"This crisis organisation must be implemented in each region, regardless of the level of hospital stress and must be operational from Thursday Feb 18," the DGS health authority said in a memo cited by the newspaper on Sunday. The DGS said in an emailed response to Reuters that the memo reflected an "anticipatory approach" in view of ongoing pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the contents of the memo cited by Le Journal Du Dimanche. France reported 21,231 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, slightly up from 20,701 on Friday, taking the total cumulative number in France to 3,448,617, the sixth-highest in the world. At the same time, France trails behind several other European countries, such as Britain, in rolling out vaccinations.

Source: bd News24 February 14, 2021 18:45 UTC