With four deaths, 285 confirmed cases (73 more in 24 hours) and 13 regions concerned, France is preparing for an intensification of the coronavirus epidemic. A first case was detected overseas, in Guyana. A Defense Council devoted to Covid-19 was held Wednesday at the Élysée Palace, but the time is not for alarmism. The country remains at "stage 2" of the epidemic management plan, explained the Minister of Health Olivier Véran. Asked about the possibility that France escapes "stage 3" , the most serious of this management plan, government spokesperson Sibeth Ndiaye admitted, however: "Unfortunately, that seems unlikely to me."
● Closed schools, online work stoppages
Among our Italian neighbors, the measures announced are increasingly radical: overwhelmed by the spread of the virus which has infected more than 3,000 people (including 107 dead), the country will close all schools and universities until mid-March . In France, around 120 schools are closed, mainly around the main centers of the epidemic, Oise, Haute-Savoie and Morbihan. To anticipate future organizational problems, the Ministry of Health and Health Insurance announced that parents of "children under the age of 16" without "child care" and unable to telecommute could " be placed on paid sick leave ”. A dedicated online service has been created for employers; it is accessible online: https://declare.ameli.fr/
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● Sale of framed hydroalcoholic masks and gels
The Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) has noted the theft of at least 8,300 masks and 1,200 bottles of hydroalcoholic solutions. To control the skyrocketing prices of these gels, they will now be regulated by decree. As announced the day before by Emmanuel Macron, another decree was published Wednesday in the Official Journal to requisition the stocks of masks until May 31. This concerns those of FFP2 type " held by any legal person under public or private law" and "anti-projection masks held by the companies which manufacture or distribute them" . Pharmacies have been ordered to distribute "only on medical prescription or to healthcare professionals , " according to the government.
Read also: Coronavirus: France orders millions of protective masks
● Restrictive measures maintained, municipal ones too
The restriction measures decided last weekend, "reviewed" during the Defense Council, remain unchanged, such as the ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces. These measures will be reviewed in the event of transition to "stage 3". But even in this case, "the country will not stop functioning purely and simply," insisted Sibeth Ndiaye. No question in any case to cancel the holding of municipal, repeated the government spokesman.
"The armies are ready to intervene if necessary" to support state services in the face of the epidemic, said for her part the Minister of the Armies, Florence Parly.
● Air France will allow customers to cancel their flights
Responding to the concern of many travelers, the airline will allow its customers to postpone or cancel without charge all trips booked before March 31, 2020 and scheduled between March 3 and May 31. Air France also plans to "gradually resume" its flights to Shanghai and Beijing "from March 29, 2020" . Wuhan's service remains suspended. Regarding Italy, Air France is monitoring "the situation in real time" . Flights are maintained until further notice.
Read also: Coronavirus: Air France customers can cancel all their flights until May 31
