Coronavirus: update on the situation in France

Text by: RFI Follow

In France, after the five new cases announced on Saturday, the total number of people affected by the coronavirus has risen to 11. The government met at midday. New repatriations of French nationals are planned for this Sunday.

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It is a third aircraft with 38 Frenchmen on board, all from Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic. Upon arrival, they will be redirected to Aix-en-Provence, in the south of the country for 14 days of confinement.

Aix-en-Provence, where 78 passengers from another repatriation flight have already been isolated a week ago. None of them is contaminated by the coronavirus according to the tests.

Negative test also for the first people repatriated on January 31. They still remain in quarantine near Marseille before being released next Friday, announced this Saturday Civil Security.

In total, 11 people are carriers of the coronavirus in France, six of them are still hospitalized in an isolation room, but with an improving state of health. " Some could even go out in a few days ", according to the Director of Health, Jérôme Salomon.

However, the five new cases revealed this Saturday are being followed closely, because among them, a 9-year-old child stayed in two schools near the ski resorts of the Alps. Thus, a special number was opened to answer questions from those who came into contact with the infected. The Quai d'Orsay, in a press release this Saturday, advises against any trip to China " except imperative reason ".

■ Chinese restaurants: declining attendance

In Paris, the phobia of the disease empties the Belleville district. Even the usual Chinese clientele deserted the place. Further south, in the 13th arrondissement of the capital, where the Chinese community is large, RFI went to meet its inhabitants and traders. While some continue to frequent restaurants, others notice a drop in frequentation.

Usually you have to wait for a table, there it is completely empty…

Report in the 13th arrondissement of Paris

► Read also: The Asian community in France feels stigmatized because of the coronavirus

■ Loire castles are currently resistant to coronavirus

Like Air France, many companies have suspended links between China and France to limit the spread of the virus, forcing Chinese tourists to extend their holidays. In the Loire Valley, the popular castles of Asian visitors are still resistant to the coronavirus, but for how long?

We can still prepare for a brake on the development of Chinese attendance in the coming months [...] The actions that we were doing, we in China, have been postponed, postponed.

At the castles of Chambord and Chenonceaux we are preparing

► Read also: France: the coronavirus epidemic weighs on the tourism sector

■ Global mask shortages

The new global assessment of the coronavirus epidemic now reaches 722 dead, and nearly 35,000 people infected in mainland China. Efforts to contain the spread of the virus continue, but the World Health Organization is raising the alarm. Masks and other protective equipment are lacking.

" Demand is up to a hundred times higher than normal ", with repercussions on prices. They have sometimes been multiplied by 20, says WHO.

Stocks are therefore "flat" and deliveries could take 4 to 6 months. To manage the crisis, the WHO has established priorities: the medical staff must be supplied first, followed by the sick or those caring for the sick.

► Read also: France: Coronavirus, the rush on masks

The UN agency also discourages the constitution of stocks in countries and regions where the disease has spread little.

At the same time, it promised to send protective equipment to 24 countries, including 500,000 masks and 350,000 pairs of gloves. To preserve themselves and even if no case has been officially detected, Kazakhstan, a neighbor of China, on the contrary last week banned the export of masks.

Salvation may come from companies that are quick to seize opportunities. Foxconn, which notably assembles Apple phones, has tested and is awaiting certification. The Taiwanese company hoped to produce 20 million masks by the end of February. Ambition announced before the Chinese authorities prevent Foxconn from resuming its activities in the country on Monday.

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• France
• coronavirus
• Health and Medicine

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