brent: thihis is dw news, live from berlin. tonighght another bleak milestoe for spain in the coronavirus crisis. covid-19 guess have surged, over 10,000 as the daily death toll hits a record high. doctors and nurses are overwhelmed and under protected, as the number of infections globally tops one million. also coming up, brazil's defiant president, even as infections and deaths mount, is resisting

calls for nationwide lockdown and continues to downplay the severity of the pandedemic. plus, live in serious refugee camps is hard enough, but what will happen to the thousands of people stuck there when the pandemic hits? i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. 50,000 dead, and over a million infected. the numbers are bringing the global scale of the coronavirus crisis into plainview. covid-19 has exacted a heavy beat -- heavy told around the world, but spain has been especially hard-hit. the country has passed a grim milestone in total for tallies and has seen a record surge in daily virus related deaths. it has created an economic

crisis as well, nearly a million people have lost their jobs since mid march. and while the country's health care workers are overwhelmed, still lacking critical protective gear. >> stretched to breaking points, the wards are full in this hospital as coronavirus patients lie in the corridor's. just north of barcelona, medics have turned the hospital library into an intensive care unit. spain is one of the worst hit countries. the number of coronavirus deaths has now jumped to more than 10,000, after a r record 950 deaths in the space of one day. the health workers on the front lines say they are being put in an unthinkable position. we are lacking the staff at t te momoment and the few staff we he available or in a dangerous situation ththemselves and at rk of becoming transmitters. >> i got infecected because of e

lack -- the lack of protective measures as we donon't t have eh resources. there are fewer and fewer protective masks. >> somomebody is doing t things really badly and we need to rectify thth because i if thehey don't do soso, tomorrow we w wil dodouble the n nber of infected health workers. if we continue like this, there won't be enough professionals to take care of our patients. >> but there are glimmers of hope. the rate of infections in spain seems to be slowing and people are recovering. here in a hospital in the northeast of the country, doctors discharged a 93-year-old man who has made a full recovery after five days in isolation. spain has been in a nationwide lockdown since the middle of march and it is hitting the economy hard. 900,000 people have lost their jobs and spain has recorded its highest ever monthly rise in unemployment. the government says it will have

to work on relaunching the economy once the epidemic is under control. health officials say data shows the curve stabilizing, but despite the slowdown in the rate of infections, the fight to contain the virus is far from over. brent: let's bring our correspondent in spain this evening. this week, spain has tightened the nationwide lockdown even further. how are people in the countryry dealing thth the newew rerestrictions?? reporter: the people hehere in spain are e dealing g with the w restrictions, incredibly disciplined, incredidibly well. when i go into one of the markets in the city, one of the few places you canan soo go to,i see social distancining measures taken seriously. i see things very well organized and more and more people with facemasks. of course i'm staying indoors all day and the mounting fear about the financial future for many people also creates new

stress for some people. unfortunately, also, the numbers of cases of domestic violence has increased significantly and the number of hot are busier than ever before. you say the people are -- the number of hotlines are busier than ever before. today we saw another record high death toll for the country. our further measures under discussion to help save lives? reporter: the lockdown measures here in s spain a are already ag the strictesest in the world. they're trying hard to increase the capacity of hospitals and the number of emergegency units and also findiding more protecte gegear for our mededical person. today the govevernment also announced it wantsts to use mobe

phone data to track people's movements. the government promises that it is completely anononymous and is only to analyze measures that are already in place and not for law enforcement purposes, some people here in spain are still skeptical about this news. brent: we learned that 900,000 people in spain have lost their jobs connected to this crisis. what kind of help can they expect? reporter: indeeeed, it's a very bad economic crisis. the month o of march was the wot month for the lalabor market in modern history of spain and the government has been rolling out new measures almost on a daily basis in the last two weeks. there are some immediate measures in place now for people directly affected by the shut down among these measures are the stopping of evictions,

