Mar 18, 2021 - World

Paris region to enter month-long coronavirus lockdown

Jacob Knutson

Health workers working in the pneumology unit of hospital in Paris on March 18. — Health workers in Paris on March 18. Photo: Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

Paris and other regions within France will enter a month-long lockdown starting Friday as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the country spike, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Thursday, according to Le Parisien.

Driving the news: The lockdown, the third for France's capital city since the start of the pandemic, will include the closure of nonessential businesses, a curfew and restrictions on outdoor trips.

By the numbers: Since the start of the pandemic, France has seen 4.2 million cases of COVID-19, per data from Johns Hopkins University.

Over the last 24 hours, France has reported 34,998 new cases and 273 deaths, according to Le Parisien.
Currently, 25,389 people are hospitalized because of the virus. More than 4,000 of those people are in intensive care.

The big picture: President Emmanuel Macron has opposed a third national lockdown due to the economic, social and psychological impacts, instead preferring local restrictions where cases and hospitalizations are rising, according to France 24.

Health authorities have initiated the transfer of critically ill patients to less-affected regions to ease pressure on hospitals, AP writes.
Castex also announced that the country would restart AstraZeneca vaccinations on Friday after the government suspended its use over reports of blood clots in recipients of that vaccine.

Go deeper: Europe's new coronavirus spike is a warning to the U.S.

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Paris region to enter month-long coronavirus lockdown

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