PARIS – Reuters
The measure, which would echo the measures taken in March and November, when France came to a standstill, involves increasing the number of available hospital beds, delaying non-urgent surgery and mobilizing all medical staff resources.
“This crisis organization must be implemented in every region, regardless of the stress level of the hospital, and must be operational by Thursday, February 18,” the DGS health authority said in a memorandum quoted by the newspaper on Sunday.
The DGS said in an e-mail response to Reuters that the note reflected an “anticipatory approach”, given the continuing pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Its purpose is to mobilize all health actors in the country, if there is an eruption in the epidemic, which can happen as viruses circulate,” he said.
Reuters could not independently confirm the contents of the report quoted by Le Journal Du Dimanche.
France reported 21,231 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Saturday, slightly higher than 20,701 on Friday, bringing the total number in France to 3,448,617, the sixth highest in the world.
Unlike some of its neighbors who are struggling to control more contagious variants, France has resisted a new blockade, hoping a nationwide extinction on December 15 will contain a pandemic.
Some scientists, however, believe that President Emmanuel Macron has made a bet in deciding against a new blockade.
At the same time, France is lagging behind several other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, in conducting vaccinations.
Health Minister Olivier Veran, who noted that the variant first detected in the UK accounted for 25% of new infections confirmed in France, said on Thursday that the government would decide in the coming weeks if tougher national restrictions were needed.
Arnaud Fontanet, a member of the scientific council advising the government on COVID-19 policy, told Europe 1 radio on Saturday that he feared the possibility could explain most cases in March.
Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Jean-Stephane Brosse; Edited by Barbara Lewis and Alexander Smith