direct financial aid, and also new loans for people. but experts agree it is not enough and the coming months will be very difficult for people in spain. brent: definitely a tough month in spain. british prime minister boris johnson has vowed to massively increase testing for the coronavirus. johnson is facing criticism because the u.k. lag behind other countries in first confirming cases of the infection. the death toll from the second straight day surpassed 500. emergency field hospitals are opening across the country to deal with the massive surgeon patients. this report tonight from london. reporter: the finishing touches to london's new's hospital, 4000 beds to treat covid-19 patients and ease the pressure on britain's national health service, which has far fewer beds, intensive care units, and

ventilators, than most of its european neighbors. >> whatt you see here is a mass mobilization taking place right across the country, but also with these new nightingagale hospitals. this has been an extraordinary team effort on the part of nurses and doctors and therapists in pharmacists cost london, but also volunteers and paramedicscs people e turning to help. > 20,000 retired doctors and nurses have returned to w work. most of them could be needed to cover this new hospital alone. meanwhile, critical care beds across london are filling up. doctcts and nursrses are racing for aa continunuous tsunami of corona patients,s, and t they ae frightened of whwhat is toome.e. they don't have the properr equipment toto protect themselv, and there is a serioious lack of testing.g. one in four hospital doctorsrs s self-isolalating at homeme at te moment bececause they cannot get tested, just at a time when they are needed most. so far, only 20000out of a half

million f frontline nhs staff in england have been tested for the virus paved now the government has promised to use all spare coronavirus tests for medical personnel. british industry is doing its part in the crisis. instead of vacuum cleaners, dice and is now building thousands of ventilators. ---- dyson is building ventilators. people in britain are still proud of theheir health service. >> i feel more p prepared t than most couriries that i i know of. >> i work in the hospital and they a are doing a a marvelous b here, absolutely fantastic. >> they started preparing before christmas in china, and we should've been preparing before thatat. reporterer: the worst is yet to come. the peak is expected to reach

the u.k. after easter, so these next w weeks willl be the most crucial test for the nhs since its founding after the second world war. brent: here's a look at some more ways that covid-19 is impacting the world. russian president vladimir putin has extended the country's new work lockdown until april 30 to slow the spread of the virus. in a televised address, he said the country faces a serious threat with the peak in infection still to come. the european union is rolling out a huge really program for member states struggling economically. unveiling a 100 billion euro fund today aimed at preventing massive layoffs. any crisis hits the most defenseless hardest, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. the situation in war-torn region such as serious idlib province is already dire, and the medical infrastructure almost nonexistent.

o coronavirus outbreak there would be devastatiting. reporterer: disinfecting tents t a refugee camp in idlib province, being carried out by the volunteer group white helmets. almost a a half million people e packed in here. at times up to 10 people share a tent in catastrophic conditions. many have fled civil war only to be threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. children are taught the most essential revenge a and ethics, their parents often desperate. >> yes, i'veve heard about the coronavirus. i'm scared for my y children. therere is no prevention happening. hardly any disinfectanant. nobody takes care of us. reporter: syria is ill prepared to take care of the coronavirus outbreak. so far, authorities claim to only have 10 cases, but the actual number is likely much higher. this is doctorate one of the few

hospitals that idlib. he alone tells us about 50 suspected cases. this old man has trouble wrinkle. another has a high fever and is feeling sick. entire province of idlib has roughly 100 intensive care beds and 47 ventilators for population of over 3 million. >> we are doing the best we can to prepare for the coravirus. we have installed a quarantine order but we would be out of our league to confront a v virus lie this should it break out here. i got prevent this. low -- a curfew is in place from 6:00 in the evening untnt bloloc in the morning, just like the rest of syria. but during the day, life still moves at a normal pace, and shops are still open. no one is in quarantine.

