What will Emmanuel Macron and the government decide? Is tightening considered? Are schools to close? So far, many questions remain unanswered as a new Health Defense Council is held this Wednesday March 31 in the morning. The goal for the executive and head of state? Curbing the coronavirus epidemic in the country as over 30,000 new Covid-19 cases have been reported this Tuesday in 24 hours in France, and the hospitalization toll keeps on rising.
According to news from France Télévisions politics service and BFMTV, three scenarios are on the table and are to be closely studied by President Macron this Wednesday during the Defense Council. According to France Info, new measures could be made, but only involving the hardest-hit departments, Île-de-France included.
The first lead studied is status quo, and the ongoing strategy of "curbing without locking down", already instated in the 19 French departments. Yet, the government wishes to relieve hospitals currently overwhelmed by the number of clinical Covid-19 cases in ICU (over 5,000 as of Tuesday evening), by making doctors and ICU doctors from regions spared by the third wave coming over. Still according to France Info, the idea of making patient sanitary evacuations compulsory - without families' consents - is also being considered. As for vaccinating teachers working in the three hardest-hit regions by Covid-19 (Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) is also - according to BFMTV - a lead considered by the government that will then keep schools open.
The second scenario considered by the executive and President Macron this Wednesday morning during the Defense Council? Closing schools. Polemical topic for many French, closing schools is no longer a lead the government rules out.
If this option ends up chosen by the executive, then many questions would remain unanswered. Would this new restriction apply to the entire country or only in the virus hardest-hit departments? This measure would have consequences for parents who will have to once again adapt to the situation, considering other solutions when working from home is not possible.
Last but not least, the third lead studied by the government is a strict and total lockdown. This measure would lead to the return of the mandatory derogatory trip certificate during the day, as well as limited trips. Schools would close down, as they did in the spring 2020.
So, what will President Macron and the government decide? Find out more this Wednesday evening during the French President's upcoming televised address.
Covid: lockdown extended to France, schools to close, reopenings, Macron's latest statements
Faced with the third Covid-19 epidemic wave, Emmanuel Macron addressed the French this Wednesday March 31, 2021. The French President assessed the worrying evolution of the country's health situation. Therefore, the Head of State has called lockdown extended to the entire mainland country - and no longer to 19 departments only -, along with the closure of schools for three weeks, "systematic" working from home, as well as a detailed vaccination calendar. [Read more]
We are also waiting for more new about when these likely new restrictions could be instated. Would they be implemented in the hours to come, that is to say just a few days before Easter?
