Amid third Covid wave, France to go into month-long lockdown from today
- The fresh curbs will come into effect from Friday midnight lasting four weeks but are less restrictive than measures imposed in March and November of last year
In view of an increasingly alarming situation at hospitals with a rise in the numbers of coronavirus patients, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has imposed a month-long lockdown in 16 areas of the country, including the greater Paris and Nice areas.
The fresh curbs will come into effect from Friday midnight lasting four weeks but are less restrictive than measures imposed in March and November of last year, according to a report.
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"Our choice, to be less restrictive on possibilities to leave one's home, will need to go hand in hand with real caution," Castex said.
"This is clearly about allowing for people to be outside, but not to go to friends' homes to have a party or meet with many people without social distancing or a face mask. We know that it is in that kind of situation that the virus prospers," the French Prime Minister added.
As per the new guidelines, people will be encouraged to work from home and will be allowed to go outdoors to walk or exercise only after having an 'approval certificate'. They also cannot go further than 10 km from their home. The nighttime curfew - currently in effect from 6 pm - will be extended to 7 pm when the new measures are implemented, news agency ANI quoted CNN as saying.
Schools and universities will remain open. Essential businesses will remain open - and these will now include book shops and music shops.
Earlier, Castex on Tuesday said that the country has entered 'a kind of third wave' of Covid-19 infections, amid a surge of cases as numerous variants of the virus has affected the nation.
"The pandemic is playing overtime. We are in what looks like a form of third wave ... characterized by the variants," Castex had said, addressing the parliamentarians.
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He also announced that the French would be able to get inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine starting Friday afternoon — and that he himself will be getting a shot “to show we can have complete confidence." Castex is making for himself an exception to the age rule, moving to the front of the line of those awaiting vaccinations, currently reserved for people 75 and older or with serious health concerns.
France and some other countries briefly suspended the use of the vaccine over fears of blood clots, and are resuming it after the European Medicines Agency gave its green light earlier Thursday.
France has so far recorded a total of 4,241,959 infections and 91,833 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
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