As Christmas approaches, Emmanuel Macron, who "still has symptoms" of Covid-19, called on Monday to "be extra vigilant" in the face of the "problematic" mutation of the virus causing the isolation from the United Kingdom.

while the government is considering a possible repatriation of French people for the holidays. 

Three days before Christmas, Emmanuel Macron called on Monday to "redouble our vigilance" in the face of the "problematic" mutation of Covid-19, which is the source of the isolation of the United Kingdom, while the government is considering a possible repatriation of French for the holidays.

The Head of State, who has "still symptoms" of the coronavirus, chaired Monday morning by videoconference a Council of Ministers whose images were exceptionally broadcast, during which he justified the suspension for 48 hours of all arrivals in origin of British soil decided the day before by Paris and several European countries.

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The mutation of the virus shows its "complexity, its aggressiveness"

"It is an exceptional situation which led us to take this rapid decision and which should lead us to redouble our vigilance on the evolution" of the virus, added the president, dressed in black and wearing a mask, from the official residence de La Lanterne, in Versailles, where he is still in isolation after testing positive Thursday for Covid-19.

According to him, the discovery of a "problematic mutation of the virus with a much more aggressive form" shows "the complexity of this virus, its aggressiveness, dare I say its inventiveness, and the humility that we must always have" .

Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said at the end of the Council that the executive would ensure "acute and permanent monitoring of the circulation of the virus" and that a new meeting on the health situation was to be held "at the start next week "around the president.

According to a government source, it should take the form of a Health Defense Council.

He said that Emmanuel Macron, who turns 43 on Monday, had "still symptoms" of the disease, but that his state of health was "stable".

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A PCR test, one of the conditions for returning to France from the United Kingdom

The suspension of travel was announced on Sunday after an extraordinary Health Defense Council and comes in the wake of similar measures taken by Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg or the Ireland, while a mutation of the virus responsible for Covid, Sars-CoV-2, was detected across the Channel, considered by London as "out of control" on its territory.

"We are giving ourselves the means, with the suspension of border crossing for 48 hours, to build a health protocol which should allow our compatriots who are now in Great Britain and who had planned to return to France to spend the holidays , to do it with new sanitary rules which are being discussed and being built ", explained Gabriel Attal.

On Monday, the European stock markets unscrewed because of fears related to this change: around 12 p.m., the Parisian market plunged 3.63%, Frankfurt 3.71% and Milan 3.53%.

The London Stock Exchange held up a little better, falling 2.88%.

The government spokesperson invited the French detained in the United Kingdom to carry out without waiting a PCR test, which should be one of the conditions to be able to return to France by Christmas.

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Genotypic studies

"It is possible that (this variant of the virus) circulates in France", admitted the Minister of Health Olvier Véran, recalling that he was "identified once in Italy".

"We will find out, we are launching genotypic studies. Over the last few days, 500 viral strains have been analyzed for genetics and this variant has not been found, which does not mean that it is not circulating".

However, he stressed that there was "a priori" no reason "to believe that the vaccines would be less effective" against this new variant.

Vaccination should also start on Sunday in France, confirmed Gabriel Attal, shortly before the European Medicines Agency authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.