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HEALTH

France imposes tighter Covid-19 restrictions and new ‘alert’ system

French health minister Olivier Véran on Wednesday evening presented a revised Covid-19 alert scheme and announced tougher measures in cities across the country, including the early closure of bars and restaurants in Paris.

France imposes tighter Covid-19 restrictions and new 'alert' system
France's health minister Olivier Véran. Photo: AFP

“Let’s be clear, the situation is continuing to deteriorate,” the health minister said during a live speech to the nation where he updated the population on the latest on the Covid-19 virus development in France.

“There is still time to act,” Véran said.

“If we don't take steps quickly, we risk to reach critical thresholds in certain regions.. and a huge stress on hospitals in several regions,” he said.

Veran announced that from next Monday all bars would close early in cities of Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Lille, Toulouse, Rennes, Sainte-Etienne Grenoble, Montpellier, Rouen and the capital Paris and the surrounding suburbs in the petite couronne.

Restaurants in these cities however were not affected by the restriction.

As part of France's new Covid-19 alert system these cities were all classed on heightened alert (alerte renforcée).

EXPLAINED: How does France's new Covid alert system work?

Marseille and its surrounding area was classed as maximum alert (alerte maximale) meaning all bars and restaurants would close completely from Saturday. The measure along with other restrictions are designed to stay in place for two weeks said the minister but may be extended if the spread has not been brought under control.

The announcement was met with anger by Marseille's mayor Michele Rubirola, who said she had not been consulted on the measure she described as “unjustified”.

“I can't accept that the people of Marseille are victims of political decisions that no one can understand,” she said.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called for “proportionate measures to protect the cultural, sporting and social life” and said talks would take place with Paris police chiefs.

The minister's announcements came as French public health authorities reported 13,072 new cases in 24 hours — a new record since lockdown ended — and 783 hospital admissions with coronavirus as well as 43 new deaths.

It follows weeks of spiralling Covid-19 rates across the country and increasing pressure on hospitals.

“The worsening of the situation is pushing me to give you a solemn message,” Véran said, urging the population to be “vigilant, stick to hygiene guidelines” such as rigorous handwashing and wearing face-masks, but also practice social distancing.

He also urged people to work from home where they could.

 

“Don't go out with different people several times a week. If everyone meets with fewer people we will all be a little better off,” he said.

The new system has four different alert levels: alerte, alerte renforcé (heightened alert), alerte maximale (maximal alert) and état d'urgence (state of emergency).

“The circulation of the virus is strongest in the most densely populated areas, that is to say the largest cities,” Véran said.

MAP: Where in France are Covid-19 cases rising and which areas are low risk?

The new classification will have direct impact on what kind of measures local authorities need to introduce, with those on higher levels of alert having to toughen restrictions “as of Saturday”.

Alert – The are 69 départements on ‘alert’ (see map in tweet). This means there is a high level of spread with an incidence rate of more than 50 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, however in these areas the virus has had little impact on intensive care units and on the elderly in the area.

 

Local authorities in these areas may take extra measures to curb the spread, but they are not obligated to do so.

However all these areas must limit weddings, parties and social events to 30 people maximum.

Veran said four cities currently on “alert” level are at risk of passing to the “heightened alert” level. They are Tours, Strasbourg, Dijon and Clermont-Ferrand.

Heightened alert

This implies an incidence rate above 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a high level of spread among elderly (above 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), but a moderate pressure on hospitals.

The cities considered as on 'heightened alert' were: Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Lille, Toulouse, Rennes, Sainte-Etienne, Paris and the surrounding suburbs in the petite couronne, Grenoble, Montpellier and Rouen.

New measures for these cities include: closing bars at 10pm at the latest, but authorities may decide earlier closingtimes, limit the number of people allowed to gather in public spaces to 10 maximum, lower the threshold for big events from 5,000 to 1,000 and ban all large parties such as student parties. All community halls will be closed too.

Maximum alert

This implies an incidence rate above 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and a very high level of spread among elderly (above 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), plus a pressure hospitals implying that intensive care units have filled up over 30 percent of their beds with Covid-19 patients.

The southern port-city Marseille and overseas département of Guadeloupe were bumped up to this level.

