Health conditions are worsening during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in France, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has warned, saying "all options are on the table" when it comes to possible new restrictions.
"I see a lot of advice that is given by different people saying that this or that should have been done," said Le Maire.
"I also look at what is happening in other European countries. There are different choices that have been made, more or less strict confinements, regional or national, with results that are disappointing."
"We all know the only solution is mass vaccination," he added.
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People sit on a bank of the Rhone river in Lyon, but the government says 'all options are on the table' when it comes to possible new restrictions. /Philippe Desmazes/AFP
His comments come ahead of a crucial week for France, where the number of patients in intensive care is likely to pass the mark set in November 2020.
That high point last year came during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 infections, when 4,903 people were in urgent hospital care.
This week could also see the imposition of compulsory hotel quarantine restrictions in the UK for people traveling from France.
The measure would apply to all nationals, including British citizens and is being debated by UK politicians because of the explosion of new coronavirus cases in France.
On Wednesday, there will be the regular meeting of the government's health defense council, which is chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and comprised of senior ministers.
Some commentators are pointing to that meeting as critical to see if the government will have to bring back another national lockdown to contain the wave of new infections.
Until now, Macron's administration has always qualified a third nationwide confinement as a "final option."
More than 7.7 million people have had one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in France. /Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP
Another step the government classes as a "last resort" is the closure of schools, but that is being seen as increasingly likely due to the spike in infections linked to classrooms.
New, tougher measures were introduced on March 20, covering around a third of the population including the Greater Paris region.
The government stopped short of full stay-at-home orders, with many shops still open and people allowed to meet outside in small groups.
Pressure is now rising to close schools and go further, with many medics and epidemiologists warning the disease is out of control.
The one bright spot is France's vaccination program, which is speeding up after a slow start to the year.
More than 7.7 million people have had one jab and more than 2.6 million have received both coronavirus vaccine doses.