Shocking News About France

[albaqwerty]

I've been wondering why not a lot/nothing has been heard on the BBC about how France is coping with Covid.
Dreadfully sad.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/we-just-cannot-believe-it-france-reels-as-coronavirus-deaths-pass-10-000/ar-BB12hRjC?ocid=msedgntp

[jno]

considering their population is about the same as Britain's, that's a very high toll. But apparently the deaths here today, about 850, were not far short of the worst day in Italy. Maybe that means they're peaking here

[fiction-factory]

Very sad, only Germany of the major European countries seems to have avoided the big hit so far.
I can just imagine some of the Covid skeptics on here though starting to prepare a reply along the lines of- but how many normally die of flu, etc

[emmie]

probably because Italy and Spain were hit so hard,
its all so sad and scary

[naomi24]

With strict lockdown measures in place I presume the spread can only be because people aren't complying. What other reason can there be?

[emmie]

that many weren't being tested, that Germany has been doing that to a large degree.

[emmie]

other than that, i expect that it's many of the elderly in France, pretty much as it's been here...

[douglas9401]

"What other reason can there be?"

Maybe not all methods of transmission have been discovered yet, this being a work in progress effort.

Some are coming at things from a different angle altogether:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/bame-groups-hit-harder-by-covid-19-than-white-people-uk-study-suggests/ar-BB12ieQY?ocid=msedgntp

A racist virus?

[naomi24]

I wonder if many are ignoring the rules?

[naomi24]

Another reason: //Critics say blanket statements on isolating the elderly forget that non-white families are more likely to live as an extended unit, and may not be able to isolate away from one another.

In fact, NHS officials have said Muslim families are particularly vulnerable due to their social habits (i.e eating, praying and living together). //

https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/23/government-wants-70s-self-isolate-asians-live-families-12406886/

[diddlydo]

From what various friends in France have told me, people are respecting the draconian lockdown because it's being so heavily policed. Even tiny hamlets in the back of beyond are getting visits from the gendarmerie and last weekend road-blocks/checkpoints were set up on all major roads out of towns and cities to stop "le grand départ" for Easter. So the number of deaths is surprising and alarming.

[naomi24]

I wonder if numbers are disproportionately high among ethnic communities in France?

[fiction-factory]

Ethnicity and perhaps illegal immigration may be a factor. But isn't it more to do with the fact that France has now added in care home deaths of which there are many- and I doubt that is due to non-compliance with lockdowns

[fiction-factory]

From the article (I'm not sure how reliable it is):

There is space for 115 people in this home. Over the past month, 25 of the residents have died as the virus swept through it, passing from one person to another.....

…..The French health ministry spent weeks announcing the number of people who had died of the virus in hospital, but pointedly failed to include those who had died in care homes in its official statistics.
Now, the statistics have changed in a stark, bleak way. Thousands of deaths, at homes like Couarôge, have now been added.

[ubasses]

Watching breakfast news and they had a report that people in Paris are not going to be allowed out to exercise during the day. They didn't give any specific times, but they will have to go out evening/night to stop them mixing with workers/shoppers.

[naomi24]

//Britain’s Muslims are amongst the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic….This needs to be recognised more broadly before it is too late…..Many Muslims live in extended families, often, like my household, with three generations under one roof. This means there are a higher number of carriers who can (and often will) infect an elderly relative. An older person cannot effectively self-isolate when they are living in close quarters with their children, grand-children and perhaps even extended family.//

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-muslim-mosque-closure-prayer-nhs-a9411936.html

This would apply to Muslim families in the UK, France, or anywhere else. As the author (a Muslim himself) says, “This needs to be recognised more broadly before it’s too late”.

[Theland]

The EU seem to be shockingly uncoordinated in its response to the crisis, and nationalism is on the rise throughout Europe.

[Apc2604]

Italy, Spain and France. All countries which are very touchy feely, with kisses on both cheeks when they meet anybody they know, and yes large families of mixed age groups together on a regular basis. Difficult to give up social habits of a lifetime. It doesnt surprise me that there numbers are so high.

[TonyV]

Could not open link but if people go out in groups they are bound to be more likely to become infected. You do not have to show signs of virus but may have it.

[Togo]

There have also been numerous attacks on the Police in France, when they try to enforce the lockdown. Mainly "youths" congregating for football matches, motorcycle rodeos, parties, etc. They have in some cases encircled the police in gangs of up to 40, forcing the Police to use smoke grenades and even, it is reported, stun grenades to break free. Paris, Yvelines, Mantes-la-Jolie, Les Mureaux, Bordeaux and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, have all seen major disturbances.

[tiggerblue10]

I'm guessing that those who have lost their lives had been ill for some time. I've heard it takes anything from 10 to 20 days from when someone starts showing symptoms to death.

When did France start lockdown?