COVID-19 pandemic in France

The pandemic occurred following a series of national protests, which were followed by a strike against pension reform which had been proposed by President Emmanuel Macron in his election manifesto. The pension reform strike was the longest strike in modern French history. In President Emmanuel Macron's second address to the nation on the pandemic on 16 March 2020, he announced the suspension of all reforms, notably those of pensions. On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, who had initially come to the attention of the WHO on 31 December 2019. On 21 January 2020, Agnès Buzyn, Minister of Solidarity and Health declared that "The risk of introduction into France is low but it cannot be excluded". ==Timeline==

December 2019 – March 2020: First cases to lockdown First cases On 2 December 2019, a man was admitted to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (Colmar); on 7 May 2020, the director of the medical imagery department claimed that the man had been positive for COVID-19 in December 2019. It is possible the sample was contaminated. His thoracic scan, taken in December 2019, was one of several suspicious scans identified by the hospital as being typical of COVID-19, the earliest of these suspicious scans having been on 16 November 2019. On 27 December 2019, a man was admitted to Avicenne Hospital and tested for influenza, which came back as negative. On 3 May 2020, Yves Cohen, head of resuscitation at the hospital, said that following a retest of the man's December sample, it had come back positive for COVID-19. Cohen said it was too early to know if the man had been France's "patient zero". On 31 January 2020, Marie Fontanel, the President counselor for solidarity and health, quit her job to help her husband in the coming municipal elections. She would be replaced only one month later. Another British national, who had stayed in the same chalet as the five other individuals at Les Contamines-Montjoie, tested positive for COVID-19. Lockdown measures in the suburbs of Paris, strolling along the river Marne has been forbidden "until further notice" On 11 March 2020, the government named 11 prominent scientists to a committee to advise on scientific matters pertaining to the epidemic in France. On 17 March 2020, the Direction générale de la Santé (DGS) asked Santé publique France to buy urgently 1,1 million of FFP2 masks. On 15 October 2020, France became the first country in Europe to record more than 30,000 cases in a day, with 30,621 cases reported. This increase pushed France over the 800,000 mark in terms of cases, only the third country in Europe to reach this figure. On 22 October 2020, Prime Minister of France Jean Castex extended the overnight curfew to 38 more departments as cases surged, affecting 46 million people (67% population). On 23 October 2020, France's confirmed cases of COVID-19 passed 1 million. The total number of confirmed cases was 1,048,075, with an increase of 42,032, the highest daily rise in a 24-hour period. On 25 October 2020, daily cases topped 50,000 for the first time, with a total of 52,013 new cases reported. On 28 October 2020, Macron announced on a televised address that France would enter a second nationwide lockdown from 30 October 2020 that would last until at least 1 December 2020. Non-essential businesses such as pubs and restaurants would close but schools and factories would remain open. November 2020 On 5 November 2020, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced further restrictions in Paris after some citizens were caught disobeying existing rules. These included requiring food shops to close at 10:00 pm to prevent people from gathering there. On 12 November 2020, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a press conference that any loosening of restrictions at the start of December would be "strictly limited", meaning businesses like restaurants, bars and sports halls would remain closed. He also stated that 1 in 4 deaths in France were at that time due to COVID-19. December 2020 On 17 December 2020, Macron tested positive for COVID-19. On 27 December 2020, a 78-year-old woman became the first person in France to get vaccinated against COVID-19. She received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the René-Muret Hospital in Sevran, Seine-Saint-Denis. 2021 On 31 March 2021, in a televised address to the nation, President Macron announced a third national lockdown to begin on 3 April 2021, and to last for at least a month. Macron warned that the country would "lose control if we do not move now". Principal measures announced included the closure of non-essential shops during the national lockdown and the suspension of attendance at schools for three weeks. On 29 April, President Macron announced dates for the easing of restrictions from the third national lockdown: • 19 May: Curfew moves from 19:00 to 21:00. Shops, museums, cinemas, terraces, outdoor sports venues can reopen. Gatherings of more than ten people are prohibited. • 9 June: Curfew extended to 23:00. Cafes and restaurants can reopen inside with tables of up to six people. • 30 June: Curfew comes to an end. On 2 December, the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant in France have been reported. 2022 On 5 January, President Macron said he, "really wants to piss off the non-vaccinated". On 13 January, the French Senate approves President Macron's new set of measures that include a vaccine pass to enter public facilitates. Timeline of measures ; National restrictions (within metropolitan France) relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic • Plot size definitions ImageSize = width:750 height:150 PlotArea = width:700 height:130 left:50 bottom:20 DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2020 till:31/08/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:years increment:1 start:01/01/2020 ScaleMinor = unit:months increment:1 start:01/01/2020 Colors = id:EUS value:rgb(0.72,0.33,0.82) # sanitary state of emergency MediumOrchid id:SEUS value:rgb(0.86,0.63,0.86) # state of emergency lifting plum id:conf value:rgb(0,0,1) # lockdown blue id:cfeu value:rgb(0.48,0.40,0.93) # curfew MediumSlateBlue id:cent value:rgb(0.67,0.84,0.90) # 100 km travel restrictions LightBlue id:ecol value:rgb(0.33,0.41,0.18) # school closures DarkOliveGreen id:restau value:rgb(1,0.64,0) # restaurant closures Orange id:hpas value:rgb(1,0,0) # health pass Red • Definition of plot data PlotData= bar:1 width:25 fontsize:M from:16/03/2020 till:10/05/2020 color:ecol from:05/04/2021 till:25/04/2021 color:ecol bar:2 width:25 fontsize:M from:15/03/2020 till:01/06/2020 color:restau from:30/10/2020 till:18/05/2021 color:restau bar:3 width:25 fontsize:M from:17/03/2020 till:11/05/2020 color:conf from:12/05/2020 till:01/06/2020 color:cent from:30/10/2020 till:14/12/2020 color:conf from:15/12/2020 till:02/04/2021 color:cfeu from:03/04/2021 till:02/05/2021 color:conf from:03/05/2021 till:20/06/2021 color:cfeu bar:4 width:25 fontsize:M from:24/03/2020 till:10/07/2020 color:EUS from:11/07/2020 till:16/10/2020 color:SEUS from:17/10/2020 till:31/05/2021 color:EUS from:01/06/2021 till:31/07/2022 color:SEUS bar:5 width:25 fontsize:M from:09/06/2021 till:13/03/2022 color:hpas ;Legend •      School closures •      Closure of restaurants and museums • Travel restrictions:      full stay-at-home order,      part-time curfew,      beyond 100 km • Legal regime :      sanitary state of emergency,      lifting of state of emergency •      Health pass restrictions ==Vaccination==

