France Holds Off On Tougher Covid Rules Despite Surge: Source

Umer Jamshaid Published December 06, 2021 | 10:53 PM

French officials have decided to hold off imposing stricter measures to counter a sharp rise in Covid infections that has seen several hospitals announce emergency protocols as beds fill up, a government source told AFP on Monday

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Dec, 2021 ) :French officials have decided to hold off imposing stricter measures to counter a sharp rise in Covid infections that has seen several hospitals announce emergency protocols as beds fill up, a government source told AFP on Monday.

Social distancing and wearing of face masks will be extended in schools as cases soar in particular among children, the source said after President Emmanuel Macron's cabinet met to discuss the fifth wave of infections.

But France will not shut schools early for the Christmas holidays, as in Belgium, or impose tougher rules as other European countries have done in recent days.

Prime Minister Jean Castex, who emerged last week from quarantine after contracting Covid, and Health Minister Olivier Veran are due to hold a press conference on the crisis.

They will emphasise the need for widespread vaccination and booster shots for those who have already had the jabs, and encourage working from home to avoid the need for curfews or travel restrictions ahead of the holidays, the source said.

Vaccinations of children aged 5 to 12 might also be opened, though France's health advisory body has yet to render its decision on the move.

"By being vigilant and responsible, we have the means of spending Christmas together," government spokesman Gabriel Attal told the Parisien newspaper on Sunday.

But appointments for vaccinations are proving hard to obtain in Paris and other large cities amid the rush for boosters, according to the Doctolib reservation site.

Some 10 million people have already had the booster jabs.

France has confirmed only 25 cases of the new Omicron variant but officials say the number could jump significantly in the coming weeks.

On Sunday, the health ministry reported more than 42,000 cases in the previous 24 hours, and more than 11,000 patients in hospital -- the highest number since August -- with 2,000 in intensive care.