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PARIS: French Prime Minister Jean Castex warned on Friday (September 11) that the country was experiencing a “clear worsening” of the coronavirus pandemic, but aimed to avoid a new national lockdown that would hit the economy.
In a long-awaited statement after a meeting of ministers and health experts, Castex did not announce new restrictions, but promised more efficient tests and said local authorities must decide on additional measures.
Nearly 10,000 new cases have been recorded daily in the past two days, a record since full-scale testing began, but Castex said a recent spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations was particularly concerning.
“We have to manage to live with this virus, without going back to the idea of a generalized confinement,” he said in a televised statement from his official residence in Paris.
“Our strategy does not change. We must fight the virus without stopping our social, cultural and economic life, the education of our children and our ability to live normally,” he added.
Castex said 42 of the 101 departments in France are now classified as “red zones” where the virus is rapidly circulating, compared to 28 earlier this week.
People at high risk due to old age or health problems, such as diabetes, obesity and respiratory problems, may require a protective “bubble” around them, said a Covid AFP / JEFF PACHOUD specialist.
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“REACH THE MOST VULNERABLE”
He said authorities in Marseille, Bordeaux and the overseas territory of Guadeloupe should present plans on Monday to deal with major local outbreaks.
“There is no Maginot Line, it inevitably ends up reaching the most vulnerable,” he said, referring to the supposedly impenetrable defenses that France built before World War II.
But it did not announce major new restrictions, urging people to adhere to social distancing guidelines and to wear face masks.
And the quarantine period for people who contract the virus will be shortened from 14 to just seven days, to better match “the period when there is a real risk of contagion,” he said.
Castex also said that testing capabilities will increase in response to long wait times for appointments and results.
Priority cases involving people with confirmed exposure to Covid-19 patients or already showing symptoms will receive reserved spots at the testing centers, and an additional 2,000 people will be hired to conduct contact tracing.
Officials are increasingly concerned about the high number of infections in France, even as the death toll and intensive-care admissions are well below the highs recorded in March and April.
READ: French government to consider local lockdowns as COVID-19 worsens
The Health Ministry said 9,406 new coronavirus infections were recorded on Friday after 9,843 were recorded on Thursday, the highest number since large-scale testing began.
The total death toll in France from the pandemic stands at 30,893 after 40 more people died in hospital.
The head of a scientific council that advises the government on the pandemic, Jean-Francois Delfraissy, said on Wednesday that the government will soon have to make “tough” decisions to stop the outbreak.
People at high risk due to old age or health problems like diabetes, obesity, and respiratory problems may need a protective “bubble” around them, for example.
Castex himself is in a seven-day period of self-isolation, having spent part of last weekend with Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme, who tested positive for COVID-19.
Subsequently, Castex was deemed virus free after initial testing.
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