How are Europe's front pages covering the COVID-19 pandemic?

Copyright Front pages

Published on 17/04/2020 - 22:26

From the European Commission president apologising to Italy, to Germany's plan to loosen restrictions, here are some of Europe's headlines at the end of the week.

As European countries continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic and look ahead to lifting some restrictions in the near future, here's a look at the front pages from around Europe.

Germany:

Weekly German publication Der Spiegel headlines with "The Departure," saying it's "now or never" to create a "better world".

"Does the economy re-start," the front page of German daily publication Süddeutsche Zeitung questions.

This comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced plans for a gradual reopening of the economy next week with shops opening while schools are expected to resume in early May.

German daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel headlines with "bleak new world" with the announcement by Merkel that strict social distancing rules will remain in place, for now, warning that there is not "much room for maneuver.”

This comes as Germany has slowed the number of cases of coronavirus in recent weeks. At the time of writing, Germany had over 130,000 confirmed cases with 4,100 deaths.

France:

French daily publication Le Monde headlines with "the enigma of children and adolescents," reporting that generally they are affected much less than older generations.

The paper reports that epidemiologists are, for the moment, hypothesising that children's immune systems are better equipped to respond stronger to the virus.

The front page also features the current state of the French government, saying that the Macron administration is "under pressure".

Ministers have been given two weeks to build an exit strategy with the French lockdown extended until at least May 11.

Meanwhile, Le Figaro cites masks and testing as the reason for Germany fairing better against the virus than other European counterparts.

France has over 150,000 confirmed cases of the virus with more than 18,000 deaths.

Italy:

Italian daily newspaper Il Tempo, based in Rome, headlines with "all our data to the government" after it was announced that the government plans to test an app built by the company "Bending Spoons" that would enable tracking of those who test positive for the virus.

This comes as countries across the bloc plan to release apps in order to loosen lockdown measures whilst limiting the spread of the virus.

La Repubblica reports on high death rates within nursing homes, with 2,500 confirmed deaths to date.

Although case numbers have slowed in what had been the epicentre of the pandemic, Italy remains the country with the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the world, with 172,434 cases and over 22,000 deaths.

Spain:

Daily newspaper El Mundo reports on tensions within the Spanish government.

This comes as Pablo Iglesias, Podemos leader, and deputy prime minister, aims to fast-track a new social benefit ahead of schedule.

Spanish daily publication El País headlines with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's apology to Italy, after admitting that the Union had not been at their side since the beginning of the crisis.

Portugal:

Portugal, which as a lower rate of confirmed cases of the virus than its neighbour, remains in a state of emergency, with the government expected to gradually lift restrictions in May.

Diário de Notícias reports on a government recruitment drive by the Ministry of Defence to recruit 18 to 35-year-olds amid the pandemic.

Portugal has 19,000 cases of the virus and 650 deaths.

The UK:

The Times headlines with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's five conditions that must be met for the country to lift restrictions.

Ensuring that the National Health Service (NHS) can cope and ensuring that an easing of measures will not lead to a second wave are among the criteria listed.

This comes after the UK announced on Thursday that the lockdown will be extended for an additional three weeks.

Meanwhile, The Guardian also headlines with Raab's statement, adding that the restriction measures may last into June, with Raab warning that vast lifting of measures and another wave would create more damage to the economy.

Ireland:

The Irish Times reports that the deal made by the government to lease private hospitals for the duration of the crisis will come at a cost of €115 million per month.

The paper also headlines with signs that the number of cases in the country "may have plateaued".

Ireland has 13,271 confirmed cases and 486 deaths.

International:

Weekly magazine The Economist reports on the geopolitical tussle amid the pandemic, questioning whether China is winning the battle.

The Washington Post reports on the continued spike in unemployment claims across the United States, reaching 22 million this week whilst wiping out a decade of job gains.

This comes as President Trump announced the "Opening Up America Again" plan, which provides governors with criteria to loosen restrictions.

The US has over 650,000 confirmed cases and 38,000 deaths from the virus.