'Lockdown plans are ready' - French Prime Minister lays out strategy to curb Covid-19 spread
France's Prime Minister Jean Castex said "this was the moment to intervene" to curb the rising spread of coronavirus across the French territory to avoid new rounds of lockdown.
Main points:
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No nationwide lockdown, but localised lockdowns possible if situation requires
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PM urged Paris authorities to issue extra rules on masks outdoors
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France has reached 830,000 Covid-19 tests per week, with the goal of 1 million in September
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Increase in cases not just due to more testing, "four times as many people are getting the virus today compared to last month"
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Hospital rates increasing "slowly but surely"
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People should "avoid family celebrations" and other group gatherings
“We want to do everything to avoid a new lockdown, but the lockdown plans, those detailing the strictest measures, lie ready in the health ministry," the Prime Minister said during a press conference on Thursday morning.
"We are in a period of epidemic growth," Castex said.
France recorded 5,429 new cases 24 hours on Wednesday, a tally unseen since the peak of the first wave of infections in mid April.
The marked a continuation of the rapid spread of the virus, with the daily recordings of cases having risen from around 500 per day to over 5,000 per day in weeks.
'1 million tests'
France has ramped up its testing capacities since the country began to ease the nationwide lockdown in the end of May, from some 200,000 tests per week in early June to over 600,000 early August.
Now, Castex said the country had "one of the best testing capacities in the world," issuing 830,000 tests per week, with a goal of 1 million in September.
Medical professionals have however expressed concern that laboratories lack the capacity to analyse the tests, leading to a time lag between the test and the results that they fear could cause further spread of the virus.
The prime minister said the hike in confirmed cases could not solely be attributed to Increased testing, as the positivity rate had risen to 3.7 percent, up from 3.6 last week and 2.2 earlier.
"Four times as many people are infected now compared to a month ago," Castex said.
21 red zones
“..the virus is gaining in strength, and this is the moment to intervene,” Castex said.
Stressing that the country did not find itself in the same situation as in March and April, Castex said the numbers of patients being hospitalised were rising "slowly but surely" as well.
Around 800 people were admitted to the hospital every week for Covid-19 the past month compared to 500 a month earlier, the PM said.
"It's not an explosion, but it's a trend," Castex said, adding that it was important to take measures to avoid a new period of exponential growth similar to that in March and April.
The number of "red zone" départements had risen from 10 to 21, Castex said. A "red zone" is the official designation signifying a high level of spread that gives local authorities extended powers to enforce restrictive measures such as closing down bars and restaurants or restrict access to public transport.
[Direct] Les 21 départements placés en zone rouge #COVID19 https://t.co/xL48p7FdI1 pic.twitter.com/RKL5U5M5Rj
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) August 27, 2020
Paris, along with the Bouches-du-Rhône département, was among the areas already featuring of the list of "red zones", and Castex urged local authorities to take measures to impose mask-wearing outdoors across the capital.
"I asked the police prefect to initiate a consultation with the mayor of Paris and the elected officials of the inner suburbs, where it seems urgent to act on mask-wearing," Castex said.
700 mask-fines per day
Wearing a mask was already made compulsory on the streets of Nice and Marseille. Paris and its suburbs made masks compulsory in certain zones, but local authorities could enforce a blanket measure to facilitate policing of the currently slightly confusing rules.
Casted said police had so far done 30,000 checks and issued 700 fines per day to people defying the rules on masks.
Those breaking the nationwide rule on mask-wearing inside public spaces face a fine of €135. Fines for mask-wearing outdoors vary between municipalities.
"Wearing a mask is not always very simple. Keeping distance from others is not a spontaneous reflex. But let's face it together, these are not insurmountable constraints," Castex said.
'Avoid family gatherings'
According to French public health statistics shown by the prime minister, "only 20 percent of coronavirus cases are traced back to a cluster." That means that, while workplaces has been identified as the origin of the most clusters, it is not the main source of spread.
The prime minister said "most of the spread occur in private," not public spaces, and asked people to refrain from gathering in large groups, including within the family, to avoid spreading the virus.
"Avoid family celebrations, respect health barriers within the family," Castex said.
Reiterating the message repeated by President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the nationwide lockdown, he said:
“We can learn to live with the virus."
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Main points:
- No nationwide lockdown, but localised lockdowns possible if situation requires
- PM urged Paris authorities to issue extra rules on masks outdoors
- France has reached 830,000 Covid-19 tests per week, with the goal of 1 million in September
- Increase in cases not just due to more testing, "four times as many people are getting the virus today compared to last month"
- Hospital rates increasing "slowly but surely"
- People should "avoid family celebrations" and other group gatherings
“We want to do everything to avoid a new lockdown, but the lockdown plans, those detailing the strictest measures, lie ready in the health ministry," the Prime Minister said during a press conference on Thursday morning.
"We are in a period of epidemic growth," Castex said.
France recorded 5,429 new cases 24 hours on Wednesday, a tally unseen since the peak of the first wave of infections in mid April.
The marked a continuation of the rapid spread of the virus, with the daily recordings of cases having risen from around 500 per day to over 5,000 per day in weeks.
'1 million tests'
France has ramped up its testing capacities since the country began to ease the nationwide lockdown in the end of May, from some 200,000 tests per week in early June to over 600,000 early August.
Now, Castex said the country had "one of the best testing capacities in the world," issuing 830,000 tests per week, with a goal of 1 million in September.
Medical professionals have however expressed concern that laboratories lack the capacity to analyse the tests, leading to a time lag between the test and the results that they fear could cause further spread of the virus.
The prime minister said the hike in confirmed cases could not solely be attributed to Increased testing, as the positivity rate had risen to 3.7 percent, up from 3.6 last week and 2.2 earlier.
"Four times as many people are infected now compared to a month ago," Castex said.
21 red zones
“..the virus is gaining in strength, and this is the moment to intervene,” Castex said.
Stressing that the country did not find itself in the same situation as in March and April, Castex said the numbers of patients being hospitalised were rising "slowly but surely" as well.
Around 800 people were admitted to the hospital every week for Covid-19 the past month compared to 500 a month earlier, the PM said.
"It's not an explosion, but it's a trend," Castex said, adding that it was important to take measures to avoid a new period of exponential growth similar to that in March and April.
[Direct] Les 21 départements placés en zone rouge #COVID19 https://t.co/xL48p7FdI1 pic.twitter.com/RKL5U5M5Rj
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) August 27, 2020
Reiterating the message repeated by President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the nationwide lockdown, he said:
“We can learn to live with the virus."
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