Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

Lockdown in France ‘not necessary at present’, says French PM

The French Prime Minister said on Thursday that it was holding off from imposing a third Covid lockdown because new infection numbers have stabilised and a vaccination rollout is accelerating.

Published: 4 February 2021 17:15 CET
Updated: 4 February 2021 20:37 CET
Lockdown in France 'not necessary at present', says French PM
Prime minister Jean Castex, left, will be joined by health minister Olivier Véran for the press conference. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Jean Castex told Thursday evening's press conference that the current state of the coronavirus epidemic in France did not warrant a new lockdown.

“A new lockdown can only be a last resort. Today’s situation does not justify it . . . we are not where we were in October,” he said.

“The objective we should set ourselves should not be to postpone (a lockdown) as long as possible, we should avoid it.”

The French PM did announce however that a new lockdown is to be imposed on the overseas territory of Mayotte.

School holidays begin on Saturday in some parts of France, and the PM confirmed that people will be able to travel over the holidays.

He said: “We have chosen not to limit travel between regions. Such a measure would have been justified if the circulation of the virus was very uneven between regions but this is not the case.”

He added that the great care that people took when travelling over the Christmas holidays – getting tests in advance, respecting rules and hygiene measures – saw the country avoiding a post-Christmas spike in cases.

READ ALSO February holidays in France – what are the rules and the official advice

The number of new cases of the virus reported per day. All graphics: French government
 
Last Friday France rowed back from imposing a third lockdown, instead opting to tighten restrictions already in place and close France's borders to non-EU travel.

This was described as a “last chance” to avoid another lockdown.

Covid-19 case numbers in France remain high but stable at around 20,000 new cases a day, but pressure is increasing on the country's hospitals with 64 percent of intensive care capacity now taken up with Covid patients.

The number of Covid patients in hospital recorded since March 2020

Castex said: “The health situation remains particularly fragile. Every day, France records an average of 20,000 new infections and 1,600 new hospitalisations.

“If the situation remains worrying, it is better than that in several of our neighbours”

“The mortality rate one of the lowest in Europe.”

Covid deaths around Europe per 1 million inhabitants

“The percentage of positive tests remains stable. . . The virus has not significantly increased its circulation these past weeks.”

There are also concerns around new, more contagious variants off the virus like the one first identified in the UK, which now accounts for 14 percent of all cases in France.

IN NUMBERS Are France's Covid stats good enough to avoid a third lockdown?

If, however, the health situation deteriorates, the government would “not hesitate to do what is necessary”, Castex added.

He said it was “not the time” to relax current restrictions, which include the closure of cafes and restaurants except for takeout meals, and of large shopping centres, and tough border restrictions, especially for non-EU travel.
 

Member comments

  1. The real reason is that these spineless creatures are afraid of any demonstrations and being unpopular because of next year’s elections.

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

Published: 13 May 2024 16:52 CEST
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

SHOW COMMENTS