Issued on:
The French government on Wednesday warned that a surge in coronavirus cases in coming months remained a distinct possibility, though it ruled out another nationwide lockdown that would further cripple the country's economy.
Advertising
Read more
"My aim is to prepare France for a possible second wave while preserving our daily life, our economic and social life," Jean Castex, the newly appointed prime minister, said in an interview on RTL television.
"But we're not going to impose a lockdown like the one we did last March, because we've learned… that the economic and human consequences from a total lockdown are disastrous," he said.
Instead business closures or stay-at-home orders would be "targeted" to specific areas, Castex added.
"The coronavirus is still here," he warned, adding that he would travel Sunday to France's South American territory of French Guiana, which is reeling from a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Officials reported 124 new cases in the territory on Tuesday, bringing the total to nearly 5,200, and the government has dispatched dozens of health workers from the mainland as well as a field hospital.
Uptick in cases
Across France, the numbers of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported on Wednesday were higher than the daily average seen over the last week.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases rose by 663, up from 475 on Tuesday and a daily average of 536 over the last seven days. In June, that average stood at 435, in May at 715 and in April at 2,582.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose by 32 from the previous day to stand at 29,965. That figure is almost twice as high as the daily average of 18 seen over the last seven days. In June, France counted 34 additional deaths every day on average, in May 143 and in April 695.
The head of France's national health agency, Jerome Salomon, said authorities anticipated a second wave of cases "this autumn or this winter," depending on a seasonal impact that remains uncertain.
"What we have to understand is that the epidemic's resurgence will basically depend on our behaviour," he said in an interview with the Figaro newspaper.
Even as millions of people prepare to relax over the summer, Salomon urged continued social distancing and the use of face masks, "especially in crowded places and indoors."
Paris authorities said the capital would stage its traditional fireworks show from the Eiffel Tower on July 14, the national holiday, but that the event would be closed to the public.
'Protect people'Read More – Source
[contf] [contfnew] 
france24
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
