Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

French must avoid lockdown as infections hold above 26,000: PM says

Published 03/14/2021, 02:56 PM
Updated 03/14/2021, 05:15 PM
© Reuters. COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Nice

© Reuters. COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Nice

PARIS (Reuters) - France must do everything to avoid a new coronavirus lockdown as pressure on hospitals grows, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Sunday as the country reported more than 26,000 new cases.

The French government has so far resisted pressure from some health experts to impose a new, third lockdown in the face of rising case numbers.

Instead it has imposed a 6 p.m. nationwide curfew and weekend lockdowns in two regions struggling to contain outbreaks while big shopping centres have been required to close.

"We have to use all weapons available to avoid a lockdown. I've never hid it, let's vaccinate, protect ourselves, get tested," Castex said in an interview on website Twitch.

The health ministry reported on Sunday 26,343 new COVID-19 cases, down from 29,759 the previous day, while the number people who have died from the virus rose by 140 to a total 90,429.

Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units edged higher by 57 to 4,127, while emergency resuscitation units were running at nearly 82% of capacity, the highest since late November when France was in its second lockdown.

"The situation is not getting better, there is a higher and higher number of infections and hospitals are very burdened with many patients, whose average age is getting lower and who don't always have comorbidities," Castex said.

The government plans to transfer about 100 patients this week by air or special trains from the greater Paris region to other cities to help to ease pressure on hospitals in the capital.

Labour Minister Elizabeth Borne said on Sunday she had tested positive for COVID-19 and would keep working, the latest senior French official to catch the virus.

© Reuters. COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Nice

Meanwhile, France's vaccination programme has been gaining speed with the 67,134 first shots on Sunday bringing the total to 5,128,872 or 7.7% of the population, the health ministry said. Some 2,239,389 have received both injections as of Sunday.

Latest comments

So curfews and lockdowns have proved useless. Yet some "experts" keep trying the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Insanity.
the principle of lockdown is to prevent close interaction. this is the most primitive way to contain any virus not juz this current one.
no , it is not insanity as you think , it is a plan called Plandemic by the globalists . New world order.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.