While two thirds of French people are now subject to curfew, the deputies voted on Saturday to extend the state of health emergency until February 16.
And the indicators continue to deteriorate: more than 45,000 new cases have been identified in 24 hours in France.
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The second wave of Covid-19 continues to hit France, which passed the million-case mark on Friday since the start of the epidemic.
On Saturday, the country recorded more than 45,000 new cases in 24 hours.
Sign that the epidemic resumption is not weakening nearly a week after the entry into force of a curfew, extended overnight from Friday to Saturday to 38 new departments, the deputies voted to extend the state of health emergency until February 16.
According to information from Europe 1, the hypothesis of a reconfinement is no longer a taboo subject in executive circles.
Information to remember:
More than 45,000 new cases identified in 24 hours in France
MPs voted to extend the state of health emergency until February 16
The hypothesis of a re-containment was raised by Emmanuel Macron
Re-containment and curfews are on the rise in Europe
Over 45,000 new cases in 24 hours
More than 45,000 new cases in 24 hours were identified on Saturday, according to figures published by Public Health France.
Nearly 2,500 patients were hospitalized in intensive care on Saturday, 233 new serious cases having been admitted to these services in the last 24 hours.
If the daily number of new intensive care admissions is down compared to Friday, the total number of people hospitalized in sheaves continues to climb to reach 2,491 severe cases (+59 in 24 hours).
In addition, 1,667 new Covid patients have been hospitalized in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hospitalizations in the country to 15,637.
The Assembly votes to extend the state of health emergency
The National Assembly adopted on Saturday at first reading the extension of the state of health emergency until February 16, an exceptional regime that authorizes the executive to put in place restrictions in the face of the Covid-19 crisis .
The text voted by 71 votes against 35 is expected in the Senate on Wednesday and should be adopted definitively in early November.
The government defended a text of "responsibility", while the opposition raised the tone in the hemicycle to worry about a "putting in brackets of public freedoms".
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Two out of three French people subject to curfew
Since Saturday morning, two-thirds of French people have been subject to a curfew.
Thursday, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the extension of this measure to 38 new departments and Polynesia to deal with an "extremely high" circulation of the virus.
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In total, 54 departments and 46 million inhabitants are subject to a night curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for a period of six weeks.
The rules "will be the same as for the metropolises already placed in curfew since last Saturday", explained the Prime Minister.
The hypothesis of a reconfinement is not ruled out
According to information from Europe 1, the hypothesis of a reconfinement is no longer a taboo subject in executive circles.
A minister even believes that this is the best measure to reduce hospital pressure.
For the first time, the President of the Republic publicly mentioned this option, Friday evening, during a trip to the Pontoise hospital.
"These measures are not intended to be reduced but they may be strengthened, either by expanding geographically, or by also looking at the places, the times when the epidemic is spreading the fastest to reduce these occasions", he said of the curfew.
"It is too early to say whether we are moving towards local or broader reconfigurations."
In Europe, re-containments and curfews are increasing
Europe, which on Friday exceeded 8.2 million cases and 258,000 deaths, is now raising "serious concern", according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
All the countries of the European Union except Finland, Cyprus, Estonia and Greece now fall into this category, up from seven a month ago.
Germany passed the symbolic 10,000 dead mark on Saturday.
In Ireland, the entire population is re-confined for six weeks, with non-essential businesses closed.
Only schools will remain open.
Dublin had taken on the appearance of a ghost town on Thursday.
Wales has been confined since Friday evening, and for two weeks.
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The curfew measures are also increasing.
In the United Kingdom (excluding Wales), more or less severe restrictions affect 28 million English people, including London, and pubs and restaurants are closed in Northern Ireland.
Belgium has opted for a curfew at 10 p.m. and store closings at 8 p.m.
In northern Italy, Lombardy, imposes a night curfew from Thursday for three weeks.
Campania, in the south, will follow on Friday.
Measures are also taken in Greece and Slovakia.
More than 42 million cases, and 1.14 million deaths worldwide
The pandemic has killed at least 1.14 million people worldwide since the end of December, according to an assessment established by AFP from official sources, Saturday midday.
More than 42.26 million cases of contamination have been officially diagnosed.
After the United States, the most bereaved country with 224,751 dead, the most affected countries are Brazil (156,903 dead), India (117,956), Mexico (88,312), and the United Kingdom (44,571 dead).
Note that Colombia has exceeded one million cases of Covid-19.