France became the fifth country to
report more than 1,000 deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday and a
government body dealing with the outbreak suggested the national
lockdown imposed last week for an initial 15 days should last at
least six weeks.
Health Minister Olivier Veran told a briefing he could not
determine at this stage when the lockdown would end. If the
government were to follow the scientific council's advice,
France would remain at a virtual standstill until April 28.
A statement by the council, which advises President Emmanuel
Macron on the coronavirus crisis, also said the lockdown was the
only really efficient strategy at the moment and "needs to be
strictly implemented".
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Monday the
widespread lockdown in France could last several more weeks and
his government was tightening restrictions on daily life even
further.
Veran also said France would heed World Health Organization
recommendations to increase coronavirus testing. Health agency
chief Jerome Salomon said later France would soon be able to
conduct 10,000 tests a day.
Salomon reported 240 new deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday
for a total of 1,100, an increase of 28% that made France the
fifth nation to cross the 1,000-fatalities threshold after -
China, Italy, Iran and Spain.
This tally only accounts for people who died in public
hospitals, whereas several retirement homes have been reporting
deaths in the double digits.
Salomon said health authorities would soon be able to
tabulate data coming from retirement homes, which will likely
trigger a more dramatic increase in registered fatalities.
He said the total number of infections in France had risen
to 22,300, a 12% jump in 24 hours.
Salomon added that 2,516 people were in a serious condition
requiring life support, up by 21% from Monday, and that 8,000
hospital beds were now equipped with ventilators.