February 5, 2021
1 min read

French PM: No need of new nationwide lockdown

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in France is “particularly fragile” due to the more infectious variants of the virus, but there was no need to impose a new nationwide lockdown at the moment, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

With daily averages of 20,000 new infection cases, 1,600 hospital admissions and 320 deaths, “the situation remains worrying”, Castex warned at a weekly press briefing on Wednesday.

However, he said “for the moment, there is no necessity to lock down”, arguing that “the level of incidence is certainly high, but it is still much lower than it was last October” when the country entered a second confinement, reports Xinhua news agency.

“A new lockdown can only be considered as a very last resort. Currently, the situation does not justify such a move,” Castex told reporters at the briefing.

“The objective is not to delay (the confinement) but to do everything possible to avoid it. We must hold on, act together,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said that the percentage of infections by the new variants among new cases has increased from 3.3 per cent on January 8 to 14 per cent on Thursday.

France has also confirmed four cases of the coronavirus strain first detected in Brazil, Health Minister Olivier Veran said at the same press briefing.

“Our objective is clear: we want to limit the spread of these variants as much as possible,” said Veran, noting that the country was “in a race against time” against more infectious variants.

By next week, all residents in nursing homes who want to be vaccinated will have received their first jab, while up to 4 million people would receive the first dose later this month, according to Castex.

Sticking to a three-to-four-week gap between the two injections, France aims to vaccinate all the citizens aged over 65 by the end of May and all adults before September, he added.

One of the hardest hit countries in Europe, France has so far registered a total of 3,310,496 coronavirus cases and 77,743 deaths.

Also Read-Trump’s nomination of Indian American as judge cancelled

Previous Story

UK mandatory hotel quarantine to begin from Feb 15

Next Story

Clashes kill 26 in Afghanistan

Latest from -Top News

India opens world’s highest rail bridge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir and flagged off the much-awaited Vande Bharat Express to Srinagar, marking a historic moment

Sisi, MBZ cement ties

UAE and Egypt bolster ties through high-level talks in Abu Dhabi and a landmark cardiac care initiative delivering lifesaving treatment to rural communities The United Arab Emirates and Egypt reaffirmed their strong

‘UAE leads global fight against plastic waste’

UAE accelerates its fight against plastic pollution with a bold single-use plastic ban and expanded environmental policies to safeguard natural ecosystems for future generations The United Arab Emirates continues to lead the

70,000 Gaza kids starve

WFP warned that any further escalation of conflict could paralyse relief operations altogether, deepening the plight of civilians—especially children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifies, the

Prayers on the Mount

The Day of Arafat, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj pilgrimage, witnessed a congregation of believers from around the world As the sun blazed overhead and temperatures climbed to a sweltering 41°C,
Go toTop