Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce new Covid steps on Monday as a country that braces for a new surge in cases because the omicron variant spreads quickly.
Officials have warned that hospitals were again at risk of being overwhelmed after a record of 100,000 cases reported on Saturday, the highest daily rate in France since the pandemic began almost two years ago.
Health experts estimate the number of cases of everyday can increase rapidly in mid-January, even though millions of people have received booster shots in recent weeks.
Nearly 3,300 people today in intensive care, again above the 3,000 crisis threshold set by the authorities to handle the worst case.
Macron will hold a crisis meeting at 16:00 (1500 GMT) through video conferencing from the Mediterranean holiday retreat in Bregancon with key members of the cabinet and representatives of the French public health agency.
One step being considered is to limit the Covid Country Health Pass, which is needed to enter restaurants, cinemas and other public places, only for people who are fully vaccinated – and are no longer for those who have a recent negative test .
Pass and negative tests can also be needed for bars or cafes without a table seat, and maybe for nightclubs if allowed to reopen in January after the four-week closure booked on December 6.
Some doctors also suggested curfew for New Year’s Eve, while a group of health workers wanted to postpone the return of students to schools after the holidays, set for 3.
January.
Masks can also be requested when outside, the size that has been applied in the Savoie region in the French Alps.
and in other European countries.
Officials have urged people not to have a party or a big family meeting during the holidays, and around 22 million people from 40 million who meet the requirements have received a Covid booster shot.