LIVE – Covid-19: 180,000 contaminations in France on Tuesday, new record

Nearly 180,000 cases in 24 hours in France, a new record. France recorded a new record of Covid-19 contamination on Tuesday with nearly 180,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, after having already crossed the threshold of 100,000 cases on Christmas Day. Specifically, 179,807 contaminations were recorded in 24 hours, according to data published Tuesday evening by Public Health France.

The Ministry of Labor provides for “more dissuasive and quicker penalties” for non-application of telework. “Three days minimum, and if possible four, compulsory from the start of the school year”, announced the Prime Minister Jean Castex on Monday about the return of teleworking. It is still necessary to succeed in constraining the still recalcitrant management. According to the Ministry of Labor, Elisabeth Borne told the social partners on Tuesday noon that she wanted to “Propose an amendment to the bill [adopté lundi en conseil des ministres] to put in place more dissuasive and faster sanctions ”. Until now, if a company did not comply with the measure, only criminal sanctions could be applied. However, to go through this route, explained Cyril Chabanier, the president of the CFTC, at the end of the meeting rue de Grenelle, “it’s long”. So little dissuasive … “To simplify this, administrative sanctions will be proposed”, added the trade unionist.

Belgian justice suspends the closure of theaters. Belgian justice on Tuesday suspended the closure of theaters and performance halls announced last week in Belgium by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The authorities have not shown “how theaters in the cultural sector are particularly dangerous places for the health and life of people as they promote the spread of the coronavirus, to the point that it is necessary to ‘order its closure,’ said the Council of State, the highest Belgian administrative court.

More than 129,000 cases in the United Kingdom, a new record. The United Kingdom, faced with a meteoric spread of the Omicron variant, recorded 129,471 additional Covid-19 cases in England and Wales on Tuesday, a new record since the start of the pandemic. These figures do not include Northern Ireland and Scotland, however, as data collection is disrupted due to the holidays. The Scottish authorities have for their part reported a provisional report of 9,360 contaminations

Salah Abdeslam positive for Covid-19. Sala Abdeslam, the main accused in the trial of the November 13 attacks, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday at 4 p.m. according to information from our colleagues at Franceinfo. The hearing, suspended since December 17 for the end of year holidays, was to resume on January 4. A cluster has formed in the Fleury-Mérogis building where he is imprisoned in solitary confinement. If the Franco-Belgian is still positive next week, his lawyers may request the postponement of the hearing.

The dominant Omicron variant in the Netherlands. The Omicron variant has become dominant in the Netherlands, authorities said, warning of an increase in hospital admissions. Despite a drop in contamination with 9,213 positive cases on Tuesday, the great contagiousness of the Omicron variant “Will lead to new contaminations in the coming days”, said the national institute of public health. The confinement put in place during the end-of-year celebrations and the closure of non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas and museums until January 14 seems to have positive effects, said the institute, relying on the drop in hospitalizations, from 256 last week to 191 patients this week. “The real impact of the measures is expected in early January”, added the authorities.

Finland is closed to the unvaccinated. From this Tuesday, Finland decided to close its borders to foreign travelers not vaccinated against Covid-19, even with a negative test. Only foreign travelers can enter with a negative Covid-19 test and able to prove a complete vaccination or a past infection, announced the Ministry of the Interior. A border guard spokesman confirmed to AFP that unvaccinated foreigners would be turned away, unless they belong to one of the exempted categories (residents in Finland, essential workers, diplomats, etc.).

Masks outdoors, limited effect. Monday evening, Jean Castex announced that the prefects could restore the wearing of masks outdoors to fight against the fifth wave. For Mahmoud Zureik, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin, this measure “Is effective when there is a Christmas market, in a queue or in front of a business” but the effect will be “Probably very limited”. “What is needed is above all to limit the contamination inside”, he hammered on France Info. He advises “The wearing of masks indoors, in poorly ventilated places where the contamination is much more important”.

For schools, an unsuitable protocol? Dominique Costagliola, epidemiologist, emeritus research director at Inserm and member of the Academy of Sciences, awards a zero point to the health protocols implemented in National Education and criticizes the decisions announced Monday evening by the Prime Minister. “The policy for managing the Covid at school level is zero, there is no concrete announcement,” she explains in an interview with Le Monde.

