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French PM says coronavirus outbreak ‘under control’ but warns ‘life won’t go back to normal after May 11th’

France's Prime Minister on Sunday night declared the coronavirus outbreak in the country 'under control', but warned that when lockdown ends on May 11th "life will not go back to normal"

Published: 19 April 2020 18:00 CEST
Updated: 20 April 2020 15:11 CEST
French PM says coronavirus outbreak 'under control' but warns 'life won't go back to normal after May 11th'
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, addressing the nation live on Sunday night said: “The circulation of the virus is weak and contained.

“I am saying this with a lot of caution; the virus is under control.”

But the Prime Minister also warned that there was a long road ahead, saying “life will not go back to normal after May 11th”.

President Emmanuel Macron has already announced that France will begin to lift its strict lockdown conditions from May 11th – but the loosening of the restrictions will be slow and gradual.

READ ALSO 'Living with the virus' – the plan for life after lockdown in France

From May 11th schools and businesses will begin to reopen but bars, restaurants and cafés will not reopen until at least early summer while public gatherings will be be allowed until – at the earliest – mid July.

Describing the epidemic as a “crisis is of a magnitude that we have never experienced” Philippe said the next stage would be gradually changing lives to co-exist with the virus.

He said: “Our lives from May 11th won’t be exactly what we knew before the lockdown.

“We will fight this by changing our habits. This will be our next challenge, and we will make it.

“The goal of the lockdown was to decrease the number of hospitalisations and people requiring intensive care.

“To achieve that, it was important that the French respect the rules. In general, people have done that.”

“Another goal was to limit the virus to certain regions.

“That's what we have managed to do.

“This shows the civility of the French and the capacity to adapt to an extreme situation.”

The regions of Grand Est and the greater Paris Île-de-France region have been by far the worst hit by the virus, but Philippe presented scientific modelling showing that, without a lockdown, the majority of France could have experienced the same level of infections.

READ ALSO What do we know about the people who have died from coronavirus in France?

French government modelling showing the situation in hospitals with the lockdown and the projected numbers without lockdown

The fact that the virus was concentrated in certain areas has meant that patients could be moved out to other areas with fewer cases, and avoid intensive care facilities becoming overwhelmed.

The latest figures showed that 644 intensive care patients have been transferred – by specially adapted trains and by air – to other parts of France and over the border the Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg.

France's death toll is now listed at 19,718 – 12,069 deaths in hospital and 7,649 in nursing homes, announced the Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon.

The deaths toll on Sunday for the past 24 hours in hospitals was listed at 395. For the 11th day in a row the number of patients in intensive care fell – by 89 people in the last 24 hours – and the overall number of hospital patients also fell by 29.

Visiting to the country's Ehpad nursing homes – which has been completely forbidden for more than a month – will be allowed in limited circumstances from Monday, health minister Olivier Véran added.

Government graphic showing intensive care occupation – starting from 5,000 beds at the start of the crisis, rising to 10,500 beds with an occupation level of 7,000 people.

Philippe also touched on the economic shock of the lockdown, with France projected to be facing its worst recession since 1945.

He warned: “The economic crisis is just starting. It will be brutal.

“We have never seen such a massive, general, brutal stoppage of the world economy.”

Latest figures show that economic activity has fallen by 36 percent since the lockdown began, with massive falls of 43 percent in industry, 88 percent in construction and 90 percent in the hospitality sector.

Philippe said that the government would be presenting its detailed planed for exiting lockdown within the next 15 days. There are several things that remain unclear – including how long the over 70s and others in vulnerable groups will have to stay confined and when international travel will be permitted again.

READ ALSO When will I be able to travel to France again?

But he stressed that the next stage will be 'living with the virus' and adapting behaviour over the course of many months until a vaccine is found.

 

 

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HEALTH

How serious is the threat from dengue fever in France?

As tiger mosquitoes are now present in over 80 percent of mainland France, health authorities are worried that local transmission of tropical diseases, like dengue fever, will increase.

Published: 14 June 2024 15:15 CEST
How serious is the threat from dengue fever in France?

