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Photo by Alexis Sciard (ZUMA Press / Scanpix)
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday that quarantine was being reintroduced across the country to contain a second wave of coronavirus that is spreading at an alarming rate.
The head of state said the restrictions will go into effect Thursday night and will last “at least until December 1.”
Bars, restaurants and other non-essential businesses will need to close during this period, but unlike the two-month lockdown last spring, students will still be able to attend schools, Macron said on television.
Factories and farms will also be able to continue operating and some public services will be provided to limit damage to the economy threatened by the complete shutdown of the country.
“The virus is spreading in France at a rate that not even the biggest pessimists predicted,” the president stressed.
“Like last spring, you will only be able to leave home to go to work, to the doctor, to help a family member, to buy essentials or to get some fresh air outside,” Macron said.
According to him, people must bring written statements that indicate the reason why they left their home. This condition suggests that violators will be fined again.
“If we handle the situation better in two weeks, we can reassess and hopefully open some businesses, especially for the Christmas holidays,” the president said. “I hope we can celebrate Christmas and the New Year with the families.”
As in other European countries, France has seen an outbreak of COVID-19 cases of coronavirus infection in recent days, which can quickly exceed hospital capacity.
Germany is also tightening restrictions
The German federal and state governments agreed on Wednesday to shut down part of the economy and tighten restrictions on social contacts in a bid to halt the record rise in coronavirus infections.
The new restrictions will take effect in Germany from Monday and will last until the end of November. According to them, all restaurants, bars and most of the public entertainment will be closed. Bundesliga football matches and other professional sporting events will take place without spectators. Schools, day centers, hair salons and retailers will continue to operate.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the measures were strict and “onerous.”
“This is a difficult day for political decision makers,” said Merkel, pointing to the need to “act now.”
Merkel will meet again with the territorial leaders during the next two weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented measures and make the necessary changes.
According to the Worldometer, there were 16,202 new cases of coronavirus infection in Germany in the last day (479,621 in total) and 36,437 new cases in France (1,235,132 in total).
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