France is to lift most of its Coronavirus lockdown measures from June 2, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced.
Speaking on Thursday, Philippe said,
“Freedom will finally become the rule again, and bans the exception”.
“On the health front the news is good, but not so good that everything can go back to normal.”
In a speech marking the second stage of ‘deconfinement’, it was announced that museums, historical monuments and beaches will reopen from Tuesday, while parks and gardens are to open this weekend.
Cafés, bars and restaurants will be able to reopen indoor seating, except in Paris, Mayotte and French Guiana where only outdoor terrace seating will be allowed. Schools will be allowed to gradually reopen from Tuesday and people will also be allowed to travel further than during the current lockdown measures. People in France will be able to travel further than 100 kilometres within the country and it is expected that they will be allowed to travel within Europe from June 15.
Team sports and the opening of venues such as cinemas and nightclubs are currently banned, though it is expected that they may resume operation from late June.
The Prime Minister has urged people to maintain social distancing and maintain a strict hand-washing routine, due to the virus continuing to circulate. So far in France, 28,662 are confirmed to have died with COVID-19.
