Local lockdowns in France are possible, warned Jean-François Delfraissy, president of France's Scientific Council, on Friday.
The people of France need to be prepared to live with the virus until next summer, he added.
“It takes everything to avoid” local lockdowns, Delfraissy told BFM TV, adding that “if at certain times it is necessary, it will have to be done.”
"If at certain times it is necessary to take a decision on something that is still intermediate, curfews for example, it will have to be done", he continued.
Lille, Grenoble and Lyon will be the latest French cities to be placed on maximum alert from Saturday, after the same happened for Paris earlier this week.
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Delfraissy explained that the government’s strategy is comparable to a pressure cooker, in that "we let it blow a little, we let the steam out, then we close it for 15 days or three weeks, we take restrictive measures.”
“These are transitional measures that allow the virus not to circulate too much, then we reopen and we'll close again in another town,” he said.
In addition, the country is underlining the importance of distancing measures and the older population’s need to protect themselves.
Belgium recently added more regions in France to its list of red travel zones, meaning a Covid-19 test and quarantine are mandatory upon return. None of mainland France is currently listed as a green travel zone.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
