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Just three days after France threw open its nightclubs' doors for the first time in 16 months, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce new Covid-19 rules.

It seemed the country was taking a step towards returning to a pre-pandemic normal just in time for summer, but the delta variant has now started driving infection rates up across Europe.

France's infections started rising again two weeks ago and on Sunday, the country recorded 4,256 new coronavirus infections and four fatalities, according to the latest figures.

Amid fears of a peak in infections, President Macron, 43, hosted a top-level Covid security meeting on Monday morning and is set to give a televised speech in the evening.

He is expected to announce plans for a law requiring health care workers to get vaccinated, and people may require special Covid-19 passes for restaurants or other day-to-day activities.

Just three days after France threw open its nightclubs' doors (pictured on July 9) for the first time in 16 months, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce new Covid-19 rules

President Macron (pictured), 43, hosted a top-level Covid security meeting on Monday morning and is set to give a televised speech in the evening

Either move would buck the trend in most other European countries, where Governments have generally shied away from vaccine requirements and instead made it a voluntary measure.

But Italy have introduced similar regulations, where the Covid vaccine is compulsory for health care workers and pharmacists, while those who opt out risk suspension or a salary cut.

Meanwhile in Denmark, restaurants and public events require a digital pass showing that you been fully vaccinated or have a recent negative test. 

Some German states require the same for restaurants, though suggestions of making vaccines obligatory have prompted widespread unease.

Macron may also announce a return to limits on the number of people allowed in public venues, which only reopened in May following one of the world's longest shutdowns.

Authorities could also start charging money for some virus tests, which up to now have been free for everyone on French territory.

Any new measures are likely to be relatively mild for now, but are aimed at reminding France that the pandemic is not over yet. 

'We have to live with the virus,' Europe Minister Clement Beaune said on Sunday. 

'Living with the virus means we don't re-close everything.'

France has so far vaccinated 40 per cent of its population, while vaccines are widely available for anyone 12 and over. 

Macron is expected to announce plans for a law requiring health care workers to get vaccinated (pictured), and people may require special Covid-19 passes for restaurants

The new restrictions come after French restaurants and bars (pictured: Champs Elysees avenue in Paris) began thriving again

But the Government has grown concern after demand has ebbed in recent weeks due to hesitancy, a sense that the virus is no longer a threat, and because some people decided to put off their shots until after the summer holidays.

The expected new restrictions come after French restaurants and bars began thriving again as the Tour de France drew in tightly packed crowds across the country.

Meanwhile, Hollywood stars have returned to the red carpet mask-free and arm-in-arm at the much-anticipated Cannes Film Festival, which kicked off on Tuesday and continues until Saturday.

The La Bellevilloise nightclub in eastern Paris was just one of the nightclubs across the country that was able to throw open its doors on Friday, but the owner braced for the possibility that the party could be short-lived.

Despite fears of another closure, partygoers were exhilarated at rediscovering the dance scene and people crowded into clubs to enjoy the atmosphere after 16 months. 

Club-goer Sophie Anne Descoubes said she was impressed by the club checked her QR code, which showed she'd been either fully vaccinated or freshly tested.

She added: 'I don't have any apprehension, just a great joy and the desire to stomp.'

France's virus infections started rising again two weeks ago, and health service SOS Medecins registered a slight rise in demand for emergency virus treatment over the weekend. 

The number of people in French hospitals and intensive care units has been declining for weeks, but doctors predict it will rise when the increase in delta variant infections hits vulnerable populations - as it has in both Britain and Spain.

Meanwhile, Macron also met with car industry figures on Monday as he tries to combine his virus warnings with a message of hope for one of the world's biggest economies.

The Tour de France (pictured on July 11) has drawn in tightly packed crowds across the country while Cannes Film Festival has given a taste of the pre-pandemic normal

Clubs (pictured La Dune nightclub in the southern city of La Grande Motte) reopened after 16 months last week and partygoers crowded on to dance floors clubs to enjoy the atmosphere

New infections are threatening France's all-important tourism industry and Macron's ambitious economic recovery plan - just nine months before the next presidential election. 

It comes after France's secretary of state for European affairs Clément Beaune advised people to 'avoid Spain and Portugal as destinations' because the French government is considering restrictions on travel to their neighbours.

She urged people to avoid the countries for their summer holidays due to risks tied to the highly contagious Covid Delta variant.

Last week, Beaune told France 2 TV: 'To those who have not yet booked their holidays, I say avoid Spain and Portugal as destinations. It is a prudent advice, a recommendation.'

The ministry later specified that 'travel to Spain and Portugal and anywhere else in Europe remains authorised...We are sending a message of caution on Portugal and Catalonia which are strongly impacted by the Delta variant'.

Spain's health minister warned that young people can develop severe cases of Covid and asked for their co-operation in taming an infection rate that has more than doubled in a week, as the Delta variant tears through unvaccinated adults.

Scrambling to bring the virus under control, the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia will shut down nightclubs from Friday, just weeks after opening them.