Macron Seeks Answers as French Virus Cases Continue to Climb

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his government Friday to discuss how to curb a surge in coronavirus infections without endangering a tentative economic recovery.

France recorded close to 10,000 new cases Thursday, the most since the lockdown ended in May, and the seven-day rolling average has been steadily climbing for more than three weeks. Macron said that his government has important decisions to make to contain the disease, which is circulating actively in major cities including Marseille and Lyon.

“We have to continue to be rigorous, realistic, without giving in to any kind of panic,” Macron said on a visit to Corsica. The government is due to hold a briefing on the outcome of the meeting around midday in Paris.

The uptick in cases in France, as well as in neighbors like Spain and Germany, has led to Europe surpassing the U.S. in daily Covid-19 infections and made it a global hot spot again after the pandemic was largely brought under control.

Germany on Friday recorded 1,716 new infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That was close to Tuesday’s gain of almost 1,900, the most since mid-April. In Spain, which has the most cases in the European Union, new cases slowed to 4,137 on Thursday, while Italy’s pace increased slightly, with almost 1,600.

Many of the new infections have been linked to vacationers bringing the virus home, as well as young people socializing without respecting distancing and hygiene rules. While the death rate remains relatively low, the upturn in cases has alarmed policy makers just as students return to school and companies try to bring back employees who have been working from home.

Europe’s recovery after activity was hammered in the second quarter could falter if officials fail to get the spread under control. For the time being, governments are resisting nationwide restrictions on movement, opting instead for piecemeal measures targeted toward local outbreaks.

French economic activity recovered to around 95% of pre-crisis levels in August, but progress will effectively stall now after the initial rebound, national statistics agency Insee said this week.

Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council advising Macron’s government, said Friday that people need to “regain control” of their behavior again after perhaps not adhering to virus rules as strictly as necessary over the summer.

“We all needed to breathe during the summer, to live again completely,” he said on Europe 1 radio. “The stakes are medical, health-related, but they are also social.”

Health Minister Olivier Veran has warned of rising hospitalizations and intensive-care admissions as infections climb. The bulk of the recent increase in cases has been among people between 15 and 44 years old, while the virus has spread more slowly among people 65 years and over, who are more inclined to abide by the rules.

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