The situation is not improving in France. This Monday 23rd March 2020, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced 3,176 new cases and 186 additional deaths.
Day after day, the numbers are alarming. And the peak has not yet been reached. This Monday, March 23, 2020, during his daily press briefing, the Minister of Health Jérôme Salomon, reported in France 3,176 new cases of contamination with coronavirus and 186 additional deaths, since the last official assessment the day before.
France now has 860 dead and 19,856 people infected. Among them, 8,675 have been hospitalized, including 2,082 in serious condition, since the start of the epidemic on national territory.
Olivier Véran annonce 186 décès recensés en France en 24h, portant le bilan total de l’épidémie à 860 morts pic.twitter.com/PpCEz8vptv
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 23, 2020
The minister addressed an emotional thought to the relatives of the deceased coronavirus doctors : “We will never forget them. Two new doctor deaths were announced late Monday, bringing the number of Covid-19 victims to five.
The number of confirmed cases in regions:
In addition, Spain and Italy combined recorded more than 1,000 new deaths in 24 hours, making Spain exceed the threshold of 2,000 deaths.
La pandémie du nouveau #coronavirus a tué plus de 10.000 personnes en Europe, selon un bilan établi par l’AFP à partir de sources officielles lundi vers 18h00 GMT #AFP pic.twitter.com/R3t3OKLdZW
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) March 23, 2020
20 million masks delivered
This week, 20 million surgical masks and FFP2 will be delivered to hospitals and nursing homes across France “always favoring areas of active circulation of the virus,” added Olivier Véran. A new delivery of masks, this time for caregivers in town, “at the latest next week”.
Regarding screening tests, “we are continuing our march forward,” said the Minister, adding that nearly 5,000 tests were carried out every day in France, a figure “in the European average”.
Use of chloroquine “only in severe cases”
The question has swelled in recent hours: should we see in chloroquine an effective treatment against Covid-19? The Minister of Health decided on Monday evening, based on the opinion given during the day by the High Council of Public Health.
The latter recommends not using chloroquine in the absence of recommendations, “with the exception of severe, hospital forms and on the collegial decision of doctors and under strict medical supervision”.
Olivier Véran sur la chloroquine: “Le Haut conseil de santé publique recommande de ne pas l’utiliser, sauf pour des formes graves” pic.twitter.com/1bVMvBNQfK
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 23, 2020
A decree to regulate the marketing of chloroquine will be issued in the coming hours, said the Minister of Health. This antimalarial drug will be “accessible to hospital medical teams” only to treat “severe forms” and on “collegial decision of doctors”.
He recalled that several trials were underway in Europe to determine the best treatments for the general population.
Read also: Coronavirus: towards an extension of confinement, death of three doctors
The opinion of the scientific council given on Tuesday
He was due to vote on Monday. Finally, the scientific council created on the Coronavirus Covid-19 should give its opinion, on the subject of a potential lengthening of the confinement, tomorrow, Tuesday 24th March.
The president of the Scientific Council responsible for informing government decisions, Jean-François Delfraissy, for his part estimated that the confinement would last “longer than announced”.
Deaths of five doctors
In total, five doctors died from the virus on Monday 23rd March. Two infected doctors died on Sunday 22nd March in the Grand Est. Originating from Haut-Rhin and Moselle, they were respectively 66 and 50 years old.
This Monday evening, the death of two other doctors was announced, one in the Haut-Rhin, the other in Haute-Saône.
On Saturday 21st March, an emergency doctor from Compiègne, in the Oise department, lost his life
#Coronavirus : deux médecins sont morts, l’un dans le Haut-Rhin et l’autre en #Moselle https://t.co/EhHNX1pSc2 via @actufr
— Lorraine-Actu (@LorraineActu) March 23, 2020
A new proof of travel
Good news for employees who continue their activity: the government has posted a simplified version of its professional travel certificate, to which has been added a box “period of validity”. Employees with this new proof can, therefore, do without the individual travel certificate.
This new certificate can be downloaded from the government website .
As a reminder, the absence of these documents during inspection results in a fine of 135 euros, or even 1,500 euros in the event of recidivism “within fifteen days”.
#CORONAVIRUS #COVID19 | ⚠️ Nouvelle attestation pour les déplacements professionnels
+ simple pour les salariés : une seule attestation nécessaire
+ simple pour l’employeur : durée de validité au choix (pas de renouvellement quotidien)
Plus d’infos sur 👉 https://t.co/ZSZETPFTeG pic.twitter.com/85bqESrTAu— Gouvernement (@gouvernementFR) March 21, 2020
Back to school date set?
The return to the school benches will not be for immediately. According to Jean-Michel Blanquer, the Minister of National Education, we would have to wait until the end of the Easter holidays, on Monday 4th May, to potentially see schools and universities reopen. That, according to “the evolution of the coronavirus” on French soil, he however tempered.
As for the baccalaureate, the Minister said that he “[wished] that it should be maintained”. The first test, philosophy, is scheduled for Wednesday 17th June.
🎙Tout de suite, suivez en direct l’interview de @jmblanquer avec @PatrickRogerE et @cecile2menibus
💻 Réagissez avec #GrandMatinSudRadio !
➡️ en direct sur https://t.co/QKa5Efuc2W pic.twitter.com/QW3z0VKgE0
— Sud Radio (@SudRadio) March 23, 2020
Free TGV and Intercités for caregivers
Medical and paramedical staff responding to solidarity calls to strengthen teams in hospitals will benefit from free TGV and Intercités services throughout France.
Priority access will also be given to them in most retail chains.
🔵 Pour répondre à l’appel des Hôpitaux de Paris et soutenir l’engagement des personnels médicaux, nous facilitons leurs déplacements :
👉 Gratuité des transports en trains @TGVINOUI, @OUIGO et @Intercites
👉 Accessible sur présentation de la carte pro en gare ou à bord pic.twitter.com/y2L7MNsDJO— SNCF (@SNCF) March 23, 2020
No gathering for Easter celebrations
Gatherings linked to April religious holidays will not be allowed, Emmanuel Macron announced to representatives of religions on Monday.
Holy week and the weekend Easter for Christians fall from 6th to 12th April, before Easter Monday 13th April.
The Passover celebrations, the Jewish Passover, are scheduled from April 9th to 15th and Ramadan around April 24th.
The Tokyo Olympics postponed?
Until now, this has not been possible. The Tokyo Olympics, scheduled from July 24th to August 9th, 2020, could in turn be postponed, announced on Monday 23rd March 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
As the Olympic flame arrived in Japan on Friday, this scenario will be discussed over the next four weeks by all the partners involved.
For their part, many national sports federations have called in recent days to postpone the event, following in the footsteps of criticism from several athletes. Answer in a few weeks, therefore.
