How did we find out the truth?: A keyword search for ‘coronavirus cases France’ gave us no relevant or credible reports or announcements from official sources.
Similarly, a search for ‘France lockdown’ also yielded no relevant results, showing that there are no credible sources which corroborate the viral claim.
France, however, is monitoring with 11 people affected by hantavirus, one of whom was aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship where the outbreak originated, the New York Times reported.
Another British cruise ship in France’s Bordeaux, where the vessel with 1,700 people on board, was placed on lockdown over norovirus cases, Times of India said, and not coronavirus, as claimed.
French officials clarify: Responding to one of the viral claims about the lockdown, the French embassy in India shared a post showing people gathering in public in Paris.
French officials told The Quint about the misinformation surrounding this alleged lockdown, stating that “no lockdown in place in France, neither due to Hantavirus nor due to Covid-19 nor due to any other situation.”
Regarding the hantavirus outbreak, the French Ministry of Health said they were monitoring those exposed to the virus. “If symptoms appear in a monitored individual, they will be immediately reclassified as a suspected case and placed in the secure “Epidemic and Biological Risks” (REB) pathway,” French diplomatic sources told us.
Conclusion: Claims about a lockdown due to a 24-hour spike in COVID-19 cases in France are false.