Paris (AFP)

The epidemic of Covid-19 continues to mark time in France, where was recorded Sunday the daily assessment in hospital (13 dead) the lowest since mid-March, before the establishment of the original confinement of the population for two month.

On this choice made to advise confinement, "basically, we had no choice," assured Sunday Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the Scientific Council responsible for enlightening the government. And to evoke the viral situation then uncontrolled and the tests to diagnose the disease in insufficient quantity.

"It was the least bad decision," he said on BFMTV, about this measure applied in France between March 17 and May 11.

Returning to general containment in the event of a second wave is not an option, however, he insisted.

In such a case, "it will probably be necessary to let the Covid run in the young population and try to protect, with their agreement, the most fragile, sick, precarious, or elderly," he stressed in another interview at the JDD. , recalling that 85% of deaths linked to Covid-19 concern people over 75 years of age.

Since the start of the epidemic, 29,155 people have died in France, including 18,805 in hospitals and 10,350 in nursing homes and other medico-social establishments (the results for this sector have not been updated since June 2).

The number of people hospitalized in serious condition in intensive care continues to decline, with 6 patients less in 24 hours, to 1,053, according to the balance sheet updated on Sunday.

- Flexibilities for recess? -

Hospitalization in intensive care thus continues its permanent decline since the beginning of April when the peak had been reached with more than 7,000 patients in serious condition (for a national capacity in intensive care of the order of 5,000 beds before the crisis).

Almost a week after the start of the second phase of deconfinement, the Covid-19 epidemic is deemed "largely controlled" in the country, confirmed Professor Delfraissy, stressing that the health rules for children at home. school could be reduced by the end of June, particularly for "meals, playtime or sports".

And "if the state of health and circulation of the virus is identical to what it is now, the return to school in September, for children, should be as close as possible to a normal return to school, while not being entirely normal ... ", he also said on BFMTV.

While Ile-de-France, as well as the departments of Mayotte and Guyana are classified orange, with restrictions, further easing measures could be decided by June 22, if the health situation allows .

In the meantime, the French contact tracing application against the StopCovid coronavirus has passed the million user mark on Saturday. It allows its users to be warned if they have encountered in the two previous weeks a user contaminated with coronavirus.

Much criticized by defenders of digital freedoms, it is "particularly useful" for people living in urban areas, "who take public transport and go to bars and restaurants," said Secretary of State Cédric O.

© 2020 AFP