French Health Minister Olivier Veran on Thursday called for tougher measures to prevent the new versions of the COVID-19 virus, which contributes to a higher caseload in the country. Veran, while speaking at a regular press conference on Jan. 28, said the COVID-19 virus continues to spread at a faster pace and is contributing to more cases each week. Veran said the current restrictions are not enough because the country would need tougher measures to prevent the new variants, which he described as “new viruses”.
Read: Organizations launch first-class action lawsuit against France for Systematic Racial Discrimination by Police in ID checks
Earlier this month, France imposed COVID-19 restrictions as it announced a nationwide curfew from 6pm to 6am. Veran said that while the curfew has been helpful, the country needed additional measures to prevent the spread of the new variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa, which have so far been found in 33 European countries. France has also enforced stricter travel rules, making COVID-19 testing mandatory for people coming from another country, including European citizens and French nationals.
Read: French Sanofi to make vaccines from Rival Pfizer-BioNTech
Hospitals gaining too much weight
According to reports, the French government may soon announce further measures to prevent the spread of the virus and to prevent hospitals. Veran said Thursday that about 60 percent of intensive care unit beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Veran said authorities will soon have to move patients between departments to relieve certain health facilities. The new variant in the UK was found in around 10 per cent of COVID-19 cases in France, a government spokesman said earlier.
Read: COVID-19: France’s chief adviser says country in ‘state of emergency’, calls for lock
France is one of the worst countries in the world and not just in Europe. The country has reported more than 3 million cases so far, of which 74,800 have lost their lives. France has begun vaccinating its people as part of the European Union’s inclusion campaign. However, the region has been hit hard by delays in vaccine distribution, which is another cause for concern for the country amid rising issues.
Read: Biden talks with Macron, trying to strengthen US-France ties
(Image credit: AP)