It was a warning from Emmanuel Macron.
In his speech on July 13, the President of the Republic, in addition to announcing the expansion of the sanitary pass, had indicated that "
new braking measures
" could be taken by the prefects as soon as a department crossed the cap of 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
And this was the case in the Pyrénées-Orientales, where the situation deteriorated in a few days.
To discover
Covid-19: what we know about the Delta variant
While the national incidence rate is 63 new contaminations per 100,000 inhabitants, that of the department has climbed in one week to nearly 300. An epidemic resumption which has pushed the prefecture to toughen its tone.
Since Friday, July 16, wearing a mask is once again compulsory everywhere outside except on the beach and in natural areas, while bars and restaurants are now forced to close at 11 p.m.
Without it being a curfew, warned the prefect of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Tourists can continue to stroll through the streets and on the beach to enjoy summer evenings.
The discos also remain open on condition of presenting a health pass.
Read also: Emmanuel Macron, a president who provokes a start and anger at the same time
Tourism and proximity to Spain
If for the moment, only the Pyrénées-Orientales and Haute-Corse are affected by an incidence rate of over 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and have taken new restrictive measures, the rest of the French coast is also affected by the epidemic resumption with an incidence rate of around 150. How to explain that the department in the south of Occitanie is particularly affected? For the Regional Health Agency, proximity to Spain is one of the main reasons. Frontier, the Catalan country has seen its health situation deteriorate rapidly. The incidence rate having crossed the threshold of 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the Barcelona region was forced to impose new measures:all bars and restaurants close at 12:30 a.m. and public and private gatherings are limited to 10 people.
Read also: Covid-19: the epidemic recovery seems more intense on the coast
An observation shared by Doctor Antoine Ayoub, general practitioner in Perpignan and emergency doctor in a nearby private clinic.
In 24 hours on call, he saw two cases of Covid, including one returning from Spain.
"
We are indeed observing an increase in contamination, whereas it had been a month since we had seen any,
" he reports to
Le Figaro,
while stressing that each of his sick patients was not vaccinated.
He also notes the influx of tourists who come to visit this region steeped in history, walled up between mountains and Cathar castles.
Multiplied by three during the summer period, the summer population is a chance for traders even if they are worried.
They fear to see them flee the territory, driven by the fear of an epidemic resumption.
Read also: Covid-19 and travel: Delta variant, health pass, vaccine, restrictions in Spain, Greece or Portugal ... Where can the French go this summer?
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Disappointment of tourism professionals
For restaurateurs and in charge of tourism, the prefect's decision to close the establishments at 11 p.m. is a new blow. “
We can't take it anymore, it's always us who take it
”, they protest at l'Ardoise, a restaurant by the sea in Canet-en-Roussillon. For the manager, the new health restrictions accompanied by the epidemic resumption will put a stop to the beginning of the season which "
had nevertheless started very very well
". The same despair on the side of the Petit Rest Eau in Argelès-sur-Mer. At the water's edge, the establishment was impatiently awaiting summer. If the manager has organized so that two services are possible in the evening before having to fold the tables after 11 pm, she fears for the rest of the summer."
Very worried
", She sees"
the customers leaving or canceling their reservations
". These have decreased by 30% for the coming week. “
It is always the tourism professionals who pay,
” adds
the Perpignan-Méditerranée tourist office
to
Figaro
.
Could other additional measures be added? In an interview with Midi Libre, the prefect Étienne Stoskopf recalls that "
the evolution of the epidemic is monitored
" to "
prevent it from getting out of control
". In the event of an outbreak, new rules could be adopted as gauges for public gatherings. The vaccination campaign is accelerating. "
It's a race against time
”For Brigitte Wadih, one of the managers of the vaccine park in Perpignan, which vaccinates at the rate of 1,800 injections per day.
Health authorities hope to reach young people who, with an incidence rate of 1,149 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, are the most affected by the epidemic resumption.
Unvaccinated and more adept at nighttime evenings, the virus circulates better among this segment of the population.
Read also: Will all the unvaccinated be infected with the Delta variant?
Could other departments follow the Pyrénées-Orientales and impose new restrictions?
Eight in metropolitan France including Hérault (140), Alpes-Maritimes (134), Paris (114) and Bouches-du-Rhône (110) exceed the threshold of 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Without this increase still being felt in the intensive care units, even if in the Pyrénées-Orientales, hospital admissions have doubled in 10 days.
It should be remembered that according to the previous waves, there is always a latency period of two weeks between the increase in contamination and the hospital reflux.
Incidence rate in France - data from July 18, 2021 CovidTracker
