France recorded more than 7,000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, compared to several hundred per day since May and June, partly due to higher tests.
But the rate of positive cases is also increasing, with more than 30 positive tests consistent with 100,000 inhabitants in 20% of the country’s regions. That single digit figure a month ago.
While the number of hospitalized patients remains well below the peak of the French epidemic in the spring, it is increasing, especially in areas where the virus circulates with maximum intensity.
“In theory, nothing can be ruled out,” Macron told reporters when asked about a new national blockade. “I’ve learned a lot from what we went through for 8 months if I said I completely excluded it.
Macron said the government was in favor of regional measures to prevent epidemics and would do everything imaginable to save it from a new national blockade through “learning to live with the virus.” France’s strict two-month blockade in the spring devastated its economy, but was credited with the severe slowdown in the virus.
France recorded more than 30,600 deaths from COVID-19, the third highest number of deaths in Europe after Britain and Italy. In addition, experts say all the figures shown underestimate the true effect of the pandemic due to the limited number of tests and other factors.
Amid fears that France may be a new focus of viruses, Macron defended his government’s efforts to revive the economy and its control of the post-employer closure period. During the summer, the French traveled the country to participate in family gatherings and dance parties accused of fueling the rise of cases.
But the government is advancing plans to send France’s 12.9 million academics back to the classrooms starting Tuesday, and france’s beloved professional cycling race will begin a three-week trek across the country on Saturday despite climbing infections.
Macron said Friday that staff will gradually resume their jobs.
“We want everyone back to work,” he said, in a component to pay for France’s social safety net.
With Britain, Germany and Belgium imposing all new restrictions on others coming from all or part of France, Macron called for greater European coordination to combat the spread of the virus.
“Let’s have the same criteria,” he says. “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of March” when the chaotic unilateral closures of Europe’s borders left lines of multi-kilometre trucks stranded on roads and millions of stranded travellers.
He said it ‘not logical’ to close Europe’s borders, especially for the millions of employees in the EU travel ban zone crossing borders to go to work. Instead, Hungary, a member of the EU, announced on Friday that it would close its borders to foreigners from Tuesday.
Speaking through a mask, he admitted that masks are “embarrassing, boring,” but called them a “reasonable restriction with which we settle for a while” to revive the economy.
He also promised 15 billion euros ($17.8 billion) in government investments in production and job return projects in France, and opened a new production plant at the Seqens pharmaceutical plant in northern Paris. France’s reliance on its suppliers in China has fueled its shortage of masks, medicines and other medical supplies.
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