Paris may soon enter another deadlock, as new coronavirus variants are filling the city’s intensive care units.
The Associated Press rEPORTS that French officials are considering another blockade, as special medical planes have moved patients from Paris to less saturated regions.
“If we have to close, we will,” said Jérôme Salomon, director of the French public health agency, on Sunday. “The situation is complex, tense and getting worse in the Paris region.”
The AP notes that the French government has relied on extinctions in recent months to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but Solomon said a nationwide crackdown from 6 p.m. is not “enough.”
According to Solomon, there are currently more intensive care patients in France – about 6,300 – than the number of intensive care beds the country had before the pandemic.
The European Union, which includes France, has approved four vaccines for use in its member countries, including those from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Frances has confirmed nearly 4 million cases of coronavirus and nearly 90,000 deaths, which is among the largest in the world.
In February, the French government announced tighter controls on the coronavirus on its border with Germany, as part of additional efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.