French Gov't Considers Tough Lockdown To Contain COVID-19 - Spokesman

French Gov't Considers Tough Lockdown to Contain COVID-19 - Spokesman

The French government is considering the implementation of a tough lockdown in combination with other COVID-19 related restrictions after the recent extended curfew failed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2021) The French government is considering the implementation of a tough lockdown in combination with other COVID-19 related restrictions after the recent extended curfew failed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

On January 14, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that a night-time curfew in France would start at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.

"We are considering several scenarios that vary - from the preservation of the current frameworks with the introduction of a curfew from 6 p.m. to a tough self-isolation regime," Attal said at a press briefing, adding that the scenarios were considered during the meeting of the defense council held earlier in the day.

The spokesman noted that the current curfew allowed the country to contain the spread of COVID-19 to some extent, but did not result in a significant decrease in the number of cases.

"We have the data that shows that it has slowed down the spread of the virus to some extent, but at the current stage it is not impeding the spread of the virus efficiently enough," Attal said.

The spokesman stressed that President Emmanuel Macron tasked the country's officials with performing analysis of the considered options, adding that the government would assess the efficiency of the implemented curfew later this week.

The nationwide night curfew remained in effect in France since mid-December, as well as closures of restaurants, museums, cinemas, gyms and other public places. The vaccination campaign in the country has been underway since December 27, with over a million citizens already inoculated, according to health authorities.

To date, France has confirmed nearly 3,140,000 COVID-19 infections, with a death toll surpassing 74,000. The country registered 22,143 new cases over the past 24 hours.