this is d w news live from berlin protecting the population from the coronavirus facemasks part of the answer opinion is divided about with that they use no one medics can stop the spread of the in fiction look at the debate here in germany also on the program. afghanistan steps up its efforts to contain close be 19 but now faces an additional challenge from the thousands of people who are tuning home from iraq.

a math and how it works into the program governments around the world is scrambling to find ways to limit the spread of the coronavirus many have imposed restrictions on people's movements and told us to wash our hands and keep out distance from others in some places especially in asia people have been ordered to wear masks some european governments are now also telling people to cover their faces but opinion is divided. face mosques for years they've been part of daily life for many in asia and now for parts of europe they're about to become say to us troops decision to make it compulsory to wear the mosques in supermarkets has sparked a debate in neighbor in germany. the town of vienna has now become germany's 1st to announce similar measures though given the shortage of face masks the city has encouraged people to sow their own it's

a move large the welcome to buy their residence. i think it's a good the more that's done the better and the more everyone does it the sooner we'll be free of the virus i have 6 simple masks at home and then push comes to shove also my pursuit and. i think it's a good idea in principle the problem is that there simply aren't any masks and it's . the world health organization is among those saying there's little scientific evidence showing that basic masks once not intended for medical use affectively prevent healthy people from catching the corona virus but some experts advise that they could be useful as a barrier to stop those infected from contaminating others. masks for nose and mouth are relevant for the protection of others if someone is infected and masks keep the virus droplets from flying out when someone sneezes or coughs mr voight. up to now the insistence by many western countries that the

widespread use of masks is not necessary has surprised many in asia that people have worn face masks for years because of air pollution but in this pandemic they're practically a civic duty in europe that attitude is now increasingly gaining ground. you can get more now from d.w. political correspondent nina nina could we see mosques become compulsory in other parts of germany. well the thing is that these issues are decided on at the local level so nobody's stopping any mare from taking such a decision here in germany that's just how our federal system works having said that it is probably going to be a topic of discussion in the telephone conference between anglo american and the heads of those 16 federal states this afternoon but 2 of those state premiers have

already said that they're against such measures that they're against making this compulsory for fear of hoarding behavior. your supply is everything what's germany doing to make sure it's got enough given the global shortage in personal protective equipment well before the corona crisis germany like many other countries used to import millions of such masks from china and other asian countries and of course the country here germany is struggling just like many other countries and some german firms textiles firms sportswear firms and have already switched their production and the finance minister the federal finance minister all of shorts on tuesday announced that the government wants to encourage such initiatives and that there are working on giving such companies some sort of a financial stimulus so that they can switch their production they can take the risk and switch the production to producing facemasks as far as the pandemic itself is concerned are we seeing any sign that the spread of the corona virus is slowing

in germany. the hot coal institute the public health agency that we saw in the report publishes these figures and the latest figures do seem to suggest that the inspection rate is beginning to slow down the president that we saw in the report did say that he was optimistic that the measures were working but he did caution against taking lifting these restrictions that are in place in germany right now you says that's way too early and that we have to see more reliable data that's not going to happen before he said he's also warned that the mortality rate which is fairly low in germany 0.8 percent at the moment is going to rise and then the government says that it is looking at the number of infections and how much time it takes for this number of infections to double and they say that we need to have at least 10 or 12 or even 14 days before those numbers double before they can even

start thinking about changing their strategy you alluded to it germany is likely to extend containment measures to buy do you think that people will stay patient as chancellor merkel has urged especially oh that is the whole of. the current stringent measures have been in place for just over a week now they are in place until this sunday but they are probably going to be extended well into april probably the 20th of april which is when the easter holidays end in most german states and some federal states have already extended their periods of people are prepared doubly political correspondent nina hauser thank you. time now to take a look at some of the other developments in the pandemic and spain has recorded a new delhi death toll of 864 and a total of more than 9019 blighted deaths european scientists are launching a joint initiative to develop applique applications to help contact tracing they're

