Castex said he “unreservedly” condemned people who had not been respecting the rules, after images of beer-swigging crowds on riverbanks under spring sunshine in cities including Paris and Lyon. Meanwhile, prosecutors should “systematically” probe organisers of clandestine parties for putting the lives of others in danger, he added. By decreeing school closures and systematic work-from-home protocols, Macron hopes to ease pressure on hospitals facing a new surge in coronavirus cases that are overwhelming intensive care units. Health Minister Olivier Véran said the number of new Covid cases could peak in the next seven to ten days, while intensive care cases in hospitals might top out by the end of April. “The goal is to suppress this wave of the epidemic… so that it’s as small as possible,” he told France Inter radio.

Source: The Local April 01, 2021 09:12 UTC