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France is aiming to lift the national closure on December 15, President Emmanuel Macron said, and the stores are allowed to reopen on Saturday after weeks of closure.
In a televised speech tonight, Macron said some restrictions would be in place to avoid “a third wave of coronavirus” or another lockdown.
The current lockdown, in effect from late October, will be replaced by a nationwide curfew from 9 pm to 7 am, beginning December 15.
Macron said that Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve would be exempt from the curfew.
“We will be able to travel without authorization, even between regions, and spend Christmas with our families,” he said.
However, the French should avoid “useless trips,” he added.
He said the country’s ski resorts, which are among the most popular in Europe, will not be able to reopen in time for the year-end Christmas season.
Coronavirus risks make it “impossible” to allow winter sports to resume quickly, he said, adding that it is preferable to plan a reopening of resorts in January “under favorable conditions.”
The Haute-Savoie region in the French Alps yesterday recorded the highest number of infections per 100,000 people nationwide, closely followed by the neighboring Savoy region.
Health authorities had warned that regional hospitals could be overwhelmed if crowds of skiers were allowed to travel there.
Macron also said that he expected the first Covid vaccines to be available for use in late December or early January.
“We are going to organize a mass and rapid vaccination campaign,” he said. “It is very likely that, pending authorization from the health authorities, we will begin the vaccination of the most vulnerable populations in late December or early January.”
He added that vaccination would not be mandatory.
Macron’s comments come as the country’s death toll from Covid-19 exceeds 50,000.
French health authorities said 458 additional deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 50,237.
World leaders ask for patience
The disease continues to proliferate around the world, and world leaders urge people to be patient.
In Brussels, the EU announced that it was concluding a sixth contract to reserve doses, this time for up to 160 million from the American giant Moderna.
“All member states will receive it at the same time in a proportional way,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Austria said it would purchase more than 16 million doses of the vaccine through the EU and could start a vaccination campaign in January.
The government of Spain, one of the worst-affected countries in Europe, also said vaccinations could start in January and that nursing home residents would take priority, followed by medical workers.
The UK government and decentralized administrations agreed to allow people to join the ‘Christmas bubbles’ so that families can get together during the festive period.
The temporary easing of the measures will allow three households to mix in a bubble from December 23 to 27.
Germany’s 16 states also agreed to slightly relax limits on social contact during Christmas, and state leaders agreed to limit gatherings to 10 people between December 23 and January 1.
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