The Strategist

Coronavirus spread accelerates in France



10/02/2020 - 03:16



In France, the daily growth of COVID-19 cases continues to increase: 13,970 new infections were recorded in 24 hours, The Guardian reports, citing the country's Ministry of Health.



Jernej Furman via flickr
Jernej Furman via flickr
According to the publication, this is 9% higher than the previous figure - 12,845 coronavirus infection cases were diagnosed in the country on Wednesday.

In addition, over the past day, another 63 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran warned that Paris could enter a "high alert" regime and close all bars and restaurants from Monday if the situation does not change for the better over the coming weekend.

"We need several days to confirm the trend (to accelerate the spread of the virus), but if it is confirmed, we will have no choice but to introduce a maximum alert mode from Monday," Veran said.

"This implies that people in and around Paris will have to significantly limit social interaction: no more family gatherings, no more out-of-home evenings and the complete closure of bars," he added.

According to health services, there are 259.6 cases of COVID-19 infection per 100,000 inhabitants of Paris, while the threshold is 250.

In addition, according to Veran, 30-35% of hospital beds in intensive care units are occupied by patients with the coronavirus, which also exceeds the limit of 30%.

The minister noted that due to the epidemiological situation, a high alert regime may be introduced next week in the cities of Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Toulouse and Saint-Etienne.

According to media reports, the country's authorities said they would take any necessary measures in order to avoid the next introduction of an emergency regime, in connection with which a nationwide quarantine would re-enter into force in the country.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Health noted that in connection with reports from residents of Marseille about the negative impact of quarantine on living conditions, restrictions in the city can be relaxed.

On September 28, new restrictive measures began to take effect in Paris and in more than ten other cities in France due to the worsening situation with the coronavirus.

source: theguardian.com