"We are preparing to face that without sacrificing other patients, such as road accident victims or patients requiring emergency surgery," he said.

Meanwhile he admitted that "the situation will be complicated". "The hospital is already in a situation of permanent tension. We cannot count on the professional conscience and the abnegation of our teams forever."

Speaking to France 3 television, Eric Caumes, infectious disease specialist at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris, said "we must draw inspiration from what is done in Italy."

"Containment when it is seriously respected, probably in the same way that China has done, will be certainly effective. We saw that it has broken the epidemic curve (in China), " he added.

Macron, stepping out of the teleconference with European leaders on Tuesday evening, cautiously remarked that draconian steps, when justified, will not be excluded.

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