With 100 confirmed cases since the end of January, France has become the second home of the coronavirus in Europe after Italy, leading the authorities to cancel large gatherings in a closed environment or certain events such as the Paris half-marathon.
France is since yesterday at stage 2 alert on 3. Hence the convening of two exceptional meetings by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron Saturday morning. The French government has taken radical decisions. “All gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces will be canceled, announced Olivier Veran, French Minister of Health. And the prefects will receive indications to also cancel in connection with the mayors the gatherings including in open environment when they lead to mixtures with populations coming from zones where the virus circulates possibly “.
The balance sheet in France
Sixteen new cases have appeared since yesterday, for a total of 100 contaminations since the end of January. Two patients died, twelve recovered, and 86 are hospitalized. “What we mainly observe is that the patients who are going to be infected with this virus are rather elderly subjects who have a certain number of chronic, respiratory, oncological, nephrological diseases, recalled Muriel Fartoukh, head of the resuscitation service at Tenon hospital. These are the patients who are at risk of having an unfavorable course. “
Hospitals hit hard
In this race against the virus, hospitals are under pressure. For example, following the admission of a patient to a Parisian clinic, 56 caregivers were quarantined for having been in contact with the patient. In another hospital, a hundred caregivers are excluded for being potentially in contact with the sick. A measure criticized by some who fear that they will no longer be able to offer basic services to the population.
Stocks of millions of respiratory masks
In addition, the French government intends to stock 200 million masks. Consequently, in mask-making factories, as there are in the Loire, the activity does not stop. The factory is running at full speed to produce respiratory masks. Day and night, weekend included.
As for the Archbishop of Paris, he ordered no longer to give the host in the mouth to the communicants and to empty the holy water fonts from the churches.
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