end of life.
'Worse than 9/11 and the 2008 crash combined': Global tourism takes a hit from Covid-19.
With coronavirus travel bans in place around the planet, the tourism industry – worth 10 percent of global GDP – is taking a beating. FRANCE 24 investigates which sectors are most at risk and when a recovery might be on the cards.
‘Grave concerns’ about Covid-19 immunity passports
Trapped between the competing urgencies of saving lives from Covid-19 and avoiding economic calamity, some government officials have mooted “immunity passports” as a way through the impasse. But experts told FRANCE 24 that the necessary antibody testing is not reliable enough – and even if the scheme were feasible, it could create a dangerous incentive for some to acquire the virus in order to qualify for the passport.
Coronavirus: France extends detentions and suspends trials, raising rights concerns
French authorities have released inmates from overcrowded prisons as part of efforts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. But others have seen their detentions extended as trial dates are suspended.
Avignon Theatre Festival cancelled as Covid-19 wreaks havoc on France’s summer events
The annual theatre festival in the French city of Avignon has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak, organisers said Monday, minutes after President Emmanuel Macron announced that major festivals could not take place until mid-July at the earliest.
A year after the Notre-Dame fire, restoration is suspended amid Covid-19 lockdown
On the first anniversary of the devastating blaze that ripped through Notre-Dame Cathedral, there are no builders on site and the scientists involved are working from home. FRANCE 24 investigates how the coronavirus is affecting the reconstruction of the 850-year-old monument.
The reconstruction site at Notre-Dame Cathedral. © Armelle Caux, France 24
VIDEO REPORTS
Covid-19: How close are we to a vaccine and who will get it first?
An interview with Dr. Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, on how close we are to a vaccine and who will get it first.
Scare tactics: Indonesian town deploys ‘ghosts’ to battle coronavirus
Volunteers in one Indonesian village are helping encourage people to stay at home and curb the spread of coronavirus by dressing up as ghosts and scaring anyone out on the street at night.
A volunteer dressed as a ghost scares passers-by in the village of Kepuh, Indonesia. © Reuters / France 24
No money, no water, no food: Covid-19 lockdown in a Paris Roma slum
France has been placed in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19. But the cramped and squalid conditions in the country's hundreds of slums, where many of France's Roma population live, make social distancing and good hygiene nearly impossible. Aid agencies are now warning of a potential health disaster.
TV SHOWS ONLINE
THE INTERVIEW
'In South Korea, patients cured of Covid-19 have tested positive later'
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha discusses her country’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has earned plaudits from around the globe. With around 10,500 coronavirus cases and a little more than 200 deaths to date, South Korea has avoided the high level of fatalities seen in many other countries. However, Kang warned that some patients who were cured of Covid-19 tested positive a few days later.
THE INTERVIEW © FRANCE 24
Italian FM Di Maio calls for 'international alliance' to create Covid-19 vaccine
In an interview with FRANCE 24 in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio discussed the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit Italy particularly hard. He also explained Italy's deconfinement strategy and called for an "international alliance" to create a vaccine under UN auspices. Finally, Di Maio expressed hope that the European Union would be "on par with the challenge it has to live up to".
'Much more is needed', World Bank chief says of Covid-19 debt relief for poor countries
In an interview with FRANCE 24, David Malpass, the President of the World Bank, discussed the global economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the debt moratorium for the world's poorest nations agreed to by G20 finance ministers and central bankers on April 15.
FRANCE IN FOCUS
Coronavirus: France's front-line workers
We shine a spotlight on the people who are keeping France running during the unprecedented lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors and nurses are, of course, working around the clock to save lives. But there are many others who are doing essential, but less celebrated, jobs: cleaners, cashiers, rubbish collectors and truckers. They are France's invisible front-line workers: men and women working behind the scenes to keep the country going during these extraordinary times.
ENCORE!
Culture in confinement No. 3
We bring you another edition of Encore! from home this week as the team seeks out news from the world of arts and culture – all of which can be enjoyed from the safety of your sofa.
Jonathan Wilson returns to bluegrass roots with his new album, 'Dixie Blur'
Two years after his highly acclaimed album "Rare Birds", talented singer-songwriter and producer Jonathan Wilson is back with "Dixie Blur". The generous 14-track LP is perhaps his most personal record yet, as Wilson draws inspiration from the bluegrass sound of his native North Carolina. Wilson was scheduled to come to the FRANCE 24 studio during a European tour to promote his album. But given the coronavirus pandemic, he joined us virtually to talk about his new record and what he's going to do when he gets out of lockdown.
