Macron Announces Military Operation To Support Population Amid COVID-19 Epidemic

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2020) French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the launch of military operation Resilience in order to support the population during the coronavirus epidemic.

"At the suggestion of the defense minister and the head of the General Staff, I decided to launch Operation Resilience," Macron said during a visit to a military hospital in Mulhouse in eastern France.

This operation will "be fully aimed at helping and supporting the population, and will also support public services in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic," he said.

According to Macron, this operation will be different from the anti-terrorist operation Sentinelle, which started after the Paris attacks in 2015.

A Mistral helicopter carrier will be deployed immediately to the south of the Indian Ocean, while the Dixmude helicopter carrier will be deployed in the region of French Antilles-Guiana from the beginning of April to support the country's overseas territories.

The coronavirus epidemic in France entered the third stage. According to the latest data, the total number of people infected with coronavirus in France exceeds 25,000, including 1,331 fatalities.