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HEALTH

France braces for weekend surge as coronavirus death toll nears 2,000

Another 299 people died from the coronavirus in France over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll up to 1,995, as the French government warned the coming days "will be very difficult."

Published: 27 March 2020 20:31 CET
France braces for weekend surge as coronavirus death toll nears 2,000
Several hospitals in France are overwhelmed with the sharp increase of coronavirus cases over the past week. Photo: AFP

Friday's reported death toll on Friday was lower than the day before, when there were 365 fatalities recorded. 

The figures only include people who have died in hospital and not retirement homes, so the real toll is likely to be even higher than the official total.

The total number of people in hospital has reached 15,732 – up from 13,904 on Thursday – France's national health chief Jérôme Salomon told journalists on Friday evening.

Of the 3,787 people who were currently in intensive care, 42 were aged below 30, Salomon said. A third were younger than 60 years old.

France's youngest recorded victim of coronavirus – a 16-year-old girl died on Thursday in a Paris hospital.

“Nearly 5,700 people have recovered and been released from the hospital,” Salomon said – up from 4,948 the day before.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the coming days “would be very difficult” as he announced a two-week extension of the current lockdown.

France began its lockdown on March 17th initially for 15 days, although President Emmanuel Macron was clear that this was a minimum and it could be extended.

Philippe said the lockdown would last at least until April 15th and “could be prolonged” should the health situation require it.

A total of 32,964 people have now tested positive for the coronavirus, up from 29,155 yesterday. 

Health authorities say the real number is likely to be much higher as France only tests a limited amount of cases.

READ ALSO: Paris region braces as PM warns of surge in coronavirus cases

Salomon said operations of transferring patients between regions would be intensified in the coming days to ease pressure on the health system in the worst-hit regions. 

Hospitals in the northeast of France have long been overstretched and Parisian hospitals have warned that they too are reaching their limit.

The government has said the situation would deteriorate in the coming days as France approaches the peak of the virus.

Infected people needing hospital care in regions the east and Paris area would be transferred, the health chief said, to the southeastern regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, as well as Centre-Val de Loire, just south of Paris.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

France has strict regulations about washing your car, and failure to abide by these can lead to hefty fines.

Published: 31 May 2024 14:59 CEST
Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

For many car owners, warm weather means time to finally give the vehicle a good wash.

But motorists in France should know that washing your car, motorcycle or other vehicle at home can actually be against the law in France – with some regulation even covering activities in your own driveway or garden.

Failing to respect the rules can lead to hefty fines. 

What does the law say?

There are two levels of regulation that affect car-washing – the Environmental Code and local regulations, but both of them are concerned about the same thing; the environmental impact of the runoff from your car washing.

During summer you also need to check if there are any drought restrictions in place, as some of these also ban any type of car-washing. 

In 1979, Paris became one of the first cities in France to pass legislation restricting where you can wash your car. The original Paris law states “Car washing is prohibited on the public highway, riverbanks, harbours and quays, as well as in public parks and gardens”. 

READ MORE: ‘Drive like a woman’: France targets male drivers in new road safety campaign

Since then, most départements across France have adopted similar decrees, which cover car-washing on public land – roads, pavements, parks or similar.

In order to find the rules in your area, contact your local préfecture (or ask the mayor), but most areas now have a ban on car-washing on the public highway, with a penalty of a third-class fine of €450. 

However there is also the Environmental Code, which operates on a national level, and that can cover even your own private property such as a driveway, garage or garden.

The Code states that “direct or indirect discharge of harmful substances into surface or groundwater is prohibited”.

This can affect wastewater from washing a vehicle as certain chemicals in car wash detergents, as well as any runoff motor oil, can have negative effects on local flora and fauna. Runoff can happen from both public and private land, which is why the Environmental Code has a wider scope.

Violating the rules on discharging harmful substances into water carries a maximum penalty of a two-year prison sentence or a fine of €75,000. Judges can also order defendants to carry out restoration of the environment that they contaminated.

The penalties are even harsher if you live in a coastal area where the runoff would go directly into the sea or ocean, or if you live next to a conservation zone. In this case, fines can go up to €100,000.

We should point out that these maximum penalties are more likely to be applied to companies which have been found to be polluting the local watercourse, rather than motorists washing their car, but the fines do have a large range.

So where can I wash my car?

First, you can go to a car wash (une station de lavage). Not only do car wash stations use less water than you would washing the vehicle at home (50 to 60 litres per vehicle instead of 200-300 litres at home), they also treat the wastewater. 

As a result, car washes do not risk polluting the waterways.

They are very common in France and include automatic car-washes, staffed car-washes where someone else does the hard work or the more common self-service type (usually coin operated) where you wash the car yourself use their pressure hoses and soap. These are often found in supermarket car-parks or at out-of-town shopping centre car parks.

Second, you can look for a designated car washing area. These would allow you to wash your own vehicle manually. They have special steps in place to treat the runoff water in compliance with environmental regulations. You can ask your mairie where these are located.

And finally, an alternative is to clean your car without using any water at all. To do this, you can purchase special wipes. There are also special dry-cleaning options, including sprays that you put onto your car, leave for a few seconds so that the dirt is absorbed, and then wipe off using a microfibre cloth.

Drought

During periods of drought, local authorities have the power to restrict non-essential water usage, including things like watering your garden or filling your swimming pool.

These regulations apply to any type of car-washing – on public or private space, or at a car-wash – and take precedence over any other local rules. 

You can check to see if your area is under water restrictions by going to the French government website vigieau.gouv.fr and typing in your home or rental address. The website will inform you of what (if any) restrictions are in place, the penalties of failing to respect them, as well as offering government advice for how to decrease your water usage.

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