More French cities on high alert for coronavirus

Four French cities were put on high alert for coronavirus on Thursday, joining Paris and other metropolises where bars have been closed in an increasingly urgent attempt to curb a rapidly accelerating outbreak.

The number of daily coronavirus infections reached 18,746 in France on Wednesday, health authorities reported, a record since widespread testing began.

The positive test result rate increased to 9.1 percent from about 4.5 percent a month ago.

“The health situation in France sadly continues to worsen,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told the nation in a live broadcast.

“Every day in France, more and more people are infected, more and more sick and more and more suffer serious effects requiring hospitalization,” he said.

Veran announced that Lille, Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne would go to the highest level of alert on Saturday, joining Paris, Aix-Marseille and the overseas territory of Guadeloupe.

In these places, bars are closed and restaurants must take additional security measures that include a minimum distance between tables and recording customer addresses to alert them if another diner ends up testing positive.

There are also limits for public gatherings.

The latest data showed that some 116 people out of 100,000 are now positive for the coronavirus in France, and every 10 infected people infect 11 or 12 in turn, Veran said.

The minister urged people to contribute to the braking effort by wearing face masks and maintaining a safe social distance from others, including at home, where there has been a worrying increase in the number of young people infecting older and more vulnerable relatives.

Living with the virus

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced that a “solidarity fund” to protect jobs and businesses will be expanded to include some 75,000 businesses that suffer the side effects of constraints on tourism, culture and sports activities, such as car rental companies, florists and travel insurance.

“We have to learn to live with the virus. It is here. It will not go away overnight,” Le Maire said.

“We need to protect ourselves … but we also have to keep working, producing, protecting our jobs, preparing the economy of the France of tomorrow,” he said.

On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said the country “was not in a normal situation and we will not be for several months.”

Veran said that the pressure on hospitals in the Paris region was growing daily, with COVID patients occupying more and more intensive care beds and other non-urgent procedures that had to be canceled.

The ARS health authority for the Paris region warned of “a big wave of cases” to come, urging hospitals to put themselves in an emergency situation and mobilize additional doctors.

“We need to throw all our forces into battle,” agency chief Aurelien Rousseau told AFP.

On Wednesday, 455 intensive care beds in Paris and its suburbs were occupied by COVID patients, more than 40 percent of the total.

Le Canard Enchaine newspaper, citing a confidential Macron report, said the figure was expected to rise to 85 percent by mid-November.

That could lead authorities to impose even stricter restrictions on the capital, which already requires people to wear face masks in all public spaces, indoors and out.

Nationwide, the number of coronavirus patients in hospital rose to 7,514 in France on Wednesday from 7,377 the day before, with 1,406 in intensive care. There are 5,000 intensive care beds across the country.

Also Wednesday, authorities reported 80 deaths from coronavirus in 24 hours, bringing the total number for France to 32,445.

The government has said it will do everything possible to avoid another widespread lockdown.

© 2020 AFP