The number of new positive cases of Covid-19 in France reported by health authorities on Tuesday jumped to 147,248, or 54% more than a week ago. SNCF, like the executive, on Wednesday recommended wearing a mask in transport.
France is affected like other European countries by a seventh wave of Covid-19. And contaminations are climbing week by week: the number of new positive cases jumped to 147,248, or 54% more than a week ago, health authorities reported on Tuesday June 28.
This is the highest level of contamination diagnosed since the end of April. Seven days ago, Public Health France reported some 95,000 positive cases. And 35,000 daily cases for Tuesday, May 31, a month ago.
A total of 15,496 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized on Tuesday, compared to 14,333 a week earlier. Among them, 898 were treated in intensive care units, against 841 a week ago.
Europe is currently experiencing a seventh wave of Covid-19, which is largely explained by the immune escape of new variants, i.e. a strong capacity to resist protections induced by vaccination and previous ones. infections.
“Appeal to people’s civic sense”
Faced with this epidemic rebound, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou called on travelers on Wednesday to wear the mask again in stations and trains even if it is not compulsory.
“We are completely in line with a strong recommendation, both for our staff and for travelers, to wear the mask”, he declared on France Inter. “We can clearly see that there is a rebound in the epidemic. Wearing a mask in stations, wearing a mask on trains, I think that’s the best way to protect yourself.”
“We must protect our staff, we must protect our travelers,” said the CEO. “There is no obligation”, admitted Jean-Pierre Farandou. “We appeal to people’s civic sense.”
The mask is no longer compulsory in public transport since May 16.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne asked prefects and health authorities on Tuesday to encourage the wearing of masks “in crowded places” and “enclosed spaces”, in particular “public transport”.
These “recommendations”, without “mandatory nature”, come as the incidence rate of the Covid-19 epidemic “has doubled in one week on almost all of the metropolitan territory and in all classes of age of the population”, according to Matignon.