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NEW MEASURES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL: French President Emmanuel Macron says the virus has spread faster than expected. Photo: PISCINA / REUTERS
We have not handled the pandemic well enough, admits French President Emmanuel Macron. Friday marks the start of a new national shutdown, with a few exceptions.
Figures released just before Macron took the floor show the seriousness of the contagion situation in France. In the last 24 hours, the country has registered:
- 36,437 new cases of infection, compared to 33,417 on Tuesday
- 244 crown-related deaths, up from 523 the day before
- 2,821 patients with covid-19 have been admitted to French hospitals
The death toll on Tuesday was the highest since April, according to the VG summary. All French regions now have a critically high level of infection and doctors are warning of the overcrowding of intensive care units.
– The virus spreads at a speed that even the most pessimistic calculations could not predict. We have not handled the situation as well as we should have, he says according to Reuters.
- Did you know The French authorities have introduced three alarm phases for the extent of the infection pressure. All areas that are now prohibited from entering are at the “extreme” level.
Macron warned that the second wave could be worse than the first, before introducing new measures at the national level that will initially last until December 1.
As of next Friday, France will partially close:
- Bars, restaurants, cafes and shops will be closed.
- The same is the case with universities, which must provide students with online teaching.
- It will not be possible to travel between regions.
- More people have to work from home
- Continuous entry ban for countries outside the Schengen area
- People need to stay home unless they absolutely have to shop, seek medical help, or exercise for an hour during the day.
Employees may be allowed to physically go to work if the employer believes that work from home is not possible. Additionally, schools will remain open. It will also be possible to organize funerals.
The new measures are in addition to the curfew that was introduced in early October in the most affected areas of France.
– Will hit harder
The aim of the measures is to reduce the number of new cases of infection per day, from around 40,000 to 5,000.
“We are all in the same situation: invaded by a new wave that we know will hit harder and be more deadly than the first,” Macron said.
He adds that the authorities will make a new evaluation in 15 days. If the situation has improved, shops, restaurants, bars and cafes may reopen.
France is not alone in taking comprehensive measures to control the spread of the infection. On Wednesday night, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a similar partial national shutdown of the country.
Here, too, bars and restaurants are temporarily closed, people can only gather up to ten people in private, and professional sporting events have to go for empty stands. The measures will last one month.
