France's Macron to address Covid-19 second wave in live TV appearance

President Emmanuel Macron is to address the Covid-19 situation in France during a live appearance on French national television on Wednesday, amid heightened concerns over the worsening second wave. 

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the Covid-19 situation in France during a TV interview on Wednesday 14 October 2020. © AFP

TV channels TF1 and France 2 said the interview “will focus in particular on the health and economic situation of the country, while France is facing an upsurge in the epidemic.”

Macron’s TV appearance will come on a day when the government could announce a series of new measures in the face of the increase in Covid-19 cases and a rise the number of patients in intensive care.

Last weekend, four French cities -- Lille, Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne -- were placed on maximum alert following Paris and other metropoles where bars have been closed and restaurants are obliged to take additional safety measures in order to contain the outbreak.

There are also limits on public gatherings.

#COVID19 | Dans les métropoles de Lille, Grenoble, Lyon et Saint-Étienne, les seuils conduisant au passage en zone d’alerte maximale ont été dépassés.
Les mesures de réduction de la circulation du virus correspondant aux zones d’alerte maximale seront déclenchées samedi matin. pic.twitter.com/3DRSam4ExB

— Olivier Véran (@olivierveran) October 8, 2020

• French warned to 'stop being slack' as more cities declared virus hotspots
• Covid-19 cases rise across France with over 1,400 in intensive care

According to the health minister Olivier Véran, the latest data showed that 116 people per 100,000 have been infected by the coronavirus in France, and every 10 infected people infect 11 or 12 in turn.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex warned on Monday that the country is “in a strong second wave” of the epidemic and “there can no longer be any relaxation”.

Speaking on French TV last week, Macron said the virus had been spreading faster in recent weeks.

“In places where it is spreading too fast, especially where it is spreading among the elderly who are most at risk, and where there are more and more intensive care beds being occupied, we must proceed to more restrictions,” he said on French TV.