As of: 12/29/2021 5:36 p.m.
With more than 200,000 new infections within one day, France has a new record. The health minister sees a “tidal wave” rolling towards the country – and defends the planned tightening.
In France, politicians are alarmed by the steep rise in corona numbers: “When you look at the numbers that we register, I tend to speak of a tidal wave,” said Health Minister Olivier Véran in the National Assembly in Paris.
The number of new corona infections detected in France within one day rose to around 208,000 on Wednesday. A daily high was only reached on Tuesday with almost 180,000 new infections.
“Those are numbers that make me dizzy,” added Véran. Every second two people in France would test positive for Corona.
France Health Minister Véran considers the tightening planned for mid-January to be appropriate.
Image: AFP
Tighter measures from mid-January
After Christmas, the government had already announced stricter corona rules. From January 15th, a 2G rule should apply in many areas of life.
In future, only people with full vaccination protection will be allowed in restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums and sports arenas. Proof of this is then also required for the use of long-distance trains and domestic flights; a negative test is no longer accepted.
The planned regulation means that the majority of people will need a booster vaccination. This can be done immediately three months after the immunization. After seven months at the latest, it was already compulsory for the Corona passport. Most of the shops in France are – unlike in Germany – still accessible without a vaccination certificate.
Appeal to the unvaccinated
Véran defended the measures – and said to those who are not vaccinated: “There is really only a small chance this time that you can avoid (Covid-19). The virus is spreading too quickly.”
In the public hospitals in Paris, 70 percent of intensive care patients are not vaccinated with Covid. He called for the vaccination: “Protect yourself in the coming days. Don’t take any chances.”
In France, 77 percent of the population are vaccinated against Corona. But more than four million people are not vaccinated, including more than a million people over the age of 65. More than 3,400 people are being treated with Covid-19 in intensive care units, an increase of 10 percent compared to the previous week.