CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC: Emmanuel Macron warned of an epidemic which “is starting again a little”
Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday declined several measures in the face of the economic and health crisis, after having presided over a ceremony of July 14th in a reduced format. The mandatory wearing of masks, hitherto confined to public transport since deconfinement on May 11, will be extended to all enclosed places from August 1, pleaded the Head of State, deploring a situation hitherto ” a little erratic ”, during an interview on TF1 and France 2.
Quebec has already taken a similar measure and the wearing of the mask will be mandatory in stores in England from July 24th to avoid a rebound in the epidemic. This measure responds to a request from many doctors. Wearing a mask is a “lesser evil” to avoid a reconfiguration which “would be catastrophic,” said Tuesday Philippe Juvin, chief of emergency at the Pompidou hospital in Paris.
A resumption of the epidemic?
Emmanuel Macron, himself, warned against an epidemic which “starts again a little” – the rate of contamination per patient is again slightly higher than 1 – while affirming that “we will be ready” in case of “recrudescence”, in particular, thanks to “secure stocks and supplies”.
Virological screening, by PCR tests after swabs from the nose, will also now be possible without a prescription. On the other hand, possible new confinements would be made locally, assured the Head of State, with the instruction “to isolate as locally as possible and therefore as quickly as possible”. The start of the school year in September will be “almost normal” subject to a strong resumption of the epidemic, he insisted.
