Evening roundupAll of Wednesday's major coronavirus news from Luxembourg and abroad

In Luxembourg

• [block type="summary”]The Ministry of Health confirmed another 11 positive cases on Wednesday, with the death toll increasing by two. There are now 3,851 cases and 98 deaths. See our graphs and details here.

  • According to ADR representative Gast Gibéryen, both the chamber and the government have cooperated in a very productive manner during the crisis, but said that the state of crisis should be lifted by 22 June latest.
  • The parliamentary commission for education came together earlier this Wednesday to discuss the gradual reopening of Luxembourg’s schools. Many questions remain unanswered, however.
  • Furthermore, it seems impossible to force small children in nursery schools to adhere to the current precautionary measures for adults.
  • Juggling home-office and home-schooling? Stephen Loweshares an opinion or two.
  • And lastly, a special repatriation flight from Cape Verde touched down at Luxembourg airport Tuesday. 170 passengers were on board, including 75 Luxembourg nationals and passengers from 13 other European countries.

  In international news

  • Swedish officials on Wednesday said the country, which has taken a softer approach to curbing the spread of the new coronavirus, was nearing 3,000 deaths from COVID-19. The country’s Public Health Agency reported that a total of 23,918 cases had been confirmed and 2,941 deaths had been recorded, an increase of 87 deaths from the day before.

  • The UN aviation agency on Wednesday warned of possible pilot fatigue and lapsed licenses as airlines get ready to fly again once travel restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus are lifted.

  • Uber said Wednesday it was cutting 3,700 jobs amid a huge slump in its ride-hailing operations during the pandemic. The cuts amount to around 14 percent of Uber’s global workforce, which does not include its contract drivers.

  • Belgium retailers closed by the coronavirus epidemic will reopen to shoppers from Monday under strict social distancing rules, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said.
  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday he could begin to ease a nationwide coronavirus lockdown next week, but warned he would do nothing that would risk a new surge of cases.
  • Germany on Wednesday unveiled a plan for reopening, as Europe’s largest economy tries to get the wheels turning after weeks of shutdown, as the deadly coronavirus continued to wreak havoc in the United Stateswith a spike in the daily death toll. President Donald Trump conceded Tuesday that more Americans will die in reopening the US economy but underlined his insistence on a dwindling coronavirus threat by refusing to wear a mask, even as he toured a mask-making factory.
  • Russia recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday, surpassing Germany to become the country with the sixth-highest number of confirmed infections.
  • South Korea returned largely to normal Wednesday as workers went back to offices, and museums and libraries reopened under eased social distancing rules after new coronavirus cases dropped to a trickle. Students also went back to school in Wuhan, China.
  • In France, school and business closures and stay-at-home orders imposed in mid-March will begin to be lifted from May 11, but businesses like cafes and bars will remain closed and people will not be allowed to travel more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from their homes. It’s too early to go on holiday, President Macron said.