[citation needed] The virus was first detected in France on 23 January on trois peoples returning from Wuhan (2 from Paris and 1 from Bordeaux).
[citation needed] In anticipation of the arrival of possibles cases of COVID-19 in Normandy, the Norman health services, in particular hospitals of Caen and Rouen, are prepared from January.
[citation needed] 28 French returnees from Wuhan, are placed for 2 weeks in isolation in a holiday village near the town of Branville in Calvados on 21 February 2020.
[9] On 27 February 2020, a health professional from the Rouen University Hospital from Bois-Guillaume, returning from a stay in Germany, was confirmed as the first case of COVID-19 in Normandy and Seine-Maritime, leading to the surveillance of 41 people who have been in contact.
[citation needed] These indicators continue to decline during the whole month of June, but 4 clusters of positive cases in south of Rouen causes an increased vigilance of the ARS.
[32] On 4 August 2020, the ARS observed a 20% increase in the virus's reproductive rate, where the R0 went from 0.98 on 28 July[33] to 1.19,[34] confirming the upward dynamics of epidemic indicators with a R0 at 1.44.
[41] Vaccination in Normandy begins on 4 January 2021 with the first doses injected at the Rouen University Hospital on voluntary health personnel.
[42] On 26 January 2021, the ARS announces a first detected case of the British variant in Calvados, leading to a strengthening of screening measures at the local level.
[44] On 18 March 2021, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced a local lockdown in the most affected French departments including Eure and Seine-Maritime.