Germany backs WHO, Denmark reopens schools: COVID-19 daily bulletin

TOP HEADLINES

• French president Emmanuel Macron has called for a moratorium on the debt of African states as "an essential step" to help the continent weather the disease.

• Germany's foreign minister said that strengthening the World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the best investments .

• Denmark became the first country in Europe to begin reopening schools after a month-long closure.

• Joint debt issuance by eurozone member states can be one of the options to tackle the economic blowback of the pandemic, said Mario Centeno, chairman of the bloc's finance ministers.

• **France hiked the estimated cost of measures **to support the economy through the COVID-19 crisis to $120.6 billion.

• The UK has given the go-ahead for work to start on a new high-speed rail line , adding that coronavirus safety precautions should be followed during the project.

• Albania will pay a one-off sum of $350.78 to 176,000 workers in businesses hurt by coronavirus measures, finance minister Anila Denaj said.

• The UK's opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer urged the government to publish an exit strategy from the stringent lockdown.

• A French court has ordered Amazon to refrain from selling , receiving or delivering non-essential goods for the next month in order to shield its staff from the virus.

• Online gambling firm 888 Holdings voiced concern over the growing risks of gambling-related harm as people stuck at home bet online.

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ACROSS EUROPE

By Nawied Jabarkhyl in London

Another day, another criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic, and another promise by politicians to sort things out. The health minister announced that all staff and residents at care homes will be tested, after care workers and a string of charities claimed the virus was causing havoc at more than 2,000 homes for the elderly and infirm.

The UK is testing far fewer people than European peers like Germany and France, but aims to test 100,000 a day by the end of the month.

Adding to the sense of mismanagement, a leaked document by Public Health England shows officials are now considering reusing protective equipment like gowns and masks, some of which are usually "single-use." The plans were described as a "last resort" but they highlight the sense of desperation facing frontline medics as they fight to save lives in one of the world's worst-affected countries.

By Ross Cullen in Paris

France will lay out its second budget since the start of the coronavirus. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire is expected to set out new policies to deal with the crisis. More than $430 billion has already been set aside to help businesses and sectors hit hard. France is suffering its worst recession since World War II.

01:02

CGTN's Ira Spitzer discusses how the issue of so-called 'eurobonds' has divided eurozone member states.

by Ira Spitzer in Berlin

German chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a video conference with the leaders of the country's 16 states to decide on the extension of restrictions such as the closure of schools and non-essential shops. Currently, the restrictions are in place through Sunday.

Four weeks after the launch of a repatriation campaign, more than 225,000 Germans stranded abroad have been brought back home.

Frankfurt airport reported 96.8 percent fewer passengers between 6 April – 12 April compared to a year earlier. There have been widespread flight cancellations as a result of travel restrictions and a drop in demand.

French president Emmanuel Macron has backed debt relief for Africa. /AP/AFP

By Isobel Ewing in Budapest

Two hospital directors have been removed from their positions after failing to comply with a ministerial order to free up 60 percent of the beds in their facilities. There are questions surrounding the order to make 36,000 beds across the country available for COVID-19 patients, given the low number of cases compared to other countries.

In a letter to the prime minister, employees of the National Institute of Medical Rehabilitation asked that the decision to sack their director be reviewed, calling it "unfair" and "unfounded" and stating that it "fundamentally shakes the safe operation of our institution in a critical situation."

Meanwhile, eight border crossings between Hungary and Romania have been re-opened to help people moving between the countries to go to work or to cultivate land.

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