Reconfinement in China. Chinese authorities decided on Tuesday to confine tens of thousands of additional people, at a time when the country is facing a record number of Covid-19 contaminations within 40 days of the Beijing Winter Olympics. But compared to figures from Europe or the United States, these contaminations can make you smile: 209 new patients with Covid-19 on Tuesday, the highest number of daily contaminations for 21 months. The city of Xi’an (north), famous for the underground army of the first emperor of China, was subject to a sixth day of strict quarantine on Tuesday after a limited epidemic rebound. 300 kilometers away, tens of thousands of residents in a district of Yan’an City were in turn ordered to stay at home, while businesses were forced to close their doors.

Backpedaling at the Ministry of Education. It did not take more than half a day for the ministry to deny the minister. Tuesday morning, Jean-Michel Blanquer announced a substantial modification of the sanitary protocol in schools since he explained that now “To return to school, you will no longer just have to present a negative test, but several tests, several days apart.” A few hours after the minister’s remarks on France Inter, the ministry specifies that Jean-Michel Blanquer has indeed raised this hypothesis, but… in the conditional. “It will be examined in conjunction with the Scientific Council, in the coming days, depending on the knowledge that is being refined on the omicron variant”, specifies to Release the Ministry. A potential adjustment of the level of the protocol in schools is therefore not certain. Except that the start of the school year is (for the moment) maintained on Monday January 3.

WHO warns of hospitalizations due to omicron. The rapid spread of the omicron variant will elicit “A large number of hospitalizations” of patients Covid-19, even if it turned out to be slightly less dangerous than its predecessor, the European branch of the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday. “A rapid rise in omicron, like the one we are seeing in several countries, even if it were combined with a slightly less serious illness, will still lead to a large number of hospitalizations, especially among the unvaccinated.”Catherine Smallwood, a senior official at WHO Europe, told AFP.

In the United States, the length of isolation reduced by half. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) announced on Monday a change in the health protocol in the event of infection with the coronavirus: patients will now be able to reduce their duration of isolation from ten to five days, on condition of be asymptomatic. The country’s main health agency clarified that this measure was “Justified by science”, that the majority of infections occur within two days and three days after symptom onset. “These updates allow everyone to continue their daily life in safety”, assured Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC. The organization nevertheless calls on positive people to continue wearing the mask for five days after release from quarantine.

A monthly premium of 100 euros for nurses in critical care services. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday a monthly bonus of 100 euros net for nurses in critical care and resuscitation services from January 2022, very heavily used by the Covid-19 crisis. About 24,000 people are affected by this salary increase according to the head of government, who spoke at the end of a visit, with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, of an intensive care unit of the Inter-communal hospital center of Créteil.

At least two negative tests to return to school after a positive case in class. Students in primary classes where a positive case of Covid has been diagnosed will have to present at least two negative tests several days apart, against one currently, to return to school, the Minister of Education announced on Tuesday. Jean-Michel Blanquer. The start of the school year will take place as planned on January 3, but the screening for Covid-19 will be extended in schools, said Monday Jean Castex, maintaining the government line to only close establishments “last resort”.

Large retailers will be able to sell self-tests until January 31. This should make life a little easier for the French in the face of the omicron wave. The government finally gives the green light for the sale of self-tests in supermarkets. In a decree published on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health authorized the sale of self-tests to detect Covid-19 elsewhere than in pharmacies. A decision “exceptionally”, which will therefore remain in force “Until January 31, 2022”. Until now, pharmacies had a monopoly on the sale of self-tests and justified themselves by their role of advising users.

Faced with the omicron conflagration, the government released a small fire extinguisher. At the end of a new Health Defense Council, Prime Minister Jean Castex presented the response this Monday evening “Proportionate” of the executive. And it all depends on the vaccination that remains “The key and decisive element” of the strategy of the power in place. No curfew for New Year’s Eve, reinforcement of teleworking, the health pass becomes vaccinal … Find here all the measures announced on Monday.