Covid: France schools to close under third lockdown - BBC News

Reuters

French schools will close for at least three weeks as part of new national restrictions to fight rising Covid cases, President Emmanuel Macron says.

Mr Macron said that schools would move to remote learning from next week.

Lockdown measures, introduced in some areas of France earlier this month, are also being extended to other districts.

All non-essential shops are to close from Saturday and there will be a ban on travelling more than 10km (six miles) from home without good reason.

The country is facing a peak of over 5,000 people in intensive care.

France has so far reported more than 4.6 million cases of coronavirus and 95,495 Covid-related deaths.

In his live televised address on Wednesday, Mr Macron described the situation in the country as "delicate" and said that April would prove crucial.

The 43-year-old president said that it was a race between vaccination on the one hand and attempting to control the spread of the virus on the other.

He said that while schools would be closing from next week, classes would remain open for the children of key workers.

Mr Macron said that people would be given the Easter weekend to get themselves to where they want to spend the lockdown.

He described "light at the end of the tunnel" if people respected the new measures.

Parliament will debate the measures announced by Mr Macron before voting on them on Thursday, according to the prime minister's office.

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2021-03-31 18:56:52Z
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COVID-19: Tough coronavirus lockdown measures widened to whole of France and schools to shut, says Macron - Sky News

France will widen strict lockdown restrictions - which have already been in place in several areas including Paris - to the whole country to combat a third wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe.

In a televised address to the nation, President Emmanuel Macron said the measures will come into effect on Saturday and be in place for at least a month.

He described the measures as "reinforced breaking" and they will include closing non-essential shops, and shutting schools for three weeks.

He said timetables will be adapted to allow for one week of online lessons.

There will be a month-long domestic travel ban, and a nationwide 7pm-6am curfew will remain in place.

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Mr Macron said "we will lose control if we do not move now", adding "the epidemic is accelerating".

The extended measures mark a departure from the government's policy in recent months, which has focused on regionalised restrictions.

More from Covid-19

School closures in particular had been seen as a very last resort.

His announcement comes after doctors warned that hospitals are on the brink of being overwhelmed by the number of sick people needing treatment.

Daily new infections have doubled since February to nearly 40,000.

And yesterday, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care breached 5,000, exceeding the peak hit during a six-week long lockdown in the autumn.

Image: So far, only 12% of the French population has been inoculated against coronavirus. Pic: AP

Sky's Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said of the president's address: "This really was a classic bit of Emmanuel Macron rhetoric. It was a speech laced with care, with politics and also with a little grain of self-aggrandisement."

He said that the measures announced are "pretty much the pillars of the lockdown of last year".

Mr Macron had been holding off another national lockdown since the start of the year, hoping to steer France out of the pandemic while giving the economy a chance to recover from a deep slump.

However, in recent weeks, options have narrowed as the highly contagious and virulent coronavirus variant first detected in Britain has swept across France and much of Europe.

Ten days ago, the government shut non-essential stores and limited people's movements in Paris and other regions ravaged by the virus.

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2021-03-31 18:33:45Z
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AstraZeneca slander backfires: EU's OWN regulator finds 'no risk factors' for Covid jab - Daily Express

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) found no specific risk factors, including age, for the AstraZeneca Covid jab, but said it was carrying out further analysis. This comes amid a bitter row between the UK and the bloc over coronavirus vaccine supplies.

EMA executive director Emer Cooke said in a statement: "EMA is of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.

"A causal link with the vaccine is not proven.”

He added how they will continue to look at any evidence and will provide another update next week.

The AstraZeneca vaccine - which was developed with Oxford University - was approved for use by EU regulators earlier this year.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain all halted the use of the vaccine amid growing concerns as EU member states have recorded a number of blood clots after the vaccine was administered to patients.

Portugal, Slovenia, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Romania, Latvia, Austria, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Bulgaria also all halted the inoculation of the jab, despite advice from the EMA.

Iceland and Norway, who are both not members of the EU but have joined the European Economic Area (EEA), also halted the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The row between the UK and the EU has been escalating since the Commission threatened Britain with a ban on vaccine exports.

READ MORE: Germans rage at Angela Merkel's AstraZeneca flipflopping - VIDEO

Mrs von der Leyen said: "I think it is clear that first of all the company has to catch up.

