brent: this is dw news live from berlin. tonight 10 million protective facemasks arrive in germany just-in-time it. shipment from china, on the date new regulations forced germans to cover up in shops and on public transportation. coming up tonight, britain's prime minister boris johnson is back at work a month after contracting covid-19. he warns lifting restrictions too soon could risk a second wave of infections. plus, ♪

living through that locked down in rwanda. it is tough for everyone. so far they have managed to escape with a very low infection rate. i am brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with the latest grim numbers from the pandemic. the number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 3 million. that is according to johns hopkins university and the united states. it comes on the same day germany began requiring people to cover their faces when shopping and using public transport. a mask is now mandatory, provided that you have one. >> equire wearing masks requires having masks to wear.

germany, like most countries, needs billions of them in the months ahead. when the world largest cargo plane landed in leipzig on monday, with 10 million masks from china on board, a leading member of angela merkel's cabinet was there to greet them. the defense minister says the masks will be sent to germany's 16 federal states for distribution. >> all those who have helped here today, to ensure this delivery arriveded, are part of something much bigger, to try and make the corona crisis in germany more bearable. >> non-medical masks are and provide coverings -- or improvised coverings are thought to protect others. public health officials say this is especially important for covid-19 givenen a suspected lae numberer of mild and nonincentie

attic cases. masks will be required for most shops and on public transit. -- a suspected large number of mild and asymptomatica cases. >> wearing masks does not do any harm and if it can help, it is fine. >> it is to help people and protect all of the people. it i is ok. you can do with it. it is harder to speak and breathe but it is for good reason. >> we are used to seeing this in japan. here it is really strange. i am only doing it to protect others. >> i think it is really terrible. it is cumbersome and you d do nt get a lot of air. maybe it is a good safety precaution, but who knows if this really does do anything? >> pollss showw mostt germama

basksking the rectctions on pupc life. ofofficials say y until there ia vaccine which may be many months off or longer. -- show most germans backing the restrictions. brent: let's pull in our local correspondent melinda crane here in berlin. there have been reports of defective medical equipment from china. can we be sure these masks will do what they're supposed to do? sumi: that shipmenent -- melini the shipment that arrived today, and we expect ananother shipment wednesday to bring the total to 25 million, apparently there were tests on those masks, both in china, and there will be tests here in germany when the mamasks are disturbed at two out the federal states. they will be given to the health ministers of the respective states. to be frank, china has a very high stake in ensuring these masks do worork well.

the deal to provide thehem was negotiated b betwe chancncellor angela merkel and c chinese president xi jinping. so a lot is riding on the fact that these masks need to be effective. brent: melinda, we note making these facial masks mandatory has been a controversial issue here in germany. what has changed now? do you think people are willing to comomply? melinda: the fact that politicians were not speaking with o one voicece about this, d that was thehe case for some ti, had to do with the fact that at least some politicians were uncertain about what to say, as long as not enough masks were available, as was indicated in our report. but now we have these deliveries coming in from abroad of medical masks-and those masks from china will go to medical workers. they are not for citizens who are on the street or in shops. there are also a lot of

initiatives now within g germany to produce cloth masks for use by citizens when they are taking public transportation, or masks are now required. when they are v visiting shops,r masks are r required in almost l federal states, and now will also be required in berlin. as a spreading recognition that masks can prove useful. that is coming, especially, because they are now available. brent: and you can make your own masks. you can take a bandana or a scarf, and make it if you cannot find want to buy. but there is a discussion going on whether or not it makes sense to weaear a mask in public? whwhat is your takake on that? melinda: absolutely there is. this is ongoingng dcussion. today we saw a high compliance. and as t those soundbitess in te reportrt indicated, many peoplee saying they are going to go

alalong with this. and there is little doubt s stil the minds of many people as to what is the goal of the mask. let's go through thatat becauset is important. the masasks, espececially clothh masks, this iss not g going to prototect the weaearer fromom infectction o of othth people wo have covovid. it i is going to ensure that if the wearer has c covid and d dos not know it oror does not have symptoms, that he or she cannot so easily spread thehe virus. if the masasis used propeperly, wawashed, chchanged, and s so ot does provide some protection for other people. the fact is, we haveve to break the chain of infection. that is absolulutely crucicial. and masks arare one way to r rey put ththat into people's consciousness as their own role that they can play in doing that. brent: you are protecting yourself by protecting others. it is an important message. our chief political correspondent, melinda crane, here in berlin. china may be helping but there

