France’s COVID-19 infections increae week by week following easing of measures
March 21, 2022, 8:31 am

France’s COVID-19 infections increae week by week following easing of measures

Miniature of the Eiffel Tower in France (File photo: Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, France reported an average of close to 90,000 new coronavirus infections over the last seven days, marking a 36 percent rise from one week ago when most COVID-19 health protocol measures were lifted by the government just ahead of the country’s elections.

New cases over the previous 24 hours published on Sunday stood at 81,283, pushing a 7-day moving average to 89,002, compared with just over 60,000 average new cases one week earlier. The number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants also reached their highest value level since Feb. 18.

The report said that the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, who will stand for re-election in less than three weeks time followed by legislative elections later this year, decided to lift most COVID-19 restrictions on March 14, citing a positive trend.

This means people in France no longer have to wear COVID-19 face masks indoors, except for public transport, hospitals and other medical facilities. The government also lifted its COVID-19 vaccine pass requirement in places such as bars and cinemas.

COVID-19-Face mask-The time of COVID (File photo: Pixabay)

New hospital admissions — seen as a key indicator by France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran — decreased by only 1.7 percent week-on-week, the slowest decline since early February, potentially indicating a reversal of the previous trends.

The recent rise in new infections was particularly strong in France’s eastern Alsace region, one of the zones that suffered most during the start of the pandemic, where authorities recorded well over 1,000 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

COVID-19 cases surge in France as restrictions eased

In Germany, new cases have also risen in recent days, reaching a new record of around 220,000 average new cases over the last 7 days, according to data compiled by the Robert-Koch-Institut.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.