'The Soul of France': New book revisits the embers of Notre-Dame
On April 15, 2019, the world watched in horror as France's most cherished cathedral went up in flames. Writer and journalist Agnès Poirier witnessed the scene from her window on Paris's Left Bank, transfixed as 850 years of architectural, cultural and social history hung in the balance. Poirier has revisited that moment in her book "Notre-Dame: The Soul of France" and sheds some light on some pivotal moments in the building’s history.
ENCORE! © FRANCE 24
YOU ARE HERE
France's Beaujolais region: More than just wine
It's known around the world for the 22 million bottles it exports every year, but France's eastern Beaujolais region has a lot more to offer than just wine. In the south is an area nicknamed the "Golden Rocks" where the walls seem to glow thanks to a limestone tinged with iron oxides. In the village of Oingt, musical instruments of yesteryear are the pride of the local museum. We also check out one of the dozens of castles dotted across the region.
VOUS ETES ICI © FRANCE 24
TECH24
Hacking the Covid-19 crisis: The role of technology
In this edition, we tell you how makers and doers are getting together to help print essential medical parts but also how car manufacturers are offering their expertise to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
INSIDE THE AMERICAS
Special programme: Covid-19 exposes glaring inequality in US
This week we're bringing you a special edition of Inside the Americas from the United States to show how the country is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. We go to Baltimore to see why African Americans are disproportionately affected by Covid-19. We then head to the epicentre of the US outbreak, New York City. Finally, in Los Angeles, we’ll show you what money can buy during a pandemic.
EYE ON AFRICA
Crisis within a crisis: Covid-19 exacerbates food insecurity in Africa
The coronavirus pandemic risks disrupting food supplies to hundreds of millions of people across Africa. Efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 may exacerbate food insecurity that was already gripping parts of the continent before the health emergency. We speak to the FAO's Director of Emergencies, Dominique Burgeon. We also take a closer look at the situation in Kenya.
FASHION
Fashion: Is there any point in dressing up under lockdown?
The global Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life, including fashion. Designers, events organisers and journalists around the world are now confined to their homes. Catwalk shows and fittings are distant memories. So how is the world of fashion coping in these strange times? And crucially, is there any point in dressing up under lockdown? FRANCE 24 put that last question to a selection of designers, from Berlin to Casablanca to Pointe-Noire. On a more serious note, some also told us how they are making their own face masks to fight the spread of the virus.
FASHION © FRANCE 24
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france24--2020-04-18--France says no evidence Covid-19 linked to Wuhan research lab set up with French help

An aerial view of the P4 laboratory in Wuhan , China taken April 17 , 2020 .
France on Friday said there was no factual evidence so far of a link between the Covid-19 outbreak and the work of the P4 research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan , which France helped set up and where the current pandemic started .
`` We would like to make it clear that there is to this day no factual evidence corroborating recent reports in the US press linking the origins of Covid-19 and the work of the P4 laboratory of Wuhan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Emmanuel Macron 's office said .
The broad scientific consensus holds that SARS-CoV-2 , the official name of the coronavirus , originated in bats .
In 2004 , France signed an agreement with China to establish a research lab on infectious diseases of biosafety level 4 , the highest level , in Wuhan , according to a French decree signed by then-foreign minister Michel Barnier .
US trying to determine if virus originated in lab US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his government was trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing `` needs to come clean '' on what they know .
General Mark Milley , chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff , said on Tuesday that US intelligence indicates that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally , as opposed to being created in a laboratory in China , but there is no certainty either way .
The Washington Post said this week that national security officials in the Trump administration have long suspected research facilities in Wuhan to be the source of the novel coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Chinese state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology dismissed rumours that the virus may have been artificially synthesised at one of its laboratories or perhaps escaped from such a facility .
The allegations came amid mounting international criticism of China ’ s initial cover-up of the virus and suspicions that Beijing had not revealed the extent of the public health crisis due to economic concerns .
China on Friday revised its pandemic toll again , this time by a major 50 percent increase in the total death toll .
But Chinese authorities denied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintaining the revision was due to insufficient capacity during the peak of the pandemic .
The lab at the heart of the controversy The Wuhan research laboratory at the heart of the controversy is home to the China Centre for Virus Culture Collection , the largest virus bank in Asia which , preserves more than 1,500 strains , according to its website .
The complex contains Asia 's first maximum security lab equipped to handle Class 4 pathogens ( P4 ) -- dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yuan ( $ 42 million ) lab was completed in 2015 , and finally opened in 2018 , with the founder of a French bio-industrial firm , Alain Merieux , acting as a consultant in its construction .
The institute also has a P3 laboratory that has been in operation since 2012 .
The 3,000-square-metre P4 lab , located in a square building with a cylindrical annex , lies near a pond at the foot of a forested hill in Wuhan 's remote outskirts .

