The director of the Paris region public health agency, Aurelien Rousseau, tweeted Thursday that he ordered hospital directors to activate a special emergency plan to free up resources and protect medical staff. French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday urged more restrictions in areas where the epidemic is still spreading rapidly. “We are not in a normal time, and we won’t be for several months,” Macron said on national television. As countries across Europe face resurgent virus cases, the French government is trying to avoid new blanket lockdowns and focusing on more targeted restrictions instead. France reported a record daily count of 18,700 new confirmed cases Wednesday, and COVID-19 patients now occupy a quarter of ICU beds nationwide.

Source: Daily Sun October 08, 2020 17:15 UTC