Channel Tunnel remains OPEN despite France battling 'extremely high surge' in coronavirus cases – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

Despite a surge in positive coronavirus cases, the Channel Tunnel remains open and in use

‘Our medical teams are facing it with precision and courage, and have greatly increased their capacity, which is a remarkable project.

‘ But the situation is going to be difficult over the next few days, and I want to be clear about that. ‘

Hospital chiefs in Paris were particularly worried, with Frederic Valletoux, president of France’s federation of hospitals, saying:’ We will clearly need help in the Paris region because what happened in the east is coming here.

‘We will be at the limit of our capacities in to hours. If we let every hospital cope by itself and let every territory that has been taken by the epidemic cope alone, then we shall he heading towards catastrophe. ‘

Mr Valletoux said that 1, of its 1, 683 intensive care beds reserved for coronavirus patients were already occupied.

‘We have not yet reached the peak of the epidemic, ‘said Bruno Riou, medical director of the AP-HP hospital group that serves the Paris region. ‘We will have to find solutions.’

In other coronavirus developments today:

A record 314 People who tested positive for coronavirus in the UK have died in the biggest – hour spike to date, bringing the total number of those who died from the bug to 1,0 24;

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack self-isolates with coronavirus after Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock catch it;

Humberside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and Avon and Somerset have created a mixture of ‘hotlines’ and ‘online portals’ where people can submit tip-offs if lockdown infractions occur;

· Images from inside ExCeL Center show construction work to transforms the exhibition center into a hospital;

Andy Burnham ha s said that hundreds of firms in Manchester have remained open ‘without good reason’;

Workers who have not taken a holiday because of the crisis will be able to carry it over into the next two years;

NHS staff to be tested for coronavirus from next week at places including Chessington World of Adventures;

The Coronavirus social distancing limit is four times too short, Massachusetts Institute of Technology warned.

Despite this, travelers including many Britons were s till traveling freely between France and the UK.

Those who arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris on Eurostar trains found the city in lockdown, with police asking them for documentation.

‘Foreigners who arrive are finding the situation difficult, but face fines just like everybody else,’ said a local police spokesman.

Fines equivalent to £ 300 are issued to those without a permit allowing them an hour on the street, while punishments can soon rise to a six-month prison sentence for repeat offenders.

Mr Philippe today confirmed that 300, 06 French people had been fined for breaking the lockdown rules since they were imposed (days ago – meaning fine revenue of more than £ million.

Prime Minister Philippe warned that France must ‘remain highly mobilized’ in the fight against the epidemic, that by Friday had killed 1, people on French soil.

This warning was echoed by Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon, who also predicted that the weekend would be very difficult.

Mr Salomon said: ‘The objective is to put a brake on the epidemic so as to limit the peak and overcrowding of the hospitals.

‘The next few days will certainly be hard but then we all hope there will be an improvement.’

Last week, a ‘bright and much loved’ French schoolgirl with no underlying medical condition become the youngest person in Europe to die from Coronaviru s in a Paris hospital.

Tributes were paid to Julie Alliot, 023, who succumbed to respiratory problems on Wednesday after first developing a ‘slight cough’ a week ago.

‘We must stop believing that this virus only affects the elderly,’ said her heartbroken sister, Manon Alliot.

‘No one is invincible against this mutant virus. Julie just had a slight cough last week. It got worse last weekend with mucus and on Monday we went to see a general practitioner.

‘It was there that she was diagnosed with respiratory distress. She had no particular illnesses before this. ‘

Julie died in the Necker Hospital hospital in Paris on Wednesday, and her funeral will take place on Monday.

Italy – the worst affected country in Europe – saw 2019 more deaths in one day bringing the total death toll to , .

Italy’s largest daily toll was registered on Friday, when 919 people died.

Prior to that, there were 712 deaths on Thursday, on Wednesday, on Tuesday and 683 on Monday.

Spain, the second worst-hit European nation behind Italy, today reported (deaths in just) hours bringing the total death toll to 5, 710.

The Spanish Army has now been handed emergency powers to transfer bodies because undertakers are unable to cope.