At a press briefing on Friday afternoon, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Health Minister Paulette Lenert confirmed that the total number of cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the Grand Duchy had reached 1,605; this figure includes fifteen fatalities resulting from the virus.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel began by expressing his condolences to the friends and families of the fifteen victims. He specified that one of the victims was among the seven patients to have been transferred to Luxembourg from the Grand Est region in France recently. Xavier Bettel added that although the virus is especially dangerous for vulnerable people, the threat is not limited to these individuals. He thus reiterated the importance of staying at home and avoiding social contact as much as possible to limit the spread of the virus and particularly protect vulnerable members of society.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister went on to announce that the government had adopted new measures on work contracts and working hours for staff and volunteers in the healthcare sector. During the current state of emergency, students will be allowed to work a maximum of 40 rather than 15 hours per week. The maximum number of working hours is capped at 12 hours per day.
Similarly, jobseekers registered with the employment agency ADEM will retain their rights until the end of the crisis. The minimum wage is also guaranteed, as is family leave during the closure of schools and childcare. Xavier Bettel also clarified that tenants cannot be evicted during the crisis.
For her part, Health Minister Paulette Lenert provided further details on the number and nature of confirmed coronavirus cases in Luxembourg. Minister Lenert confirmed that the average age of people who have died from the virus to date is 80, while the youngest victim was 53. The average age of people having tested positive for the virus is 46. 54% are men and 46% are women; 1,453 of those who tested positive are Luxembourg nationals.
Paulette Lenert added that a total of 13,738 tests had been carried out in the Grand Duchy to date. Regarding recovery, she recalled that a period of fourteen days following infection and two days without symptoms was the standard.
At present, 148 people have been hospitalised, of which 25 are in intensive care (including six patients from the Grand Est). Concerning hospital capacities, the Health Minister announced that a total of 2,357 were available, including 119 intensive care beds. A further 80 beds are on reserve and ready for use in intensive care. Minister Lenert also confirmed that the first of four purchased scanners would be operational in Ettelbruck from 3 April, while the other three scanners should be operational by 10-12 April 2020. She added that the Zitha Klinik remained reserved for non-coronavirus patients.
Finally, Luxembourg's Health Minister recalled that the cargo centre relies on volunteers to help out with logistics during the crisis. Volunteers are required to register on the GovJobs platform, which has already seen over 11,000 people sign up to offer their help in various ways.
The above graph shows the evolution of the spread of coronavirus in the Grand Duchy on a daily basis since 1 March, with the graph below showing the total figures (cumulative) over the same period.
