France to restore state of health emergency, which could allow stricter future measures to contain virus spread

PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel President Macron’s office says France will restore a state of health emergency that expired three months ago.

Macron is addressing the nation on television Wednesday night and could announce more measures. The move is expected to start Saturday and will allow the government to enforce stricter measures in the future, either locally or nationally.

France initially declared a state of health emergency in March, paving the way for the government to require citizens to stay home in lockdown.

Patients with Covid-19 occupy a third of intensive care units nationwide. France reported about 180 positive cases per 100,000 people during the last week and higher concentrations in some cities.

France has 798,000 confirmed cases and nearly 33,000 deaths.