The deterioration of the health situation in France should force Germany to announce the classification of the Hexagon in "high risk zone" this Friday.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron continues to defend the government's braking strategy, while part of the opposition considers the measures taken insufficient.
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While the Covid-19 epidemic in France continues to grow, especially in Île-de-France, Emmanuel Macron defended his health strategy on Thursday, while raising the possibility of taking new measures in the coming weeks.
For his part, the Prime Minister must meet urgently this Friday with the prefects and the directors of ARS of the 19 reconfigured departments.
The increase in the incidence rate in France should push Germany to classify France as a "high risk" zone during the day.
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Information to remember:
More than 4,700 people are currently hospitalized in intensive care
Germany will classify France as a high-risk zone
Still hospitalized, Roselyne Bachelot was placed on "oxygen therapy"
France becomes a "high risk zone" for Germany
Germany will classify France in a high-risk zone in the face of the Covid pandemic, which should lead to restrictions on entry into its territory, Angela Merkel said Thursday evening.
"When looking at the incidence rates it is quite simply a necessity (...) a practically automatic process," said the German Chancellor at a press conference in Berlin as part of a EU videoconference summit dedicated to the fight against Covid-19.
"This is not a political decision here but we see the evolution of the incidence rate, and when this rate - as it is here - exceeds the threshold of 200 for a long time, then this leads to a classification in high-risk area, "she added.
This decision should take place on Friday and be announced by the national health watch institute RKI, according to the daily FAZ.
The incidence rates, which measure the number of infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 7 days, exceed this threshold of 200 in many French departments. It stood Thursday in Germany at 113.3 on a national average.
So far, only the Moselle department, which borders Germany, has been classified by Germany as a high-risk zone.
Such a measure entails significant movement restrictions, ranging from the obligation to present a negative test on entry into German territory, to quarantine in Germany for 10 days, or even to the imposition of strict controls on borders.
"No mea culpa" but Macron evokes "new measures" in the face of the rising wave
"No mea culpa" for not having reconfigured at the end of January, but Emmanuel Macron spoke on Thursday of future "new measures to be taken in the coming weeks" and "without taboos", in the face of the third wave which is still rising in hospitals.
"These coming weeks will be difficult, we will take all the necessary measures in due time and in my view there is no taboo", he warned, at the end of a European Council by videoconference .
Faced with mounting criticism, Emmanuel Macron defended his strategy, both his decision at the end of January not to reconfine and the hybrid confinement currently applied.
"We were right not to reconfine France because there was not the explosion that was foreseen by all the models".
"I have no mea culpa to do, no remorse, no failure," he said, assuring that the current braking measures are "very strong".
The epidemic once again affects the executive: the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot, 74, hospitalized and victim of breathing difficulties, had to be placed under "reinforced oxygen therapy".
His colleague from Work Elisabeth Borne was able to go out this week.
Despite new restrictions, opposition calls for schools to be closed
Sign of a tense situation, Jean Castex canceled a trip Friday morning to the Channel on boarding schools of excellence which will be replaced by a new meeting with the prefects and directors general of the ARS of the 19 departments affected by the new restrictions.
Already in place since last weekend in 16 departments, these restrictions - no travel more than 10 km without exemption, no leaving the region without a compelling reason, new shops closed and half-classes in high school -, were extended to three new territories: Aube, Nièvre and Rhône.
The government wants to stick to its strategy despite calls from many doctors and elected officials to tighten the screws even more, or even close schools.
The president of the Association of Mayors of France and mayor of Troyes (Aube), François Baroin felt that it was necessary to "ask the question of schools" and even said he was in favor for his city of Troyes of a "confinement strict".
The president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse has proposed to bring forward the spring holidays to close classes from April 2.
In Île-de-France, nothing stops ICU admissions
Pushed by the English variant, considered more contagious and more virulent, the virus progressed almost everywhere in France in March, a scenario predicted by epidemiologists in January.
The number of patients in intensive care exceeded 4,700 people on Thursday and is approaching the peak of the second wave in the fall (4,900).
And the bar of 200,000 new cases of Covid was exceeded last week, a first since early November.
In Ile-de-France, the incidence rate is close to 600 per 100,000 and where 1,410 patients are in intensive care, 300 more than in the 2nd wave.
The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced darkly that 80% of operations deprogramming would be "undoubtedly" necessary in the hospitals of the Ile-de-France in order to bring the resuscitation capacities to 2,250.
These services take in increasingly young seriously ill patients.
Vaccination, which has already significantly reduced mortality in nursing homes, is progressing (7.1 million first doses and 2.6 million second doses), but too slowly to protect the entire population.
Since the start of the week, more than a thousand people affected by Covid-19 have died in hospital, more than 93,000 since the start of the epidemic.
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Macron believes that a more vigorous European recovery will be necessary
French President Emmanuel Macron estimated Thursday that Europe will have to "improve" and "complete" its economic and budgetary response to the Covid-19 crisis so that the recovery is "more vigorous" and does not diverge too much from that of the States -United
EU ready to block AstraZeneca exports to get its "fair share"
Brussels wants "its fair share of vaccines": Swedish-British laboratory AstraZeneca will not be allowed to export its doses produced in the EU until it catches up with its delivery delays to the 27, the Commission warned on Thursday at the end of a European summit.
Nevertheless, Brussels and London could reach an agreement on Saturday on the supply of anti-Covid vaccines, a source of great tensions, after a tightening of the control by the EU of the exports of doses produced on its soil, estimated Thursday the Prime Minister. Dutch Minister Mark Rutte.
Pfizer has started testing its vaccine in young children
Pfizer said on Thursday it had started clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine in children under the age of 11, saying it hoped it would be available to them in early 2022.
The United States accelerates its vaccination campaign
All Californians over the age of 16 will be able to apply to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as early as April, thanks in particular to an increase in supplies, the authorities of the most populous state in the United States announced on Thursday. United.
Currently, vaccination is reserved for over 65s and people at risk for health or professional reasons (caregivers, teachers, firefighters, etc.).
US President Joe Biden has set a target of 200 million doses of vaccine injected during his first 100 days in the White House, by the end of April.
Mexico crosses 200,000 dead mark
Mexico, the third most bereaved country after the United States and Brazil, crossed the threshold of 200,000 dead from Covid-19 on Thursday, a little over a year after the start of the epidemic in this country, announced a senior Mexican health official.
Also on the American continent, Brazil recorded Thursday for the first time more than 100,000 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, while the pandemic has already killed more than 300,000, reported the Ministry of Health.
More than 2.7 million deaths worldwide
The pandemic has killed at least 2,745,337 people around the world since the end of December 2019, according to an AFP report from official sources on Thursday.
The United States is the country with the most deaths with 546,352 deaths, ahead of Brazil (303,462), Mexico (199,627), India (160,692) and the United Kingdom (126,382).
These figures are globally underestimated.
They are based on daily reports from national health authorities, without including reassessments based on statistical bases.