Jean Castex is to announce new restrictions on Thursday evening, at 6 p.m., while the circulation of the virus is not declining in France.
At the international level, the British variant of Covid-19 has been identified in many countries and the Portuguese authorities have decided to proceed with a re-containment on Friday.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
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What restrictions on the stabilization at a high level of indicators of the coronavirus epidemic in France?
Prime Minister Jean Castex is due to announce Thursday, at 6 p.m., new measures to fight Covid-19.
In this context, the hypothesis of an advanced national curfew at 6 p.m. is the most likely hypothesis.
The World Health Organization estimated that the British variant of the virus was present in around 50 countries, and indicated that 28 million doses of the anti-Covid vaccine have already been injected in 46 countries.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
The main information to remember:
New restrictions: Castex and five ministers speak at 6 p.m.
69,031 dead in France, hospital data remain stable but at a high level
British variant of the virus has been spotted in 50 countries, WHO says
46 million doses of vaccines have been injected in 46 countries
Portugal will be reconfigured from Friday
Castex expected at 6 p.m. for new measurements
After a defense council at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday, new restrictions should be announced to curb the spread of the epidemic and in particular the English and South African variants.
Jean Castex is due to speak Thursday, at 6 p.m., along with five ministers, at a press conference.
The most likely hypothesis is that of an advanced national curfew at 6 p.m.
The latter would take effect at the end of next weekend.
The government is also considering limiting flows with South Africa and Great Britain, in order to limit the spread of variants of the coronavirus.
In addition, border health controls should be stepped up.
All the measures are not yet decided, Emmanuel Macron should make the last arbitrations Thursday morning.
What would be the impact of a 6 p.m. curfew?
If a 6 p.m. curfew is a more favorable measure than strict confinement, the fact remains that this restriction will have serious consequences, especially on businesses.
In fact, the 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. window represents a third of food purchases.
A postponement phenomenon is therefore to be expected: during the day, between noon and two, and especially on Saturdays.
The large distribution therefore calls for the general opening of its stores on Sundays to relieve the shelves on Saturdays.
But not all sectors will benefit from a postponement of consumption.
The clothing sector, for example, could lose 25 to 30% of its turnover in the event of a curfew, according to its Federation.
This figure could even climb to minus 40% in areas furthest from offices.
69,031 dead, the epidemic stabilizes at a high level
France counted 69,031 dead from the coronavirus on Wednesday evening, 229 more than the day before.
Hospital data remains stable at a high level.
And there are 24,769 patients hospitalized because of the coronavirus, or 32 more in 24 hours.
As for serious cases in intensive care, there are now 2,711, or 23 more compared to the last score.
No less than 23,852 new cases have been detected in the territory since the day before.
In addition, 247,167 people "were vaccinated among the priority audiences defined by the health authorities," said the Directorate General of Health in a separate statement.
"A few months to pass, and then we'll see the light"
Faced with these restrictions, when will we see the end of the tunnel?
According to Yazdan Yazdanpanah, member of the Scientific Council and guest of Europe 1, Wednesday morning, "we still have a few months to go, and then we will see the light", assures the head of the infectious diseases department at Bichat hospital.
Find his interview below:
WHO has spotted the British variant in 50 countries
The World Health Organization estimates that the British variant of the coronavirus has been spotted in 50 countries, while the one from South Africa is believed to be present in 20 of them.
A third mutation, the discovery of which Japan announced on Sunday, still needs to be studied, explains the WHO in its weekly bulletin.
In addition, massive vaccination campaigns will not be enough to guarantee collective immunity in 2021, warned the WHO on Monday, for whom masks, social distancing and hand washing will still be the daily life of humanity "at least until the end of this year ".
"We are not going to achieve (…) collective immunity in 2021", launched the scientific director of the WHO, Soumya Swaminathan.
The deployment of vaccines, when it comes to billions of doses, "takes time," she explained, urging "to be patient."
28 million injections in 46 countries
In 36 days, some 28 million doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccines have been injected in about 46 countries around the world, the director in charge of health emergencies at the World Health Organization, Michael Ryan, said on Wednesday.
Despite the start of vaccination campaigns, he was concerned about the speed of transmission observed in some countries, particularly because of new, more contagious variants.
"We are entering the second year of the pandemic and it could even get even harder, when you see the rates of transmission," he said during one of the regular question-and-answer sessions that the WHO organizes for the general public.
First death in China since May, Portugal is reconfiguring itself
The
Chinese
recorded the first death from Covid its territory since May 2020. The death occurred in Hebei province, where several cities have recently been subjected to confinement after the onset of contamination.
In addition, the WHO team of experts responsible for investigating the origin of the coronavirus arrived in Wuhan on Thursday, the cradle of the epidemic.
Originally scheduled last week, it was canceled at the last minute for lack of all the necessary permissions for the team.
For its part,
Portugal
will experience a reconfinement on Friday announced Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
The new health restrictions will correspond "essentially" to those which had been in force in March and April, but this time the schools will remain open, he said after an extraordinary council of ministers.
Russian
President
Vladimir Putin has ordered the vaccination of all categories of the population to begin next week, claiming that the vaccine designed by his country was "the best".
In addition,
Japan
has extended the state of emergency, already in force in the greater Tokyo region, to seven additional departments, and has tightened border restrictions in an attempt to counter the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
More than 1.96 million deaths worldwide
The pandemic has killed at least 1,963,557 worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the onset of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a report established by AFP from official sources Wednesday.
The United States is the most affected country in terms of both deaths and cases, with 380,821 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University count.
The other hardest hit countries are Brazil with 204,690 dead, India (151,569 dead), Mexico (135,682) and the United Kingdom (83,203).