"[It] has to honour the contract it has with European member states before it can engage again in exporting vaccines.

"We want to explain to our European citizens that they [can] get their fair share."

Mr Johnson warned the "blockades" were "not sensible".

The EU's glacial vaccine rollout has been widely criticised by its own member states.

This week, Ireland's Taoiseach Micheal Martin hit back at the bloc and accused them of holding them back.

He said: "Every effort has been made to ensure that almost all doses are injected into people in the same week that they arrive, but disruptions to supply – to Ireland and throughout Europe – have held us back.

"Indeed, the only thing that is holding us back is supply."

To date, just 11.3 percent of adults aged 18 and above have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine across the EU.

Only 4.9 percent of adults from EU countries have been fully vaccinated.

In comparison, more than half of the adult population in the UK have received their first dose of a vaccine as the figure exceeds 30,000,000.

More than 3,000,000 people have received both jabs.

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2021-03-31 14:38:00Z
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Biden to unveil spending plan worth trillions - BBC News

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US President Joe Biden is set to unveil the details of a spending plan aimed at re-igniting America's economic growth.

The plan aims to upgrade its crumbling infrastructure and tackle climate change.

The $2.3tn (£1.7tn) proposal, which he will outline in a speech on Wednesday, was central to the vision he laid out on the presidential campaign last year.

Mr Biden plans to offset the spending by raising taxes on businesses, including the corporate tax rate.

That would rise from 21% to 28%, a proposal which has already roused fierce opposition.

Republicans have called the rises "a recipe for stagnation and decline", while the Business Roundtable, a powerful lobby group that represents firms such as Walmart, said it supported investments but would oppose tax increases.

The pushback is a sign of the tough fight ahead for the plan, which needs approval from Congress.

Infrastructure investment

The White House has promoted its proposal as the most ambitious public spending in decades, saying the investments are necessary to keep the US economy growing and competitive with other countries such as China.

The package ranges widely, touching on everything from creating charging stations for electric vehicles to eliminating lead pipes.

It calls for investing more than $600bn in infrastructure, including modernising roads, replacing rail cars and buses and repairing crumbling bridges.

Billions more would be devoted to initiatives like improving veterans hospitals, affordable housing, high-speed broadband, manufacturing, and technology research.

The spending, which would have to be approved by Congress, would roll out over eight years.

The tax increases, including raising the minimum tax on profits earned overseas, would offset the spending over 15 years.

For carmakers, who in recent weeks have been increasing green investments, the plan is expected to unleash new demand for electric vehicles.

Investors in the sector have been "awaiting this day since Biden was elected" analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities said.

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2021-03-31 14:37:58Z
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Brazil: Political crisis and Covid surge rock Bolsonaro - BBC News

Reuters

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro is facing the biggest crisis of his presidency after the heads of the army, navy and air force all quit and the country recorded its highest daily Covid-19 death toll.

The unprecedented resignation of the defence chiefs is being seen as a protest at attempts by Mr Bolsonaro to exert undue control over the military.

Mr Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted over his response to Covid-19.

Nearly 314,000 people have died, with a new daily record of 3,780 on Tuesday.

What's the situation with Covid?

Worldwide, Brazil has the second highest number of total confirmed Covid cases with more than 12.6m. Only the United States has had more.

On 17 March, when the daily death toll stood at 2,286, the Brazilian public health institute Fiocruz warned the health system was close to collapse,

More than 80% of intensive care unit beds were occupied in the capitals of 25 of Brazil's 27 states, Fiocruz said.

An epidemiologist in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Dr Pedro Hallal, told the BBC he feared Brazil could become a threat to global public health.

• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?
• Covid vaccines: How fast is worldwide progress?

President Bolsonaro has consistently opposed lockdown measures, arguing that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the coronavirus itself.

He has also told Brazilians to "stop whining" about the situation.

But last week, Mr Bolsonaro, who has previously raised doubts about vaccines and defended unproven drugs as treatment, said that he would make 2021 the year of vaccinations. "Very soon we'll resume our normal lives," he said.

So far Brazil has vaccinated just over 8% of the population, with some 17.7m vaccine doses dispensed.

