Gabriel Attal, February 10, 2021 in Paris.

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Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Does France have the means to escape re-containment?

This is what Gabriel Attal, government spokesman, thinks, in view of the evolution of the Covid-19 epidemic, "on a high plateau, even if it appears to be declining slightly for a week".

"We must remain extremely careful, the situation remains fragile", he stressed during the report of the Council of Ministers, while "the epidemic situation has changed little for two weeks".

But the 2% drop in the incidence of the virus over a week shows, according to him, that “there is a way to avoid re-containment”.

Contaminations still significant

"It is not wide but it exists and we would be wrong not to do everything possible to achieve it", said Gabriel Attal, welcoming "the extraordinary responsibility of the French" and repeating that the reconfinement must be "the" last resort ”.

The Minister of Health Olivier Véran had estimated Tuesday that "it is obviously possible and desirable that one is never re-defined".

Remains that "it is unfortunately too early to rejoice", continued Gabriel Attal, and "we must continue to hold together", given the level of contamination still "important" (about 20,000 cases detected per day), development of variants, and a “just-in-time” vaccination campaign.

He also noted "territorial disparities", with "around fifty departments" recording "a significant drop in the incidence" of the virus, "around thirty" where it is "stable" and "a little over twenty" where it "continues to increase".

More telework, less trips

He reiterated the government's call for a “remobilization” around teleworking, indicating that the labor inspectorate had carried out “nearly 2,800 interventions in companies”.

RATP traffic has recorded "a first very slight" decline, and the share of civil servants who have teleworked has increased by "three points" still over the past week.

The government spokesperson also drew an initial assessment of the closure of French borders and the strengthening of controls: “more than 1,000 people were the subject of a measure of non-entry into the national territory, including nearly 200 immediate re-embarkations ”, and“ 1,444 people ”could not leave the territory“ for lack of an appropriate overriding reason ”.

As a result, passenger flows recorded "a further very significant drop", for example 70% fewer departures to overseas territories, 40% less to countries outside the European Union, 85% to the Dominican Republic or 80% to Tunisia.

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  • Health

  • Society

  • Covid 19

  • Gabriel Attal

  • Confinement

  • Coronavirus