Faced with the increase in hospital pressure and the circulation of the British variant, a third confinement could be announced in the coming weeks "if the situation were to require it".
A PCR test will be mandatory from Sunday for all European travelers arriving in France.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
LIVE
The virus continues to circulate in France.
According to a latest report from the health authorities, nearly 23,000 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in 24 hours and the pressure on hospital services remains strong.
The government is working on the hypothesis of a new confinement, in particular in the face of the circulation of the British variant, which is more contagious.
The Elysée announced Thursday evening that a PCR test would be required of European travelers arriving in France from Sunday, as is already the case for travelers from outside Europe.
Follow the evolution of the situation live.
The main information to remember
22,848 new cases in 24 hours, hospital pressure is increasing.
A third confinement could be announced in the coming weeks "if the situation were to require it", says Véran
The government wants to have vaccinated the entire French population by the end of August
A PCR test will be required for European travelers from Sunday
A third confinement envisaged
The specter of a third reconfinement still hangs over France in the face of new, more contagious variants of the virus, while the executive on Thursday defended its much maligned vaccination campaign, and sought to soften the fate of the students a little.
If the situation worsens, in particular with the development of the "English variant" of the virus, which is much more contagious, "we could have to take harsher measures, it can go as far as confinement if the situation were to require it", repeated the Minister of Health Olivier Véran at the "20 hours" of TF1.
>> ALSO READ
- Covid-19: "young people" vaccinated to avoid throwing doses
But "we are not there today", assured the minister, wishing "to give a chance to work" to the curfew now advanced to 6 pm throughout the territory and which has allowed a drop in the epidemic incidence in the 15 departments where the measure was applied from the beginning of January.
Nearly 23,000 new cases in 24 hours
According to data from Public Health France, the new assessment of the coronavirus epidemic stands at 71,998 deaths in France, or 346 in 24 hours.
The number of new positive cases recorded daily continues to be at a high level.
In total, 22,848 new positive cases were identified in 24 hours on French territory.
A figure slightly lower than that of Wednesday but which remains very high.
The test positivity rate has been stable at 6.67% since January 17.
Hospital pressure seems to be increasing since hospitalizations and resuscitations are on the rise for the second consecutive day.
There are 25,735 patients hospitalized for a coronavirus infection, 49 more than the day before.
Objective: 70 million people vaccinated by the end of August
The minister said on Thursday that he expected "probably 1.3 to 1.4 million" people to be vaccinated by the end of January, more than the one million announced.
Then the number of people vaccinated would rise to "4 million at the end of February, 9 million in March, 20 million at the end of April, 30 million at the end of May, 43 million at the end of June, 57 million at the end of July and 70 million, that is to say the entire French population, by the end of August ", he enumerated.
Asked about the postponement of vaccination appointments observed in several regions, for lack of doses, the minister insisted that "in 95% of cases, things are going remarkably".
"We are on a daily pace which is double that of our German neighbors", he continued, before acknowledging that "that does not mean that everything is simple for everyone".
The specialty tests of the new bac canceled
The first specialty tests of the new baccalaureate, which account for a third of the final grade, are canceled in favor of continuous monitoring due to the health crisis, according to a letter from Jean-Michel Blanquer sent to teachers on Thursday evening.
The teaching of these specialties "will not be evaluated through tests in March but on the basis of the averages of the three terms of Terminale of these teachings", indicates this letter.
For several weeks, teachers, students, parents and unions have been asking for the cancellation or postponement of these tests scheduled for March, while 70% of high schools have implemented hybrid education for nine weeks.
PCR tests required for European travelers from Sunday
France will require, from Sunday at 00:00, a negative PCR test carried out 72 hours before departure for most European travelers wanting to enter its territory, President Emmanuel Macron announced to the European Council, the Elysee reported late Thursday. evening.
This obligation will apply "excluding essential travel", specified the Elysee: "Frontier workers and land transport will in particular be exempt".
The European Union has called for avoiding non-essential travel between the countries of the bloc to face the threat of new variants of the coronavirus, deeming the health situation "very serious", at the end of a summit of Twenty-Seven by videoconference Thursday.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> What place for teleworking after the coronavirus?
> Are adolescents vectors of contamination?
> Advice from a psychotherapist to get through this period as well as possible
> How does "CleanCovid", the anti-coronavirus lamp work
> How will the citizens' committee responsible for monitoring vaccination work?
Europe on its guard against the variant
The European epidemic agency on Thursday called on its members to be ready to take stricter measures "in the coming weeks" to contain the progression of new variants of the coronavirus, by raising its level of vigilance a notch.
The ECDC, which brings together the 27 countries of the European Union as well as the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland, has raised its assessment of the health risks associated with new variants to "high / very high", against "high "in its first assessment at the end of December.
>> READ ALSO
- Covid: the different scenarios on the circulation of the English variant
The United States returns to the WHO
Taking the exact opposite of Donald Trump, the new US administration made its big comeback Thursday to the WHO, assuring it of its financial support and saluting its leadership role in the fight against the pandemic.
At the same time, Joe Biden promised a mobilization as "in time of war" in the face of Covid-19.
By signing a series of ten executive orders, he announced that anyone arriving by plane in the United States should test negative upon arrival and "observe quarantine".
He also made it compulsory to wear a mask in federal buildings.
More than two million dead
The pandemic has killed more than 2.075 million people worldwide and more than 96.8 million cases of contamination have been diagnosed, according to a report established by AFP from official sources.
The United States is the country with the most deaths (406,162), followed by Brazil (212,831), India (152,869), Mexico (144,371) and the United Kingdom (93,290).