France does not rule out a third general lockdown if the epidemic curve continues to rise

French Health Minister Olivier Ferrand has warned that the government will not hesitate to impose a third general lockdown at the national level if the number of new infections with the new Corona virus continues to rise.

“We do not rule out any measures that may be necessary to protect residents. This does not mean that we have made a decision, but we are monitoring the situation hour by hour,” the minister said in an interview published in the weekly “Le Journal du Dimanche” .

The health minister’s statement came at a time when the government fears that the country will be exposed in the coming weeks to a third epidemic wave after the holidays.

The minister pointed out that what increases the seriousness of the situation is that at present “there are an average of 15 thousand new infections per day, after having dropped to 11 thousand cases.”

He said: “The goal of registering 5,000 (new injuries per day) is decreasing. The pressure on the health system is still great, with 1,500 new hospitalizations registered daily,” despite the fact that most of these cases do not require transfer to the intensive care unit.

Veran stressed that he is “willing to take the necessary measures if the situation worsens,” noting that the situation is already worrying in several eastern provinces of the country.

He noted that a large number of mayors in eastern France have been calling for him for several days to “reimpose general lockdown measures, either nationwide or locally” after Christmas.