are reports tonight that suggest something different. germany's green party says chinese diplomats put pressure on the interior ministry here in berlin, to make positive statements about china's handling of the corona crisis. the german government has confirmed that this happened. and they say it did not comply with the request from beijing. dw's chief local correspondent melinda crane spoke with a member of the parliament. >> how problematic was this attempt by chinese despot -- chinese diplomats to influence german government official statements to influence handling of the coronavirus crisis? is it normal for governments to spin -- to try to spin the narrative? >> i think this was ultimately a desperate way of impressing their own to mastic audience in china with applause and praise -- their own domestic audience

in china withh applause and praise from overseas. because obviously chinese leadership is not sure whether their own population is willing to buy the stories that the propaganda is peddling. melinda: the german government says the interior ministry officials did not agree to the chinese diplomats'request. nonetheless, germany in the past has appraised beijing's handling of the crisis. what you say germany needs to push back harder against china? >> i think china has been shooting itself in the foot, really, over the last three months, with their propaganda. they have wasted so much goodwill and respect. they have wasted, three months, what they have built over three decades. i believe everybody is understanding better today, then

even just a few months ago, who they are dealing with when they're dealing with china. i would insist that the european union has not just started pushing back where we have to. where we have to, these last few days or last few weeks. we should remember that last year, in march, the european union defined china as a systemic [indiscernible] and in the -- a systemic threat. and in the german debate about whether huawei should be allowed into the committee case and network. we have seen pushback for many years so i think we are on a good track. -- should be allowed into the communication network. have seen pushbaback for many yearars. melinda: how feasible is it to make changes given that china is such an apartment market for women and european exports -- such an important market for german and european exports?

>> certainly germany has put more bigs into the chinese basket than anyone else as a trading agent -- but when you talk to entrepreneurs you find a lot of critical voices. that has been reflected in the statements made by major industrial organizations, like the german federation of industry. or the machine tool industry. so i think there is not an antagonism today between policymakers, that see that geopolitical need to pursue a more hard-nosed policy vis-à-vis china and industrialists, or the business sector. we are coming closer together. melinda: there has been a lot of speculation about whether china, with its shipments of masks and medical equipment, with its attempts to spin the story, could come out the winner in the game of coronavirus diplomacy.

what do you think? >> i have argued, and i still believe this, that china had a chance of showing that it can play the role of a responsible international stakeholder. but by pushing so aggressively hard foror crisis opportunisism, they blew it all. melinda: thank you very much. brent: a representative from the green party in germany. in britain, prime minister boris johnston has returned to work after been hospitalized with the coronavirus in intensive care and recovering from cover 19. -- -- covid-19. johnson is holding firm to that u.k. lockdown for now. he warns right now is the moment of maximum risk. >> visibly thinner and with his

hair longer than u usual, the brbritish prime minister boris johnson returns. in thihis first speech after the weeks of sick slave, - -- sick leave, he asks the british people to retain their patients for the current lockdown print >> i refuse to -- the current lockdown. >> i refuse to throw away all the sacrifice of the british people and to risk a second outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. >> for more than a month, the country has been at a near standstill. while the spread of the virus is slowing, most people support holding onto current measures. >> i commend the u.k. government in many ways. in terms of the locockdowns w we have had. and not rushing back to normal too soon. >> i think we need to keep the restrictions and the distance.

