David Keohane in Paris
France has moved another four towns into a state of “maximum alert” against the Covid-19 pandemic, closing bars and imposing strict rules in restaurants as cases climb and hospitals come under increasing strain.
“The health situation unfortunately continues to deteriorate in France,” said French health minister Olivier Veran on Thursday during a press conference.
Lille, Grenoble, Lyon et Saint-Etienne will come under stricter control from Saturday morning, said the minister. Paris and Marseille had already been placed on maximum alert as the government tries to avoid a national lockdown by pushing local restrictions.
Critically, 30 per cent of intensive care beds in those cities are now full while the level of new infections per 100,000 people climbed to more than 250.
“The situation has deteriorated in several towns in recent days,” said Mr Veran, while warning that Toulouse and Montpellier could also be placed in a higher risk category by Monday.
Mr Veran did say that they had seen signs of an improvement in conditions in Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes and Aix-Marseille but it was too early to relax restricti ons already put in place.
Earlier on Thursday, however, the director of the regional health agency for the Paris area, Aurélien Rousseau, warned that hospitals should prepare for a “very strong tide” of new coronavirus patients. And with the level of occupancy of ICU beds at over 40 per cent he asked hospitals and clinics to prepare measures to cope with the surge, including delaying other procedures.
During the same press conference with Mr Veran, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said monetary aid to small businesses via a solidarity fund would be expanded and that equity injections would be available from January of next year.
However, the precise plan for those injections was still being worked out.
“We are continuing to work on this issue of minimum seven-year equity loans, at a rate that remains to be determined,” Mr Le Maire said.