October 29, 2020
Agency Reporter
GERMANY and France braced for new lockdowns yesterday, as governments sought to stop the fast-rising tide of coronavirus cases that are beginning to fill European hospitals.
French markets opened lower on expectations that President Emmanuel Macron will announce tough measures during a televised evening address to the nation.
Doctors in France are calling on the government to impose a new nationwide lockdown, noting that more than half of the country’s intensive care units are now occupied by COVID-19 patients and medical staff are under increasing strains.
Most parts of France were coloured deep red on a map representing COVID-cases from the European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control, signifying more than 240 cases per 100,000 people in the past two weeks.