As of January 2024, tiger mosquitoes – known for their ability to carry diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus – had been detected in 78 of France’s 96 mainland départements, including the Paris region.

This has left public health authorities concerned about the spread of dengue fever in France, particularly this summer as large crowds are expected amid the Olympic Games.

READ MORE: MAP: Tiger mosquitoes reach northern France

How common is dengue fever in France?

In the first four months of 2024, 1,679 cases of dengue fever were identified in mainland France, a number that is 13 times higher than the same period last year, Le Parisien reported.

Crucially, however, none of these are believed to have been contracted in mainland France – they were all reported among patients who had recently travelled from the tropical regions where dengue fever is common.

The majority of cases were from people who had visited the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe – where the disease is endemic.

These islands are for administrative purposes part of France – so often show up in French health data – but they are roughly 7,000km away from Paris.

So far, there have not been any indigenous cases (autochtone – or people infected on mainland French soil) yet this year.

Local transmission of the disease remains relatively rare. In 2023, nine separate outbreaks of indigenous dengue transmission were identified, one of which occurred in the Paris region. These led to 45 cases of local transmission (in mainland France).

Most were in southern France – in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Occitanie and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions – though one outbreak occurred in the Paris region, according to French public health authorities.

This is less than 2022, which was a notable year with 66 total cases of indigenous dengue fever were recorded. In comparison, between 2010 and 2021, only 48 cases (total) were recorded.

What to expect for 2024

Experts believe that the number of cases in France, including indigenous ones, will grow this year, as tiger mosquitoes now occupy more territory in mainland France.

On top of that, the number of cases has increased significantly in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“What we see in France is a mirror image of what is happening in the French Caribbean, and more widely in Latin America and the rest of the Caribbean, where dengue fever has been circulating since the start of the year at unprecedented levels”, the head of Santé Publique France, Dr Caroline Semaille, said during a press conference.

The Olympic Games will also bring an influx of tourists from all over the world, and weather conditions are expected to be conducive to mosquitoes – a year with a lot of rainfall, and potentially high temperatures. 

What is dengue fever?

The disease is spread to people from bites by infected mosquitoes.

The most common symptoms are high fever, chills, abdominal, joint and muscle pains, and vomiting. It can also cause a skin rash that resembles measles, according to France’s Institut Pasteur.

Symptoms usually begin three to 14 days (with an average of four to seven) after being bitten.

However people are asymptomatic in 50 to 90 percent of cases (depending on the epidemic), which can make monitoring difficult.

At-risk groups include the immunocompromised, children and the elderly, who are more likely to suffer from severe forms of the disease.

Deaths from the disease are very rare, occurring in around 0.01 percent of all cases, almost all in countries that have poor healthcare systems.

How can I avoid tiger mosquitoes?

Female tiger mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, and they can lay several hundred eggs at once. Therefore try to avoid having any standing water outside your home and be aware of the items that might collect rainwater.

This includes regularly emptying vases, flower pots, as well as watering cans and pots. If you want to collect rainwater, you could cover water butts with mosquito nets or fabric to keep the mosquitoes from getting inside.

READ ALSO 5 plants that (allegedly) repel mosquitoes

You can also keep your gutters clean – this helps to keep the water flowing when it rains, and it avoids any stagnant pools from building up.

To protect yourself, try to wear long, loose and light-coloured clothing, in addition to insect repellent. You might also consider wearing a mosquito net head gear.

The main difference between tiger mosquitoes and other species would be getting a bite during the day, and the fact that tiger mosquitoes are likely to bite several times. You can tell for sure if it was a tiger mosquito by seeing the insect itself. They are also silent.

There is no immediate cause for alarm if you are bitten, in almost all cases the bites are just itchy and annoying. In very rare cases, tropical diseases can be spread by the mosquitoes – seek medical help if you develop a high fever and rash.

READ MORE: How to prevent the spread of tiger mosquitoes in France

What do tiger mosquitoes look like?

They are very small, about 5 mm, and they have a highly contrasting colour, with black and white stripes on their body and legs.

If you believe you have spotted a tiger mosquito, you can report it to public health authorities online.

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