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes On 25 February 2020, a man from La Balme-de-Sillingy, who had returned from Italy, was declared infected and hospitalised in Annecy. He had been asymptomatic the previous evening, and so was the trigger for a cluster in Haute-Savoie. Normandy On 27 February 2020, a doctor from the Rouen University Hospital was declared a positive carrier of COVID-19 and was confined to his home, after a professional journey to Munich. Guadeloupe By 26 March 2020, there had been 84 positive cases and 1 death in Guadeloupe. By 15 March 2020, the first virus-related death had occurred and there were 15 infected patients in Martinique. Mayotte The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Mayotte on 10 March 2020. On 31 March 2020, the first person died of COVID-19. Réunion The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Réunion on 11 March 2020. Overseas and sui generis collectivities French Polynesia Maina Sage, a French politician representing French Polynesia at the French national assembly, was diagnosed with the first case of COVID-19 in French Polynesia on 11 March 2020. New Caledonia As of 19 March, there have been two cases in New Caledonia. Saint Barthélemy A resident of the French island of Saint Barthélemy was diagnosed with COVID-19 on 1 March 2020. His parents on the neighbouring island of Saint Martin also tested positive. Saint Martin A couple from the French part of Saint Martin island was diagnosed with COVID-19 on 1 March 2020. Their son, who lives on the neighbouring island of Saint Barthélemy, also tested positive. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna The first case in Wallis and Futuna was reported on 16 October 2020. Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier The Ministry of Armed Forces reported infections on board one of its ships on 8 April 2020. After about 40 crew members aboard the aircraft carrier showed symptoms, the ship cut short its mission and returned to its home port of Toulon on 12 April 2020, 11 days earlier than planned. The ministry initially announced that out of 66 personnel tested, 50 were positive. Three sailors were evacuated by air to . On 18 April 2020, the final count of infected crew members was announced as 1,046 with nearly 50 percent diagnosed as asymptomatic. The carrier arrived in Toulon on the afternoon of 12 April 2020, when a 14-day quarantine for the crew began. The source of the infection remains unknown, as the last port of call had been Brest from 13 to 15 March. There was criticism in France the carrier mission was not interrupted after the first cases were detected, and rumours that the carrier had asked permission to interrupt its mission in mid March during its stopover in Brest, which had been refused. Florence Parly, the French Minister of Armed Forces, said that these rumours were false when questioned by French deputies. ==Effects on civilian life==

