Covid-19: France bans dancing in bars and restaurants for four weeks, pharmacies allowed to open on Sundays

When several regions have reactivated the “white plan” in all their hospitals under the growing pressure of the fifth wave of Covid-19, France on Wednesday recorded a record number of contaminations recorded in twenty-four hours (72,000), announced the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, Thursday December 9. “We had not known this since the start of the pandemic”, he stressed. The previous record, around 70,000, dated from the beginning of November 2020. According to the minister, the peak of contamination of this wave could be reached “By the end of the month” if the French apply a “Strict compliance with barrier gestures” and limit gatherings. “We are seeing a slowdown in epidemic growth: we were at + 60% cases in one week, then + 40%, now it’s between + 25 and + 30%”, he said, calling on the French to “Multiply daily efforts”.

“We do not need to impose restrictions, since the French know how to protect themselves from the virus: it is the aperitif with friends that we will cancel even if it is the end of the year period, this are the company aperitifs, those moments of conviviality, moments of relaxation, where we take off the mask too easily because we feel safe. “.

• Ban on dancing in bars and nightclubs until January 6

It will be forbidden to dance in bars and restaurants in France from Friday morning, 6 a.m., until January 6 inclusive, a period during which nightclubs will also have to close their doors as part of the new anti-Covid measures decided by the French government. government, according to a decree released Wednesday.

A study published in November in the medical journal The Lancet, the ComCor study by the Institut Pasteur carried out from May 23 to August 13, concluded that nightclubs were “Places at high risk of transmission”, because they are closed places with poor ventilation, where the coronavirus can remain more easily suspended in the air. The nightclubs reopened in France on July 9, with the requirement of a health pass, after sixteen months of closure. The owners of nightclubs have been compensated, and will be compensated again to compensate for the losses of the coming weeks, but they complain that other party places will be able to remain open.

Prime Minister Jean Castex noted that wearing a mask, which had become compulsory at the end of November in all closed places in France even when the health pass is required, was “Extremely difficult [à faire respecter] in these establishments “.

• Pharmacists authorized to open on Sundays to vaccinate

Pharmacists “Who wish” will now be able to open every Sunday during the months of December and January to vaccinate against the Covid-19, announced Thursday the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. “France is one of the countries in the world which vaccinates the most in daily booster vaccination, yesterday more than 650,000 French people received a booster injection”, he said on France 2, adding that it is necessary “Go faster, stronger. It’s urgent “.

“We are increasing the number of centers that can vaccinate: the liberals, pharmacists, doctors, physiotherapists, midwives, nurses who can vaccinate in town receive this week more than 4 million doses of messenger RNA vaccines”, he said. “To simplify and amplify this recall campaign”, Mr. Véran announced that he had signed a ” stopped “ who “Will authorize and encourage pharmacists who can and wish to open from now on every Sunday without limitation [durant] the months of December and January “.