President Emmanuel Macron confirmed during a press conference on Wednesday night that the country is once again shutting down society. France is one of many countries hard hit by the corona pandemic.
During the last 24 hours, 36,437 new covid-19 cases have been registered.
The closure will take place from next Friday. The country made a similar shutdown a few months ago. Macron points out that there was a big difference in the number of people infected, hospitalized and killed by the coronavirus.
– For us, nothing is more important than human life, he said.
The French can go to school, work, do their necessary shopping trips to grocery stores and pharmacies, as well as move out for physical activity.
Bars, restaurants and other businesses that are not needed must be closed.
– We return to having to have one special reason for leaving home. If you do not do it for your own part, do it for your loved ones, he says.
Worried
The president is worried about the time ahead. To date, more than 50 percent of the capacity of the intensive care unit has been used. He’s worried about that.
– We tried to get control of the virus when it first spread in the country. Now we are facing the second wave, and we know that it will be tougher and more deadly than the first.
He says that they have trained health personnel to work in intensive care units in the country.
– We must protect the most vulnerable and vulnerable in our society. The youngest, the oldest, the poor, our health professionals.
Criticizes the authorities
More than half of the country’s intensive care units have been used for covid-19 patients. Therefore, French doctors have called for a new national shutdown, as the French health personnel are under enormous pressure.
“The authorities have not learned from the first corona wave,” Frederic Valletuox, president of the French Hospital Association, told a French radio channel earlier Wednesday.
He asks for a month-long shutdown, and points out that the new corona wave that is ravaging the country will be even more devastating for the hospitals.
– The hospitals will not cope with this, if we do not take drastic action.
On Wednesday, 224 new deaths were reported in connection with the pandemic in France. 3,036 people have been admitted to the intensive care unit, reports the BBC.
Neighboring countries are closing down
Chancellor Angela Merkel also held a press conference on Wednesday night. There she informed that the country is now closing down restaurants and cultural and leisure schemes as a result of the country having had an increase in the number of corona infected.
The country will thus be partially closed down from 2 November. The closure will apply to the whole country, and will then be reconsidered in two weeks, writes Reuters.
“These are tough measures,” Merkel said.
In the course of ten days, the number of intensive care units has doubled. Merkel said that if it continues like this, the hospitals will eventually reach their capacity. The country has reached a point where 75 percent of infections are not detectable.
(©NTB/TV 2)
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