France on Friday said there was no factual evidence so far of a link between the Covid-19 outbreak and the work of the P4 research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which France helped set up and where the current pandemic started.
An aerial view of the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, China taken April 17, 2020.
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"We would like to make it clear that there is to this day no factual evidence corroborating recent reports in the US press linking the origins of Covid-19 and the work of the P4 laboratory of Wuhan, China," an official at President Emmanuel Macron's office said.
The broad scientific consensus holds that SARS-CoV-2, the official name of the coronavirus, originated in bats.
In 2004, France signed an agreement with China to establish a research lab on infectious diseases of biosafety level 4, the highest level, in Wuhan, according to a French decree signed by then-foreign minister Michel Barnier.
US trying to determine if virus originated in lab
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his government was trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated from a lab in Wuhan, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Beijing "needs to come clean" on what they know.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday that US intelligence indicates that the coronavirus likely occurred naturally, as opposed to being created in a laboratory in China, but there is no certainty either way.
The Washington Post said this week that national security officials in the Trump administration have long suspected research facilities in Wuhan to be the source of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
As far back as February, the Chinese state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology dismissed rumours that the virus may have been artificially synthesised at one of its laboratories or perhaps escaped from such a facility.
The allegations came amid mounting international criticism of China’s initial cover-up of the virus and suspicions that Beijing had not revealed the extent of the public health crisis due to economic concerns.
China on Friday revised its pandemic toll again, this time by a major 50 percent increase in the total death toll. But Chinese authorities denied it was due to a cover-up, maintaining the revision was due to insufficient capacity during the peak of the pandemic.
The lab at the heart of the controversy
The Wuhan research laboratory at the heart of the controversy is home to the China Centre for Virus Culture Collection, the largest virus bank in Asia which, preserves more than 1,500 strains, according to its website.
The complex contains Asia's first maximum security lab equipped to handle Class 4 pathogens (P4) -- dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission, such as Ebola.
The 300 million yuan ($42 million) lab was completed in 2015, and finally opened in 2018, with the founder of a French bio-industrial firm, Alain Merieux, acting as a consultant in its construction. The institute also has a P3 laboratory that has been in operation since 2012.
The 3,000-square-metre P4 lab, located in a square building with a cylindrical annex, lies near a pond at the foot of a forested hill in Wuhan's remote outskirts.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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france24--2020-04-18--French lower house approves €110 billion emergency budget

The French National Assembly on April 18 , 2020 approved an emergency budget to help tackle the coronavirus crisis .
Reacting to an `` economic emergency '' due to the coronavirus pandemic and concomitant lockdown measures , the French National Assembly in an overnight vote late Friday into early Saturday approved a €110 billion emergency budget .
The Senate is expected to vote on the budget bill Tuesday .
In a second financial amendment bill since the coronavirus crisis began , the French lower house approved a €110 billion budget plan , which includes bonuses for medical staff , funds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and aid to businesses including strategic industries such as aviation and car manufacturing .
Members of the centre-right Republican Party and the Socialist Party , both in opposition , approved the text – unlike France ’ s far-left Communist and France Unbowed parties .
French political parties are divided on generating revenues to finance the new package , with the left and far-right parties calling for the restoration of a solidarity wealth tax to make the richest contribute , while the government opposes any tax hikes at this stage .
Another bone of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” plan to help companies hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic , particularly in the aviation and automobile sectors .
Opposition groups have asked for further clarifications and environmental groups are denouncing `` a cheque to big polluters '' , with no conditions attached .
`` It will not be a blank cheque , '' French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire promised parliament , adding that any capital increases or likely temporary nationalisation measures would be “ competitive '' and based on `` an ambitious environmental policy '' .

Reacting to an "economic emergency" due to the coronavirus pandemic and concomitant lockdown measures, the French National Assembly in an overnight vote late Friday into early Saturday approved a €110 billion emergency budget. The Senate is expected to vote on the budget bill Tuesday.
The French National Assembly on April 18, 2020 approved an emergency budget to help tackle the coronavirus crisis.
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In a second financial amendment bill since the coronavirus crisis began, the French lower house approved a €110 billion budget plan, which includes bonuses for medical staff, funds to help struggling workers and families, and aid to businesses including strategic industries such as aviation and car manufacturing.
Members of the centre-right Republican Party and the Socialist Party, both in opposition, approved the text – unlike France’s far-left Communist and France Unbowed parties.
Blank cheque or strings attached?
French political parties are divided on generating revenues to finance the new package, with the left and far-right parties calling for the restoration of a solidarity wealth tax to make the richest contribute, while the government opposes any tax hikes at this stage.