looking at ways of making an app that's compliant with the blocks tough privacy laws china has reported on numbers of asymptomatic cases for the 1st time it says 1300 people who showed no symptoms have tested positive and the captain of a u.s. aircraft carrier is calling for urgent help to quarantine his proof 4000 theodore roosevelt is docked in guam in the pacific with the disease spreading rapidly on board. united nations secretary general antonio could terrorise says the world is facing the most challenging crisis since the 2nd world war speaking at the launch of a u.n. plan to address the pandemic social economic impact he called for a much stronger and more effective global response and warned that the world was still a long way from fighting the virus effective though. mr guitarist went on to say that the 5 would need 10 percent of global g.d.p. and he stressed the need for solidarity with countries most challenge by the

pandemic let us remember if you have a strong this is the weakest healthiest than you know interconnected will ever seen do during and after these crises must be the strong thought was on building more equal equals even sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face and then climate change and the many other global challenges we face well it's not all use so today. we saw the weekend defeat the vibes and built a better will. time now to take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. britain has taken just die used to turn a london exhibition santa into a temporary coronavirus field hospital hospital it will trade up to 4000 patients struck down by coded nonstick who were previously fit and healthy sick of patients and those with underlying health conditions will be treated in regular hospitals.

lawmakers in ukraine passed a historic land reform bill clearing hurdles to unlock $8000000000.00 i.m.f. loan package wearing masks and gloves against the coronavirus they lifted a longstanding ban on the sale of farmland. the german government is funding start ups with a rescue package with 2000000000 euros the finance minister all left shots said many in of the young companies already struggle with liquidity and 5 it difficult to secure loans i need support so as not to endangered their existence and years of research and development. afghanistan has recorded nearly 200 coronavirus cases and 4 deaths with or he's taking steps to halt the spread of infection but after years of war the health system is weak and would be overwhelmed if the number of cases grows as it has in other countries the country's problems are exacerbated by the return of thousands of people from iran one of the country's

worst hit by code that 90 spring down the streets of kabul in a desperate attempt to stave off a deadly disease afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries its health care system is no match for a pandemic that's spreading across the globe like wildfire. as the number of coronavirus cases here rises the government is taking measures to contain the outbreak the western city of herat is eerily calm shops and mosques have been ordered to shut down. maddow more as a coronavirus keeps spreading they'll be a humanitarian catastrophe the government must take serious measures to help like most afghans the residents of herat a poor the government has ordered the release of hundreds of inmates to prevent crowded jails from becoming infection hotspots but afghanistan has bigger worries than its prison population millions of afghans have been displaced during years of conflict many have fled to neighboring iran one of the country's worst hit by the

corona virus pandemic those people are now streaming back in their thousands all are potential carriers of the disease. the number of afghan refugees returning has increased massively. afraid of the coronavirus in iraq and the not finding work because the lead. government is concerned about huge number of people returning among the most vulnerable to the virus is afghanistan's internally displaced population many of them live in sprawling camps on the outskirts of hirano which is close to the iranian border here survival is already a daily struggle camp residents depend on critical help from overstretched international aid agencies whose work is now made even more difficult by the global pandemic. we spoke to young egeland generates secretary of the no wage and

refugee council and i asked him how dangerous the coronavirus pandemic is for those living in camps for displaced people. what it is horribly dangerous because remember that this place that refugees have fled from their homes from that communities from their space from the hospitals that may be bombed to small confined spaces very often where they thought they were safe now these places camps settlements may be traps where the virus will fright and humans will be very very vulnerable so we are in which a refugee council working very hard in afghanistan in iran and in 30 other countries we're trying to provide more hand washing facilities small water and sanitation we're trying to also provide most base for the refugees so they

can have some physical distance and part pap's we would also be able to put up poor in time tents and the like but it's a race against the clock well over one who overstretched. it was young they go in there from the no wage and refugee council sport now in the german football league has confirmed that the bundesliga will resume on april 30th at the earliest germany's top league has been suspended since march 13th clubs agreed that the suspension should be extended because of the corona virus pandemic however games may still be played behind closed doors when the season restart its. append to make has had a profound effect on people's social lives with lock downs forcing the temporary closure of boss restaurants and cinemas well almost all of them the city of s. and has a notable exception but you'll need to come. with a few blankets for the cold evening nicole and her daughter get ready to watch

