KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — France has imposed a one-month national lockdown beginning today following a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.
The Guardian reported that this measure is a collective effort to contain the virus transmission in the country to compensate for insufficient protective measures.
“Difficult measures have to be taken,” France president Emmanuel Macron was quoted as saying.
“We have always said we have to live with the virus. We have done all we can do and I believe our strategy and information has been good,” Macron added.
“We are overwhelmed by a second wave that is set to be harder and more deadly than the first.”
According to Macron, the country’s intensive care beds would be filled with Covid-19 patients if the current transmission rate continues. That will eventually lead to the cancellation of other important operations.
However Macron admitted that the two months of strict movement restrictions in March had impacted the country’s economy.
“The health system won’t hold unless there is an economy to support it, but nothing is more important than human life.”
Currently, France is reporting 40,000 to 50,000 daily Covid-19 cases.
Macron also pointed out that the current restriction would reduce the daily reported cases in France.
A sworn declaration will be needed to leave houses during the implementation of the new movement restriction order. However, schools will remain open, whereas higher education institutions will conduct online classes. Bars and restaurants will be closed.
Government services will remain functioning, whereas private gatherings are prohibited in France.
Efforts in keeping much wider areas like Paris under a night-time curfew did not stop the virus transmission in France.
So far, France has reported 1.2 million Covid-19 cases with 35,541 deaths. The country hopes to reduce the huge hike in cases reported last week by implementing the new movement restriction measures.
The country reported 33,417 new confirmed Covid-19 cases yesterday, compared to 52,010 cases reported on Saturday. There were 288 deaths in the past 24 hours and the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care increased to 2,918, an additional 148 cases in one day.
France’s care and nursing homes have registered 288 more deaths in the previous week.
“We are in a difficult, even critical, situation. We foresaw a second wave but we are surprised ourselves by the brutality of what has happened over the last 10 days. The second wave will probably be worse than the first,” Jean-Francois Delfraissy, president of France’s scientific committee that advises the government, was quoted saying.
The committee has predicted that the number of daily new Covid-19 cases would reach 100,000 during the second Covid-19 wave.
“Many people still haven’t realised what is waiting for us. This wave is invading Europe; it will last several weeks, even one or two months,” Delfraissy said.
