Paris (AFP)

Opposition politicians worried on Tuesday about France's possible lack of preparation for the arrival of the coronavirus epidemic in the country.

At the Assembly, the boss of the PS, Olivier Faure, asked Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to make "all the transparency on the management of this epidemic", condition according to him "to create a climate of confidence (...) which allows the mobilization of all and the stigmatization of some ".

In a letter, Mr. Faure also asked that the head of government receive "the party leaders represented in the Assembly and in the Senate" and the group presidents, a request then accepted by Edouard Philippe, who says he is willing to organize a meeting with the various party leaders.

For her part, Marine Le Pen on Tuesday demanded of the government "more serious measures" in the face of the coronavirus, denouncing a "total inconsistency" of France in its risk management and calling again for border controls.

"The French are not children, you have to tell them the truth. Not telling them the truth is actually aggravating the people's sense of danger", accused the president of the National Rally during a visit to the agricultural centre.

The Minister of Health Olivier Véran stressed Tuesday that France "does not close the borders because it would not make sense" and that "at this stage, there is no reason (to) consider" .

Eric Ciotti, LR deputy for the Alpes-Maritimes - a border department of Italy -, for his part questioned "a delay in lighting on the part of the health authorities" after the development of the epidemic in Italy.

"We had the feeling of a wavering, of a delay: the unit dedicated to the Nice University Hospital was opened last night, that's good; on the other hand, the tests in Nice can only be carried out next Monday it's late, we were told tomorrow "argued the deputy on France 2, before adding that" like the Chernobyl cloud, cases will not stop at the border ".

In the hemicycle, Eric Ciotti then asked "the activation of the pandemic plan, as it had been established by the government of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011".

© 2020 AFP