Local authorities in these areas must close down bars and restaurants completely in addition to all public spaces that don't already have a strict health protocol in place.

The measure will be in place for at least two weeks but may be extended if the spread of the virus is not brought under control.

An even higher alert level where a “state of health emergency” can be declared is also part of the new system but no part of France had reached this point, the minister said.

Since easing the lockdown, the French government has repeated that their foremost goal is to avoid a second round of nationwide confinement, which had crippling impact on the economy.

Instead, the government's strategy has been to monitor the virus closely and urge local authorities to impose measures adapted to their area to curb the spread.

However, even with nationwide rules making face masks compulsory inside public spaces and on public transport, and with cities piling onto these rules with extra restrictions, cases have continued to rise.

 

 

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HEALTH

The different ways you can make a doctor’s appointment in France

Booking a medical appointment in France can be time-consuming – especially if you are new to the country and are looking for an English-speaking doctor.

The different ways you can make a doctor's appointment in France

You do not need a carte vitale to book a doctor’s appointment in France – anyone who needs medical help while in the country is entitled to it, but you may not be entitled to any reimbursement if you are not part of the social security system.

Booking a GP’s appointment can be as simple as phoning up your friendly neighbourhood GP, or using an online service such as Doctolib. 

It helps a lot, if you have a médecin traitant – an attending GP, who adds you (and your family, if they can) to their list of patients. 

READ ALSO Explained: How to register with a doctor in France

It is not always easy to find one. Some parts of the country are short of GPs, which means doctors’ lists can fill up very quickly. But it is important that anyone who lives in France is registered with a named GP, especially if they have a carte vitale.

As well as being the main point of contact between patients and the medical profession in all its guises, it is financially responsible to be registered with a GP in France.

Reimbursement on consultations is typically 70 percent through the French healthcare system, but just 30 percent for anyone without a declared doctor. Meanwhile, top-up mutuelle health insurance companies usually require you to declare a médecin traitant and if you don’t, you may not be able to receive reimbursements on certain treatments.

Bear in mind, it is your responsibility to register with a local médecin traitant. But, even after you have done so, you can still make an appointment with any doctor, anywhere in France, and arrange specialist treatment, if you need it. 

READ ALSO 5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

How do you go about making a GP appointment in France?

There are several options.

Some health centres – more often in larger towns and cities – operate a walk-in policy. But expect waits to be lengthy. Do not, however, assume that your GP operates a system like this.

You can phone for an appointment. This is another very common method. Your GP will have their own system for making appointments – which may even include something that looks, to the uninitiated, very much like a casual walk-in policy. 

Some may have an assistant to deal with booking appointments and other administration. Others may deal with appointments themselves, and may – for example – operate some sort of triage system based on voice messages from patients. 

What about online booking systems?

And many practitioners are now attached to websites, such as Doctolib. As of 2023, about half of all GP appointments in France were made using Doctolib.

READ ALSO How to use: French medical website Doctolib

Be aware that other online booking systems are available. Doctolib is one of the best known, but your GP may be attached to another system, like the health ministry approved site ‘LeMedecin.Fr’.

This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking ‘Consultez en vidéo maintenant’ you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.

If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the ‘Ameli’ website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.

In terms of wait times, online systems have helped to significantly reduce the delay between booking and getting an appointment.

According to a 2023 study by Doctolib, about half of all GP appointments were available within three days from the time of booking on their platform.

Similarly, you can use online platforms to check the medical professional’s qualifications and languages spoken, as well as filter based on the doctor’s English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English. 

An increasing number of doctorsoffer video consultations, known as télémédecine in France. This allows professionals – particularly those in more rural areas – to diagnose less serious conditions remotely. This type of consultation is usually only available from those medical practices that are attached to online booking systems. 

Some pharmacies have also begun offering walk-in télémedicine consults, using ‘Medadom’ machines. More information here.

What about specialists?

In France, you book your own consultations with specialists, even if you are referred by a doctor (your GP may offer a recommendation, but won’t always). The good news is that many specialists do use online booking services. Those that do not usually have assistants to take care of the appointments.

READ ALSO: Urgent care: How to get non-emergency medical treatment in France

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