President Emmanuel Macron faces mounting pressure to impose another national lockdown this week with Covid-19 cases threatening to overwhelm the French hospital system, reports Bloomberg.
Doctors and researchers are raising the alarm as new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus are circulating in France and the prime minister hinted on Monday that tougher measures might be needed to try and stop it.
“There are decisions to be made this week,” prime minister Jean Castex said during a visit to the Paris region health agency. “All these new indicators are worrisome.”
With a presidential race just 15 months away, Macron has to navigate vocal opposition and staunch criticism of his handling of the crisis, including a slow start to the vaccination campaign.
Any decision could strengthen far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who looks set to be his chief rival in the elections.
Earlier on Monday, she compared the government’s strategy with the body of a dead dog drifting in water currents without purpose.