France may extend confinement as Covid-19 ‘worsens’
The mandatory confinement period in France could be extended, health officials have suggested, as the Covid-19 epidemic “worsens rapidly” with 89 more deaths in the past 24 hours alone.
The new deaths bring the total number in France to 264.
French hospitals are now caring for 3,626 patients with Covid-19 in total; including 931 in intensive care, of which half are people aged under 60. The number of confirmed cases in France is now at 9,134.
The new figures were announced in the latest update from director general for health, Jérôme Salomon (Wednesday March 18).
Mr Salomon said: “The epidemic is spreading across the country and is worsening rapidly.”
He reminded the public of how important it was to respect the mandatory confinement rules that came into force at midday on Tuesday, March 17.
Health experts have now begun to discuss the need for an extension to the confinement period, which is so far set to last for two weeks.
But immunologist Dr Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the scientific council, which advises the government, has said that this could be extended.
He told news source France 2: “The confinement period could go over 15 days, maybe to a month.”
Similarly, director general of Santé Publique France, Geneviève Chêne, said extending the confinement period could "be very likely necessary", and that it would take "between two to four weeks" to see a change in the epidemic.
She said: "[The epidemic] is dependent on each person's respect of the barrier measures and confinement.
"If we play the game with all the barrier methods and distancing, we could really be in a different place than Italy. A drop in the peak of the epidemic could happen between the first and second month, so from mid-May."
Yet, she added: "These are theoretical models [based on] observations. It is too early to be sure of exactly what the movement of the epidemic will be."
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Under the new rules, people are only permitted to leave the house for certain, unavoidable reasons, and must fill in a form (or write the information on a blank sheet of paper) to justify their movements.
Without this, you risk a fine of €135, and €375 when it is not paid in the next 45 days.
In Italy, the confinement rules have been extended as the country continues to battle against the outbreak.