Closures On 28 February 2020, the fashion designer agnès b. cancelled fashion shows in Paris Fashion Week, which had been scheduled to run until 3 March. On 13 March 2020, the Ligue de Football Professionnel suspended Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 (the top two divisions of football in France) indefinitely due to health risks. On 28 September 2020, according to an Amnesty International report French authorities wrongly punished thousands of peaceful protesters under draconian laws in pre and post COVID-19 crackdowns. Many people were arbitrarily fined, arrested, and detained for peaceful protests. Unemployment President Macron announced on 12 March 2020 that companies could postpone the payment of social security contributions and taxes due in March without justification, formalities, or penalties. An "exceptional and massive" mechanism of state-funded furloughing (partial lay-offs) was envisaged. Employees were encouraged to remote work where possible. During the second half of March, 4 million French workers applied for temporary unemployment benefits. According to the French statistical agency INSEE, 3% of the French labor force frequently teleworks. 2% of French workers travel fewer than 5 kilometers from their home to work, and 8% must travel more than 50 km. Riots in the Paris region From 18 April 2020, suburbs near Paris saw several nights of violent clashes over police treatment of ethnic minorities in the banlieues during the coronavirus lockdown. Fatal bus attack On 5 July 2020, a 59-year-old male bus driver in Bayonne was left brain dead after being attacked by passengers who refused to pay for tickets and to wear face masks on his bus. Five people were arrested; two men were charged with attempted murder, two others with non-assistance to a person in danger and a fifth with attempting to hide a suspect. The driver died on 10 July, five days after the attack. == Shortage of masks controversy ==

s certified by AFNOR. The white mask is made of polypropylene and the black one is made of cotton. Strategic stocks of masks in 2009 under Roselyne Bachelot, minister of health from May 2007 to November 2010, amounted to 1 billion surgical masks and 600 million FFP2 masks. On 8 May 2020, the government announced that 200 million masks per week would be available starting on 11 May: 100 million for medical workers and 100 million for the general public. == Hydroxychloroquine controversy ==

On 17 March 2020, Didier Raoult of the Mediterranean infectious and tropical disease institute in Marseille and member of the scientific council advising the government announced in a YouTube video entitled "Coronavirus: endgame!" that a trial by his team involving 24 patients supported the claim that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin were effective in treating COVID-19. The design of the study as well as its conclusions are controversial and generally viewed as flawed and inconclusive. ==Chinese Embassy article==

In mid-April 2020, the Chinese embassy published an online article entitled "Restoring distorted facts – Observations of a Chinese diplomat posted to Paris", which criticised western countries' slow response and accused workers at nursing homes in France of "abandoning their posts overnight ... and leaving their residents to die of hunger and disease". French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian summoned the Chinese ambassador, and said that the remarks were not in line with the "quality of the bilateral relationship" between France and China. ==Cooperation with neighbouring states==

On 29 February 2020, Monaco announced the first COVID-19 case, a man who was admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital Centre, then transferred to Nice University Hospital in France. Also on 29 February 2020, three French nationals and one Italian resident of Ain were being hospitalised in Lausanne or other places in Switzerland. On 22 March 2020, Switzerland announced that three hospitals near the Alsace region had agreed to take in any French-based patients after Alsace officials made a request for assistance. Patients from Grand Est were also taken into hospitals in Baden-Württemberg, :Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Hesse in Germany. Up to 1 April 2020 over 100 COVID-19 patients from Alsace had been transferred for treatment to Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. == Statistics ==

(Source: official daily statistics from Minister of Health) Graphs Cumulative number of cases New cases per day "> > Cumulative number of deaths Deaths per day "> > Deaths in hospitals per day Deaths from retirement homes (EHPAD) and assisted living facilities March to June 2020. "> > --> Number of cases in ICU --> --> Death excess by place of death Location statistics Death excess by town density Death by administrative region In addition to the Petite Couronne, cases have been detected in the following departments: Gironde, Haute-Savoie, Bas-Rhin, Val-d'Oise, Hérault, Finistère, Lyon Metropolis, Côte-d'Or, Alpes-Maritimes, Seine-Maritime, Loire-Atlantique, Ain, Landes, Charente-Maritime, Mayenne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, Haut-Rhin, Eure, Sarthe, Gard, Drôme, Saône-et-Loire, all the departments of the region Hauts-de-France, except the Nord, and in the overseas territories of Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin. Simulation statistics Simulation studies helped convince the government that taking no action would result in large numbers of civilian casualties. In such a case between 30,000 and 100,000 more ICU beds would be required in the hospitals. In France there are 5,000 beds and 7,364 ICU beds. These simulations were provided by Neil Ferguson, epidemiologist at the Imperial College London. ==See also==