Pastor sorry after service caused wave of coronavirus infections

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A pastor whose church service has been blamed for sparking a huge wave of Covid-19 infections in France apologised today as countries across Europe continued to struggle to slow the rising death toll from the disease.

Thiebault Geyer said he wanted to say “sorry to God for my selfishness” after officials confirmed that around 2,500 of his parishioners have contracted coronavirus.

At least 17 of those have died after a mass outbreak of the virus among the thousands who attended a week-long gathering at the pastor’s Christian Open Door church in the eastern city of Mulhouse in February.

Pastor Geyer admitted he had not taken its threat seriously enough. “I would like to apologise,” he said. “Sorry to have taken this crisis lightly. Sorry to have read all the articles which tried to alert us. I couldn’t listen. I’m sorry to God for my selfishness.”

He said he was now conducting services only online.

Coronavirus - In pictures 80 show all Coronavirus - In pictures 1/80 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 2/80 Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters 3/80 Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 4/80 Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters 5/80 A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters 6/80 The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 7/80 Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons 8/80 Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn 9/80 Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images 10/80 People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP 11/80 Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP 12/80 Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag 13/80 Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 14/80 Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks 15/80 General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images 16/80 People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA 17/80 Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi 18/80 Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 19/80 Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA 20/80 Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA 21/80 Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn 22/80 A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA 23/80 A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com 24/80 Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA 25/80 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 26/80 A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 27/80 A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters 28/80 This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 29/80 Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images 30/80 U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters 31/80 A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters 32/80 General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images 33/80 A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA 34/80 Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images 35/80 Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images 36/80 Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP 37/80 Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 38/80 A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine AFP via Getty Images 39/80 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images 40/80 Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan 41/80 Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA 42/80 Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP 43/80 Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters 44/80 A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images 45/80 People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images 46/80 People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA 47/80 Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA 48/80 A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images 49/80 A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA 50/80 Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters 51/80 A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters 52/80 A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 53/80 The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters 54/80 A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images 55/80 A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters 56/80 The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images 57/80 A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire 58/80 A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images 59/80 Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images 60/80 French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images 61/80 Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters 62/80 A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA 63/80 Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images 64/80 Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images 65/80 Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters 66/80 People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters 67/80 Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images 68/80 An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images 69/80 Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP 70/80 Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images 71/80 Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP 72/80 Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images 73/80 Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP 74/80 A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images 75/80 An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP 76/80 A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters 77/80 Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP 78/80 The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images 79/80 Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP 80/80 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP 1/80 A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images 2/80 Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters 3/80 Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA 4/80 Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters 5/80 A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters 6/80 The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 7/80 Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons 8/80 Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn 9/80 Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images 10/80 People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP 11/80 Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP 12/80 Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag 13/80 Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 14/80 Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks 15/80 General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images 16/80 People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA 17/80 Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi 18/80 Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters 19/80 Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA 20/80 Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA 21/80 Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn 22/80 A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA 23/80 A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com 24/80 Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA 25/80 A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn 26/80 A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 27/80 A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters 28/80 This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 29/80 Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images 30/80 U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters 31/80 A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters 32/80 General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images 33/80 A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA 34/80 Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images 35/80 Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images 36/80 Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP 37/80 Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters 38/80 A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine AFP via Getty Images 39/80 Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images 40/80 Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan 41/80 Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA 42/80 Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP 43/80 Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters 44/80 A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images 45/80 People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images 46/80 People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA 47/80 Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA 48/80 A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images 49/80 A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA 50/80 Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters 51/80 A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters 52/80 A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images 53/80 The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters 54/80 A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images 55/80 A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters 56/80 The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images 57/80 A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire 58/80 A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images 59/80 Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images 60/80 French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images 61/80 Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters 62/80 A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA 63/80 Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images 64/80 Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images 65/80 Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters 66/80 People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters 67/80 Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images 68/80 An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images 69/80 Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP 70/80 Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images 71/80 Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP 72/80 Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images 73/80 Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP 74/80 A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images 75/80 An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP 76/80 A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters 77/80 Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP 78/80 The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images 79/80 Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP 80/80 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP

France announced a record daily death toll of 499 yesterday. President Emmanuel Macron tried to fight off criticism of his government’s failure to provide more masks and respirators.

“When we fight a battle, we must be united to win it and those who are already trying to hold trials when we have not won the war are irresponsible,” he said.

“The time will come for accountability,” he added, as he ordered a tripling of domestic mask production by the end of April to 10 million and production of 10,000 extra respirators by mid-May.

Meanwhile the Netherlands has become the latest country to extend its lockdown, to April 28, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying that the curbs “seem to start working, but it is too early to draw conclusions”.

He added: “Experts tell us that the spread is slowing… Hold on and stick to the rules.”

In Spain, health bosses were frantically working to add to the number of intensive care units in hospitals which are quickly filling up in the country’s hardest-hit regions.

The country counted on 5,779 intensive care beds before the crisis and 5,607 were filled as of yesterday. In the capital, Madrid, the first intensive care units were finished today in a huge field hospital that is planned to hold 5,500 patients when completed.

Meanwhile, Spanish authorities are bringing into the country 1,500 purchased ventilator machines and asking local manufacturers to ramp up production, with some creative solutions employed, such as snorkeling masks repurposed as breathing masks.

In Italy’s hotspot region of Lombardy, the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units yesterday dropped for the first time since the beginning of the epidemic.