French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that "four to six weeks" should be left before health restrictions are eased, at a time when a new turn of events is looming in twenty departments threatened by the rise of the Covid-19 epidemic.
"We must hold a few more weeks, four to six," said the head of state without further details during a visit to the Paris region. He was responding to a young man who asked for the curfew to be postponed from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
The French presidency then specified that this comment referred to the progress of vaccination of the elderly, which will clear the horizon by easing hospital pressure, but without prejudging possible health restrictions.
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that by mid-May, "all people over 50 years of age will be offered a first injection" against Covid-19. So far, only nearly three million people have received at least one dose, including 1.561 million two doses.
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France, faced with a sustained resurgence of the epidemic, is embarking on a pivotal week in the fight against Covid-19. The government, which is trying to avoid a third generalised containment, is counting in particular on locally focused measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Discussions also took place Monday between representatives of the State and local elected officials of twenty departments, particularly in the Paris region and around major cities (Lyon, Marseille, Lille) who fear a new explosion of contamination with the spread of variants.
On Sunday, in Paris, 3,600 policemen and gendarmes tried to regulate the crowd on the crowded quays of the Seine on this sunny day.
Covid-19 has caused 86,454 deaths in France since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 3,500 people suffering from coronavirus were treated on Sunday in the intensive care units, an indicator that is slowly increasing.
The Brussels Times