the virusus is dangerous for all of us, but we need to work in order to survive. how could we s stay-at-home?e? >> the world health organization has sent only 300 t test kits to idlib. according to local health officials, who have a stern warning. [indiscernible] >> north west syria faces the greaeatest humanititarian catastrophe around the world. reporter: if it spreads to idlib, it will hit those who are defenseless and have nothing to counter it. brent: almost 7000 people in brazil are infected. that includes the first coronavirus cases among brazil's indigenous population. the president is under fire for his handling of the crisis. he referred to covid-19 as a

measly cold. >> it was a deliberate provocation by president bolsonaro, visiting a supermarket, surrounded by shoppers right in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. he himself may be infected with the virus. this is why he chose to mingle all the same. >> shohod i have t the cororonavirus, as a former athte dodon't need to worry.. i wouldn't notice anything. at t the most, a touch of the fu or a cold. our families s must be able to feed themselves. that's why we should now all be returning to normal. >> people in rio de janeiro's biggest shantytown took their president at his word. after days of isolation, residents went back to work,

shrugging off the dangers of the virus. the local mayor fears he may soon be dealing with an epidemic. >> it will be a disaster. we have already been fighting tuberculosis outbreak. residents don't realize they would be safer staying at home. the crisis is escalating. >> unlike bolsonaro, brazil's provincial governors acted from the start, shutting beaches, schools, and supermarkets. scientists are warning that the crisis is just b beginning. >> we estimate that the epidemic curve in will peek into-three weeks. the infection rate is constantly increasing -- it will peak in 2 -3 weeks. >> the death rate is increasing, and young people are among the dead. these scenes have sparked

protests. people are banging pans in protest of bolsonaro. hehe immediately backtracked. >> we have to focus on both the virus and the economy. >> in an apparent u-turn, also naro now wants to fight the virus, but too late to prevent him losing many supporters who now see him as irresponsible. brent: for more now we are joined from rio de janeiro by the correspondent who filed that report. it's good to have you on the show. it looks like bolsonaro is the last man standing when it comes to leaders denying the severity of this crisis. do we know where he is getting his information from, and why he continues to just low off f the warnings? reporter: in the last week, there was one wing of his government more influential on him, this was the ring of religious groups and science deniers.

they recommended to bolsonaro to take the risk of the coronavirus not seriously enough, and now, since tuesday evening, he changed his mind. this was due to pressure from the other wing inside his government, from the military groups, and more science friendly groups. so now bolsonaro is on track taking isolation is a measure to tackle and to combat the virus. so he is now not anymore denying the problem. brent: that is certainly a course reversal there. we know that regional leaders have taken the initiative, since he didn't. they have been running people to stay at home and do social distancing. is brazil's health care system ready for a surge in patients? reporter: it is definitely not good, but it's much better than other health care systems on the continent. the governors of the states

here, rio de janeiro and sao paulo are preparing temporary beds at hospitals in and around the different cities. for example, here in rio de janeiro, there is a stadium and a temple that will be temporary hospitals. so there will be higher capacity, but we are not sure and we have to wait and see if this will be enough. brent: what about brazil's indigenous people and the threat to them? who is lookining out for them? reporter: they are the most vulnerable people here in brazil. they don'tave the same antibodies as the rest of brazilians, so they are now moving back, as in many parts of the country, many tribes are going back deep into the amazon, together with members of

indigenous people come they try to hide in the forest in order to n not get in contact with resilience and foreigners. brent: they definitely have a different immune system, that is for sure. thank you for that report. here's a look at some of the ways the pandemic is affecting the business world. anticipated recession in germany will rival the financial crisis of 2009. that is the grim assessment of germany's economics minister. he said on thursday that europe's largest economy could see and you'll gdp shrink by more than 5.7%, eclipsing the last downturn. reduce airways has reached a deal that unions to temporarily suspend more than 30,0,0 employees.s. it's s one of the most dramatiti steps taken by an airline in responsese to fallining passengr numbers and continuing travel restrictions. british airways has already halted flights out of london's

at wick airport. jobless claims in the u.s. doubled over the past two weeks to nearly 6.7 millllion people. that number exceeded even the highest estimates of economists and represents 6% of the u.s. especially hard-hit are the restaurant and retail sectors. i'm joined by our financial correspondent, joining us from new york. good afternoon to you. why are so many americans losing their jobs when other governments, particularly here in europe, are paying wages to keep people employed? >> we don't have systems like in-place in germany and switzerland. for instance, the so-called short-term does not exist here in the united states. there are governmental subsidies

