Paris (CNSNews.com) – With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in France jumping by 34 percent over a 24-hour period, President Emmanuel Macron has canceled all official trips, at home and abroad, as the government tries to clamp down on hoarding, profiteering and misuse of face masks and anti-bacterial sanitizer.
After meeting with a special council focused on dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, Macron warned that the crisis situation “will last weeks and perhaps months.”
As of Wednesday France reported 285 confirmed cases, an increase of 73 in one day. Four people have died of the disease, which emerged in China late last year.
On Tuesday, Macron announced that the government will take control of face masks many people are wearing in an attempt to protect themselves from infection. Prices of face masks have soared, and many pharmacies are out of stock. The government plans to requisition all stocks for the coming months.
Macron said health workers and coronavirus patients must be prioritized when it comes to masks. Health authorities in France and elsewhere say wearing them is unnecessary for most people, but their use continues.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has published a decree aimed at regulating the price of antibacterial hand cleaning products. Pharmacies have reported bulk buying by people who then resell the items at inflated prices.
Le Maire called on the population not to buy cleaning products or masks unnecessarily, echoing health authorities around the world who say that simple hygiene measures are most effective.
Health Ministry director general Jerome Salomon, in daily media updates, is stressing the importance of washing hands well and often, sneezing into one's elbow, and avoiding handshakes.
He is advising the public not to panic, and providing dedicated phone numbers – one for queries and information about the outbreak, the other for reporting suspected cases or symptoms.
In other measures, the government has banned all indoor events involving 5,000 or more people, including shows and exhibitions.
Schools in two badly-affected regions – Oise north of Paris and Haute-Savoie in the Alps of eastern France – have been closed. Currently, 11 of the 13 administrative regions of France have registered at least one case each.
However, soccer and rugby games have not been forbidden despite some concerns about the risk of infection in sports stadiums.
Last Sunday the Louvre museum, which draws nine million visitors a year, closed after staff decided to exercise their “right of withdrawal” in the light of the outbreak. The only major public facility to have done so, it reopened on Wednesday, after a meeting between staff and management.
Under French labor law an employee has the right to withdraw from a work situation if there are reasonable grounds to believe it presents a serious and imminent danger to health or life. Although an individual right, it can also be exercised collectively.
Marine Le Pen, head of right wing National Rally party, has criticized the government’s handling of the outbreak, questioning the wisdom of allowing soccer games between French and Italian teams to continue. With more than 3,000 cases and more than 100 deaths, Italy is the country worst affected by COVID-19 outside of China.
Le Pen has also called for France to close its borders with Italy, and later with other neighbors should the situation in those countries worsen. Other politicians generally maintain that diseases know no borders, although some have called for health controls at airports and in parts of France neighboring affected areas like Italy.
Coronavirus cases are present in every one of France’s eight neighbors, with Germany (262 cases), Spain (222) and Switzerland (90) having the highest numbers.
Political parties are generally supportive of the government’s actions. Socialist Party general secretary Olivier Faure said Tuesday, “All parties should support the government in face of such a problem.”
Municipal elections are scheduled to take place on March 15 and 22. There has been no talk yet of canceling or postponing them.
