Nationwide curfew to begin at 6, as part of new restrictions
The prime minister has announced a countrywide curfew starting on Saturday: people must stay indoors from 6 pm every day. The government will strengthen border controls and tighten the general health protocols that apply in schools.
As the coronavirus pandemic in France does not show signs of abating at an adequate pace, further restrictions are needed, Prime Minister Jean Castex told a press briefing on Thursday.
The prime minister announced that the night curfew will apply from 6 pm to 6 am, because the number of infections per 100 thousand residents have excceded 50 in every region of the country. The curfew starts on Saturday and will remain in effect for at least 15 days.
Sur l ensemble du territoire métropolitain, le couvre-feu s appliquera à compter de 18h00 à partir de ce samedi et pour au moins 15 jours. pic.twitter.com/sjAS3bLcJZ
— Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) January 14, 2021
As another, much more contagious variant that surfaced in the UK is also spreading in France – with around 200-300 new cases being registered each day – the French government has decided to impose stricter border controls. From Monday, all individuals arriving from outside the European Union can only board planes or ships bound for France in possession of a negative PCR test. Passengers arriving in the country must also stay in a one-week quarantine, after which they must take another PCR test.
Les personnes concernées devront également s engager sur l honneur à s isoler pendant 7 jours une fois arrivées en France, puis à refaire un deuxième test PCR à l issue. https://t.co/tFqGjVzm7S
— Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) January 14, 2021
Schools will remain open, but school canteens will have to comply with more rigorous health protocols. High school students will be studying in hybrid education from 20 January, attending both online and offline classes.
Speaking about the pandemic-induced economic difficulties of French businesses and companies, Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire announced that companies could suspend their repayment of public loans by a year, noting that the repayment period was expected to begin in March. The measure applies to all companies, regardless of their size or activity. The economy minister said the government had increased the solidarity fund to help companies, costing the French state 4 billion euros a month.
Prime Minister Jean Castex stressed the importance of vaccinations, saying there are currently 700 vaccination centres in the country and the goal is to have one million people vaccinated by the end of January.