Another bone of contention is the €20 billion “recapitalisation” plan to help companies hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in the aviation and automobile sectors. Opposition groups have asked for further clarifications and environmental groups are denouncing "a cheque to big polluters", with no conditions attached.
"It will not be a blank cheque," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire promised parliament, adding that any capital increases or likely temporary nationalisation measures would be “competitive" and based on "an ambitious environmental policy".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-04-18--In Twitter showdown, Trump calls to ‘liberate’ states with Covid-19 stay-home orders

The U.S. coronavirus crisis took a sharp political turn on Friday as President Donald Trump lashed out at four Democratic governors over their handling of the pandemic after having conceded that states bear ultimate control of restrictions to contain the outbreak .
The Republican president targeted three swing states critical to his re-election bid - Michigan , Minnesota and Virginia - where his conservative loyalists have mounted pressure campaigns challenging those governors ' stay-at-home orders .
Amplifying a theme that his supporters have trumpeted this week in street protests at the state capitals of Lansing , St. Paul , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matching Twitter posts touting the slogans : `` LIBERATE MICHIGAN ! ''
`` LIBERATE MINNESOTA ! ''
and `` LIBERATE VIRGINIA ! ''
Michigan has become a particular focus of agitation to relax social-distancing rules that rank among the strictest in the nation after Governor Gretchen Whitmer , widely seen as a potential running mate for presumed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , extended them through the end of April .
Protesters defying the restrictions from the steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday shouted `` lock her up , '' a chant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign rallies and originally referred to his 2016 Democratic rival , Hillary Clinton .
Whitmer said on Friday she was hopeful her state , which suffered one of the country 's fastest-growing coronavirus infection rates , can begin to restart parts of its economy on May 1 .
But she urged doing so cautiously to avoid reigniting the outbreak just as it was being brought to heel .
Responding to Trump 's critique later in the day , Whitmer said Michigan will re-engage its economy when it 's safe , adding : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to have a second wave here . ''
Trump also took renewed aim at one of his favorite political foils , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo , suggesting on Twitter that his state , the U.S. epicenter of the outbreak , had asked for too much assistance that was never fully used .
At his daily news briefing , Cuomo shot back saying Trump should `` maybe get up and go to work '' instead of watching TV , and accused the president of favoring the airline industry and business cronies in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the states .
The flare-up in political sparring came as the number of known coronavirus infections in the United States surpassed 700,000 , the most of any country .
At the same time , the tally of lives lost from COVID-19 , the highly contagious lung disease caused by the virus , has soared to more than 35,000 .
New York state accounts for nearly half those deaths .
While the death toll continued to climb , the rate of hospitalizations and other indicators have been leveling off , a sign that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 50 U.S. states were working to curtail the outbreak .
Stay-at-home orders and the closure of non-essential businesses have also strangled U.S. commerce , triggering millions of layoffs and forecasts that America is headed for its deepest recession since the economic collapse of the 1930s .
The result has been mounting pressure to ease the shutdowns , leading to clashes between Trump , who had touted the strength of the U.S. economy as the best case for his re-election in November , and governors in hard-hit states who warned against lifting restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down the coronavirus threat in its early stages , had been pressing to restart idled businesses as soon as May 1 , at first declaring `` total '' authority to do so and branding governors who resisted his approach , many of them Democrats , as `` mutineers . ''
In the end Trump acknowledged it was up to the governors to decide when and how to relax the restrictions they themselves had imposed since last month , presenting new federal guidelines on Thursday as recommendations .
While the guidelines call for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the advice of leading health experts , the plan hinges on widespread testing to gauge the scope of infections and how many people might have developed immunity to the virus .
At a White House briefing on Friday , Trump 's coronavirus task force members , through statements and graphics , pushed back against criticism from some governors and lawmakers that limited testing ability is impeding the country 's return to normalcy .
`` We believe today that we have the capacity in the United States to do a sufficient amount of testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the time and manner that they deem appropriate , '' Vice President Mike Pence told reporters .
Cuomo argued earlier that the Trump administration was foisting responsibility for a massive testing program on the states without providing necessary financial resources .
`` Is there any funding so I can do these things that you want us to do ?
No .
That is passing the buck without passing the bucks , '' Cuomo said .
Even as Cuomo was addressing reporters , Trump immediately took to Twitter in Washington to fire back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time 'doing ' and less time 'complaining . '
'' Trump struck a more conciliatory tone during the White House briefing .
Asked about criticism leveled at him earlier in the day by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee , a Democrat who accused Trump of `` fomenting domestic rebellion '' with his `` LIBERATE '' tweets , the president demurred .
