Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210327

A29
world news Diasabra 27 Maart 2021

France's Macron: No regrets for rejecting new virus lockdown

(AP) — France’s president “It’s insane. Macron, the
says he has no reason to prime minister, they always
be sorry about refusing think they are making the
to impose a third nation- right decision. As a citizen, I
al lockdown earlier this state that no, because we are
year, even though surg- finding ourselves in the exact
ing coronavirus infections same situation as a year ago,”
are straining his country's Petitpas, who started an as-
hospitals and more than sociation to allow families to
1,000 people with the virus mourn virus victims togeth-
are dying every week. er, told The Associated Press.
President Emmanuel Ma- He acknowledged the chal-
cron’s government has lenges facing those who have
stressed the importance of lost jobs and livelihoods to
keeping children in school the pandemic. But he asked,
and businesses afloat as the “What is the point of an econ-
pandemic stretches into a sec- omy if there is no one healthy
ond year. Families of French enough left to run it?”
COVID-19 victims say, how-
ever, that Macron has turned While the government is
a blind eye to their suffering. determined to avoid a new
nationwide lockdown, Ma-
“We were right not to imple- cron said that tougher mea-
ment a lockdown in France sures may be announced in
at the end of January be- the coming days. Last week,
cause we didn’t have the ex- and some other businesses. the virus come back,” Ma- the government closed non-
plosion of cases that every The measures kept France's Many medical workers have cron said. “But we consid- essential stores and imposed
model predicted,” Macron infection rate steady for a urged the French govern- ered that with the curfew travel restrictions for resi-
said late Thursday at the end while, but it's been rising ment for weeks to impose and the measures we had, we dents of Paris and several oth-
of a European Union sum- markedly again this month. stronger restrictions in re- could cope.” er regions, but some doctors
mit. “There won’t be a mea sponse to the more conta- fear that won’t be enough to
culpa from me. I don’t have France has recorded the gious virus variant first iden- Relatives of people with CO- slow the new outbreak.
remorse and won’t acknowl- fourth-highest number of tified in Britain, which now VID-19 who died took to so-
edge failure.” confirmed virus cases and is dominant form of the virus cial networks to express their “We are at 100% occupation
one of the highest pandemic in France. anger at Macron's comments. rate for nearly a month. We
For months, France has death tolls with 93,378 lives have stretched our capacities
championed a “third way” lost. Intensive care units are “A zero-virus situation “I started to listen to him, and to the maximum,” Dr. Mo-
between confinement and again at or beyond capac- doesn’t exist, and that’s true it started to irritate me and I hamed El Hadi Djerad of the
freedom, including a nation- ity in Paris and several other for every country in Europe. had to change the channel," Pierre Beregovoy de Nevers
wide curfew and closing res- regions because of a flood of We’re not an island, and even said Lionel Petitpas, whose Hospital in Burgundy told
taurants, museums, cinemas, critically ill COVID-19 pa- the islands who’d protected wife, Joelle, died last year. local broadcaster France-3.
gyms, many shopping malls tients. themselves sometimes saw “We are in a crisis situation.”
Thailand plans quarantine-free entry for vaccinated tourists

(AP) — Thailand plans to Thailand. most popular destination tel Association, more than Friday that thanks to his gov-
allow vaccinated foreign- after Bangkok. In 2019, it 50,000 employees in its hos- ernment’s financial stimu-
ers to visit the southern The government’s Center for welcomed around 10 million pitality sector lost their jobs lus package and vaccination
resort island of Phuket Economic Situation Admin- foreign tourists and gener- last year. plans, he is is optimistic that
without quarantining on istration, chaired by Prime ated 470 billion baht ($15 bil- the country can achieve 4%
arrival in a step toward Minister Prayuth Chan- lion) in revenue. Thailand’s economy was se- GDP growth this year, com-
reviving the country's big ocha, approved the Phuket verely hit by the COVID-19 pared to a 6.1% contraction
but battered tourism in- plan on Friday. It still needs According to the Phuket Ho- pandemic, but Prayuth said in 2020.
dustry. final approval from Phuket’s
governor and the Center for
Starting in April, the country COVID-19 Situation Ad-
also is shortening the quaran- ministration. Thailand last
tine period for arrivals from year repeatedly canceled vari-
abroad to 10 days from 14. ous reopening plans as the
pandemic expanded abroad.
Thailand's tourism industry
dried up when scheduled Part of the plan to institute
passenger flights into the what is being called a “tour-
country were barred in April ism sandbox” involves in-
last year to curb the spread of oculating at least 450,000, or
the coronavirus. There has 70%, of Phuket’s residents
been a limited resumption of before the July reopening.
flights since then. The inoculations are expect-
ed to begin in April.
The plan for Phuket is set to
begin on July 1, and if judged If all goes smoothly, it is
successful, may include other hoped that around 100,000
popular destinations such as tourists can be welcomed in
Samui Island, Krabi, Pattaya the third quarter of the year.
and Chiang Mai in October,
said Yuthasak Supasor, head Before the pandemic, Phuket
of the Tourism Authority of was the country’s second-