MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) French Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament, has rejected the government's strategy to curb the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, presented by French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
France has seen resurgence in coronavirus infection rate since early autumn, but recent daily numbers, including the record high of over 52,000 new infections on October 25, have forced the authorities to introduce a new nationwide lockdown. The new restrictive measures are expected to go into force on Friday and will last at least until December 1. Castex unveiled details of the plan during a parliamentary session on Thursday.
"The Senate heard a statement from @gouvernementFR [French government], relating to the evolution of the health situation and the measures necessary to respond to it. This statement was followed by a debate and a vote. The Senate voted by 178 votes against and 130 votes for," the Senate tweeted.
The government plan came after the fatal stabbing in the French city of Nice, which Castex described as "terrorist attack". It resulted in three fatalities and several people injured. The perpetrator, a man of Tunisian origin, was shot by security forces and hospitalized due to an injury received during his arrest.
As of Friday, France has confirmed 1,327,852 COVID-19 cases and 36,058 related fatalities.