Trump denied he was suggesting that Michigan , Minnesota and Virginia lift their stay-at-home orders altogether , but added , `` I think elements of what they 've done are too much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , `` These are people expressing their views . ''
He added , `` They seem to be very responsible to me .
...
But they 've been treated a little bit rough . ''

The U.S. coronavirus crisis took a sharp political turn on Friday as President Donald Trump lashed out at four Democratic governors over their handling of the pandemic after having conceded that states bear ultimate control of restrictions to contain the outbreak.
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The Republican president targeted three swing states critical to his re-election bid - Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia - where his conservative loyalists have mounted pressure campaigns challenging those governors' stay-at-home orders.
Amplifying a theme that his supporters have trumpeted this week in street protests at the state capitals of Lansing, St. Paul, and Richmond, Trump issued a series of matching Twitter posts touting the slogans: "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" "LIBERATE MINNESOTA!" and "LIBERATE VIRGINIA!"
LIBERATE MICHIGAN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
Michigan has become a particular focus of agitation to relax social-distancing rules that rank among the strictest in the nation after Governor Gretchen Whitmer, widely seen as a potential running mate for presumed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, extended them through the end of April.
Protesters defying the restrictions from the steps of the state Capitol on Wednesday shouted "lock her up," a chant that was a staple of Trump's campaign rallies and originally referred to his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
'When it's safe'
Whitmer said on Friday she was hopeful her state, which suffered one of the country's fastest-growing coronavirus infection rates, can begin to restart parts of its economy on May 1. But she urged doing so cautiously to avoid reigniting the outbreak just as it was being brought to heel.
Responding to Trump's critique later in the day, Whitmer said Michigan will re-engage its economy when it's safe, adding: "The last thing I want to do is to have a second wave here."
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Trump also took renewed aim at one of his favorite political foils, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, suggesting on Twitter that his state, the U.S. epicenter of the outbreak, had asked for too much assistance that was never fully used.
At his daily news briefing, Cuomo shot back saying Trump should "maybe get up and go to work" instead of watching TV, and accused the president of favoring the airline industry and business cronies in a recent bailout package that left little for the states.
The flare-up in political sparring came as the number of known coronavirus infections in the United States surpassed 700,000, the most of any country. At the same time, the tally of lives lost from COVID-19, the highly contagious lung disease caused by the virus, has soared to more than 35,000. New York state accounts for nearly half those deaths.
While the death toll continued to climb, the rate of hospitalizations and other indicators have been leveling off, a sign that drastic social-distancing restrictions imposed in 42 of the 50 U.S. states were working to curtail the outbreak.
Stay-at-home orders and the closure of non-essential businesses have also strangled U.S. commerce, triggering millions of layoffs and forecasts that America is headed for its deepest recession since the economic collapse of the 1930s.
The result has been mounting pressure to ease the shutdowns, leading to clashes between Trump, who had touted the strength of the U.S. economy as the best case for his re-election in November, and governors in hard-hit states who warned against lifting restrictions too quickly.
Trump, who played down the coronavirus threat in its early stages, had been pressing to restart idled businesses as soon as May 1, at first declaring "total" authority to do so and branding governors who resisted his approach, many of them Democrats, as "mutineers."
State control and testing
In the end Trump acknowledged it was up to the governors to decide when and how to relax the restrictions they themselves had imposed since last month, presenting new federal guidelines on Thursday as recommendations.
While the guidelines call for a phased-in, science-based strategy in keeping with the advice of leading health experts, the plan hinges on widespread testing to gauge the scope of infections and how many people might have developed immunity to the virus.
At a White House briefing on Friday, Trump's coronavirus task force members, through statements and graphics, pushed back against criticism from some governors and lawmakers that limited testing ability is impeding the country's return to normalcy.
"We believe today that we have the capacity in the United States to do a sufficient amount of testing for states to move into phase one in the time and manner that they deem appropriate," Vice President Mike Pence told reporters.
Cuomo argued earlier that the Trump administration was foisting responsibility for a massive testing program on the states without providing necessary financial resources.
"Is there any funding so I can do these things that you want us to do? No. That is passing the buck without passing the bucks," Cuomo said.
Even as Cuomo was addressing reporters, Trump immediately took to Twitter in Washington to fire back, saying he "should spend more time 'doing' and less time 'complaining.'"
Trump struck a more conciliatory tone during the White House briefing. Asked about criticism leveled at him earlier in the day by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat who accused Trump of "fomenting domestic rebellion" with his "LIBERATE" tweets, the president demurred.
Trump denied he was suggesting that Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia lift their stay-at-home orders altogether, but added, "I think elements of what they've done are too much."
Of the protesters, Trump said, "These are people expressing their views." He added, "They seem to be very responsible to me. ... But they've been treated a little bit rough."
