France COVID-19 response under criminal investigation News
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France COVID-19 response under criminal investigation

The Paris prosecutor’s office on Tuesday announced plans to advance the criminal investigation against the public officials responsible for France’s response to COVID-19. Initiated in June, the inquiry now seeks to identify and prove the nature of the offenses committed.

The decisions made by these public officials are now being scrutinized for their effect on healthcare workers, public servants and citizens who were infected with COVID-19. Specifically, the department is seeking to determine if the response caused involuntary homicide and injury and endangered lives, or if it constituted a “willful refusal to fight a disaster.” This comes from complaints about inadequate protection from the virus at work and insufficient supplies of masks and tests.

France is currently fighting its second wave of the pandemic with more than 86,000 infections on Saturday alone.

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