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PARIS, March 10-- With nearly 1,800 coronavirus infection cases and 33 deaths confirmed, France, the second worst affected European country, favours a proportional and progressive strategy to handle the virus crisis and hopes to avoid drastic measures as long as possible. "We are at the beginning of this epidemic. We must be very clear, lucid," said President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday morning when visiting the ambulance service in Paris, stressing that France is "organized" and urging the French not to panic. The president reiterated the necessity "to remain extremely adaptable (to the virus evolution)" and ruled out a "big change" in the country's national strategy on epidemic emergency. STILL AT STAGE 2 Since the virus reached Europe in January, the French government has taken a wide range of measures based on its "influenza pandemic national prevention and response plan," a decision-making guide adopted in 2011. The plan defines the general preparation and response framework, and the measures to be taken at various stages of a pandemic. Policymakers and health professionals are called to anticipate gradual health strategy to determine in advance how, where and when measures should be implemented. As of Tuesday, France has been in stage 2, or "pre-epidemic level" as defined by the plan, for 12 days. The authorities stopped short of raising the alert to the highest level of "stage 3," arguing that drastic measures under stage 3 such as those taken by Italy is not yet necessary for France. | 
