A plane taking off from Rio in 2021. – MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP
Paris has decided to suspend “until further notice” all flights between Brazil and France because of concerns around the Brazilian variant of Covid-19, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Tuesday.
“We note that the situation is worsening and we have therefore decided to suspend all flights between Brazil and France until further notice”, explained the head of government during the questioning session to the government in the Assembly. national.
A more contagious and deadly variant
The health situation has continued to worsen in Brazil since February due to the emergence of a local variant of the virus, called P1, considered to be more contagious and more deadly, but still very much in the minority in France.
The Brazilian variant is of concern to doctors and scientists, especially because of its greater resistance to existing vaccines against Covid-19. Specialists speak of “immune escape”: “Clearly, while we know that vaccination works very of course the English mutant, we see a loss of protection with the Brazilian and South African variants”, explains in The Parisian virologist Bruno Lina, member of the scientific council. Many opposition officials, especially on the right, on Tuesday called for the suspension of flights with Brazil or a stricter quarantine.