The French government imposed a one-month blockade in Paris and parts of northern France after the faltering launch of the vaccine and the spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced the president, Emmanuel Macron, to change course.
Since late January, when he challenged calls from scientists and some from his government to block the country, Macron said he would do whatever was necessary to keep the eurozone’s second largest economy as open as possible. However, this week he ran out of options as France and other European countries briefly suspended the use of the Oxford / AstraZenca vaccine.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that France was in the grip of a third wave, with the virulent variant first detected in Britain now accounting for about 75% of cases. Intensive care units are under strong pressure, mainly in Paris, where the incidence rate exceeds 400 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. “The epidemic is getting worse. Our responsibility now is not to let it get out of our control, ”said Castex at a news conference.
France reported 35,000 new cases on Thursday and there were more Covid patients in intensive care in Paris than at the peak of the second wave. “Four weeks, the time required for the measures to have sufficient impact. [It is] the time we need to reach a limit on the vaccination of the most vulnerable ”, said Castex.
The blockades will begin at midnight on Friday in the 16 most affected departments in France, which, with the exception of one in the Mediterranean, form a corridor from Calais to the capital. Barbers, clothing stores and furniture stores will have to close, although bookstores and other stores that sell essentials may remain open.
Schools will remain open and people will be able to exercise outdoors within a radius of 10 km (6.2 miles) from their homes. Traveling outside the hardest hit areas will not be allowed without a compelling reason. “Go outdoors, but not to party with friends,” said the prime minister.
Castex said France would resume vaccines with the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Medicines Agency confirmed it was safe. Seeking to build public confidence in the vaccine, essential for France to reach its targets, Castex said he would get the injection on Friday. “I am confident that the public’s confidence in the vaccine will be restored,” he said, although he acknowledged that it could take some time.
Although Macron has stopped ordering a national blockade, the new restrictions can be extended to other regions, if necessary, and may still slow the country’s economic recovery. The Paris region is home to almost a fifth of the population and accounts for 30% of economic activity.
The nationwide night curfew has been in place since mid-December, although it starts an hour later, at 7pm. The government has not regretted not having closed before, said Castex. “It was the right decision in January. We would have an unbearable three-month block. We did well not to. “
Not everyone agrees. In the intensive care unit of a private hospital outside Paris, doctors expressed resignation at having to deal with overworked wards once again. “We are back here,” said ward chief Abdid Widad.