France must do everything possible to avoid locking up elderly people in nursing homes to protect them from a resurgence in coronavirus nationwide, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
The number of infections has soared in France in recent weeks, as has the number of admissions to intensive care units – and seniors are seen most at risk.
“We must as long as possible allow our fellow citizens in nursing homes to continue having interactions,” Mr Macron said during a visit to a care home for the elderly in Bracieux, in Loir-et-Cher, central France.
“We want to avoid the radical and massive response we made in March-April when we had less understanding of the virus and had fewer tests available.”
Some of France’s biggest cities after Paris – including Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux – have imposed new restrictions to try to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the number of intensive-care admissions.
Almost 31,340 people in France have died of Covid-19 since the outbreak began, the Health Ministry said on Monday, and the cumulative number of cases stood at more than 458,000.
Official data showed 638 people suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to intensive care units within the past week.
Of the 1,077 coronavirus clusters being investigated, 178 were in care homes for the country’s elderly.
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