and in p place. i noticed lately a lot of people are still n not using masks or anything to cover. >> going back to another peak we do not need at all. carrying on and being careful and d being reminded, is probaby the way we should be going at the moment. >> the u.k. government is set to review the lockdown restrictions by may 7. even after that date, social distancing measures will probably continue to run. brent: here are other stories making headlines around the world. firefighters in russia are battling 16 wildfires. in the northern irkusk region of siberia. authorities have detained three people they believe may have caused some fire through carelessness or burning trash illegally. forecasters say conditions will not improve as winds expected to increase. syrian authorities say people

were killed in a an israeli missile attack on towns south of damascus. syria's military sate their air defenses intercepted and shot down several missiles shot -- fired by warplanes over lebanon. but that some made it through. israel has made no comment on the incident. the chinese human rights lawyer has been reunited with his family in beijing after being separated from them for five years. it was detained in 2015 as part of a crackdown on hundreds of lawyers and human rights activists. the u.s. speaker of the house, nancy pelosi has publicly endorsrsed joe b biden's presidentitial candidacy. the caliph and a democrat says abided -- the california democrat says biden will be a voice of reason and resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic. so far, africa has escaped the coronavirus fates of europe or the u.s., although there are

fears that worse is on the way. rwanda was the first sub-saharan nation to enforce a lockdown. it seems to have worked. so far there heavily been 147 reported cases and no deaths. at a news conference tonight, president ghani -- kigami was not about to ease up after six weeks of lockdown. dw news went there to see how people are coping. >> their backpacks are lying in the corner, unused. for six weeks, the children have been homeschooled. they were sent copies of homework and their father is helping. >> we do the homework together. what other choice do we have? all of a s sudden i am a teacac. it is not easy. >> the girlss are six and eight. they underststand what is going on. inside they are safe. outside there is a chance they could get sick. >> it is d dangerous andnd dead.

>> i miss my school and my teacher. and d my friends. >> parents say they agree with the decision the government made. it still made life hararder. ♪ [singing] >> we face huge challenges. we are at home and not at work. how c can i, , the f father of e family, earn money to support everyone if i'm forceded to stay hohome? >> people living hand to mouth are especially hard hit i the lockdown. many are forced to choose between starvation or sickness. this video from the ministry of hehealth shows families across e country receiving food aid. this woman is likely -- lucky, she can still l work despite the shutdown. she finds home office

frustrating. her internet connection is weak. >> this space has become my office. i put my laptop here because this is the only place where the internet connection is better. >> but that is not the only thing she is worried about. she comes from the democratic republic of china -- of congo. no one inforormed her the border was going to be closed so she missed her chancnce to go home. she has been stuck unable e to e r r dauger.. >> psychologically, i am finding this hard to deal with. >> it is also hard to get a connection. to get reception from the congolese telephone system she has to walk to the border. now that is illegal. >> i am risking a lot becauausee are not allowed to go anywhere without permission. >> rwanda's lockdown will continue until the end of april and maybe longer. brent: it is an unattended --

and unintended consequence of virus shutdowns. a glut of commodities and produce that no one wants to buy. distributors have stopped collecting harvests leaving farmers with field full of produce and a a sudden n drop in incocome. >> tankers, filled with oil that no one needs. they are heading out to see from the coast of california to wait things out, hoping demand and prices pick up w when times are better. but with farm produ it is not so easy. california farmer -- this california farmer destroyed his lettuce crop in april because he cannot find a market or a charity to take it. >> what you're seeing behind me is difficult, not just for me. on the economic side and the emotional side as well. everybody on this ranch, their blood, sweat and tears is in this crop. >> he is not alone. from beer brewers in germany,

two potato growers in belgium, producers are sitting on more their products, following a sudden dive in consumer demand. restaurants and bars are closed. overseas markets are not ordering. in southern italy, makers of the famed buffalo mozzarella are pupuing back on productionon. that leaves them with extra costs. >> we have surplus milk. we are all gated to freeze that milk. -- we are obligated to freeze that milk. in the future, prorovided we hae to pay for that milk to be frozen, we will have problems with the final cost of the mozzarella. it w will have to tatake into accocount the cost of the frfreezing. >> but storage is not an option for farmers. growers in his region are pushing for government help. costs are rising. no one knows what next season will bring. >> this is terrible.

brent: from dw business, my colleague rob watts. how did we get to such a desperate situation that farmers are destroying their own prop crops -- crops? >> it is a nightmare mix of slashed demand mixed with continuing production. these perishable goods are still being produced at a similar rate to before the coronavirus pandemic. but since that has begun we have seen hotels closing, schools closing and all these places that would normally take them. sporting events. all would be taking this produce, but they are not. so what do producers do? they simply have n nowhere to sd this stuff. brent: what sorts of foods are most affected? >> you can see here the picture of the potatoes. they are a big one, particularly in the united states. also in the home of the french fry, belgium. they do not like you calling it french fry. [laughter] brent: we know that.