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-04-18--Guatemala says migrants deported from US detention centres infected with Covid-19

Guatelaman health ministry officials disinfect themselves at a temporary shelter for migrants arriving from the US in Guatemala City , Guatemala , April 16 , 2020 .
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday a number of migrants on a deportation flight from the US were infected with the coronavirus amid fears the contagion in the sprawling US migrant detention system run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) is spreading to Central America .
Giammattei said 12 randomly selected migrants who arrived in Guatemala on the deportation flight tested positive for coronavirus when examined by the US Centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
He suggested more on the flight had tested positive as well .
`` A large part of it was infected , '' the president said in a televised address , referring to a flight carrying 73 Guatemalans that left the US for Guatemala City earlier this week .
The Trump administration has pressured Guatemala to keep receiving deported migrants despite growing concern in the poor Central American nation that returnees are bringing the virus with them and could infect remote communities .
The flight , which took off Monday , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storm since Guatemalan Health Minister Hugo Monroy said up to 75 percent of passengers on a deportation flight were infected with the virus .
The Associated Press later cited a Guatemalan official saying 44 people on the Monday flight were infected .
Only 400 detainees in the US out of more than 32,000 have been tested so far , according to testimony that Matthew Albence , the acting director of ICE , gave Friday to a congressional committee .
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform said that Albence “ also confirmed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deporting them ” .
More than 1,600 people deported from the United States to Guatemala over the last month were allowed to go home and into voluntary , unenforced quarantine .
Fears are rising that it may have seeded the Central American nation with an untold number of undetected cases , increasing its vulnerability to the pandemic .
The US said on Thursday it had sent a CDC mission to assess the situation and test the migrants , who remain in quarantine in a hospital .
It is not clear when the deportees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases of Covid-19 among ICE employees working in the agency 's detention facilities , including 13 at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana , ICE data shows .
Only on Monday did Guatemala begin testing every passenger who shared a flight with someone confirmed as positive .
The same day , a plane carrying 76 people arrived on an ICE flight from Alexandria , Louisiana .
A migrant who was feeling ill was tested and found to be infected , leading to tests for everyone else .
Forty-three tested positive despite showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical quarantine , officials said .
Giammattei , who spoke while wearing a surgical mask , said a CDC team also tested 12 of the passengers at random on Friday and all tested positive .
He said flights would be suspended until the US certifies passengers on such flights are free of the new virus .
“ It ’ s very worrying because these adults and children are being deported from places with high levels of contagion , ” said Leonel Dubón , director of Refuge for Childhood , a centre for young @ @ @ @ @ @

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday a number of migrants on a deportation flight from the US were infected with the coronavirus amid fears the contagion in the sprawling US migrant detention system run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is spreading to Central America.
Guatelaman health ministry officials disinfect themselves at a temporary shelter for migrants arriving from the US in Guatemala City, Guatemala, April 16, 2020.
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Giammattei said 12 randomly selected migrants who arrived in Guatemala on the deportation flight tested positive for coronavirus when examined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
He suggested more on the flight had tested positive as well.
"A large part of it was infected," the president said in a televised address, referring to a flight carrying 73 Guatemalans that left the US for Guatemala City earlier this week.
The Trump administration has pressured Guatemala to keep receiving deported migrants despite growing concern in the poor Central American nation that returnees are bringing the virus with them and could infect remote communities.
The flight, which took off Monday, has been at the centre of a political storm since Guatemalan Health Minister Hugo Monroy said up to 75 percent of passengers on a deportation flight were infected with the virus. The Associated Press later cited a Guatemalan official saying 44 people on the Monday flight were infected.
Low testing levels at US migrant centres
Only 400 detainees in the US out of more than 32,000 have been tested so far, according to testimony that Matthew Albence, the acting director of ICE, gave Friday to a congressional committee.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform said that Albence “also confirmed that ICE does not routinely test detainees before deporting them”.
More than 1,600 people deported from the United States to Guatemala over the last month were allowed to go home and into voluntary, unenforced quarantine.
Fears are rising that it may have seeded the Central American nation with an untold number of undetected cases, increasing its vulnerability to the pandemic.
The US said on Thursday it had sent a CDC mission to assess the situation and test the migrants, who remain in quarantine in a hospital.
Adults, children deported from high contagion areas
It is not clear when the deportees became infected. There have been 30 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among ICE employees working in the agency's detention facilities, including 13 at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana, ICE data shows.
Only on Monday did Guatemala begin testing every passenger who shared a flight with someone confirmed as positive. The same day, a plane carrying 76 people arrived on an ICE flight from Alexandria, Louisiana. A migrant who was feeling ill was tested and found to be infected, leading to tests for everyone else. Forty-three tested positive despite showing no signs of illness and are in medical quarantine, officials said.
