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The French government is alarmed: daily infection figures are at a new record, yet there is criticism of the crown’s tightening of measures. The affected regions feel left out.
After further tightening of corona measures, new corona virus infections in France have reached a new record. The health authorities announced that 16,096 new cases of infection were registered in 24 hours. That’s another 3,000 new infections more than the day before. In recent days, more than 13,000 new infections were registered in one day in France; this was the highest level since the pandemic began. The number of deaths per crown increased by 52 in one day.
More tests, but also delays
However, experts note that the number of infections at the beginning of the first corona wave in March and April only represented a fraction of the actual infections due to low testing capabilities. Therefore, they cannot be compared with the figures since the introduction of large-scale testing. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million tests are carried out weekly, while hardly any tests were available in the spring.
The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, however, admitted problems with the testing capacity. In fact, there are delays in results in some cities. But the bottleneck in evaluating the evidence “is not responsible for the new wave of the epidemic.”
The French government is alert due to the increase in numbers. Prime Minister Jean Castex warned: “The emergence of Covid-19 across the country is worrying.” To curb the spread of the virus, the government tightened measures on Wednesday, especially in large cities. Among other things, all bars and restaurants in the most affected city of Marseille must close from Saturday, in Paris and other cities must close earlier. In addition, gatherings of more than ten people in parks and squares were prohibited.
Marseille criticizes Corona measures
Despite the sharp increase in the number of infections, there are criticisms of the new regulations. In Marseille, the strict measures were met with misunderstanding. Mayor Michèle Rubirola told BFM TV station that restaurants and bars would have to close completely, it had been decided without any consultation. The city council asked for a moratorium of ten days. You must first see how the situation of the crown develops in the city.
The president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (Paca) region, Renaud Muselier, announced via Twitter that he would take legal action against the closure of the restaurants. He had previously harshly criticized the measures as “collective punishment.” They are unfair and inappropriate. Marseille is in the Paca region.
The “high alert” has been declared for Marseille and the overseas region of Guadeloupe. There is a “high alert” in Paris. People there too were dissatisfied. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was informed on short notice and disagreed. Recently, the government had emphasized over and over again that elected representatives in the regions knew best what to do.
Castex appeals to shared responsibility
Prime Minister Castex appealed after criticism of the common “responsibility” of the French. “You cannot play with an epidemic,” Castex warned on channel France 2. In no case did he want to have to return to the strict exit restrictions that already applied between March and May.
The main goal of his government’s policy is to avoid overloading hospitals, Castex said. In fact, the pressure on intensive care units from the number of corona infections, which has been increasing for weeks, is now so great that Paris hospitals are once again having to cancel operations that are not absolutely necessary.
