In the coming days, the French authorities may declare a new, third in a row, quarantine due to the coronavirus, the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reports, citing sources in the country's government.
According to her, the decision will be made “in the very near future”, now the terms of a new lockdown and specific restrictions are being discussed. The announcement of the next quarantine is associated with the rapid spread in France of the “British” variant of the coronavirus and a new strain from South Africa.
Speech by French President Emmanuel Macron on the new restrictions should take place on Wednesday, January 27, after a meeting of the Defense Council devoted to this issue, the newspaper said. The new quarantine regime will enter into force by the end of next week and “will last at least three weeks,” the sources said.
At the same time, according to the newspaper, some restrictions can be relaxed. In particular, the authorities are considering allowing for a limited time the operation of shops selling goods that do not belong to the category of essential.
The first quarantine regime in France was introduced due to the spread of the coronavirus on March 17 last year and was in effect until May 11. The second quarantine was announced on October 30 and was in effect until December 15. Now in France, the curfew remains in force from 18:00 (20:00 Moscow time) to 06:00 (08:00 Moscow time), all restaurants and cafes, theaters, cinemas and museums, as well as sports facilities are closed.
According to the French Ministry of Health, the number of people infected with coronavirus in the country exceeded 3 million, and 72.8 thousand people died. Over the past day, 23.9 thousand new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in France.
The UK announced the emergence of a new type of coronavirus, more infectious than the “familiar” SARS-CoV-2, in mid-December. Subsequently, it was discovered in more than 60 countries, including Russia. In South Africa, a new strain was discovered at the end of December. According to scientists, this mutation easily penetrates into human cells and holds on to them more firmly, and therefore the virus becomes more infectious than previous mutations by about 50%.
