A long-serving doctor of French football club French Ligue 1 club Reims committed suicide after being diagnosed with coronavirus, sources confirmed. A statement released by the club read, “Devastated, Reims cries for Bernard Gonzalez. Not just the club but also hundreds of men and women in Reims."
Reims Mayor Arnoud Robinet was quoted in an AFP report as saying, “I am shocked by his death because he was someone I had known for many years." Robinet added that he was also the GP of many people in Reims, who was known for his human and professional qualities. Reims club president Jean-Pierre Caillot said he was "stunned" by the news.
France has lost more than 8,000 lives due to COVID-19. France’s death toll has now crossed that of China’s. The death rate in the country, however, seems to have slowed down—357 people have died of COVID-19 on Sunday, as compared to 441 deaths on the previous day.
As of Monday, 28,891 people are hospitalised, of which 6,978 need life support in intensive care units (ICU). Though optimistic, health officials and local authorities have cautioned that instructions about social distancing should still be followed.
The Paris police said, “Even if the weather is nice, don't forget that to limit the spread of COVID-19, containment measures are still in place.” Jean Rottner, head of the Grand Est region, in an IANS report was quoted as saying, “We are still in a period of confinement,” after footage of people jogging along the Seine River emerged.
Patrick Pelloux, president of the Association of hospital emergency doctors said, “Better days will come, we just need more little patience... It's difficult, but we absolutely have to stay confined.”
