In the fight against the coronavirus, France will maintain its current lockdown regime for at least another 15 days. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced this at a press conference. The recent decline in the number of infections is, according to him, “fragile”.
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“It would be irresponsible to lift or even relax the rules at this point,” said Castex. He called on the population to remain “cautious” and display a “civic spirit” pending the hoped-for confirmation of the declining trend of infection.
If there is a possible relaxation on December 1, it will be “strictly limited” to the shops, according to Castex. Bars and restaurants will have to remain closed for longer anyway. It will also be “not reasonable” to organize “big parties” with dozens of people at the end of the year, he added.
Shops closed
To stem the second wave of corona infections, France reintroduced a strict lockdown regime two weeks ago. Non-essential shops are closed, non-essential travel is prohibited and teleworking is mandatory where possible.
Meanwhile, hospital admissions have passed the April peak of 32,000 hospitalizations, Castex reported. “In recent days, we have been counting a hospital admission every thirty seconds, and a new patient in intensive care every three minutes,” he described the enormous pressure on French hospitals.
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