- The coronavirus epidemic continues to progress in Marseille and in the Bouches-du-Rhône
- The new prefect of Marseille will take new measures soon.
- In particular, it plans to restrict the opening hours of restaurants and bars.
Measures should be implemented "in the next few days" to deal with "the worrying situation" of the Covid-19 epidemic in the Bouches-du-Rhône, the new prefect announced on Monday.
"The situation is sufficiently alarming for additional measures to be considered," insisted Christophe Mirmand, prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, regarding the coronavirus epidemic in the Bouches-du-Rhône. and in the second largest city in France.
An incidence rate clearly above the national average
The new prefect, who succeeds Pierre Dartout, appointed Minister of State in Monaco, however refused to give more details on these measures before having notably addressed the subject with the new mayor of Marseille, the ecologist Michèle. Rubirola, and the director of the Regional Health Agency, Philippe de Mester.
According to the latest indicators cited this Monday by Christophe Mirmand, the incidence rate of the virus is 145 per 100,000 in Marseille and 110 per 100,000 in the department, against only 33 per 100,000 of the national average.
No consequences for hospitals
Similarly, the positivity rate is much higher in Marseille (7.3%) and in the Bouches-du-Rhône (6.2%) than on the whole of the national territory (3.5%), insisted the prefect, considering it necessary to act preventively to "avoid a return to a state of local health emergency which would be particularly damaging", in particular economically.
As Christophe Mirmand recognized, however, "this situation is not reflected for the moment on the hospital apparatus". According to figures given on Monday by the AP-HM, Marseille's public hospital, 54 people are currently hospitalized due to Covid in France's second city, including only seven in intensive care, against 21 hospitalizations ten days earlier and four in intensive care.
Restriction of bar opening hours
Among the measures that could be announced, Christophe Mirmand mentioned "a restriction of the opening hours of restaurants or bars", a downward revision of the gauge of 5,000 people authorized for public events, or even the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in public space.
"But we are above all in prevention, in an approach which must be based on a principle of individual responsibility", not "coercion", insisted the prefect, stressing the success of the measures adopted in the department of Mayenne, where the situation had been brought under control after the identification of several outbreaks of Covid-19.
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- Prefect
- Coronavirus