>> they expect to throw away 750 ,000 tons of potatoes this year. they are encouraging people to eat fries twice a week. brent: right. >> beer is another one they like in belgium. anything given to pups before this happened is still in the barrels and it is going off. -- given to pubs. there's nothing you can do with that but pour it down the sink, down the drain. the same with milk because cows still need to be milked. brent: i have seen pictures in the u.s. and some in europe. people standing in line at food banks. why can't we take this excess produce and give it to needy people? >> yes, it is amazing. at one point we have the demand. another place we have the supply. but those two points have not been joined up that is a problem. farmers are not in a position to make that happen themselves. to instigate new routes to get those products to those people who need them, particularly if it is only a short-term thing.

and while, governments have said they will do that. but in some cases it seems to be coming too late for the people we saw in our report. the u.s. government set aside 3 billion euros to buy up excess produce and g get it to the nee. but farmers are saying that has come too late. brent: are the supermarkets could continue as planned and could give it away then. but that would take a lot of charity. and probably too much bureaucracy, maybe wishful thinking. rob watts, thank you. most financial markets have been down due to the pandemic. the price for gold has climbed to a seven-year high, as investors look for a safe haven to invest. the precious metal currently trading at $1700/oz, up 35% over a year. the high price has people selling their jewelry. on bold traders. sellers -- on gold traders. sellers are taking advantage of the high-priced to make money during uncertain economic c tim.

>> cues are formed outside businesses in bangkok's chinatown. -- lines are formed. many people are selling their gold jewelry. cash has become more important amid the chronic crisis. people needed to pay bills. -- more important amid the coronavirus crisis as people needed to pay bills. >> we are selling gold to increase our cash flow. we still have to play -- have to pay employees, so we need money. the coronavirus situation has impacted us. we cannot export our goods. the gold price is high. i have more response ability. i need more cash to pay for my sister's hospital treatment. -- responsibility. >> gold traders are so overwhelmed by the number of sellers that they are running out of cash. grounded flights also mean the gold cannot easily leave the country. so the thailand government has

told his people to pace themselves and sell their gold casually. brent: the coronavirus has caused football and soccer around the world to come to a screeching halt. and with it perhaps players changing teams for those astronomical sums of money. clubs are still planning moves but they may have to reckon with a significant drop of revenue. >> the coronavirus has turned football on his head. you do not need a crystal ball to note the sports finances will be hit for a while. the cia asked football -- cias football observe tory -- observatory. big money y transfers of previos years look to be a thing of the past. >> when you consider the loss in revenue for individual clubs and leaks in europe, i think we will -- and leagues in europe, i think we will see changes in the

average transfer fees. >> in the bundesliga, one star has been tipped to make 81 had a million euro move abroad -- to make a 100 million euros move abroad. >> at the top level quality players will maintain their value even through the crisis. >> some clubs, backed by companies, are likely to whether the crisis better than others. but those without deep-pocketed investors could struggle. >> i can imagine as time goes on, there will be a permanent shift. clubs that have it bad financially will get worse, because they will have to sell their best players. an clubs doing well, do even better. >> the bundesliga season is looking to resume about fans inside the stadium.

when they are allowed in, they will likely see a very different ball landscape. brent: here is a reminder of the top story we are following. germany has made face masks mandatory and certain public spaces, such as stores and public transport. it is hoped the new rules will prevent people who may be infected with the virus from passing it on. you are watching dw news. live from berlin. after a short break i will be back to take you through the day. stick around. we will be right back. ♪

the record rising unemployment here in france all linked to the ongoing corona virus pandemic everyone's now hotly anticipating the prime minister's announcements on how france will begin to move out gradually the lockdown how may the elevenenth. masks for the masses france will provide protective face all citizens for sale in pharmacies making good on president