On the front page: pandemic, the word is dropped…

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By: Frédéric Couteau Follow

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The newspaper Le Monde wonders: “ are we on the verge of a pandemic, or even already in this situation? The development of Covid-19 active foci outside of China - in South Korea, Iran and Italy - may have spelled the end of hopes of containing the epidemic within the borders of the country where it took birth. "

" There is a word that the WHO, the World Health Organization, is reluctant to use , points Le Figaro . It is however necessary to prepare well + for a possible pandemic +, admitted yesterday its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. As the spread of the Covid-19 virus accelerates around the world, the WHO considers in fact "very worrying" the outbreak of cases in certain countries, starting with South Korea, which has become the biggest focus of the epidemic outside China with more than 830 cases reported Monday. The authorities even recorded 231 new infections in 24 hours. A first since the appearance of the virus. In Europe , Le Figaro continues, eyes are turning to Italy, going from 6 to 219 cases in four days. The country recorded six deaths yesterday, elderly people already suffering from other pathologies. Panic is also blowing across the Middle East, where the virus is spreading. Iran, which has 12 victims of Covid-19 and at least 61 patients, is singled out by the countries around it. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman ... Several states have announced the last few hours of first cases on their soil. Iraq, which has less than 10 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, according to the WHO, is also affected. "

France under threat

So, “ logically , notes Liberation , the French authorities are preparing for the worst, in case the Covid-19 makes a force entry into the territory. The risk exists , the newspaper points out: on a daily basis, tens of thousands of people cross the border between France and Italy by car or bus, notably through the Mont-Blanc and Fréjus tunnels, or further south by the Ventimiglia motorway, not to mention the arrivals by train and the hundreds of flights connecting the major cities of the two states. In the Alpes-Maritimes, a border department in Piedmont, the health system has been strengthened, in particular to detect suspected cases as quickly as possible and increase the capacity for receiving patients in care structures if necessary. Nationally, some 70 additional hospitals will "be activated" , announced the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. "

Close borders or not ?

For the moment, no border closure between France and Italy. Some, on the right require it, like Marine Le Pen and Eric Ciotti. " Irresponsible, " exclaims Liberation . “ Always this opportunism of hard rights when it comes to sovereign measures. And always the same tactic : whatever the plan adopted, ask for more draconian decisions. Marine Le Pen and Eric Ciotti, recognized specialists in pandemics, demand tight border controls to prevent the intrusion of coronavirus carriers in France. Now , Liberation points out, the government, which has made no secret of the risks of contagion, decides after consulting the scientific community. The latter takes the matter very seriously, but considers that the measures adopted are for the time being adapted to the extent of the dangers run by France. For now… Nothing says that other more restrictive provisions will not be implemented in the coming days if the alert worsens. "

Le Midi Libre expresses its doubts ... " Behind this insurance, the government wants to send a message :" Do not panic, our health services are ready to deal with any eventuality ". A confidence which could however quickly show its limits , estimates the newspaper. Already under pressure, hospitals will find it difficult to absorb a large influx of patients in the event of an epidemic. Without falling into psychosis, a slightly higher level of control would not do us any harm , says Le Midi Libre . Just like a national communication campaign on the subject. This may prevent the French tomorrow from living cloistered. Or worse, to count the dead. "

Do not panic !

Stop the fire! We are not there yet, exclaims L'Alsace : “ despite the high-speed development of the coronavirus, it is essential not to give in to panic. This virus is aggressive, but it is still far from having caused as many deaths as a flu that has become commonplace in modern societies, except for the elderly, populations at risk in one case as in the other (…). Beyond the financial and economic consequences which will not be neutral, the important thing is first to keep a cool head , estimates the Alsatian daily. This applies to citizens as well as to politicians. Because if the Covid-19 is primarily a danger to public health, it could quickly become an aggressive virus against democracies. "

Pensions : the government ready to draw the 49-3

Also on the front page, the debate in the Assembly on pension reform ... A debate that dragged on ...

" Faced with this stagnation , believes Le Figaro , the executive is slowly preparing to brandish the " atomic weapon " of the parliamentary arsenal. Article 49-3, in this case, which allows the Prime Minister to engage the responsibility of his government to have a text adopted without a vote. And therefore to shorten the debates which drag on in the interminable examination of the amendments and sub-amendments tabled by the deputies of La France rebellious and of the Communists. "

Le Figaro comments: " The adoption of the reform will not make it accepted as such, but at least the ambient air of political life can be renewed, finally moving on to something else. "

Yes, because “ the debate is caricature , exclaims Nice Matin . On the one hand, a genuinely reformist government, but which does not know how to give itself the means of its ambition with a confused text (…). On the other hand, a radicalized far left opposition, defending the gains it exalts without, fundamentally, taking an interest in the future. Between the two, almost nothing , deplores Nice-Matin , that is to say, no serious alternative political offer from the right or the left. In short, concludes the newspaper, on a file as complex as the future of pensions, as on many other subjects - justice, police, health, school, etc. - we are in a new and worrying dead end. Indeed, it is democracy itself that suffers when the political system can no longer answer the essential questions that undermine the country. "

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