PARIS (Reuters) – The French Ministry of Health has asked regional health authorities and hospitals to enter a “crisis organization” from February 18 to prepare for a possible increase in coronavirus cases due to highly contagious variants, Le Journal Du Dimanche reported Sunday.
The move, which would be in line with the measures taken in March and November 2020 when France went into national lockdowns, includes increasing the number of hospital beds available, delaying non-emergency operations, and mobilizing all resources of medical staff.
“This crisis organization should be implemented in every region, regardless of the degree of stress in the hospital, and should be operational from Thursday, February 18,” health authority DGS said in a memo quoted by the newspaper.
The DGS was not immediately available for comment at Reuters.
France reported 21,231 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, up from 20,701 on Friday, bringing the total number in France to 3,448,617, the sixth highest in the world.
Unlike some of its neighbors who are struggling to control more contagious variants, France has opposed another lockdown, hoping that a national curfew since December 15, first at 8 p.m. and then at 6 p.m. will master.
However, some scientists believe President Emmanuel Macron took a gamble by deciding against another lockdown, despite the threat of highly contagious variants.
At the same time, France is lagging behind several other European countries, such as Great Britain, in rolling out vaccinations.
Health Minister Olivier Veran, who noted that the variant first discovered in Britain was responsible for 25% of confirmed new infections in France, said on Thursday that the government would decide in the coming weeks whether stricter restrictions are needed.
Arnaud Fontanet, a member of the scientific council who advises the government on COVID-19 policies, told Europe 1 radio on Saturday that he feared the variant first discovered in Britain would take the majority of cases in March could explain.
Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Jean-Stephane Brosse; edited by Barbara Lewis