a film at the drive in cinema they're also taking some ice cream and candy along tonight a german comedy is playing. you can't understand we can't go to a normal cinema and there's nothing else to do in the car we don't have to worry about john's life so to go said let's go to the cinema ok to get into kenya like nicole many people are making their 1st trip to the drive in. since we've never been here we would have gone to a normal cinema but this was suitable since stead of sitting in time on the couch we decided to come here. well most of germany's drive in cinemas are closed the city of essen has issued a special permits allowing this one to remain open amid tight restrictions each car is when it's at to 2 people and their children and tickets are only available online that easy to wind up and hold out the ticket for the tickets are only checked when the window is off the stack bar and heater rental remain closed the

drive in is open during all kinds of weather regardless of how cold it is. almost trying to put everything was sold out. in the midst of the pandemic movie fans are looking for a bit of normality as long as they can get a ticket. this is day to day needs more news coming at the top of the hour. combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and news. hour carona update. 19 special next on d w. how does a virus spread. and. just through the. weekly radio show is called spectrum if you would like any

information on the cross or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast. your podcast can also find us at. science. this pandemic is this is overwhelming so many people that need the breathing machines that just simply have manufactured. you have a 30 year old patient and an 80 year old both infected with the coronavirus both severe symptoms and both need an oxygen but you only have one who. is this kind of decision is called tria it's french deciding who has a higher chance of survival and is given a higher priority in medical treatment and who might be left to the.

doctors around the globe are taking these decisions right now what does that mean for those doctors and what are the ethics behind trio that's what we're looking at today in all special coverage of the crisis your own d w. it all comes down to how well the health system is prepared for a pandemic in the end the number of intensive care beds and ventilators that counts most health system outside italy and france are holding the line but around the world hospitals are filling up. might become a reality for doctors sooner or later. this is the worst case scenario when treating patients in front stopped as a force to make life or death decisions patients save the age of 80 will not be put on mechanical ventilator. this process is called tria. the term comes from the french for t.s.a.

it means the sourcing of an allocation of treatment to patients modern medical triano she was invented during the napoleonic wars france spain and italy of the worst affected countries in europe more than 100000 people have been infected with the virus in italy unknown nearly 12000 have died and the longer the crisis continues the more often doctors are faced with making some very tough decisions and stalk about those decisions are now joined by dr to be escort is a physician and the epidemiologist at the director and also the director of the institute for public health at berlin's charity hospital and professor. physician teaching medical ethics at heidelberg university let's start with you dr corder we're not yet doing in germany are doctors well prepared for taking these decisions will work doctors are well prepared in the world who are training and the hospitals

there she's already stationed. there were people. in. the area. and the medical students yes well. how does trash work in a hospital is it just one doctor who ends up being the only one responsible and carries this burg. well there are certainly operating procedures in place and so is going to matter and eventually you have a very short time to decide in which case it will we left our intriguing position 'd in the medical teams on the side will get any legs or not so it's going to be very challenging situations over there for the support of the local law structures the hospital as well as the legal system it's very important to support his medical teams to make these decisions but talking about these procedures the professor how can doctors and hospitals actually prepare for tria. then i think.

from an ethical point of humor and prepayment for these decisions is crucial for 2 reasons the question of uniform rules in order to ensure a patient of police officers. across teams across units and hospitals and because doctors in their everyday chemical don't and i'm not familiar not at ease this as such decisions because the traditional clinical ethics is patient centered and not at for allocating patients to different levels of contingency care so from an ethical. need to korea are 2 areas i think the 1st victory at forecourts that provides for a step by step evaluation and criteria for testing patients and in germany several medical association pettish recommendations patri our protocol last week with their ketamine for ethics in medicine in the heat and 2nd each hospital tested if.

