Faced with the third Covid wave, the hardest is yet to come… This Thursday March 25, after the European Council, Emmanuel Macron announced that “we’ll have new measures to make undoubtedly in the coming days, weeks”. He went on: “We’ll make them together, given the available facts, in transparency, and in real time”. He did not exclude the fact he might address the country in the coming days if the situation tends to deteriorate, especially in Île-de-France where the contamination toll is skyrocketing.
A few days later, as the Covid-19 epidemic keeps on spreading fast in the Paris area - especially in schools - no decision has been made yet. "We undoubtedly have to make new measures in the coming days and weeks", Macron told JDD this Sunday March 28, 2021, still as vague. Before once again addressing the right anti-Covid strategy to adopt, the president wishes to borrow time, while waiting for the first "assessment" of the restrictions instated on Saturday March 20.
More decisions to come this Tuesday?
As for a likely decisions, they might be announced this Tuesday March 30, 2021. An advisor, close to the executive, says to Playbook Paris that "after ten (days), we'll be able to see if the dynamic in the 16 departments has decreased". Furthermore, data collected on Mondays are often wrong because of the weekends' "catch-up" effect. This Tuesday, it has been exactly 10 days strong curbing measures have been implemented in the 16 involved departments.
Furthermore, data reccorded on Mondays are often wrong. The idea is to wait a few more days to get a general picture for the assessment of the strong curbing measures. "If there are more than 50,000 cases (in 24h), I don't see how we hold on... Everyone will tell us 'curbing without locking down' has had no impact", and advisor says, worried to Politico. First and foremost, the executive's interrogation mostly involves the current pressure on hospitals, as inter-regional transfers of Covid patients are growing. "The question is, how long can hospitals hold on?", the same advisor wonders.
With this in mind, President Macron is to address the country in maximum "the next two weeks" to respond to a "pressing need for clarity and schedule" towards the French, as France Télévisions politics service reporter Guillaume Daret says. Furthermore, this is when "he will be able to stick to these two goals he will make an address", a source within the government reached out by our peer says.
The week before, the French President also said “the coming weeks will be very hard; we shall be very clear-headed”. The only hope for the head of State is vaccination. “We’ll keep on protecting our most fragile fellow citizens who are hospitalized in intensive car”, he said while explaining the country has to keep on protecting “nurses […] other sick people”.
According to Macron, “other dimensions” shall also be taken into account such as “mental health, tiredness existing in the country, youth’s health, the necessity to educate them, to enable them to be in a developing framework and the country’s social and economic situation”. As for these measures, nothing detailed has been given so far, but a harsher lockdown is not to be ruled out. Anyway, strict lockdown has been required by many nurses and scientists.
