© Reuters / Charles Platiau
Macron announced the lockdown extension during a public address on Monday as the growth of the epidemic in France was appearing to plateau, with 574 new deaths declared in the preceding 24 hours.
Admitting the country had not been prepared for the outbreak, the PM nevertheless praised those in front-line occupations for working overtime to save lives and called on the French to continue to stay home and maintain social distancing. Economic assistance would be stepped up for workers in those sectors that had to remain closed, he added, promising a specific plan for the tourism, hotels, restaurant, and culture sectors.
Macron pledged that May 11 would represent "the beginning of a new step," after which schools, daycares, and other educational institutions would be progressively reopened.
At that time, "the vast majority" of French will be able to begin returning to work, he explained, though restaurants, cafes, and other public gathering places would remain shuttered. Festivals and other large gatherings will remain postponed until at least mid-July. The situation will be reevaluated weekly.
Comment: While these measures are unlikely to be backed by any solid theory or evidence, the advantage that this gives Macron's failing government in outlawing the protests that have raged through France for nearly 2 years now is obvious.
Borders with non-European countries will remain closed until further notice. The government hopes to have face masks available for everyone by May 11, and their use by professions having frequent contact with the public will be mandatory.
France has been locked down since mid-March and has a total of 133,685 confirmed cases of coronavirus, ranking behind only the US, Spain, and Italy in terms of casualties. Almost 15,000 people have died with the disease, though the death rate among hospitalized patients has slowed over the weekend and the number of patients being treated in intensive care has declined for several days.
The nation's economy has taken a beating from the pandemic-induced shutdown, with the Bank of France recently reporting its worst first-quarter performance since World War II. The last two weeks of March specifically saw a 32 percent drop in economic activity, according to the central bank, which expects the economy to continue shrinking by 1.5 percent for every two weeks the nation spends under lockdown.
Spain lifts lockdown for non-essential workers amid harsh debate & fears of new wave of Covid-19 cases
Staff in food distribution, communications, sanitation and other non-essential sectors are now allowed to go to work in Spain, despite the country's status as the world's second-largest Covid-19 hotspot with over 17,000 deaths.
These workers will be able to return to work this Monday following a 14-day self-isolation regime that saw all industries - except for healthcare and food - shut down across all of Spain, local media reported. Back in late March, the "non-essential" staff were sent on paid leave following a decision by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
With the lockdown partially lifted, schools, bars, restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities will remain closed until the Covid-19 peak has passed. The containment measures have taken a heavy toll on Spain's tourism industry and have also led to a recession in other sectors.
The news comes as Spain's daily death toll went up from 525 on Saturday to 603 on Sunday. Its total number of coronavirus casualties is now at 17,209; its pool of confirmed cases - which nears 167,000 - puts it behind only the United States.
The prospect of easing the shutdown stirred up fierce debate among the Spanish political elite, who now have to choose between reviving the economy and containing the epidemic. The government of Catalonia criticized the decision, describing it as "recklessness;" while the Madrid authorities warned that another wave of coronavirus cases would be "unforgivable."
India & Pakistan may reopen some crucial industries amid Covid-19 lockdowns
In India, which is under a 21-day lockdown, millions of people have been left without work. The World Bank has forecast the country's economic growth to drop to 1.5 percent in the fiscal year that started on April 1. That would be the weakest pace in three decades.
Several states have already called for an extension of the shutdown, though they support less sweeping measures. The lockdown ends at midnight on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to make a decision on whether it should be extended.
The number of coronavirus cases in India has topped 9,152 (including 308 deaths). An unnamed government source told Reuters that Modi has asked his cabinet to come up with plans to open some crucial industries (car manufacturing, textiles, defense and electronics sectors) as the livelihoods of millions of people are at stake. Firms could start a quarter of their operations while ensuring social distancing, the source said.
Chief minister of India's northern state of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, said he plans to divide his state into three zones. "In the green zone, small and medium industries will be allowed to start operations, provided the entrepreneur gives us an undertaking to fulfil the guidelines in letter and spirit. We want small industries to start operations at lower capacity first," Khattar said.
Meanwhile in Pakistan, the country's command and control authority, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan and consisting of the civil and military leadership, is due to meet on Monday to decide whether to extend the countrywide lockdown beyond April 15.
Two cabinet ministers told Reuters the meeting will lay out a plan to reopen some industries in phases, mainly the construction and export sectors. Business owners will have to provide an account of safety measures and ensure disinfection in their factories, the ministers said, adding that they will be allowed to function only with a reduced workforce.
'Biggest worry now is people dying of hunger': Pakistani PM calls for coronavirus relief package for developing world
Khan made an appeal to world leaders, global financial institutions and the UN secretary general "to ditch out a stimulus package for the developing world to help them through this economic downturn" on Sunday, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country reached 5,230, with 91 fatalities.
The PM highlighted the income gap between well-off developed countries that may inject a lump sum into their economies, under strain due to lockdowns, and the developing world which is effectively trapped between a rock and a hard place with its lack of resources.
"While in the developed world the main dilemma is containing the coronavirus through lockdowns and then dealing with the economic impact... in the developing world, apart from containing the virus and dealing with the economic crisis, the biggest worry now is people dying of hunger"
Pakistan, which is home to some 220 million people, was able to issue a relief package worth $8 billion, on condition that it can be further expanded when more resources are at hand. Khan drew a comparison between what Islamabad had to offer and the mammoth $2 trillion US coronavirus relief bill, as well as equally generous relief plans by European powerhouse Germany, and Japan.
Pakistan, on the other hand, is facing an impossible choice between "starvation from lockdown or the coronavirus," Khan said. Arguing that the world is heading into a "recession worse than the Great Depression," the PM said that the spread of the virus on a global scale won't be stopped without "a strong, coordinated and well-crafted global response."
The coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan has moved quickly since it was first detected in Quetta, located in the southwestern province of Balochistan, last month. The country has faced shortages of protective equipment and masks. The lack of gear sparked clashes between doctors and police in Quetta last week that led to dozens of medical professionals being arrested.
In addition to calling on the international community to chip in, Pakistan also requested assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is set to consider an extra loan of $1.4 billion to Pakistan on April 16.
But somehow, I have a hunch the forced "lockdown" break will play into the hands of the gilets jaunes...