these bullets should be implemented and therefore actually asked him that include the expertise of intensive care physicians. maybe even clinical ethics committees can support in setting up these processes think the most important think is s. and thing is. that they're only if they give it up it's not to charge for the responsibility taken in these decisions that's where one key issue of course but what about normal doctors say in the community village doctors who have covered patients do they also or might they also face these ethical dilemmas. and i think not those that dissent is and the decision on. who gets under ventilator is obviously not the primary care physician but they have at their tree as decisions if there are many patients who are going to transfer to the hospital. if there are

many patients in need so i think the same criteria of seriousness and and commodities that go into the tree at fort accords in the hospital can also. in the territory for nominal primary care physician. at least of importance for him . because coming back to you how well can you predict actually whether a person will probably die even if treated isn't that also a bit of a lottery that there are certain fuselage of parameters medical history medical experience of the trade in decisions that will help to support your decision but there is no certainty there to be minute decision is he is the right one there also is not only. here in spain that it seems made a difference decisions to the canoe up situation there will be a circle

a learning curve who are there in conservative best who really who is the arch of the earth of the arts professor winkler coming back to you as an ethicist what can you tell a frontline doctor who is facing a decision like that could you give us an example. well i think 1st it would be important to or to acknowledge that these are tough decisions that kind of head outspent our current doctor's ethics and summer test the church if you have steps to lemons and then coming back to those schools and protocols that we have now is set up saying. there are different faces of penn demick and if you have not enough mentally tests for our patients who needs you and have to prioritize so it's more certain that you are and that they will survive and then others and there we have clearly laid out criteria so that this was

a good set current situation of the patient come a bit piece frae it isn't criteria but for example age just not a credit here that went into our recommendation said chumbley and if i think the steps thing that i would recommend is make. a way out of a terrible suppliants in secular absolute terms because we know that this is a serious stress and more and other west wrestling situation and this church as a bit up now or in the hospital it's will relieve the stress that happens in trio situations professor you have in there and started to be a support thank you very much. and i was every day here's a science correspondent stan equal him for the couple of answers to questions that you have sent to him keep them coming today it's about how men and women can be

differently affected by cope at 19 it's the covance gender gap. studies suggest men are more likely to catch covert $1000.00 than women is that true it does indeed appear that men are more likely to test positive for the disease than women are in other words men make up more than the 50 percent of confirmed cases you would expect if the virus infected men and women with equal frequency. are men more likely to die from cove in 1000 as well. here the data is this more conclusive and what it's saying is that men are more likely to die after infection with cope at 19 then women are the numbers are very striking for example in italy where over 70 percent of the confirmed patients who succumbed to the disease were men also the coronavirus really does appear to be more lethal for men than it is for women. so why are men more

vulnerable than women. like so much else about this virus we just don't know enough at this point to really pin down why it's killing more men than it is women but researchers have hazarded some guesses on average worldwide more than women do men pursue behaviors that are considered to be health risks like smoking tobacco or we're drinking alcohol as everyone should know those risks those unhealthy behaviors can also lead to what are called co-morbidities those are conditions like like hypertension or a cardiovascular disease or chronic lung disease and many of the victims of covert 19 were elderly men with co-morbidities yet other researchers are trying to cast some light on the issue by focusing on the biological and genetic differences between men and women could estrogen be playing a protective parole for example maybe there are also some well documented immune

system differences between men and women and what's most probable is that all of those factors social behavioral biological that they're all going to play a role in why covert 19 is hitting men harder than it's hitting women there's not going to be a simple straightforward explanation. on the derek williams there keep the questions coming and that was our covered 900 special for more on the pandemic to check out our social media channels and our website that's the w dot com of course which is dedicated covert 900 pages in 30 languages and now we want to leave you with a few images from that egypt the famous great pyramids and presents with messages of unity and solid doubts with those sparkling noble karata coronavirus across the globe the 1st time last night stay safe and thank you those keeping us safe flashed across the towering structure at the keys up plots.

are real. small acts to conspire to be changes to meet the people making it possible to go in africa sometimes sitting right. join them as they set out to save the environment learn from one another and work together for a later future. many thoughts to you all for tuning in the cool and for good. next on d w. each

stone tells my story. on the people around me builds me denise in. to me. i am not too dumb to. listen closely and i will tell you about blue guys who build to me. i'm going to need to play. i am not too dumb to be. mocked my city's jails for centuries i'm tired of company my country through is fine. until the day i knew need money.

i'm still not too dumb to tell. me. how do on a warm welcome to this new edition of the go off it got me and bob and magazine that bring to topic some all over africa and europe i am now it's i've been coming to you from lagos nigeria and joining me from uganda is my colleague sandra. yes today's show takes us on another johnny a close up of the aren't new.