With new measures and restrictions put in place every day by the Luxembourgish government, and an emergency press conference announced one hour before its scheduled time (only for it to be pushed back by two hours) once or sometimes twice a day, it's not surprising that our readers may feel completely lost in the week's developments. It's not only our readers that feel lost, it's us journalists that are disoriented, too, and that's not only because of the daily 10pm caffeine rush.
For clarity we started our daily evening roundups. As Sunday was a little calmer, and also the end of a week witnessing hypersonic developments, we thought it would be a good idea to glance back at the individual days between 15 - 22 March covering all-things corona. We tried to keep it brief.
Luxembourg will take the crisis very seriously, as Minister of Health Paulette Lenert says on Sunday: "Europe is currently the epicentre of the crisis, and Luxembourg is in the centre of Europe."
The government takes the concrete measure of closing all bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Meanwhile 77 individuals have tested positive. Luxembourg's airline Luxair has already begun cancelling destinations and organise repartriation flights for its customers still stuck abroad.
Luxembourg's borders will remain open. Bettel reiterated that the country would collapse without the large number of cross-border workers.
Monday morning sees 81 confirmed cases. Cross-border workers are required to show a form to pass into Germany, Belgium or France, and police are handing out big fines to everyone not complying with the rules implemented on Sunday. The foreign ministry urges all Luxembourg citizens to return home immediately. Luxair announces the cancellation of more than 60% of its flights at this stage.
14,000 hospitality workers are affected by Covid-19 measures. But restaurants and food stores are looking for alternatives and launching home delivery and take-out meals.
Finally also three drive-through testing facilities open in Luxembourg following the path of numerous other countries, including neighbouring Germany.
Grand Duke Henri addresses the nation in a televised speech, calling for solidarity and unity. He thanks all those involved on the front lines tackling this crisis, including health workers and volunteers.
140 confirmed cases in Luxembourg, with one death. PM Bettel is ready to declare a state of emergency of up to three months in an unsual parliamentary session. Bettel's message is clear: stay at home and avoid social contact, despite the fabulous weather. And oh my, why this amount of sun when we're stuck indoors?
680 cars are turned away at the German border for either not having the form or crossing for non-pressing matters. Parks and further public places are being closed down. Hospital emergency departments need to reconfigure their capacity and new emergencies are redirected to other hospitals, all to make exisiting patients keep safe distance from COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health announces on Wednesday morning that a second person has died from coronavirus in Luxembourg. The number of infections has soared to 203. The Luxembourg army has begun increasing capacity by setting up more beds in tents outside Ettelbruck hospital.
The European School is one of the first to announce the suspension of classes until after Easter.
Probably one of the busiest days of the week. The latest figures from the government show 335 infections, up from 203 Wednesday morning, and the number of confirmed deaths has doubled in the same period from 2 to 4.
A new online grocery store called Letzshop is launched for the most vulnerable members of society that aren't able to buy food independently. The shop offers 40 items, plus fruit and vegetables.
Then there are numerous changes to transport. Luxembourg Airport is closed to regular passenger flights as of Monday, François Bausch announces. Trains will run on a holiday schedule, and the TGV to Paris is completely cancelled.
A number of childcare facilities across the country stay open to accommodate children whose parents work within the healthcare sector. Schools across the country are now closed until after Easter.
In a bizarre statiscal blunder, the government revises the number of confirmed cases from 618 to 484 on Friday. PM Xavier Bettel says later in a press conference that numbers were counted up twice.
2000 hotel rooms have been reserved by the government for cross-border workers who wish to stay in Luxembourg during the crisis period. 155 border workers and their families are currently staying here.
A resident of Esch-sur-Alzette has taken it upon himself to help the elderly by running errands and fetching groceries on his bike.
A temporary hospital has arrived from Bari, Italy to increase Luxembourg's national healthcare capacity, offering an additional 200 beds. Amidst worrying circumstances, the Robert Schuman Hospital group appeales to businesses to provide staff, masks, and protective clothing if possible. By Friday morning, 100 businesses have offered up their help.
Construction sites close and all public contracts are cancelled until after Easter. School trips are cancelled until further notice. ArcelorMittal is forced to downscale production at three plants in Luxembourg as there are simply not enough employees to keep them running.
On Saturday midday, the government confirms that 670 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. The number of deaths also increased from 5 to 8.
All 56 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies voted in favour of the prolonged state of emergency.
The Spuerkees/Banque et Caisse de l'Epargne de l'Etat (BCEE) announces that it will launch a new cash delivery service for vulnerable people next week. Meanwhile, China is to send six million masks and other medical equipment to Luxembourg, which is expected to arrive early next week.
Quiz: Do you know what is and isn't allowed given Luxembourg's coronavirus measures?
In a mid morning update, the government confirms a total of 798 cases of coronavirus. Minister of Health Paulette Lenert explains that four sites, including LuxExpo and Rockhal, will transform into emergency medical facilities, adding: "We are expecting rising numbers of infections."
The temporary hospital next to CHL has been erected within 24 hours. Another success is the Luxembourg coronavirus hotline (8002 8080), which is receiving up to 2,000 calls a day.
That's this week's roundup. Thanks for sticking with our news updates and keeping yourself informed. Stay healthy, stay safe.
