Despite the tense health situation, a third lockdown is not planned and “can only be considered as a last resort,” the Prime Minister stated during his weekly press conference.
However, Jean Castex did not rule out “taking responsibility” if necessary. “The priority now is to adhere as closely as possible to our common rules,” he emphasized. Here are the key points from his speech.
No new “large-scale epidemic wave”
“Every day, France records an average of 20,000 new infections, 1,600 new hospitalizations, and 320 deaths,” declared the Prime Minister,
Additional appointments for vaccinations starting Friday
The Prime Minister announced an acceleration in vaccination efforts targeting three particularly high-priority groups: those over 75, individuals with serious health conditions, and, of course, healthcare workers. Consequently, new appointments will be scheduled to receive the first dose: a total of “1.7 million additional appointments” will be available in the coming days.
AstraZeneca vaccine administered starting Saturday
The Prime Minister also specified that thanks to the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has just been authorized in France, “we will be able to achieve the goal of 4 million people having received their first injection by the end of February.”
A firm call for widespread teleworking
The Prime Minister also emphasized teleworking, admonishing companies that make little use of it.
Following this, the Minister of Labor, Elisabeth Borne, urged companies to “recommit” to teleworking, a practice that “has been declining since late November.”
“Prudence” before the school holidays
On the eve of the February holidays, the Prime Minister also urged “the utmost caution” to prevent infections.
Saliva tests to be conducted in schools soon
After the school holidays, saliva tests for Covid-19 detection will be conducted in schools and universities, announced Olivier Véran during the same press conference. These will not be rapid tests, which provide results in less than an hour, but rather PCR tests that will still need to be analyzed in a laboratory.