Giammattei, who spoke while wearing a surgical mask, said a CDC team also tested 12 of the passengers at random on Friday and all tested positive. He said flights would be suspended until the US certifies passengers on such flights are free of the new virus.
“It’s very worrying because these adults and children are being deported from places with high levels of contagion,” said Leonel Dubón, director of Refuge for Childhood, a centre for young and vulnerable deportees in Guatemala.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and REUTERS)
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france24--2020-04-18--An infectious disease expert debunks Covid-19 remedies circulating on African social media

Is coronavirus the same as the flu ?
Videos offering up homemade tinctures meant to keep a person safe from the coronavirus have been circulating widely on social media in French-speaking Africa .
Our readers brought several of these videos to our attention .
In turn , we showed them to Khadidiatou Bâ Fall , a specialist in infectious diseases who used to head up the infectious diseases service at the main hospital in Dakar , Senegal.We transcribed and translated her comments below.This video , which circulated on WhatsApp in Cameroon , Ivory Coast and other countries , shows a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his recipe for mixture meant to combat coronavirus .
“ To cure coronavirus , you need ginger , garlic and lemon , ” he says in French.He suggests crushing all the ingredients and then putting it into boiling water boiling .
He claims that once the mixture has cooled and been strained , it will cure COVID-19 .
Really ?
We asked Professor Fall about it : There have also been videos circulating online showing people breathing in steam in what they claim is an effective cure for coronavirus.
“ Grandma ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a video posted on April 1 that shows a person covered with sweat after breathing in steam from a hot mixture .
The video has been shared more than 700 times.One of our readers sent us a video featuring the Cameroonian singer Longuè Longuè breathing in steam from some kind of tea brewed in a pot with leaves.
“ We are fighting corona , ” he says.When contacted , the artist denied that he was trying to demonstrate a recipe meant to combat coronavirus.
“ I felt like I was coming down with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to treat me .
I didn ’ t have coronavirus .
It ’ s true that I said , ‘ We are fighting coronavirus ’ in the video , but , these days , you can ’ t really say a single word without talking about corona.
” Professor Fall warns against using this technique to treat coronavirus .
She says that it could even contribute to the spreading of the virus.One video that circulated widely in WhatsApp groups in Benin and Ivory Coast shows a healer from Benin claiming that the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims that his special recipe for a mixture made up of ginger , lemon , orange and honey can cure people of coronavirus.Professor Fall was particularly concerned about this video.She has a message for people spreading these recipes .

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Since the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media in Africa has been full of videos claiming that different concoctions of garlic, ginger and lemon can keep the virus at bay. We spoke to an infectious disease specialist who said that not only are these recipes ineffective against coronavirus, they could even be dangerous. We examined three of the most widely circulating recipes.
Videos offering up homemade tinctures meant to keep a person safe from the coronavirus have been circulating widely on social media in French-speaking Africa. Our readers brought several of these videos to our attention. In turn, we showed them to Khadidiatou Bâ Fall, a specialist in infectious diseases who used to head up the infectious diseases service at the main hospital in Dakar, Senegal.
We transcribed and translated her comments below.
Are garlic, ginger and lemon an effective remedy for coronavirus?
This video, which circulated on WhatsApp in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and other countries, shows a person with no known medical qualifications demonstrating his recipe for mixture meant to combat coronavirus. “To cure coronavirus, you need ginger, garlic and lemon,” he says in French.
He suggests crushing all the ingredients and then putting it into boiling water boiling. He claims that once the mixture has cooled and been strained, it will cure COVID-19. Really?
We asked Professor Fall about it:
There's absolutely no indication that this mixture could cure COVID-19. However, it is definitely good for the human body. It contains a lot of vitamins, including C, B1, B2, B9, D and E, and antioxidants like zinc, magnesium and calcium. This mixture will hydrate your kidneys. Lots of studies of these ingredients have confirmed their positive effects on the human body. Some of them boost the immune system. There are a lot of unknowns about this new virus. Luckily, there is intense scientific research going on into different treatments. Some of them might end up being effective against the virus. One example is the small study into the use of hydroxychloroquine conducted at the university hospital institute in Marseille. Other experts are conducting studies into using plasma therapy, which involves treating COVID-19 patients with plasma rich in antibodies obtained from a patient who has recovered from the virus.
Are steam inhalations any good for treating COVID-19?
There have also been videos circulating online showing people breathing in steam in what they claim is an effective cure for coronavirus.
