Lockdown impact on COVID-19 epidemics in regions across metropolitan France

Some have questioned the need for a nationwide implementation given that most hospital admissions were concentrated in two of 13 regions; others have even questioned the impact of the lockdown on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread, arguing that the natural epidemic peak was about to be reached. [...]most regions were experiencing exponential growth in hospital admissions (appendix), such that saturation of local intensive care units might have occurred in those regions in the absence of any lockdown. SC and AF are members of the French COVID19 Scientific Council of the French Ministry of Health.