Covid-19: Level-4 fake news

France activated its level-3 Covid-19 alert on Saturday March 14. Not unpredictably it sparked a spate of fake news on social media much of which concerned an imminent possible level-4 with all cities in France going into complete ‘quarantine.’

This is false. A Level-4 alert does exist but contrary to what many internet users suggest, the final stage (Level-4) of the prevention plan does not mean an aggravation of the epidemic or a quarantine, it signals the start of a return to normal life.

As news source FranceInfo explains stage 4 is going to happen when France goes "below the epidemic threshold determined by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS)" and leads to the lifting of certain prohibitions.

The consequences of the epidemic wave will be assessed, while specifying that the transition to the last stage does not guarantee the end of the pandemic. The authorities will then prepare for a possible new wave in the weeks, months, or even years to come, while continuing vaccination, if a vaccine is found as expected.