The third coronavirus epidemic has peaked in mid-April in France. Since then, the spread of Covid-19 has been declining. This is encouraging news as mainland France is in lockdown again. Yet, this recently-acquired balance amid the health crisis remains fragile. With barely one week to go before schools reopen, indicators barely start to decrease, and in some places in France, data remain very high. Lockdown exit is another challenge to take up, then.
In an interview with Télégramme, Health Minister Olivier Véran came down for a territory-based lockdown exit. Following the latest defense council, this lead could be considered by the government. This Monday April 26, 2021, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed some measures will be made on a territory basis, such as the reopening of restaurants dining rooms.
Who could exit lockdown first, and who will have to wait then? Three territories stand out with a slower circulation of the virus: Brittany, Nouvelle Aquitaine, and Corsica. On the contrary, Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur are still the hardest-hit regions.
Yet, the territorial decisions could probably apply to a department basis.
Among mainland France departments where the incidence rate is the lowest as of April 25, 2021's consolidated data, stand:
From the weakest to strongest rate, below 200 cases for 100,000 inhabitants
976 — Mayotte — Dzaoudzi 53.3
29 — Finistère — Quimper 92.8
64 — Pyrénées-Atlantiques — Pau 99.1
40 — Landes — Mont-de-Marsan 100.0
65 — Hautes-Pyrénées — Tarbes 104.5
32 — Gers — Auch 106.3
2A — Corse-du-Sud — Ajaccio 125.0
974 — La Réunion — Saint-Denis 127.3
17 — Charente-Maritime — La Rochelle 138.3
16 — Charente — Angoulême 138.7
23 — Creuse — Guéret 141.9
2B — Haute-Corse — Bastia 142.7
46 — Lot — Cahors 164.0
47 — Lot-et-Garonne — Agen 165.3
06 — Alpes-Maritimes — Nice 166.5
22 — Côtes-d'Armor — Saint-Brieuc 170.6
15 — Cantal — Aurillac 180.0
972 — Martinique — Fort-de-France 180.3
33 — Gironde — Bordeaux 185
12 — Aveyron — Rodez 189.7
66 — Pyrénées-Orientales — Perpignan 193.7
36 — Indre — Châteauroux 198.5
56 — Morbihan — Vannes 198.5
57 — Moselle — Metz 198.6
As for the French departments where the incidence rate is the highest as of April 25, 2021's consolidated data, stand:
From the strongest to weakest rate, above 250 cases for 100,000 inhabitants
93 — Seine–Saint-Denis — Bobigny 547.1
94 — Val-de-Marne — Créteil 513.9
95 — Val-d'Oise — Cergy-Pontoise 517.7
13 — Bouches-du-Rhône — Marseille 476.2
91 — Essonne — Évry 453.5
77 — Seine-et-Marne — Melun 448.5
60 — Oise — Beauvais 443.0
75 — Paris — Paris 441.0
42 — Loire — Saint-Étienne 397.9
72 — Sarthe — Le Mans 396.6
92 — Hauts-de-Seine — Nanterre 387.7
43 — Haute-Loire — Le Puy-en-Velay 383.0
78 — Yvelines — Versailles 375.8
52 — Haute-Marne — Chaumont 375.2
69 — Rhône — Lyon 363.7
84 — Vaucluse — Avignon 362.6
30 — Gard — Nîmes 360.9
59 — Nord — Lille 354.0
02 — Aisne — Laon 350.5
25 — Doubs — Besançon 342.2
62 — Pas-de-Calais — Arras 339.4
76 — Seine-Maritime — Rouen 338.0
87 — Haute-Vienne — Limoges 321.8
80 — Somme — Amiens 309.8
08 — Ardennes — Charleville-Mézières 307.7
51 — Marne — Châlons-en-Champagne 305.9
10 — Aube — Troyes 301.4
45 — Loiret — Orléans 300.8
89 — Yonne — Auxerre 299.3
27 — Eure — Évreux 297.5
83 — Var — Toulon 291.0
63 — Puy-de-Dôme — Clermont-Ferrand 288.1
61 — Orne — Alençon 286.7
37 — Indre-et-Loire — Tours 286.4
41 — Loir-et-Cher — Blois 286.1
34 — Hérault — Montpellier 278.9
90 — Territoire de Belfort — Belfort 275.4
73 — Savoie — Chambéry 273.3
01 — Ain — Bourg-en-Bresse 268.8
67 — Bas-Rhin — Strasbourg 268.4
38 — Isère — Grenoble 267.8
58 — Nièvre — Nevers 267.0
21 — Côte-d'Or — Dijon 265.0
39 — Jura — Lons-le-Saunier 265.3
79 — Deux-Sèvres — Niort 260.0
04 — Alpes-de-Haute-Provence — Digne-les-Bains 259.1
54 — Meurthe-et-Moselle — Nancy 252.3
50 — Manche — Saint-Lô 250.3
28 — Eure-et-Loir — Chartres 250.1
88 — Vosges — Épinal 250.1