to have companies keep their employees. those numbers we are seeing here are unimaginable. we saw an increase in jobless claims by 3.3 million, eating that within a two-week timeframe, around 10 million americans filed for those benefits or for help because they lost their jobs. overall, other than in other countries coming here in a blink of an eye you can lay off workers -- that is not possible in many other nations on the planet. brent: 10 million people, that is a huge number. starting tomorrow, friday, the united states will begin offering small business loans that are forgivable if the companies refused to lay off employees. do you think that is going to make a huge difference? >> well, i guess it might make some difference. i'm not quite sure if it's going to make a bigig difference. fifirst of all, especially when

you are a small company, it's very difficult to get moneys for the credit markets. really time is of the essence. if you have to pay the rent and you have other costs running but you have no visitors right now, and you need cash fast, the easiest way to do that is to lay off people, to save money. that's what we are going to see, and those loans might make a certain difference, but the question is how fast is the government able to get those companies the money, and then if you have no business, the question really is if a lot of companies just give up, even if they would actually qualify to get those loans from the government. so this is really a pretty dramatic situation, especially if you consider that the united states is a country that does not live so much from exports, for instance, but from consumption. with those jobless numbers, you can imagine what this will mean

for the u.s. economy. brent: if there is no cash flow, there is no consumption, that is for sure. is not just jobs in cash, around the world, medical professionals and ordinary citizens are confronting shortages of protective gear such as facemasks. but one country has avoided that problem, taiwan. how did they do it, and should other countries watch and learn from taiwan? we have this report from taipei. reporter: this handmade facemask cover can be washed and reused for a day or twtwo amid shortag. like so many others here, facemasks have become a necessity in everyday life. >> the virus is spread through droplets. it is for more than one hour i have to share the same e space with 30 people. it makes me unsafe without a facemask. reporter: while getting a mask

can be no easy task in many parts of the world, it's another story here in taiwan. taiwan imposed an export ban on surgical masks as early as january. the government then begegin -- then began rationing master three per person per week, and soon after made them available online. now you can place a mask -- place in order for facemask then in our. it can be verified before sales. for those who don't want to order online, there is a real-time mask map to track facemask stocks and pharmacies. people can check their availability before heading out. this is among the dozens of online tools that have mushroroomed on the island due o the epidemic. a partnership of mutual trust. >> the key to the successful rationing g system is that the

governmement is willing to s she its da w with us. taiwan's's well-established health care system is our advantage. the data of over 6000 pharmacies across the country has alrlrdy been connected to the offici dadatabase. it is enormously beneficial once the data is open to society. panic can be eased as a result. >> by collaborating with other programmers across east asia, the map was adapted to a korean version to solve a similar problem facing south korea. 10 days after placing the order, josie picks up her surgical masks at a convenience store. >> it save me time. people can buy masks at a really fair price. you can buy three masks for less than one euro, and this is really cheap. it is like social equality for us. reporter: that is invaluable in these difficult times.

taiwan's health care system not only helps -- helps provide mask, but much needed comfort and stability. brent: here is more on how the policy on wearing a mask in public is changing in taiwan. >> taiwan has ramped up its mask marrying -- mask wearing. a record surge in new cases recently. so is not compulsory or legally binding, but most people here are willing to comply with the advice. they can now manufacture over 10 million mask a day on its own in taiwan. also to give a helping hand to other parts of the world. the authorities just announced that they will donate 10 million masks to the countries who need it right now, including the u.s. and europe, and 7 million of them will go to europe to help medical workers over there.

brent: that was phoebe reporting from taipei on facemasks. this is dw news live from berlin. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, the sad statistics for a world paralyzed by the pandemic. be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

sixty people have died from code nineteen during the loss. thee number of new infections is starting to level off. in the u. s. sees a weekly increase of six point six million new unemployment claims bringing to ten million for the number of americans put out of work due to the bars. welcome back to the front thirty four museum in paris on somebody's souls like you very much for joining us first. the johns hopkins university in united states announced today that the global number of cases of the current of ours now exceeds one million. well the number of new cases has doubled within the course of the last eight days this is the pandemic takes hold in the u. s. and the d death tolls being reported in countries