“Grandma’s coronavirus treatment” reads the caption on a video posted on April 1 that shows a person covered with sweat after breathing in steam from a hot mixture. The video has been shared more than 700 times.
One of our readers sent us a video featuring the Cameroonian singer Longuè Longuè breathing in steam from some kind of tea brewed in a pot with leaves.
“We are fighting corona,” he says.
When contacted, the artist denied that he was trying to demonstrate a recipe meant to combat coronavirus.
“I felt like I was coming down with malaria and my aunt sent these leaves to treat me. I didn’t have coronavirus. It’s true that I said, ‘We are fighting coronavirus’ in the video, but, these days, you can’t really say a single word without talking about corona.”
Professor Fall warns against using this technique to treat coronavirus. She says that it could even contribute to the spreading of the virus.
Coronavirus infects a person through their airways. It damages the lungs and can cause serious pneumonia. You should avoid anything that could negatively affect respiration. This kind of inhalation can cause a person to cough or sneeze, which, in turn, can spread the sickness.
Is coronavirus the same as the flu?
One video that circulated widely in WhatsApp groups in Benin and Ivory Coast shows a healer from Benin claiming that the coronavirus is just like the flu. He claims that his special recipe for a mixture made up of ginger, lemon, orange and honey can cure people of coronavirus.
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Professor Fall was particularly concerned about this video.
Even if there are similarities, COVID-19 is different from the flu. It has a longer incubation period and it lasts longer-- nearly 20 days within an organism. Patients with COVID-19 are much more infectious. There is also a much higher mortality rate. With COVID-19, the mortality rate is around 3 to 4% while the flu has a mortality rate of 0.1%.
She has a message for people spreading these recipes.
We know that many traditional healers died from Ebola. They are also highly exposed to COVID-19. We recommend that they take special precautions and also immediately refer any suspected cases to traditional health care facilities which can provide the full care needed by COVID-19 patients.
Article by Hermann Boko.


france24--2020-04-18--Covid-19: Number of hospitalised people in France declines for fourth consecutive day

A medical staff members , wearing face masks , are seen in an intensive care unit for coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) patients at the Clinique de l'Orangerie private hospital in Strasbourg , as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues , France April 17 , 2020 .
France on Saturday reported 642 more deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours , but registered new falls in the total numbers of coronavirus patients in hospitals and intensive care .
The new deaths -- 364 in hospitals and 278 in nursing homes -- brought the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic to 19,323 , the French health ministry said in a statement .
However in a continuation of a trend seen over the last days the number of coronavirus patients in hospital fell by 551 to 30,639 .
The numbers in intensive care meanwhile fell by 194 to 5,833 .
This was the fourth consecutive day there has been a fall in the numbers in hospital and the tenth day in a row there has been a fall in the numbers in intensive care .
`` The fall in the demand for equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing , but it is still at an exceptional level , far higher than the usual level in France , '' the statement said .
France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic .
But President Emmanuel Macron announced this week that the lockdown could begin to be eased from May 11 .
Schools could gradually reopen then , he said -- but cafes , cinemas and cultural venues would remain closed , and there could be no summer festivals until mid-July at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Health Minister Olivier Veran are due on Sunday to give a news conference on how France is dealing with the virus .
They are expected to be pressed on how the lockdown can be eased from May 11 .

France on Saturday reported 642 more deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours, but registered new falls in the total numbers of coronavirus patients in hospitals and intensive care.
A medical staff members, wearing face masks, are seen in an intensive care unit for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at the Clinique de l'Orangerie private hospital in Strasbourg, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, France April 17, 2020.
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The new deaths -- 364 in hospitals and 278 in nursing homes -- brought the total toll in the country from the epidemic to 19,323, the French health ministry said in a statement.
However in a continuation of a trend seen over the last days the number of coronavirus patients in hospital fell by 551 to 30,639. The numbers in intensive care meanwhile fell by 194 to 5,833.
>> Coronavirus crisis throws a lifeline to Macron’s troubled presidency
This was the fourth consecutive day there has been a fall in the numbers in hospital and the tenth day in a row there has been a fall in the numbers in intensive care.
"The fall in the demand for equipment and human resources in intensive care is continuing, but it is still at an exceptional level, far higher than the usual level in France," the statement said.
France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic. But President Emmanuel Macron announced this week that the lockdown could begin to be eased from May 11.
>> 'Grave concerns' about Covid-19 immunity passports
Schools could gradually reopen then, he said -- but cafes, cinemas and cultural venues would remain closed, and there could be no summer festivals until mid-July at the earliest.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Health Minister Olivier Veran are due on Sunday to give a news conference on how France is dealing with the virus. They are expected to be pressed on how the lockdown can be eased from May 11.
(AFP)
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