From our correspondent
PARIS – At 19.55 (five minutes earlier than usual because at 20.45 there is the France-Croatia match) the president Emmanuel Macron granted alive television interview much awaited, on France’s response to the new wave of coronavirus. The main measure the introduction of a curfew in the Paris region and eight other metropolises, starting this Saturday, from 9pm to 6am.
The second wave of covid in France
This virus is returning, we are in the second wave. And it goes back all over Europe, in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands. The virus restarts and recirculates very quickly throughout Europe. important to say what we know of this virus: kills. Rather older people, those who have other diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or obesity, and it affects even more in the poorest environments. But it still strikes at all ages. Half of the cases in intensive care currently in France are under the age of 65. Now we have to react. We do between 1.3, and 1.4 million tests per week, and every day 200 of our fellow citizens go into intensive care, and we have 20,000 new cases a day. Our health services are entering a stress phase that is more worrying than the first wave because the virus was then more confined to the East. Now, however, it is more widespread throughout the territory and the doctors are exhausted. We need to take other measures. It is necessary that the current 20 thousand cases decrease, that these 200 resuscitation entries decrease. Confining the country again would be disproportionate but the curfew is a consistent measure.
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The curfew
the main measure announced Wednesday evening. It will apply to the region Ile de France (that of Paris) and eight other metropolises: Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Rouen. You will not be able to leave the house from 9pm to 6am for six weeks. If we manage to reduce the new cases of contagion we will be able to gradually reopen. Bars, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, all closed.
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hard to be 20 today
We try to stop the virus and not the economy or the school. We try to target the main sources of contagion, that is the hangouts, the president said, adding that I realize, it is difficult to be 20 years old in 2020. Macron then explained that, for the moment, there are no restrictions on movements between regions of the Country.
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