COVID-19: Death toll in France nears 25,000-mark; 166 fatalities in 24 hours

The total death toll due to coronavirus has reached 24,760 in France, , inching up by 0.65 per cent on daily basis, while hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care continued to fall, according to the official data released by the Ministry of Health. A total of 166 people have died in the past 24 hours, a slower pace compared with Friday's 218 and Thursday's 289, Xinhua reported. At 25,827, the number of hospitalized patients fell for the 24th consecutive day. The number of patients in intensive care also fell to 3,827. A total of 130,979 people infected by COVID-19 have been identified in France since the start of the pandemic on March 1.

"As May 11 approaches, the collective effort that is bearing fruit and slowing the epidemic must not be relaxed," said the ministry.

"The scrupulous application of barrier gestures, respect of the minimum physical distance of one meter and drastic reduction of contacts are the best way to fight together against the spread of the virus," it added.

France has put its 67 million population under confinement in mid-March. Now, it's preparing a lockdown exit by opening gradually schools and shops and unwinding restriction on people movement as a slowing-down spread of the virus put less pressure on hospitals in the last three weeks.

Meanwhile, the two-month state of health emergency declared by the government on March 24, was to be prolonged by another two months to stem the coronavirus outbreak and address a possible resurgence of the COVID-19 when the confinement ends on May 11, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced early Saturday after a cabinet meeting.

Under the French law, a "state of health emergency" empowers the government to take special measures to restrict people's freedom of movement and rule by decree to requisition certain goods and services to fight against a health disaster.

"We are going to have to perform a long-distance run," said Veran. As part of the planned measures, anyone arriving from abroad and infected with the virus would be obliged by law to be quarantined.

"We are going to have to live with the virus for a while," said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. "Learning to live with the virus, that's what's at stake in the coming months."

The bill on the extension of the state of health emergency will be debated next week in the Senate before being sent to the National Assembly, said government spokesperson Sibeth Ndiaye. It is expected to become law by the end of the week.

(With Inputs from IANS)

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