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France to close schools and extend Covid-19 lockdown to all of the country, Macron says

01 April 2021 09:18 (UTC +04:00)

President Emmanuel Macron extended light lockdown measures from 19 areas including Paris to all of mainland France from April 3 for 4 weeks at a televised address on the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic on Wednesday, APA reports citing France 24.

Macron widened the light lockdown measures currently imposed on a third of the French population – including the Paris region – to all of mainland France. “We don’t have to lock ourselves in but we need to limit our contacts,” he said.

“We tried to push back this day for as long as possible – but unfortunately it has now arrived,” the president continued. “We will lose control if we do not act now.”

Macron also announced a closure of all schools and day care centres for three weeks until April 26. Yet he also justified his policy of keeping them open since the end of the first lockdown in spring 2020, which has received intensifying criticism over recent weeks: “School is non-negotiable,” he said.

Travel between different French regions will be banned for the duration of the nationwide light lockdown, while the 7pm curfew currently imposed on the 19 regions will be extended to all of mainland France.