What is the political fallout?

The president's popularity has plummeted over his handling of the pandemic, with 43% of Brazilians saying Mr Bolsonaro is to blame for the Covid crisis, according to a Datafolha poll published in mid-March.

His government is in turmoil. On 16 March a new health minister took office - the fourth since the pandemic began. Marcelo Queiroga, a cardiologist, replaced an army officer with no medical training.

On Monday the defence and foreign ministers resigned, prompting a cabinet reshuffle. The foreign minister was accused of mishandling relations with China, resulting in a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines.

The defence minister clashed with Mr Bolsonaro over the issue of the armed forces' loyalty, which he said should be directed to upholding the constitution rather than supporting the president personally.

They were followed on Tuesday by the heads of the army, navy and air force. It is believed to be the first time in Brazilian history that the heads of the armed forces have stood down together over a disagreement with the president.

The BBC's Latin America correspondent, Will Grant, says Mr Bolsonaro is now facing his biggest political crisis since taking office in January 2019.

The president is a divisive figure who has sparked controversy with racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments.

A former army captain, Mr Bolsonaro organised a commemoration in 2019 of the 1964 coup which put Brazil under military rule until 1985. At least 434 people were killed or disappeared, according to the findings of a 2014 national truth commission.

Mr Bolsonaro defended the ceremonies, saying the aim was to remember the era rather than commemorate military rule itself.

On Wednesday, the newly appointed minister of defence, Gen Walter Braga Netto, said that it had "pacified the country" and should be celebrated.

He said that there had been a "very real threat to peace and democracy" and that the armed forces had confronted that threat.

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2021-03-31 11:15:36Z
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Myanmar refugees turned away - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-03-31 08:00:08Z
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Brazil: Political crisis and Covid surge rock Bolsonaro - BBC News

Reuters

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro is facing the biggest crisis of his presidency after the heads of the army, navy and air force all quit and the country recorded its highest Covid-19 daily death toll.

The unprecedented resignation of the defence chiefs is being seen as a protest at attempts by Mr Bolsonaro to exert undue control over the military.

Mr Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted over his response to Covid-19.

Nearly 314,000 people have died, with a new daily record of 3,780 on Tuesday.

There have been more than 12.5 million confirmed cases.

Brazil's far-right president, who came to power two years ago, has consistently opposed quarantine measures, arguing that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the coronavirus itself.

He has also told Brazilians to "stop whining" about the situation.

On Monday, the president was forced to reshuffle his cabinet after his foreign and defence ministers both quit.

How serious is this for Bolsonaro?

It is reportedly the first time in Brazilian history that the chiefs of the army, navy and air force have stood down together over a disagreement with the president.

The three men - Gen Edson Leal Pujol, Adm Ilques Barbosa and Lt Brig Antonio Carlos Bermudez - resigned on Tuesday, a day after the president's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo was forced to quit following heavy criticism by lawmakers.

Mr Araújo was accused of poorly handling relations with China, India and the US, which lawmakers said resulted in Brazil having insufficient quantities of Covid-19 vaccine.

Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva then quickly followed suit, prompting a cabinet reshuffle. The defence minister clashed with Mr Bolsonaro over loyalty of the armed forces, which he said should be directed to upholding the constitution rather than supporting the president personally.

The BBC's Latin America correspondent, Will Grant, says Mr Bolsonaro is now facing his biggest political crisis since taking office in January 2019.

Combined with his mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic, our correspondent adds, the pressure on the leader has ramped up significantly in recent weeks.

• Covid map: Where are cases the highest?
• Covid vaccines: How fast is worldwide progress?

Mr Bolsonaro, who has previously raised doubts about vaccines and defended unproven drugs as treatment, said last week that he would make 2021 the year of vaccinations. "Very soon we'll resume our normal lives," he said.

Brazil has been struggling with the rollout of its vaccination programme across the vast country. So far, it has been using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and China's CoronaVac, both of which require two jabs.

Brazil has also approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and placed orders for the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Russian-made Sputnik V jab.

Brazil's daily Covid-19 death toll passed 3,000 for the first time earlier this month, pushing hospitals close to collapse and raising fears that the country could become a threat to global public health.

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2021-03-31 07:11:30Z
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