They do not rule out a new confinement in Paris on …

French authorities say the Paris region could be renewed, as cases of coronavirus variants fill intensive care units (ICUs) and limited vaccine supplies affect inoculation efforts. “If we have to shut down, we will,” National Health Agency director Jerome Salomon told BFM TV. That same Sunday, the French government confirmed its intention to transfer a hundred patients from the Paris metropolis and its surroundings to ease the pressure on hospitals. Faced with a disturbing scenario, the French Minister of Education insists that schools remain open.

“The situation is complex, tense and is getting worse in the Paris region”, warned Jérôme Salomon, who recognized that 6 pm national curfew “was not enough” in some areas to avoid an increase in cases, especially of the variant first identified in the UK.

The French government has relied on curfews for months, as well as long-term closures of restaurants and some other businesses, to try to avoid a costly new closure. However, localized outbreaks raise questions about government strategy to tackle new viruses.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex does not rule out new confinement in Ile-de-France, where Paris is located. “The situation is not improving in Ile de France (…). I have never hidden it. I have always said it. If necessary, we will proceed”Castex pointed out in an interview with a reporter from the social network Twitch.

The head of the national health agency said France had more people in intensive care for covid-19 and other ailments (around 6,300) than the total number of ICU beds it had when it entered the hospital. the pandemic. “We are doing everything possible to avoid having to take more difficult and restrictive measures. However, we will take the decisions that are necessary,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal told the newspaper. Le Figaro.

Over the weekend, special medical planes airlifted patients from the Paris metropolis and surrounding areas to less saturated areas to relieve pressure on hospitals. “By the end of this week, we will probably have evacuated a hundred patients from the Paris region,” Attal explained at Orly airport, where two patients aged 33 and 70 were flown to the city of Bordeaux.

In addition this week, two specially equipped trains will transport “several dozen patients to regions less rushed today” because of the pandemic, Attal said.

As coronavirus cases increase in the country, Education Minister Michel Blanquer said schools should remain open and hope that in April they can start vaccinating teachers. “The school is the last thing to close, because it is the most important institution, located at the heart of society. Schools cannot be closed if we haven’t tried everything before and everything we’ve tried hasn’t been enough, ”Blanquer said in an interview published in The Parisian.

France is one of the European countries which has kept its schools open the longest during the last year of the health crisis. Since the start of the pandemic, Blanquer has been a staunch supporter of the dangerous decision to maintain face-to-face classes and, in the last strict containment in November 2020, managed to influence the decision of President Emmanuel Macron, who has chose to keep educational centers open.

France, which currently has more than 4.1 million people infected, has recorded between 20,000 and 30,000 infections per day for days. The local health ministry reported 26,343 new infections and 140 deaths on Sunday. As for the ICU, there are 4,070 patients hospitalized with this condition after adding 263 new admissions in the last daily report.