PARIS, April 28./TASS/. The French authorities see as serious the risk of a second wave of coronavirus in the country, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) on Tuesday.
"The risk of the emergence of a second wave is seen as serious," he told parliamentarians, presenting a plan for easing the lockdown imposed in the country amid the pandemic. "It is necessary to cautiously but determinedly get the country out of the self-isolation mode," the prime minister stressed.
According to Edouard Philippe, the measures the government took to restrict the movement of people have proved efficient. "It has become an efficient instrument in the battle against the virus. The number of coronavirus cases has been declining since April 14. The decline is slow but steady," he stressed.
On March 17, France imposed the lockdown, the aim of which is to maximally restrict movement. Cafes, restaurants, hotels as well as shops, that don’t sell essentials, are closed. It is expected that after May 11, the authorities will begin to gradually ease restrictions, but will make wearing facemasks compulsory on transport and at schools. Social distancing will also be maintained.
According to updated reports, the overall number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in France has amounted to 128,339 since the epidemic hit the country. Over 23,000 people have died.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 3,000,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 211,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 923,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.