© Reuters / Christian HartmannFILE PHOTO. View of the main entrance of Creil's hospital, where people tested positive for coronavirus have been treated.
Defense Minister Florence Parly confirmed on Friday that a number of coronavirus cases have been registered at the military facility, located to the north of the French capital. While Parly did not provide the exact tally, earlier reports by local media suggested that at least four people, including a civilian employee, had contracted the virus.
An "epidemiological investigation" into the outbreak is now underway, Parly said, while all mass activities, as well as trips to and from the facility, have been suspended. Precautionary measures are also being undertaken at other military installations.
If not contained promptly, the outbreak could spell serious trouble for the French military, as the airbase houses much more than low-ranking grunts. A number of units with the Directorate of Military Intelligence, as well as other special military units are stationed at the facility.
While there's no official word on the source of the outbreak so far, the Creil air base was used to launch emergency evacuation flights for French nationals stranded in the epidemic's ground zero, the Chinese city of Wuhan. All of the infected evacuees reportedly remained at the base, while the crews who participated in the flights were placed under quarantine.
In a bid to prevent further spread of the deadly illness, French Health Minister Olivier Veran urged the public to abide by official safety guidelines and avoid close contacts with other people altogether.
"The virus is now circulating on our territory ... I recommend that, for now, people do not shake hands."
While the scale of the outbreak in France remains comparatively minor, the recent surge in cases has fueled concerns. France's neighbor, Italy, has been the hardest-hit among European nations, with at least 21 dead and 888 cases registered nationwide.
No gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces will be allowed in France due to fears of the coronavirus epidemic, Paris has announced, as neighboring nations have canceled mass events, bracing for an outbreak.
The French authorities announced the restrictions as the number of confirmed cases in the country climbed to 73. Fifty-nine people remain in the hospital after testing positive for the infection, Health Minister Olivier Veran said at a press conference on Saturday. Twelve people have successfully recovered while two died from the disease: a 60-year-old French teacher and an 80-year-old Chinese tourist.
The ban on mass gatherings will remain in place until further notice. Among the scheduled events affected by it are a half-marathon run in Paris and an agriculture show, both of which were supposed to take place on Sunday.
On Friday, the French authorities declared the coronavirus a stage-2 outbreak on a 3-stage scale.
Other nations in Europe are taking their own precautions against the spread of the virus. Germany's ITB Tourism Fair was canceled on Friday. The event was scheduled for next week and was projected to attract 10,000 visitors.
The event was called off by the organizers on the advice of the German government and after local health officials instructed them to impose strict checks on attendees. They would have been required to prove they hadn't visited places with high risk of infection in recent weeks, which Messe Berlin, the organizer of the fair, found too difficult to guarantee.
Switzerland imposed its own ban on events likely to attract more than 1,000 people on Friday for the same reason as France. This means the country will not be able to host a car show in Geneva, a 10-day international event that was supposed to start next week. The Swiss authorities said the prohibition will remain in place at least until mid-March.
Whether or not there actually are any people sick with it at that secret base, the people will never know.