PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday that French schools would close next week and a limited lockdown in place in Paris and other regions would be extended to the whole country to battle soaring Covid-19 cases.
Macron said in an address to the nation that the current efforts to limit the virus “were too limited at a time when the epidemic is accelerating”. The spread of the so-called British variant meant “we risk losing control”.
He said that schools would close from Monday for the next three weeks, but this would include two weeks of spring holiday.
From Saturday night and for the next four weeks, travel restrictions will be imposed across the whole country and non-essential shops will close in line with measures already implemented in Covid-19 hotspots such as Paris, he said.
But striking a more optimistic tone for the medium term, he said some cultural venues and cafe terraces would reopen in mid-May “under strict rules” and a calendar drawn up for a progressive reopening of other facilities.
“Thanks to the vaccine, the way out of the crisis is emerging,” he said.
He also announced that the vaccine drive would be open to all those over 60 from April 16 and those over 50 from May 15. Earlier French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned restaurant owners that they risked losing Covid-19 financial aid if they open in defiance of the pandemic shutdown, following calls to protest and serve clients.
Angry owners say their livelihoods are at risk since the closures were ordered on October 30, with little prospect of a return to business as usual anytime soon.
Several chefs and thousands of people have already backed a call by Stephane Turillon, a chef in eastern France, for restaurants to open for protest meals on Monday.
“It’s extremely hard for restaurants, economically and in terms of morale,” Le Maire told RTL radio. “But in no way does that justify not respecting the rules,” he said.

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