How have European newspapers been covering the coronavirus crisis?

Copyright Headlines across the globe

Published on 10/04/2020 - 20:19

In these unprecedented times, we take a look at the headlines across Europe.

Germany

Weekly German publication Der Spiegel headlines with "belief, love, bravery," in an edition that looks at "the psychology of fear and crises".

At the time of writing, Germany had the fourth highest number of confirmed cases in the world with a recorded 119,401 confirmed cases and over 4,601 deaths.

"A shepherd without a sheep," the front page of German daily publication Süddeutsche Zeitung reads as priests across the bloc prepare for empty pews during the Easter weekend.

France

Le Monde, a daily national paper in France, has published a special edition paying tribute to the health workers working on the coronavirus frontline.

This comes as France records 118,790 confirmed cases with over 13,000 deaths.

Le Figaro, another daily newspaper, reports on French President Emmanuel Macron's meeting with professor Didier Raoult who has been advocating for Chloroquine-based treatments for COVID-19 as the debate rages on, both politically and scientifically, about its potential.

Italy

Daily newspaper La Repubblica headlines with the country's "exit strategy" and reports that restrictions will continue until 4 May.

The publication also reports on the "slow decline" in Italy as the contagion abates but the death rate remains high with 570 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

At the time of writing, the death toll in Italy stood at 18,849 with 147,577 confirmed cases.

Spain

El País, a daily newspaper, headlines with the EU agreeing a €500 billion rescue package to tackle the crisis.

The paper reports that access to aid will not be subject to financial reforms, as requested by the two countries.

The aid package didn't, however, include so-called "corona bonds" which would have allowed borrowing at lower interest rates with shared debt across the bloc.

The Netherlands

Het Parool is an Amsterdam-based daily publication. It headlines with the "historic" financial aid agreement reached between EU member states.

The Netherlands, along with countries such as Austria and Germany, have been vocal against the "corona bonds" borrowing scheme.

Ireland

Daily newspaper Irish Times headlines with the restrictions continuing in the country until 4 May. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar confirmed the move in a press statement on Friday.

This comes as health officials say that the rate of infections is slowing in the country, with the number of confirmed cases currently stands at over 6,500.

Meanwhile, the Irish Examiner reports on the concerns being raised as testing at two of the largest testing sites, Croke Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh, has ground to a halt.

The paper also features the company Debenhams going into liquidation with 2,000 staff to lose their jobs. This comes as the Irish unemployment rate soars to 16%.

The United Kingdom

The Daily Telegraph reports on the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson being moved out of intensive care as he continues his recovery from coronavirus in hospital.

The paper also headlines with 1.2 million new benefits being claimed across the country since the crisis began.

International headlines

The New York Times national addition headlines with sweeping job losses across the country as another 6.6 million apply for benefits from last week.

The paper reports that the number claiming benefits has eclipsed the equivalent during the 2008 recession, with the number unemployed totalling 17 million.

The front page of the Washington Post shows a mass grave site at New York's Hart Island.

New York City officials have said that the island may be used to bury those unclaimed or unidentified. The city has reported 159,937 confirmed cases, more than any other country outside of the US.