A young Chinese woman returned from China on February 7th and a French man who returned from a stay in Lombardy (Italy) were hospitalised with the Coronavirus.
Two new cases of contamination with the new coronavirus have been confirmed in France. This was announced Tuesday, 25th February 2020 the number two of the Ministry of Health, Professor Jérôme Salomon, stating that the state of health of these people did not cause any concern.
[#Coronavirus] Retrouvez le point de situation du 25 février 2020 par le Pr Jérôme Salomon, directeur général de la santé (DGS) du @MinSoliSantehttps://t.co/jInEBtT49R
📲 Revoir tous les points de situation : https://t.co/Q4ECai0vKs https://t.co/MllWfKmrBM
— Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé (@MinSoliSante) February 25, 2020
It was “a young Chinese woman who returned from China on February 7, who was hospitalized in Paris” for “surveillance” and who “is doing very well,” said the Director-General of Health. The young woman tested negative for the new coronavirus but carried “traces of healing,” he said.
14 cases registered in France
The 14th case is “a French man returning from a stay in Lombardy (Italy) and who is currently hospitalized in Auvergne-Rhône Alpes”, added Professor Salomon.
These announcements bring to 14 the total number of cases registered in France since the start of the new coronavirus crisis: they are in addition to the 11 patients who have been declared cured and are no longer hospitalized, and to an 80-year-old Chinese who died in mid-February in Paris.
“In France we always have the same strategy, to slow down the introduction of the virus and prevent its spread,” said Jérôme Salomon.
“The epidemic on our doorstep”
For his part, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, who had affirmed in the morning on RTL that the coronavirus “is at our doors”, confirmed at the end of a meeting in the afternoon in Rome with several of his European colleagues that France, like the other neighbouring countries of Italy, did not intend to close the borders because it would be a disproportionate measure.
Likewise, the authorities have so far dismissed the cancellation of the Champions League match scheduled for Lyon on Wednesday between OL and Juventus Turin. Especially because the region of bianconeri, Piedmont, is not affected for the moment by the virus.
“The risk of an epidemic requires perfect coordination and transparent information: this is what we do”, defended for his part Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, challenged by the oppositions on the measures implemented by the government.
The deputy LR of the Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti criticized “a delay in the lighting on behalf of the health authorities”, while Marine Le Pen again demanded Tuesday controls of the borders.
“What interests us is the safety of the French, it is not the gossip of Ms Le Pen,” replied Olivier Véran, saying that “the controversies are futile, I even tend to think that they do are not worthy at a time when health professionals (…) are extremely mobilized to avoid contamination and to prevent people from getting sick ”.
Postpone travel to affected regions of Italy
The question was even invited in the municipal battle in Paris, giving rise to passing of arms between the outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo (PS) and the ex-Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, become her rival.
The new candidate of LREM in the capital said on Monday that her former ministry had “had no contact with the town hall of Paris” to anticipate a possible epidemic, an assertion strongly denied by Anne Hidalgo, exchanges of letters in support.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, also stated that the French were “invited” to postpone as far as possible their trips to the regions of Italy most affected by the new coronavirus before its entourage did not specify that it referred to Italian municipalities subject to containment, and which are therefore already subject to traffic restrictions.
