• Coronavirus, French government spokesman: "Italy has taken measures that have not curbed an epidemic"
  • WHO: courageous Italian measures, full support

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March 12, 2020 Closing borders to fight against the spread of coronavirus will probably be necessary but will have to be decided at the European level. French President Emmanuel Macron said this in a solemn speech to the nation on the coronavirus emergency. "We will undoubtedly have control measures, of closing the borders, but we will have to take them on a European scale", explained the president.

We are only at the beginning of the epidemic
"We are only at the beginning of this epidemic, and everywhere it accelerates and intensifies," Macron told the French, explaining the measures to combat the spread of the virus in the country. "Faced with this, our health will be the top priority for our nation. I will not settle on anything and a principle guides us to define our actions," said Macron. In France, he continued, "we have the best virologists, the best epidemiologists, people who work in the field and we have listened. Everyone has told us that despite efforts to curb it, the virus continues to spread. We knew it, we feared it. disease - he said - will initially infect the most vulnerable people. They will need special care, often respiratory assistance. We will then have to prepare for a possible second wave that will infect fewer younger and less exposed people but which will need to be treated later. ".

Schools and universities closed on Monday
"For our collective interest, from Monday and until further notice, kindergartens, schools, colleges, high schools and universities will be closed - said the President of the Republic - Closed for a simple reason: our children and more according to the scientists, young people are those and those who apparently spread the virus more rapidly ".

Limit travel. Over 2,800 infections in France, 61 died
Public transport will continue to function regularly, but Macron has urged the French to limit travel as much as possible. It is not mandatory to stay at home, as happens in Italy, but the French government, which until now had repeatedly claimed to want to avoid heavy restrictions, responds to the increase in infections: 595 cases registered today, which bring the total to 2,876, while deaths increased by 13 and 61. 129 cases of hospitalization in resuscitation.

Now national and European recovery plan
The French president also announced that he had asked the government to prepare "a national and European recovery plan", adding that the decisions made by the ECB "are not enough" to face the health crisis.