Paris may soon make a lockout again, as new coronavirus variants could fill intensive care units across the city.
The Associated Press reports that French officials are considering another closure because special medical planes have moved patients from Paris to less saturated regions.
“If we have to lock up, we will do it,” Jérôme Salomon, director of the French public health agency, said on Sunday. “The situation is complicated, tense and deteriorating in the Paris region.”
The AP notes that the French government has been relying on evening clocks for the past few months to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but Salomon said a nationwide 6-hour evening clock “is not enough”.
According to Salomon, there are currently more ICU patients in France – about 6,300 – than the number of ICU beds the country had before the pandemic.
The European Union, which includes France, has approved four vaccines for use in its member states, including those of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Frances has confirmed nearly 4 million cases of coronavirus and nearly 90,000 deaths, which is one of the highest in the world.
In February, the French government announced stricter coronavirus checks at its border with Germany as part of further efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19.