Paris and other regions of France will enter a one-month shutdown starting Friday as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the country increase, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday, according to Le Parisien.
Leading the news: The closure, the third in the French capital since the start of the pandemic, will include the closure of non-essential businesses, a curfew and restrictions on outdoor travel.
By numbers: Since the onset of the pandemic, France has seen 4.2 million cases of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
- In 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 these people are in intensive care.
The big picture: President Emmanuel Macron has opposed a third national blockade due to economic, social and psychological impacts, rather than having preferred local restrictions where cases and hospitalizations increase, according to France 24.
- Health authorities have begun relocating critically ill patients to less affected regions to ease pressure on hospitals, AP writes.
- Castex also announced that the country would restart vaccinations against AstraZeneca on Friday after the government suspended its use to report blood clots in recipients of that vaccine.
In depth: The new European coronavirus point is a warning to the US