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CORONAVIRUS is rapidly sweeping across the continent and France has said it is ready to mobilise the army if the outbreak spins out of control, the defence minister has said. France, which says it is ready to face an epidemic of the deadly flu-like infection, has more than 300 confirmed cases of coronavirus and a death toll of six. Dozens are in intensive care.
French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Wednesday that she would order the country’s armed forces to assist health officials in combating the coronavirus outbreak were the situation to spiral out of control. Mme Parly told France 2 television: “The armed forces are ready to intervene if necessary.
“The French army must be available anytime, anyplace and anywhere to support government services… It must stand ready to assist if the situation justifies it.”
Mme Parly added that the army’s health services were already “fully mobilised” to help tackle the outbreak.
France has some 285 confirmed of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Wednesday, an increase of 73 compared to a day earlier.
During the press briefing, M Salomon added that the death toll from the illness was still at four and that 15 people were being treated in intensive care.
Since the press briefing, France on Thursday announced another two deaths from the deadly virus, with an additional 92 cases.
French health authorities insist they are ready to deal with a widespread health crisis, which President Emmanuel Macron has warned could last several months.
M Macron told a crisis cell at the Health Ministry earlier this week: “During the period we are going through and that we will go through – because we have entered a phase that will last weeks even possibly months – it is vital to show clarity, resilience, composure and determination to slow the epidemic … and then fight it.”
The 42-year-old centrist has also signed a decree to requisition all stock and production of protective face masks in a bid to outwit hoarders.
They will be handed out to health workers and people infected with the coronavirus, he said on his website.
M Macron has also agreed with his US counterpart Donald Trump to coordinate efforts to fight the deadly infection under American leadership of the Group of Seven countries.
He said in a tweet after a phone call with Mr Trump: “Excellent discussion with Donald Trump. To better deal with Covid-19, we are ready to coordinate our scientific, health and economic response within the framework of the US G7 presidency.”
Shelves are being emptied of lavatory rolls, hand sanitiser and surgical masks everywhere from South Korea to France and Britain, as panic buying grips consumers across the globe despite repeated calls for calm.
About 3.4 percent of confirmed coronavirus cases have died, far above seasonal flu’s fatality rate of under one percent, but the virus can be contained, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
The WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “To summarise, Covid-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics, and it can be contained.”
The highly contagious illness has reached some 80 nations with more new cases now reported outside China, where the virus first emerged late last year in the central city of Wuhan.
Globally there have been more than 95,000 cases and 3,200 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...france-news-emmanuel-macron-army-deaths-cases
French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Wednesday that she would order the country’s armed forces to assist health officials in combating the coronavirus outbreak were the situation to spiral out of control. Mme Parly told France 2 television: “The armed forces are ready to intervene if necessary.
“The French army must be available anytime, anyplace and anywhere to support government services… It must stand ready to assist if the situation justifies it.”
Mme Parly added that the army’s health services were already “fully mobilised” to help tackle the outbreak.
France has some 285 confirmed of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Wednesday, an increase of 73 compared to a day earlier.
During the press briefing, M Salomon added that the death toll from the illness was still at four and that 15 people were being treated in intensive care.
Since the press briefing, France on Thursday announced another two deaths from the deadly virus, with an additional 92 cases.
French health authorities insist they are ready to deal with a widespread health crisis, which President Emmanuel Macron has warned could last several months.
M Macron told a crisis cell at the Health Ministry earlier this week: “During the period we are going through and that we will go through – because we have entered a phase that will last weeks even possibly months – it is vital to show clarity, resilience, composure and determination to slow the epidemic … and then fight it.”
The 42-year-old centrist has also signed a decree to requisition all stock and production of protective face masks in a bid to outwit hoarders.
They will be handed out to health workers and people infected with the coronavirus, he said on his website.
M Macron has also agreed with his US counterpart Donald Trump to coordinate efforts to fight the deadly infection under American leadership of the Group of Seven countries.
He said in a tweet after a phone call with Mr Trump: “Excellent discussion with Donald Trump. To better deal with Covid-19, we are ready to coordinate our scientific, health and economic response within the framework of the US G7 presidency.”
Shelves are being emptied of lavatory rolls, hand sanitiser and surgical masks everywhere from South Korea to France and Britain, as panic buying grips consumers across the globe despite repeated calls for calm.
About 3.4 percent of confirmed coronavirus cases have died, far above seasonal flu’s fatality rate of under one percent, but the virus can be contained, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
The WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “To summarise, Covid-19 spreads less efficiently than flu, transmission does not appear to be driven by people who are not sick, it causes more severe illness than flu, there are not yet any vaccines or therapeutics, and it can be contained.”
The highly contagious illness has reached some 80 nations with more new cases now reported outside China, where the virus first emerged late last year in the central city of Wuhan.
Globally there have been more than 95,000 cases and 3,200 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...france-news-emmanuel-macron-army-deaths-cases
