French President to address the nation at 8pm this evening on the coronavirus outbreak

French President to address the nation at 8pm this evening on the coronavirus outbreak - French President Emmanuel Macron is currently meeting with the Defense and Security council devoted to the coronavirus, ahead of his television intervention this evening at 8pm.

Emmanuel Macron is meeting with the Defense and Security Council devoted to the coronavirus, accompanied by various ministers concerned by this health crisis. According to the Élysée Palace, the Head of State wishes to refine on his speech scheduled for this Thursday evening at 8 p.m. The President of the Republic wishes to reconsolidate the scientific evidence he has ahead of his speech adding that. "The decisions taken will be based on scientific expertise”.

The speech will be broadcast on all channels and will be devoted to the health crisis of the Covid-19 coronavirus that several countries are currently going through, including France.

In France since January 24, several major outbreaks have been detected in the Oise, Haut-Rhin and Morbihan regions. Several containment measures have already been taken in these regions, such as the closure of certain schools.

Throughout France, many sporting, cultural or political events have also been postponed or canceled. Faced with this unprecedented situation, the government is trying to stop the spread of the virus, in order to avoid congestion in the hospital system, in particular by prohibiting gatherings of more than 1,000 people in confined spaces.

Some voices however, have denounced, the media and political excitement that this health crisis is causing.

One French doctor and surgeon and a familiar face on French television, as he has presented a regular medical programme for several years, Michel Cymes, has expressed his annoyance with what he described as the  “daily count of the number of cases being published by the official authorities". Adding that "This count is not dramatic but there is a problem of semantics”. He also criticised the use of word “stage 3” and “testing positive” suggesting “panic”. He finally added “I am a doctor, I am not a prophet, I do not know if tomorrow the virus will mutate, I don't know if tomorrow there will be a terrible epidemic. It’s not the flu, it’s not a cold. It’s a form of flu that is a little more pronounced than the flu but it's still a viral disease like we have every year,".

Last local news

French and Riviera News Wednesday 16 July 2025

Meteo France have placed the Var on a top-level red alert for forest fires today. Two other nearby departments, the Bouches-du-Rhone and the Vaucluse ... French and Riviera News Wednesday 16 July 2025 Read More

15/07/2025

Evening Update Tuesday 15th July 2025

The Var department will be placed under red alert for wildfires on Wednesday the 16th of July, due to a "very high" risk, worsened by strong Mistral a... Evening Update Tuesday 15th July 2025 Read More

15/07/2025

French and Riviera News Tuesday 15 July 2025

Commemorations took place yesterday in Nice to mark the anniversary of the attack in July 2016 in which 86 people lost their lives... French and Riviera News Tuesday 15 July 2025 Read More

14/07/2025

Evening Update Monday 14th July 2025

French TV host and producer Thierry Ardisson has died in Paris at the age of 76 from liver cancer, his family announced. ... Evening Update Monday 14th July 2025 Read More

14/07/2025

French and Riviera News Monday 14 July 2025

An administrative judge has suspended an order against large cruise ships in Villefranche-sur-mer and Nice. Nice Mayor and President of the Nice Cote ... French and Riviera News Monday 14 July 2025 Read More

13/07/2025